Recently, a part of my generation has been accused constantly of not valuing our country, of not having any belonging to our country. We’ve heard so many times that this generation is just rotten! Amid globalization, a rise in youth studying abroad, and constant criticism this generation keeps throwing at the government and administrations with no experience or enough knowledge most of the time, it is no surprise that these accusations have risen. But the true question remains — are these accusations true? And if they are, who is to blame for this mindset in the youth of not belonging, negativity and constant criticism?

According to French sociologist Gabriel Tarde and his theory of imitation, social behavior, including language and ways of thinking, is not created or destroyed; rather it is imitated from generation to generation and developed within the process of elimination. He divided imitation into three categories, and the one important to this article is the imitation of people of each other when a society is intertwined. In Kuwait, the Kuwaiti population does not exceed two million, and social relationships are more than strong within society.

Therefore, if my generation truly is unappreciative, pessimistic and ungrateful, this could be a logical series of imitation from the older generation, who constantly repeat the best Kuwait has ever been was in the ‘70s, and modern Kuwait is bland. This subconsciously has been absorbed by our generation, to think that we are living a shallow life with no true accomplishments, even though in my opinion this generation is one of the most promising Kuwait has ever witnessed. In the past, opinions were only heard when sitting with the owner of this opinion and chatting about it.

But now, social media has played a crucial role in pivoting modern journalism and media and giving everyone a platform to express their opinions, whether they have enough knowledge and experience to do so or not. Therefore, journalism today, in all its forms, whether newspapers, social media or even radio stations, does not paint a true picture of Kuwaiti society of all generations. Every time one opens a newspaper or even Twitter, the first thing, we see is depressing news or dark criticism, as if there are no positive aspects in the country we live in!

Despite having so many glimpses of optimism, and so much news that can light a candle in the middle of a dark cave, these media platforms are stubbornly reporting only negative aspects, which has created an attitude that is ready to accept negative pessimistic news more than any positive optimistic news. This has created a new society blinded by the negatives. Not because positives don’t exist, but because rarely is there anyone who talks about them! The Kuwaiti society is a society of strong social ties.

Hence, if the older generation really does want to paint a new picture and build a new youth, a youth that belongs to this country with all that that word holds in meaning, a youth that is eager to develop and not criticize, a youth that feels like they are in a country that is loved and not hated and hating, then the older generation must start to change themselves first and through all media platforms. Because in the situation we are in today, we are not the ones to blame!

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