U.S. high school student: "Why Gen Z needs to tune in beyond the memes"

tardigrada@beehaw.org to Politics@beehaw.org – 12 points –
smdailyjournal.com

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"As young people, we’re poised to inherit a world that needs thoughtful, informed leadership more than ever. But if we’re not even willing to watch a debate, how can we expect to take on that responsibility? We owe it to ourselves — and to one another — to do better, to look beyond influencers and viral videos, and to engage deeply with the issues that truly matter. Even Taylor Swift, in her endorsement, urged us to “do your research.” If we don’t, we risk becoming not just uninformed voters, but a generation that’s lost sight of what it truly means to be part of a democracy."

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Honestly as an older git.

The whole idea that the younger generation is not interested. Is hardly a new one unique to gen Z.

Pretty much every generation since the 1900 has been accused of this.

The only difference is how much change in culture each generation has had to face.

Honeatly pre 1900s. One generation did not face much change from that of their grandparents world. Since then each generation has seen more change then the last. As technical groth has sped up notable even in my 50 plus yeae lifetime. The changes have been notable.

But each generation. As they age a % develop interest in things to a higher level. Little indicates gen z are any different in this.

"The poll found that 36% of respondents 18-29 agree that “political involvement rarely has any tangible results" – up from 22% who felt that way in 2018. Those who agree that "I don’t believe my vote will make a real difference” went to 42% in the current poll, an increase from 31% in 2018. And well more than half – 56% – believe that "politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing," up from 45% who felt that way in 2018." https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-04-25/youth-losing-faith-in-politics-poll Took me two minutes on Google to see the MASSIVE difference between young people being disengaged in every political cycle and what is happening now.

While you have laid this all at the feet of change a generation has to deal with. I would argue that it is the complete lack of change that drives this. You can see the massive shift we are having where political power has only the use of enriching the individual. Senators gets bribes and we get a worse country, repeat. But the amount that younger generations have been invited into this inner circle of bribed law makers, rich people, and those tasked with penning the actual laws has swiftly moved to almost zero. You are not welcome in politics if you are young, and until you get older, jaded, and much more willing to take bribes at the cost of your convictions, we don't need you.

The idea that gen z gives a shit at all is honestly astounding. Like imagine growing up, and your parents never had the power to do anything positive for the country. Your grandparents are running the family business, and no one is ready to take over when grandpa dies, because they didn't want to prepare tge world to go on without them. They wanted tge world to crash and burn when they die so that everyone will know they were needed.

At least that is the perspective of someone who first voted for Obama and change. And all I got was dead brown people in the middle east at ever increasing rates.

Honestly as a left leaning American, it looks like the plan of massive non-white genocide that the old white people love is continuing swimmingly. And will probably continue to as long as tge only path for a young person to power is boot licking or nepotism.

Politics not supporting younger voters is not the same as young voters not being political.

Your statistics are not a valid criticism of gen Z. But of our generation and our failure to support the end of FPTP over other issues.

A 2-second look at the fucking fiscal mess we as a generation have left by voting for property prices and removing support for the higher education costs we had. Makes it pretty clear why those opinions exist. They are not a rejection of politics. But a rejection of the politics pushed by our generation of voters.

You responding to the wrong comment? Or just didn't read what I wrote and made your own random comment under mine?