On January 14th, 2016 the Campus Weekly ran an article by Rebekah Tate on how Millennials will be the key in the upcoming presidential election. While our generation may be the key in deciding the election, is that a good thing for the health of this country?
Our elders might say that our generation is overly whiny –- constantly complaining and pointing out the worst in society, seeing things in far too negative of a light while doing nothing to fix it. And I would say that there is some truth to that criticism. While our generation does have to deal with immense levels of debt in a faltering economy, we often gripe without a solution. We make demands, post on Facebook and desire things like free college without considering all of the consequences or advancing concrete solutions toward our lofty goals.
However, right now Washington seems to have the exact same problem that we are criticized of. They whine and point fingers while nothing gets done in the face of worsening situations across our nation. Something effective needs to be done, and the generations above us are not doing anything right now.
So maybe it is time that our generation stood up for actual, effective change. Because while I personally may not agree with the left-leaning tendencies of Millenials, I do know that something needs to change and things need to actually get done. It is high time we fill this gap by figuring out who we are, what we want and take the necessary steps to get things done. This will require not only clear leadership and direction, but more compromise and cooperation than is being utilized in politics.
As the oldest of the Millennial generation approach the age to possibly take office and lead for change, this idea is not long from being a reality. That considered, it is high time we start coming up with some actual plans ourselves and getting behind something more substantial than Facebook posts and hashtag movements. Until our generation actually stands up and starts doing, rather than cynically complaining and agitating on how bad things are, then nothing will change for the better.
In short, our generation is not yet the key as we have not really come to a consensus about where we want to go and how to get there. But once we decide and start acting on it, we will be the key to advancement. We should seek to be more than just a swing vote or a consumer base that Washington can pander to. We should look to be a sweeping change that will start figuring things out and getting things done for the health of our nation.
