Rebooting the iPod Generation
There is an organization, Reboot, for which I have much fondness. It’s not just because they’re a group of Jewish intellectuals who are both engaged within the community but also very interested in ways to revive, revitalize, and renew their peoplehood. It’s a winning combination, so far as I am concerned.
I’m also fond of them for putting out the report OMG!: How Generation Y is Redefining Faith in the iPod Era. I even went so far as to write a rather pessimistic essay on the report in the latest issue of Atlanta Jewish Life, which is now online here.
Why am I telling you all this? Simple. I’d like to strike up a conversation about the report, its findings, and my take on the subject. I’m quite sure I’ll be thoroughly thrashed, but that’s fine.
I will also note, since the publication of my essay I’ve been contacted by Reboot and learned that they are examining just the Jewish subset of the report and attempting to gather more focused information on Jewish Generation Y. I can’t tell you how much I applaud that effort and look forward to those findings.
So… discuss.
Bradford asks in his article:
“What happens when all the Jewish conservatives go to war with all the Jewish liberals?”
Um, the Jewschool comments section?
No offense, buddypal, but your point about “NeoConJews vs HuggyKissyJews being a battle we can ill afford” is a crock of shit.
We have survived countless pogroms, exiles, massacres, ghettos, acculturation, absorbtion, and apathy.
The Dialogue is what DEFINES us as Jews. To say that now, when we teeter on what you consider some sort of brink; that we should surrender the dialogue to safe cuddly ahnd holding bullshit is an insult – those who came before us sacraficed specifically so we COULD fight like cats, dogs, rats, and the occasional starved pitbull: unadaultured and without fear of institutional consequence.
We’ll survive into the 21st century, shmuck-o…
… but if it’s neutered, it ain’t gonna be much of a survival.
Some of the questions are too vague and could be taken like 3 different ways, so sometimes I wasn’t too sure what to make of the results.
Besides, what kind of person would ask a Jew a question and then only allow him/her to use the answers provide AND restrict them from asking a question about the question AND restrict them from giving more than one answer? I wouldn’t have liked being given this survey.
Also, every survey of Jews must include ample space for the respondent to comment on how stupid the question and/or questioner is and to wonder why they didn’t ask the respondent for input before designing this fakakteh survey.
Well written and insightful comment on the implications of the study. Thanks for putting some perspective on the unmitigated glee of the pollsters’ reports, which I found more than a bit disturbing, at least potentially.