Whistleblowers: A Throwback to the Sixties?

I am a child of the sixties.  My generation will always be known as the protest generation.  The Viet Nam War gave birth to the peace movement.  Blatant segregation brought about boycotts and protests.  We were also just starting to learn what we were doing to our environment, resulting in major changes in the way we live.  My college class, The 69ers, was known as the rebels.  I think the University still tries its best to ignore us.  We brought dancing to the campus for the first time, probably because our off-campus parties were getting out of hand.  We thumbed our nose at school policy and elected a married homecoming queen.  Later in the school years a sit-in of the office of the Dean of Students was organized. 

I thought about that as I perused last week's Time Magazine.  The cover article was on the current breed of millennial protesters.  Today they are called whistle blowers, as they bring to light the way in which our government intrudes into the private lives of citizen.  There is much debate over their actions, with some even labeling them traitors.  Indeed there probably are more parallels between millennials and baby boomers than either generation wants to acknowledge.  Both tend to be  somewhat altruistic and self-absorbed at the same time.  There is a desire to "make a difference" among today's young folks, much the same as there was for my generation.  The problem comes when things are taken too far.  Boycotting a particular store, wearing a "peace symbol, and even occupying the dean's office is one thing.  Burning down  the army recruiting office or endangering the lives of innocent people is a whole different issue. 

Before we are quick to judge the actions of today's militants, we need to reflect back on the "sins of our youth."  Their motives might be the same as ours. They see what they view as an injustice and desire to make a difference.  I suspect the enemy within us already knows they are being watched and monitored.   That in itself is a step in the right direction... but I probably shouldn't say anymore because I just never know who might be reading my blog.