Zoe Pilger’s column in the Independent on Sunday is right on the money. The condescension with which the media and politicians have treated the views of young anti-war protestors has been appalling:

“Generation apathy” has officially woken up. This is much to the dismay of the British media who have long cherished the view that young people are indifferent to politics. We would rather, if you believe what you read, vote for our favourite contestant on some brain-dead reality TV show such as Big Brother than for our choice of prime minister in the next general election. Reporters such as Andrew Marr of the BBC have dismissed the massive growth of school students’ direct action against the war with back-handed comments like: “Well, it beats doing your homework.”</p> Johann Hari, are you paying attention?

Another guy with condescending attitudes towards teenagers’ political reason is Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore, who seems to believe that teenagers are incapable of having opinions of their own (RealAudio; fast forward to 23mins.). At least some people have more respect for the rationality of the young.