“Don’t want to be an American idiot/ One nation controlled by the media/ Information age of hysteria/ It’s calling out to idiot America.”

Green Day’s hit song “American Idiot” provides insight into the ignorance of American society. This song also demonstrates what it means to be a modern storyteller and share the personal experience of a generation through lyrics.

I recently attended two artistic events where I got to see the work of two modern storytellers in action. The first event I went to was an Ed Sheeran concert, and the second was author Amy Leach’s lecture on illumination she gave at St. Thomas.

These modern storytellers depict life in ways we never expected or have heard before. What I enjoy most about Sheeran are the stories he creates through meaningful lyrics that speak about the individual experience on an emotional level. And in Leach’s book of essays, “Things That Are,” she brought out her own opinions and ideas about life by writing in the perspective of other living things and explored how wondrous the world was through their eyes.

Modern storytellers express their ideas about social issues that are currently affecting their generation through their chosen art form. These artists and activists are different from past storytellers because they share the story of the current generation. For example, the Beatles and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young sang about peace and political activism because of the major issues of war and discrimination at the time. Meghan Trainor’s current chart-topping song “All About That Bass” talks about the importance of having a healthy attitude about body image because of warped images of women in the media.

These modern storytellers share ideas and provide a voice for our generation through words and images. The New York Times published an article in 2011 stating narcissism has increased significantly for this generation. The reporter, John Tierney, wrote there was a noticeable trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music.

I agree much of today’s music focuses on the individual and has undertones of violence or pain, but this doesn’t necessarily detract from the artist as a storyteller. Today’s generation feels comfortable expressing its personal feelings and opinions, which can be misconstrued as narcissism.

One of our generation’s best attributes is that people are not afraid to share their opinions; they are going to stand up for what they believe even if it goes against the social norm. This is a generation of artists. People may be more narcissistic, but they also have the desire to share their experiences, thoughts and passions through art, stories, songs, YouTube videos and forms of social media.

Not all songs or stories are going to impact the audience, but good modern storytellers have the ability to create change. For example, some recent influential and popular songs include “Royals” by Lorde and “Same Love” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. These songs expressed the artists’ opinions about modern society and how it should change. Malala Yousafzai similarly wrote about her experiences in the Middle East and stood up for the education of all children, and, as a result, she earned a Nobel Peace Prize.

These artists did not focus on themselves, but rather, they told the story of conflict this generation is facing and created a rallying force behind their call for social change. That is the power of a modern storyteller. The ability for this generation to fearlessly express their opinions should be heralded, and I look forward to what else we can create.

Claire Noack can be reached at noac8702@stthomas.edu.