As children, we all clung to the promise of fairy tales. We would hold on to detail of every intricately woven story, from Santa to the tooth fairy to a talking ape that was your best friend (Was that just me? Never mind then). The blissful illusions don’t dissipate easily, the dreams we have don’t falter, and our childhood convictions don’t easily fade. So just imagine how broken our political system must be if only 46% of the youth of this country is sure it’s going to vote. We’ve lost faith in our institutions and representations, and it doesn’t look like that faith is going to be restored any time soon. It certainly takes a lot to create disenchantment this widespread (well done, Washington). I’m going to try and look at some of the major reasons why we’re seeing voter apathy among a generation that ought to be engaged, aware and passionate about American politics.
First, we have to realize that the apathy doesn’t stem from there not being enough political opinions to identify with, but rather from the fact that all political opinions fall into two extremes. It’s not just that there’s polarization among the Left and Right members of the political spectrum; it’s seemingly impossible to be someone who stands on middle ground anymore. Everyone from a young political aspirant to an old Washington stalwart will jump down your throat if you shift your views closer to the middle. Compromise is seen as defeat. Having diverse opinions makes you appear inconsistent, scattered, belief-less. Trying to see the other side makes you a traitor. It’s no wonder then, that Millennials who don’t fall into two black and white groups are just floating somewhere in the middle, apathetic because there’s no grey middle to plant their feet.At the Millennial Values Symposium, fifteen members of our generation clearly spoke minds. We listened to each other, learned from each other, agreed, disagreed and understood each other. But we were just fifteen. In today’s world, technology it is almost impossible to make oneself heard. Your tweet about the Affordable Care Act is overshadowed by Kim Kardashian’s divorce, and your status update about finishing exams gets more likes than your the post describing how you subscribe to Nick Kristof’s status updates. Social analysts argue that in the marketplace of ideas, if your thought is powerful enough it will resonate and spread (For example, seven different people had sent me Anne-Marie Slaughter’s piece in the Atlantic five hours after it was published online). Though that’s a fair, proven and respected theory, those that advocate for a flourishing marketplace of ideas fail to acknowledge one important detail – advances in technology have made our world a pretty damn big marketplace. How can Millennials not start to feel apathetic when the efforts they make at engagement can’t be heard? When we finally overcome the polarization problem, nothing we seem to say makes a difference. Everything from gestures of support to indignant protests are just lost in the cacophony of 6 billion voices.
The final reason I’m going to suggest for the disenchantment of Millennials is one that I can identify with well. The survey noted that one of our generation’s primary concerns as we grow up is economic inequality and the job insecurity. Yet, while we fret about the economic mess our country’s in, America resents how those most responsible walk free. While we worry about America’s international reputation, a president we’ve thrown our weight behind has a ‘kill list.’ While we wonder how we’ll keep ourselves and our aging parents healthy, a group of nine makes the most critical decisions for all of us. I’m not railing against any party, policy or act. The fact is that we’re the first generation that is financially worse off than our parents since the Great Depression, and even if we vote, express ourselves or object, every major issue we want to have a conversation about seems to be out of our hands. Every table the Millennials want a seat at doesn’t have enough chairs. When Millennials aren’t seen as anything more than a voter block to be captured, it makes it difficult for us to be engaged.
Millennials certainly have plenty of reasons to be disenchanted with government, and apathetic about political outcomes. However, despite our disillusionment, what I learned at the Millennial Values Symposium is that we’ve got to revive our generation’s passion for the future. We are the most educated, liberal, aware and close generation ever. We need to rediscover our optimism and reignite the fervour with which past Millennial generations have pursued what they wanted, politically and socially. That optimism and belief that things could possibly/potentially/ hopefully/somehow get better, however small that belief may be, is the first step towards overcoming our disenchantment. We have so much to offer the world, the country and the people who raised us. It would be a shame to let a rough patch (yes, I know that’s putting it mildly) deter us from making the world a better place. It may sound naive, but I think it’s a hell of a lot better to believe in the tooth fairy than to dismiss her all together.
The final reason I’m going to suggest for the disenchantment of Millennials is one that I can identify with well. The survey noted that one of our generation’s primary concerns as we grow up is economic inequality and the job insecurity. Yet, while we fret about the economic mess our country’s in, America resents how those most responsible walk free. While we worry about America’s international reputation, a president we’ve thrown our weight behind has a ‘kill list.’ While we wonder how we’ll keep ourselves and our aging parents healthy, a group of nine makes the most critical decisions for all of us. I’m not railing against any party, policy or act. The fact is that we’re the first generation that is financially worse off than our parents since the Great Depression, and even if we vote, express ourselves or object, every major issue we want to have a conversation about seems to be out of our hands. Every table the Millennials want a seat at doesn’t have enough chairs. When Millennials aren’t seen as anything more than a voter block to be captured, it makes it difficult for us to be engaged.
Millennials certainly have plenty of reasons to be disenchanted with government, and apathetic about political outcomes. However, despite our disillusionment, what I learned at the Millennial Values Symposium is that we’ve got to revive our generation’s passion for the future. We are the most educated, liberal, aware and close generation ever. We need to rediscover our optimism and reignite the fervour with which past Millennial generations have pursued what they wanted, politically and socially. That optimism and belief that things could possibly/potentially/ hopefully/somehow get better, however small that belief may be, is the first step towards overcoming our disenchantment. We have so much to offer the world, the country and the people who raised us. It would be a shame to let a rough patch (yes, I know that’s putting it mildly) deter us from making the world a better place. It may sound naive, but I think it’s a hell of a lot better to believe in the tooth fairy than to dismiss her all together.
First published by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs website.
Photo credit, Politico.
