Media shocked by poll results; Hollywood yawns

A recent poll conducted by the media shows that "millenials" -- kids between the ages of 21 and 29 -- have a far better moral compass than Hollywood has portrayed them in recent years. (HT to Mark Steyn at NRO's The Corner.

From UPI:

Young Americans have a reverence for national institutions, traditions and family values, a U.S. survey indicates.

A survey of so-called "millennials" -- those between 21 and 29 -- revealed the group overwhelmingly said they support monogamy, marriage, the U.S. Constitution and the military, The Washington Times reported Sunday.

"We were completely surprised. There has been a faulty portrayal of millennials by the media -- television, films, news, blogs, everything. These people are not the self-entitled, coddled slackers they're made out to be. Misnomers and myths about them are all over the place," said Ann Mack, who directed the survey and is the official "director of trend-spotting" at J. Walter Thompson, the nation's largest advertising agency.

In addition to indicating 94 percent of millennials respect monogamy and parenthood and 84 percent revere marriage, the survey found 88 percent said they respect the U.S. Constitution, 84 percent respect the military and more than three-quarters believe in the "American dream."

Now while a lot of people will follow Hollywood's suit, and yawn at this poll. it means a little more to me. See, Marcie falls into that age range, and she shares much of the same opinions. She has nothing but respect for the Constitution (hence her desire to be a lawyer specialized in Con Law); she has the utmost respect for the military (her brother is an Army Ranger in Afghanistan); and her views of marriage are spot-on with regards to monogamy, and the institution itself (I wouldn't have married her otherwise, guys).

The idea that we think all these kids are slackers without any respect for the nation or the rule of law is preposterous. Sure there are a few (liberals, trust me) that act like the people on Friends, or the OC, or what have you (pick a frelling show where Hollywood represents the millenials as sack-jumping hormones with legs that dislike the nation, and have no respect for the rule of law), but for the most part the millenials have a great deal of respect for this nation, and the underlying morals it exudes.

This goes hand-in-hand with the theory that politics, like weather, moves in cycles. The Greatest Generation knew what it took to run the nation, and the generation that followed knew it as well. It's the baby boomers from the 1960s that screwed things up, had an utter disregard for respect and law and order. The following generation -- my generation -- also knows what it takes to preside over a nation and it's citizens. (Remember that Bobby Jindal is my age, and he's superb.) The next generation -- the millenials -- seem to be following in our footsteps, for the most part.

I'm not saying they'll be perfect, but they'll be better off than the doom-and-gloomers keep wailing about. I know people who say they weep for the future of this nation. And yet I can only take heart with the generations that are about to take over, and guide this nation into a bright and shining future.

Publius II