Gen Y and the Promise of a New Polis

I came across this piece this morning as I browsed the news over my morning coffee and shared it with my students over at Engaging the Polis. Given the context of the course, the nature of their research projects, and the fact that my students are perfectly the demographic in question, I thought they would find Jim Burkee's commentary interesting (and yes, I hope it will spark an interesting and meaningful class discussion tomorrow since we have been talking about their roles as members of a polis).

That said, I find Burkee's observations worthy of consideration beyond the classroom, especially when he writes

[ . . .] the political loyalties of that coveted demographic are not yet decided. While they seem to lean to the left, they're actually more libertarian than liberal, a fact that will reshape the way we think about liberalism and conservatism in decades to come. [more]

As one who is slightly 'generationless' or 'on the cusp'--too old for Gen Y, a tad too young for Gen X by the strict sociological classifications--I am excited to think of the ways in which the old political alignments may give way to the new . . . and I wonder at the implications this shift has for the future of our Nation. One thing is certain (at least to my mind): it has been a long time coming.