Van Jones Encourages Young Activists, Glenn Beck Fearmongers [Video]

As part of youth conference Power Shift 2011, Van Jones has encouraged young people to ask conservative elders whether being forced to be energy consumers instead of producers is the future.

The question he poses is: should we continue to be forced to be energy consumers by corporations that dictate the power we use and the pollution we ingest? Jones says,

“Shouldn’t we have the right and the liberty to be energy producers and not be dictated to 12 times a year by energy companies that dictate how much we’re going to pay for energy – when we’re going to pay it, how many asthma inhalers we’re going to have as a consequence. Shouldn’t we have the liberty as Americans to power this country in a new way?”

Van Jones is a green jobs advocate, community leader, and author of The Green Collar Economy.

In response to the Power Shift conference and to Van Jones in particular, Glenn Beck has predictably lashed out in the usual manner. Beck maintains,

“They are telling our kids, you have major leaders now, telling our children not to listen to their parents, to teach their parents.” “These radicals are the same radicals that used to tell each other in the 1960s, don’t trust anyone over 30. Don’t trust your parents.”

Beck also ridiculously goes as far as implying that encouraging young people to be politically engaged is akin to calling for people to “kill your parents”.

Perhaps he is conveniently forgetting that many of the people in the 1960s he is referring to were responsible for pushing the civil rights movement forward.

Image CC licensed by markn3tel