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Could Principal Skinner be so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong. Still, we let them have the conch for a few minutes last week, hosting a roundtable of Portland high school students to discuss the prospect of spending the next four years under a second Trump administration (“Growing Up Trumped,” WW, Nov. 27). Their answers suggested that Generation Z, or at least Portland’s segment of that demographic, is concerned but not surprised by the president-elect’s enduring appeal. Here’s what our readers had to say.
boonwatthrly, via wweek.com: “This article is cringe even for WW. How ’bout this person interview a few kids who see hope in the future rather than the ones who have been brainwashed with Self-Victimization 101? There are plenty of them.”
Karla Forsythe, via email: “Not a representative sample of students. What about kids from Roosevelt, Jefferson, Parkrose, Gresham, Hillsboro, Tigard and Vancouver?”
Tara Dublin, via Bluesky: “We have a nation of traumatized children thanks to Donald Trump, and the next generation won’t even make it to adulthood if we don’t do something to stop fascism NOW.”
Bill Hooper, via Facebook: “Some of their teachers’ responses tell volumes about the state of Portland schools and why some people call them liberal indoctrination centers, and also helps explain the students’ reactions. NONE of them have probably been exposed to the truth and grew up with liberal lies.”
crisscreature, via Instagram: “Schools should teach useful life skills like how to do your taxes.”
Carly Munos, via wweek.com: “I have teens as well, and kids are mostly influenced by their parents, friends and social media. Parents that are doom and gloom about election results have a big effect on their kids, and the kids act the same way. I have co-workers that had to take a mental health day and were severely depressed because Trump got elected! I had a friend whose 12-year-old was upset that Trump got elected and was crying. Why should any 12-year-old be that upset about an election result unless she was heavily influenced by her parents (teachers in the public school sector). We need to teach our kids to be hardworking, make smart choices, resilient and know that even though things in life might not go your way, you need to carry on with life.”
watchingastoria, via wweek.com: “Well, I thought the reporting and the story was first rate.
“Of course kids are strongly influenced by their parents and their parents’ friends—is that some sort of a put-down? But these kids are observing and thinking for themselves, and that is great. Many of their ideas will mature, and they won’t necessarily be interested in or saying the same things in a few years. But few of them—if any—sound like they are going to turn into the sarcastic, curmudgeonly blowhards that comprise this commentariat.”
Eric Fruits, via Twitter: “About one-fifth of the country has no memory of the Obama administration.”
Les Poole, via Facebook: “What was the big message from the election? Focusing on Trump is a sideshow. Portland is an increasingly unaffordable mess. That’s on Wheeler and others who have facilitated it. Let’s see some reporting on that.”
Letters to the editor must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: P.O. Box 10770, Portland, OR 97296 Email: mzusman@wweek.com