College lecturing is one of the true loves of my life. I adore interacting with the students, uncovering their wants and needs and, critically, probing for their world view (I say critically because I learn more from the students than they do from me).
Last week, I was invited to address a class of 40 business students. To a person, they were bright, attentive and engaged (which, considering the caliber of the guest lecturer, came as a surprise).
I was there to discuss crisis communications, leadership and the role of the media in today's intense, 24×7 world.
As expected, the class was completely up to speed on current events. But, just like their cohorts at scores of other colleges and universities at which I've had the privilege to lecture, the undergrads were at sea when it came to important people and events of the recent past. It's a puzzling, missing link in the DNA of many Millennials (I say puzzling because, as the well-worn aphorism warns, 'Those who ignore the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.').
At one point, I was discussing the recent death of CBS legend Mike Wallace. I asked the students if they knew about him. Most did. I then asked what form of journalism Wallace had literally invented. Not a single person knew Mike Wallace was the George Washington of 'gotcha' journalism. Nor did they immediately grasp the impact of gotcha journalism.
As most older people know, Wallace excelled at exposing and confronting everyone from fraudulent executives and philandering politicos to pedophile priests and despicable despots. But, he almost always did so in a blunt, almost corrosive, way that often left lives, careers and families in tatters. Indeed, it's not a stretch to argue that today's highly charged, highly polarized news coverage is Mike Wallace's legacy.
Intrigued that America's future business leaders knew next to nothing about Wallace, I proceeded to ask a follow-up question (in the best Mike Wallace tradition, of course). “Who,” I asked, “were Woodward & Bernstein?” The blank stares were pervasive; the silence deafening. Finally, one timid soul raised her hand and said, “Didn't they have something to do with Watergate and Deep Throat?”
I thanked the young woman for volunteering part of the story, filled the class in on the full role Bob & Carl had played in bringing down a presidency and then told them how important understanding the recent past was to making informed business decisions in the future.
While I marvel at the technological prowess of Millennials, I do worry about their future (and the future of our country as well). I worry that, not taking time to learn the mistakes of the past, they will be doomed to repeating them (if not exacerbating them).
Considering what a mess informed leaders have made of the present, I shudder to think what uniformed leaders will do with the future.
Appalling, but not at all surprising.
In the “if you can’t beat ’em join ’em category, I’ve been hearing that NY State is considering dropping the History requirement from its high school Regents exam. It seems the little darlings can’t be expected to learn the basics when there are so many other demands on their time.
Well, one or two out of 40 had an inkling. I’m not surprised though, Julie. I’ve seen this near total lack of knowledge of the recent past among many, many Millennials.
I have to agree with Julie. As a millennial myself, I am shocked and outright saddened by your experience. My high school required us to read “All the President’s Men” for a social studies course. I would like to think the blank stares you experienced were a fluke, since just the thought of this happening is just an embarrassment to my generation.
I am shocked and dismayed that college business students didn’t know who Woodward & Bernstein are… I mean, it’s not like Watergate was a minor story with a brief shelf-life. This is scary. I’m speechless.