Dear Millennials,
It’s about time we have a little talk. About politics. Yeah, I know, I know. You’re already rolling your eyes but that’s why I’m writing to you. While you’re refreshing your Instagram feed or listening to the new Taylor Swift CD (which is completely overrated, by the way), the rest of us are facing many social and political controversies that are going to have repercussions. This is affecting OUR future and our children’s future. With iPhones, tablets, and access to anything at the touch of finger, our generation should be completely informed about social and political issues but we are facing a large problem — nobody cares.
On November 4th, the midterm elections took place all over the United States, including the election of Michigan’s governor. A multitude of propositions were voted on including hunting laws and the decriminalization of marijuana (you would think that would get our attention). According to PBS, the number of voters in this year’s midterm elections was the lowest it has been since WWII. The difference is the people of WWII were distracted by a worldwide destructive war; we were distracted by making starter kits on Twitter. That is not the same thing.
It is beyond frustrating to see activism at an all time low. In any American family, parents, aunts, uncles, even grandparents have stories of protesting during ‘Nam, rallying during the civil rights movement, and even making great achievements during the first wave of feminism. What are we going to be able to tell our children? That we made grand advancements in Buzzfeed quizzes? I love knowing who my celebrity sugar daddy is as much as the next person but our time is so much more limited than we think. Why is the price of our future and the future of the generations after us not enough motivation to get off the couch and vote?
We are putting the decision-making in the hands of people who are, no offense, not going to be around to live with the outcome of them. Our generation complains regularly about the American government, yet we are not taking any initiative to voice our opinion and make a change. It’s a bit hypocritical to criticize the outcome of elections when we aren’t willing to aggressively participate in them. There is nothing worse than a fair-weather politician; one who only states an opinion when it comes to something that directly affects them (i.e. gun control, welfare, health care, college tuition). It doesn’t help to simply be living off of the same opinion as your parents, or Googling what your rights would be if you got pulled over.
I was motivated to write this letter to you all because I believe in us. Our generation holds so much hope, and we have already proved that we can make greater change. Millennials have so much opportunity and promise to sway the votes towards whatever we feel is right. Think about everything we have already endured in our lifetime: a multitude of technological expansions, the trauma of 9/11, in turn the recession, even Britney Spears’s 2007 meltdown. We have power in numbers and we can motivate this country to be the active, thriving, and hopeful nation it’s supposed to be.
So, I will leave you with this — educate yourselves. Whether it’s waking up and reading an article in the New York Times every morning or taking a political science class next semester. Learn about the world we live in. Pay attention to history, pay attention to our society. Register to vote. Find enthusiasm in a topic you’re passionate about whether it be animal rights, feminism, the 2016 campaigns (which are quickly approaching), health care, poverty, pro-life, pro-choice, etc. Maybe make it a New Year’s resolution to involve yourself in these things. There are so many controversial topics that apply to each and every one of us. Our country needs us more than ever and social change is real. Your opinion matters.
Sincerely,
A Hopeful Peer
References:
pbs.org