By John Zogby
There were lots of questions and discussion from the next two groups in Prague about First Globals™. I was ably assisted by my son, Jeremy, who moderated both discussions. The first group was a chapter of Generation Next, about 20 or so First Globals™ themselves. They were university graduate and undergraduate students along with young professionals. They were Czech, Indian, Pakistani, Arab, and British.
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They were curious about their American counterparts. What made me so hopeful that American First Globals™ would eschew American nationalism and militarism? What if the U.S. were attacked again? Wouldn’t they turn inward and provincial? I’m happy to get questions like this because I can use real data to speculate on the trends and the future. To be sure, while not global in their outlook, the 20-somethings of the insular and isolationist 1930s U.S. changed from being typical to becoming the super-patriotic Greatest Generation of World War II — the change occurred with Pearl Harbor. But today’s young men and women did witness the attacks of September 11, 2001 and reacted in far different way. In fact, they turned even more outward. They have taken advantage of newer technologies and enter networks with friends and acquaintances without borders. They are curious about different cultures. They are the only American age cohort that does not believe that American culture is inherently superior to the cultures of Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. They are the most likely to want to learn about Muslims.
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This is a global sensibility they will carry with them into their thirties and forties. Obviously no can predict what would happen in the face of another terrorist attack, but the values, experiences, and sensitivities of this group suggest plenty of reasons to be hopeful that the U.S. will not enter a new insular or militarist phase.
