While today's Millennial teens inhabit the pop culture, they didn't make it, they don't profit from it, a lot of them don't like it, and they'd probably cheer the loudest if somebody could fix it. Perhaps America's entertainment executives could start behaving more like neighbors and parents whenever they learn of a violent film, rancid CD, or sadistic video game that's being sold by a division they control. Parents and teachers have a role, too. They need to get a little better clued in, know what's out there, express opinions, and hope kids will listen. Usually kids will.
Polls show that most Millennial teens share their parents' values.
By far the most important pop-culture role involves the young Millennials themselves. They're the key consumers, and they've got the power to decide what stays and what goes. To encourage this, the rest of us can help today's kids find ways of taking the initiative themselves. When Millennials get going, they can be surprisingly effective. To illustrate how, I'd like to read excerpts from 2 letter recently published in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.