Trump is for the right. Biden is for moderates. But who is for Gen Z?
Like many of you, I spent my Tuesday night watching the presidential debate. And, like many of you, I was disappointed. Name-calling, interrupting, senseless attacks… all of it felt very childish. The two most disappointing moments in my opinion, however, were when Trump avoided condemning white supremacy, which is now one of the most dangerous threats facing our nation, and Biden’s overall response to Black Lives Matter and police brutality. Neither candidate directly addressed systemic racism, an extremely important topic in the eyes of Gen Z, and it got me thinking: we really do not have a candidate in this election.
Gen Z has been neglected in many ways- climate change, gun violence in schools, and mental illness are all issues disproportionately affecting young adults, and none of them have been effectively dealt with. 2020 is the first election where nearly our entire generation will be able to vote. We are extremely politically active, although disillusioned, so you would think at least one of the candidates would be dying to scoop up the vote of millions of barely-legal voters. But from last night’s debate, it is clear that neither candidate is concerned about us or intends to make any promises about bettering our future. There was no plan presented for controlling the rising costs of higher education, stimulating the economy so we will be able to find jobs upon graduation, or mental health services for a generation dealing with the effects of near constant use of technology while isolated indefinitely.
As for climate change, an issue that will undoubtedly fall harshly onto our shoulders in the next few years, Trump barely acknowledged its existence, while Biden openly opposed AOC’s Green New Deal. It is clear from the debate that they don’t care about us; they only care about winning. Nobody is willing to represent our generation, one that will have to deal with the aftermath of COVID for years. Our only choices for president failed to choose us, so my question to the American people is: when will we finally get a say?