War stirs emotions in teens

By Todd C. Frankel

Herald Writer

Showing deep doubts about the war on terrorism and a strong empathy for those caught in the middle, Snohomish County teen-agers did most of the talking Tuesday night at a forum on their feelings in the weeks since Sept. 11.

The handful of adults mostly listened, sometimes with shock, as the teens shared their views while sitting at tables gathered in a circle on the stage at Everett Civic Auditorium.

Twenty teens from high schools throughout the county showed up at the forum. Some were invited as members of their student councils. Others were lured by the promise of extra credit in a U.S. history class.

The forum was organized by three community groups, including the Snohomish County YMCA.

The teens, dressed in sweat shirts, sweaters and T-shirts, showed a cautious concern about what is being done militarily in Afghanistan. While recognizing that some sort of retribution for the terrorist attacks was called for, the students struggled to reconcile that goal with the plight of innocent Afghans.

"As they’re bombing, they need to make sure not to hit innocents," said Shane Wicker, a 16-year-old junior at Everett High School wearing headphones around his neck.

There were also worries about Muslims being labeled terrorists and about patriotism turning into blind hatred.

"I’m a patriot, but I’m not a nationalist. I’m not going to blindly follow what our nation decides to do," said Lena Davidson, a 17-year-old senior and student body president at Everett High School.

At times, they seemed like young analysts, offering sure-handed examinations of geopolitical forces, including America’s role in the world and whether the country is guilty of cultural imperialism.

After one student referred to the Middle East as "a longtime thorn in America’s side," Davidson jumped in arguing that the Middle East is a problem "because it hasn’t served certain industries’ best interests," she said, referring to oil companies.

"I don’t think that calls for declaring war in Afghanistan. People there suffer more every day than we’ll ever know," Davidson said.

Josh Hall, a Lakewood High School senior, said America does have a responsibility to rid this country of the threat of terrorism and, to a lesser extent, Afghanistan of the ruling Taliban. The 18-year-old student body president illustrated his point with an example from high school: Doesn’t the "buff jock," in this case America, have a responsibility to protect a girl being picked on by a bully?

"But what gives us the right to play policeman and go all over the world?" asked 15-year-old Sean Kelley-Clarke, an Everett High sophomore.

That sentiment was echoed by Davidson.

"How do we know we’re right?" she asked.

Some of the adults seemed surprised by the teens’ views, especially the importance placed on being tolerant of the Muslim faith and people of Middle Eastern heritage.

"I was surprised, pleasantly surprised," said Greg Johnson, Everett High’s assistant principal. "It was encouraging. I know I wasn’t feeling very tolerant on Sept. 12."

But Johnson also noted something missing from the teens’ comments: a very adultlike concern about the future, mixed with doubts that everything will turn out all right. While the adults clearly expressed concerns about terrorism’s effect on the economy, the teens seemed more inclined to shake it off.

During the forum, the teens offered a subtle reassurance to the adults that the economy and even the American way of life would return to normal.

"I didn’t hear the despair, "Johnson said, pausing for a moment, "the despair that I feel at times."

You can call Herald Writer Todd C. Frankel at 425-339-3429

or send e-mail to frankel@heraldnet.com.

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