Recent demonstrations by young people in several European countries, including Portugal, have called for affordable housing, better education, decent wages and stronger prospects for the future. The opinion piece behind the headline says these demands reflect genuine problems, but argues that vandalism and intimidation undermine them when protest turns to disorder.
It points to low wages, unaffordable rents and limited opportunities as reasons some qualified young people leave the country. At the same time, it criticises extremist political forces for using that discontent to promote what the author describes as the mistaken idea that success can come without effort.
Drawing on Aristotle’s account of moral virtue, the piece argues that character develops through practice and habit, and that education—including the role of families—should help young people cultivate responsibility. It says rights need to be accompanied by duties and by individual contributions to social progress.
The author warns that telling young people that nothing depends on them may deepen feelings of helplessness, anxiety and anger. The article claims that some political forces channel frustration into permanent protest, attribute responsibility solely to external enemies and promise wealth and justice through revolution, while postponing individual responsibility.
It argues that decent working conditions are a legitimate demand, but rejects the idea that people who are able to work should expect to live at others’ expense. The piece closes with an anecdote attributed to Pope John XXIII, who reportedly joked that around half the people in the Vatican worked, and asks how many people are actually working for the future they demand.
Sources: Observador.