First of all, the kids need to start participating in elections, if they want to make an impact. I am an old lady and have never missed voting in an election. As far as I am concerned, voting is not only a right of every eligible citizen, more than that it is a duty and responsibility.
I understand the concern for voter turnout. It doesn’t respond, however, to the articulate points this writer has been vulnerable enough to put forward publicly. Let’s engage in the conversation she is opening up! The world they have grown up in is very different than the one I grew up in (as a millennial) and what we see growing up shapes us.
So, let’s support youth in turning out to vote. Genuinely listening and engaging with their ideas is way more likely than to get young folks politically involved than pointing fingers.
Agree. A good place to start is with the truth. Not alternative facts. The planet has just had the hottest January ever. 18 of the last 19 months have been the hottest ever. Hiding the facts and gaslighting people unfortunately doesn't change reality. That's just one of many problems not being addressed.. No wonder the kids are (let's just say for politeness) a little miffed..
I understand and applaud your committment to voting and yes, it would be good for the nation if the kids - and the vast numbers of adults wo can't be bothered to vote - did get engaged.
But for at least the past decade voting doesn't do what we think it does. My kids voting blue in a blue state makes little impact. Voting blue in Arkansas is a good thing but honestly, does it really matter in the sense of making a difference? The impact of casting a vote is becoming more and more at risk so we have to find other ways.
I'd like the kids to become more politically aware and involved. I'd like them to get organized. I'd like them to start (and finsih!) some of John Lewis' Good Trouble.
Yes if voter turnout in ALL generations had been better we wouldn't be in this mess. We'd be in a different sort of mess as we were in Jan 2021 because voting alone is not going to save us. There's too much damage the right wing does around and between elections. They're not going to stop whether they win or lose. It's going to take more than elections to get us out of this.
Yes. As well as paying attention to the issues and candidates (and maybe even getting involved in civic actions), study history and get some perspective on what's happening today. Be an exception to the old aphorism that says the lesson of history is that we do not learn from history. Then go teach others.
The truth is that Biden was an excellent president and was getting us out of a hole and that takes time. Some of your generation has gotten the idea and have gotten on the boat but many are so stuck in your own world that you couldn't see a good thing when you had it and so didn't vote. Don't worry, you are not the first generation that didn't know they had a good deal and so blew it. They voted for Nader instead of Al Gore. The Bernie Bro wouldn't vote for Hillary. And this time around many people wouldn't vote for Kamala because of Gaza. That's the young for you. We are here and we are fighting for you and you will have to fix it because at some point you will be the people who are in power. Look for the young leaders like David Hogg. Basically, wake up, start reading books, start asking questions. We are not going to save you anymore than you are going to save us. We are all in this together and we are here to save Democracy, again. (69 years old)
73 years old. Get involved and make things happen. I marched in Washington after the shootings at Parkland. I’m writing Congress. We did these things in the 60s when we were your age. Get passionate about your country and do something.
I’m 85, and to certain extent, I get your point, but those of us of a certain age have experienced Jim Crow, school segregation then integration, stupid stultifying wars, “trickle down economics” more stupid wars, and now, wanton destruction of our government institutions by unelected thugs, both on January 6, 2021, and the past two weeks. Democracy is hard, and right now it’s teetering. Lots of your generation didn’t vote, or voted without trying to study the issues or candidates. I think we all need to be in the game, vigorously!
One contingent was the But Gaza contingent. Was it not obvious what the consequences of not voting for Harris were on that score? Trump is going to send them into permanent exile, but that darn Kamala...
While I agree with much of what you say - my 5 grandkids range from 18 to 35 - I will say to you what I say to them: put your assets where your mouth is - organize, volunteer with people & organizations with which you agree, work to get eligible voters to actually vote, VOTE.
It will take ALL of us to undo Mr. Trump & Mr. Musk’s wrongdoings. Let’s get busy!
We are with you. We stand next to you. We will fight in the board rooms, the locker rooms, and the court rooms for your future. We are your parents and your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, and, standing with you, we are in the majority. We understand it is your future at stake, and we care. Many of us are slow to anger and violence precisely because we saw Malcolm X, JFK and MLK and RFK assassinated in our lifetimes. Some of us have lived through the Civil Rights era and Vietnam protests. We saw the massacre at Kent State. Most of us seek first to negotiate or compromise, and to act within the rule of law before we seek to showboat, post bluster on social media, or shoot someone. That takes thought and time. We also invented computer technology. We are experienced programmers, nurses, teachers and CEOs. We are librarians, child care providers, journalists, CIA agents, and legislators. Don’t mistake deliberation and strategic thinking for temerity, ignorance, prevarication, fear or feebleness. We are not afraid. Together, we got this. We are gathering the storm and we will harness the thunder with you.
I sympathize with your plight, but I find it hard to believe you have never been exposed to a history course. All of us lack a personal knowledge and experience of things that happened before we were old enough to remember, but that doesn't mean we have no basis for judging the things that have happened during our lives against the things that came before. I was born after World War II. That doesn't mean I have no exposure to the Nazis or the holocaust, the issues associated with World War I, the United States Civil War and the associated reasons for it, the founding of our nation or the ideas and ideals it represents, or the establishment of western civilization. Ignorance of these things on your part may indicate a failure of our education system (a position with which I agree) or a failure on your part to absorb the information you have been provided. We all need to stop claiming to be victims and accept responsibility for our own lives.
Jim Reddick, I am glad that you mentioned learning about the Holocaust. It is shocking to read and hear that in some schools students are not taught about it anymore. It is more shocking that some people deny it.
In high school, in the 1960s, films were shown of the Holocaust. We cried and cried and were shocked. Then we talked about it at home. Although I knew my father was in the army before I was born, until that point I had never realized what was going on in those years before my time, or what they fought for. I even learned that people I knew had had their lives as they knew them in those years in other countries, ruined. I learned of some people’s stories, in part and am still learning.
Empathy, more learning, or studying, and greater interest in how good people can work to help became ways of thinking. Facts learned in history classes, and social studies of early years, were simply facts to me for some time, something I was supposed to memorize, and in some cases, just words or terms. The films of the Holocaust taught me, and probably more people, to internalize meaning, experiences of other people, causes, and what history was trying to show us.
All these decades later, I am still learning, and I hope the young people are still learning and will never stop learning and paying attention. I also hope that people of all ages do and will appreciate the good that other people have done, and fine qualities of presidents we have had, and most recently, our fine President Joe Biden. There is so much good to know, so much wisdom and planning, coordinating, and caring to understand and appreciate. Life is not all bad news. It is important to let ourselves be aware of the good news and the good things people are doing.
I have heard some people say that they voted for the current person because they wanted a strong man to stand up for them. Young people have had strong men standing up for them and for all of us, in presidents Obama and Biden in our most recent years, effective men who are modest and honest. Until now, our presidents of the United States, have stood up for us by upholding their oath to protect and uphold the United States Constitution. For the most part, we can be proud of our leadership. In the past, we have been able to count on the two houses of congress, and on our supreme court to uphold the constitution with the balances of power entrusted to them.
We must all keep learning at any age, and I hope possibilities of helping and examples of goodness will become evident to our young people. We all need each other, and education, honesty, and caring are the keys.
The contrast between presidents who did their jobs and for whom conventional news coverage was enough versus the loud bully who has to be the center of attention should be a warning flag to anyone considering the fate of our country. If you have to make that much noise and break that many things, you are covering up for the fact that you are not doing your job. Indeed, Trump has not interest in doing the job.
I'm terribly sorry that young voters cannot see the difference. I just can't respect that.
Yes. When and how did the education system start skipping so much?
Schools we had, had some wonderful teachers, and for years following those times we went to great lengths to teach about historic events, ideas, feelings, options, reasoning, and more. We had activities for younger people to help them understand. We read books aloud and made them available in our individual reading corners to help children understand more about living in various times of our history, the challenges people faced, the bravery as people stood up in varied situations, whether by letters, or in person in their home areas or on a field of battle, or in an army camp. We tried to help children understand attitudes, honesty, and motives.
I am not familiar with what education in the later grades involved in all of those years, but many of us tried to provide as much understanding and opportunities for thinking as possible and appropriate for the ages of the students. From activités regarding the Tea Act, to life as a Civil War soldier, to reading aloud of the bravery of Harriet Tubman and painting large murals in art time, to still more, we tried to promote understanding and critical thinking with realization of limitations and possibilities of the time, and we had occasional guests to share experiences, sometimes we dressed to feel like we were in a certain time period during a school activity, and we read historical fiction from other times and places. The author Joanne S. Williamson’s historical fiction comes to mind, particularly her book, The Eagles Have Flown. She wrote at least seven books. However, it is most important to note that I found that one person used Joanne’s good name, instead of her own name, to claim authorship for one book the real Joanne S. Williamson did not write. The real Joanne is deceased and cannot stand up to that only one time, as far as I know, misuse of Joanne’s name. It was misleading book buyers, and thanks to one or two reviewers a number of years ago on Amazon, the truth can be learned so anyone will know which book was not one of Joanne’s. I know that one high school somewhere still purchases a number of one of Joanne’s book titles each Fall for student use. I
I am so sorry much understanding in schools now is and has been missed or lost and that opportunities are lost. Further, I know that our population must be diligent in keeping the Department of Education, keeping it funded by Congress, and keeping education truthful since it currently faces huge threats from the current administration. We also must protect the funding for PBS and NPR programming and
broadcasting. They are especially educational, truthful, and valuable and deserve protection from current and any future threats.
We are with you, Olivia. Keep protesting. Run for office. Start at the School Board level if you are too young to run for any other office. They will need you even more now. And as others have said, vote. Do not vote for a third party as I did in my first election-John Anderson. That protest vote does nothing to advance what your generation wants to do. Third parties don’t win. And remember what others have done before you. Learn from history
I understand this, to some extent. That said, an understanding of the history of building a nation, understanding the fights that happened before we were all born, a sense of how our own personal lives are shaped by what happened in decades or centuries before us, may give context to what is happening now. And frankly, not everything in this millennium has been terrible. Focus on what President Biden’s administration has achieved in just four years. That, of course, is being destroyed right now. But to say that the current generation of 20+ year olds do not have the strength or vision to influence and/or improve political structures because of their own personal experiences is a bit too easy a cop-out. Democratic engagement is built on more than personal experiences.
Bless you, Olivia. You are an influencer for me, an old Boomer. We were once idealistic as we lived through the 60s for our formative years, and I thought we would change the world. I thought we had... then too many of us seemed to forget what we were fighting for. I can't imagine being your generation, especially with the gun violence. I was a teacher during the years we navigated that horror. We had to do all kinds of training to stop shooters by making students "be nice"--but no one would save us from the guns. The horrors of this shadow president, though, are the worst that I have experienced. I am not asking your generation to save us. I am doing all I can to save ALL of us, for my grandchildren's sakes.
Yes-I’m doing the fight for my grandchildren. But since they have LGBTQ+ mommies they’re going to have to move to Canada. My grandson is autistic and gets help from Medicaid that he is now losing. We must improve critical thinking in this country so that if it’s saved, the take over by the oligarchs won’t happen again.
When Dwight Eisenhauer was U.S. president, I was a teenager. (I might be old.)
I am so impressed by Olivia and the ever-growing number of young people speaking out for their world. In spite of all the mass shootings (an absolute rarity when I was young), the climate change monster, the financial upheavals, and then the pandemic drama they suffered though to reach adulthood, these young people are savvy, caring and ready to fight for what is right. I am so impressed by their thoughtful and incisive comments on our society, their determination to make a difference and effect needed change. I am grateful I get to hear from them. More power to you all!
I am so grateful to Olivia Julianna for sharing her thoughts and opinions. And, I agree with many of the comments. The older generation, of which I am one, need to tell the truth, we need to LISTEN TO EACH OTHER and we all need to work together. In addition, we all need to educate ourselves about how government works, how the economy works and some knowledge of history is helpful, too.
I think some of the comments here are a bit condescending, when I think we should really be listening and keeping our hearts and minds open when someone like Olivia is writing from the heart so powerfully.
I agree, the system is broken; whatever we've been trying has obviously not been working. What if Harris had won, or for that matter, Hilary? It would just be forestalling the inevitable, because it's obvious that the right has been working hard to get back their power for decades, so here we are. We need some new answers, and we need our young people to be part of the solution.
What if one of the women had won? Then the right wouldn't be getting their power right now. Should they not have run and tried? Would it be better if they had not? NO. As a woman, it meant everything to me to see the possibility of what could be if we had a female president.
That WAS the new answer. That WAS the Let's try something new. Every woman and every caring man in America should have backed that. Every young woman certainly should have. Now we will likely not regain our rights in my lifetime. Possibly in theirs.
I voted for both Hillary and Kamala, and I do believe that things would be better now than they would be otherwise. I also disagree with people who say that the US isn't ready for a woman president. But would that have been enough to counter other trends that are working against progressives in the US? The right has been working for decades on building many strategic advantages:
* 6-3 right-wing advantage in the Supreme Court (can't really call them conservative)
* Citizens United lets them pour money into politics
* Many states are hopelessly gerrymandered, and as a result they are either captured by Republicans, or Dems are way underrepresented, both on a state and national level
* Voting rights have been constantly encroached upon
* The right wing has been really good at gaming social media to their advantage
Republicans are playing dirty, and I don't see the Democratic Party doing enough about it; part of it is that they are kind of stuck in what worked before. Republicans, and Trump especially, are appealing to the worst in human nature. My hope is that enough people are energized enough to do something about it.
Thanks, Bob. My sense long before the election was that if Dems don't pick an entirely new campaign strategy, we won't have success. If people want change, give it to them--in the form of broader engagement. We blue voters in blue states that "don't matter" to the electoral college are tired of that. Blue voters in gerrymandered red districts are tired of THAT. All of us watching one man throw more than a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump's campaign and be rewarded by a job are tired of that.
The virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention during the pandemic showed us what was possible--to reach the entire nation and even the world with a positive event highlighting democracy and its participants. I watched every moment of it--for free. It was thrilling. I saw my fellow American constituents from the Marianas Islands to small town across the mainland represented--and it was important to see each other. I felt included. I felt energized. I felt hope, and I felt like a participant. And that doesn't even count the actual appearances by candidates. The entire 4-day event was uplifting and effective. It took the money out of the campaign in a big way, showing that wasteful travel to reach voters is just for show.
Dems need to do this on an ongoing basis, not just every 4 years. We need a virtual platform the way the Rs have their crummy Fox News and hate podcasts, one that informs citizens of their history, rights, and responsibilities. This is where we can hone a winning message--not in the same 6 states that many of us will never set foot in. Dems should hire a top branding firm and get on it. We have years of propaganda to counteract.
Half of eligible 18 to 24 year olds didn’t vote. It wasn’t for lack of the handful of people like Olivia Juliana trying. But every generation needs to pull their own weight. If only a small % of people who didn’t vote, did, we wouldn’t be here right now.
First of all, the kids need to start participating in elections, if they want to make an impact. I am an old lady and have never missed voting in an election. As far as I am concerned, voting is not only a right of every eligible citizen, more than that it is a duty and responsibility.
I understand the concern for voter turnout. It doesn’t respond, however, to the articulate points this writer has been vulnerable enough to put forward publicly. Let’s engage in the conversation she is opening up! The world they have grown up in is very different than the one I grew up in (as a millennial) and what we see growing up shapes us.
So, let’s support youth in turning out to vote. Genuinely listening and engaging with their ideas is way more likely than to get young folks politically involved than pointing fingers.
Agree. A good place to start is with the truth. Not alternative facts. The planet has just had the hottest January ever. 18 of the last 19 months have been the hottest ever. Hiding the facts and gaslighting people unfortunately doesn't change reality. That's just one of many problems not being addressed.. No wonder the kids are (let's just say for politeness) a little miffed..
I understand and applaud your committment to voting and yes, it would be good for the nation if the kids - and the vast numbers of adults wo can't be bothered to vote - did get engaged.
But for at least the past decade voting doesn't do what we think it does. My kids voting blue in a blue state makes little impact. Voting blue in Arkansas is a good thing but honestly, does it really matter in the sense of making a difference? The impact of casting a vote is becoming more and more at risk so we have to find other ways.
I'd like the kids to become more politically aware and involved. I'd like them to get organized. I'd like them to start (and finsih!) some of John Lewis' Good Trouble.
Umm, YES it matters. If Gen X had united around Team Blue we wouldn't be in this mess.
Yes if voter turnout in ALL generations had been better we wouldn't be in this mess. We'd be in a different sort of mess as we were in Jan 2021 because voting alone is not going to save us. There's too much damage the right wing does around and between elections. They're not going to stop whether they win or lose. It's going to take more than elections to get us out of this.
From one old lady (73) to another. Cheers.
Yes. As well as paying attention to the issues and candidates (and maybe even getting involved in civic actions), study history and get some perspective on what's happening today. Be an exception to the old aphorism that says the lesson of history is that we do not learn from history. Then go teach others.
The truth is that Biden was an excellent president and was getting us out of a hole and that takes time. Some of your generation has gotten the idea and have gotten on the boat but many are so stuck in your own world that you couldn't see a good thing when you had it and so didn't vote. Don't worry, you are not the first generation that didn't know they had a good deal and so blew it. They voted for Nader instead of Al Gore. The Bernie Bro wouldn't vote for Hillary. And this time around many people wouldn't vote for Kamala because of Gaza. That's the young for you. We are here and we are fighting for you and you will have to fix it because at some point you will be the people who are in power. Look for the young leaders like David Hogg. Basically, wake up, start reading books, start asking questions. We are not going to save you anymore than you are going to save us. We are all in this together and we are here to save Democracy, again. (69 years old)
73 years old. Get involved and make things happen. I marched in Washington after the shootings at Parkland. I’m writing Congress. We did these things in the 60s when we were your age. Get passionate about your country and do something.
I’m 85, and to certain extent, I get your point, but those of us of a certain age have experienced Jim Crow, school segregation then integration, stupid stultifying wars, “trickle down economics” more stupid wars, and now, wanton destruction of our government institutions by unelected thugs, both on January 6, 2021, and the past two weeks. Democracy is hard, and right now it’s teetering. Lots of your generation didn’t vote, or voted without trying to study the issues or candidates. I think we all need to be in the game, vigorously!
Yes, “be in the game vigorously” and rigorously!
Well said! It was the non-voters who put him in office. But why didn’t they like Kamala?
One contingent was the But Gaza contingent. Was it not obvious what the consequences of not voting for Harris were on that score? Trump is going to send them into permanent exile, but that darn Kamala...
While I agree with much of what you say - my 5 grandkids range from 18 to 35 - I will say to you what I say to them: put your assets where your mouth is - organize, volunteer with people & organizations with which you agree, work to get eligible voters to actually vote, VOTE.
It will take ALL of us to undo Mr. Trump & Mr. Musk’s wrongdoings. Let’s get busy!
Thanks!!! At 73 I’m writing to congress folks in my state and other states.
We are with you. We stand next to you. We will fight in the board rooms, the locker rooms, and the court rooms for your future. We are your parents and your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, and, standing with you, we are in the majority. We understand it is your future at stake, and we care. Many of us are slow to anger and violence precisely because we saw Malcolm X, JFK and MLK and RFK assassinated in our lifetimes. Some of us have lived through the Civil Rights era and Vietnam protests. We saw the massacre at Kent State. Most of us seek first to negotiate or compromise, and to act within the rule of law before we seek to showboat, post bluster on social media, or shoot someone. That takes thought and time. We also invented computer technology. We are experienced programmers, nurses, teachers and CEOs. We are librarians, child care providers, journalists, CIA agents, and legislators. Don’t mistake deliberation and strategic thinking for temerity, ignorance, prevarication, fear or feebleness. We are not afraid. Together, we got this. We are gathering the storm and we will harness the thunder with you.
Solveig, how beautiful. Said far better than I could dream of
I sympathize with your plight, but I find it hard to believe you have never been exposed to a history course. All of us lack a personal knowledge and experience of things that happened before we were old enough to remember, but that doesn't mean we have no basis for judging the things that have happened during our lives against the things that came before. I was born after World War II. That doesn't mean I have no exposure to the Nazis or the holocaust, the issues associated with World War I, the United States Civil War and the associated reasons for it, the founding of our nation or the ideas and ideals it represents, or the establishment of western civilization. Ignorance of these things on your part may indicate a failure of our education system (a position with which I agree) or a failure on your part to absorb the information you have been provided. We all need to stop claiming to be victims and accept responsibility for our own lives.
Jim Reddick, I am glad that you mentioned learning about the Holocaust. It is shocking to read and hear that in some schools students are not taught about it anymore. It is more shocking that some people deny it.
In high school, in the 1960s, films were shown of the Holocaust. We cried and cried and were shocked. Then we talked about it at home. Although I knew my father was in the army before I was born, until that point I had never realized what was going on in those years before my time, or what they fought for. I even learned that people I knew had had their lives as they knew them in those years in other countries, ruined. I learned of some people’s stories, in part and am still learning.
Empathy, more learning, or studying, and greater interest in how good people can work to help became ways of thinking. Facts learned in history classes, and social studies of early years, were simply facts to me for some time, something I was supposed to memorize, and in some cases, just words or terms. The films of the Holocaust taught me, and probably more people, to internalize meaning, experiences of other people, causes, and what history was trying to show us.
All these decades later, I am still learning, and I hope the young people are still learning and will never stop learning and paying attention. I also hope that people of all ages do and will appreciate the good that other people have done, and fine qualities of presidents we have had, and most recently, our fine President Joe Biden. There is so much good to know, so much wisdom and planning, coordinating, and caring to understand and appreciate. Life is not all bad news. It is important to let ourselves be aware of the good news and the good things people are doing.
I have heard some people say that they voted for the current person because they wanted a strong man to stand up for them. Young people have had strong men standing up for them and for all of us, in presidents Obama and Biden in our most recent years, effective men who are modest and honest. Until now, our presidents of the United States, have stood up for us by upholding their oath to protect and uphold the United States Constitution. For the most part, we can be proud of our leadership. In the past, we have been able to count on the two houses of congress, and on our supreme court to uphold the constitution with the balances of power entrusted to them.
We must all keep learning at any age, and I hope possibilities of helping and examples of goodness will become evident to our young people. We all need each other, and education, honesty, and caring are the keys.
The contrast between presidents who did their jobs and for whom conventional news coverage was enough versus the loud bully who has to be the center of attention should be a warning flag to anyone considering the fate of our country. If you have to make that much noise and break that many things, you are covering up for the fact that you are not doing your job. Indeed, Trump has not interest in doing the job.
I'm terribly sorry that young voters cannot see the difference. I just can't respect that.
It’s a failure of our education system and our teaching of critical thinking.
Yes. When and how did the education system start skipping so much?
Schools we had, had some wonderful teachers, and for years following those times we went to great lengths to teach about historic events, ideas, feelings, options, reasoning, and more. We had activities for younger people to help them understand. We read books aloud and made them available in our individual reading corners to help children understand more about living in various times of our history, the challenges people faced, the bravery as people stood up in varied situations, whether by letters, or in person in their home areas or on a field of battle, or in an army camp. We tried to help children understand attitudes, honesty, and motives.
I am not familiar with what education in the later grades involved in all of those years, but many of us tried to provide as much understanding and opportunities for thinking as possible and appropriate for the ages of the students. From activités regarding the Tea Act, to life as a Civil War soldier, to reading aloud of the bravery of Harriet Tubman and painting large murals in art time, to still more, we tried to promote understanding and critical thinking with realization of limitations and possibilities of the time, and we had occasional guests to share experiences, sometimes we dressed to feel like we were in a certain time period during a school activity, and we read historical fiction from other times and places. The author Joanne S. Williamson’s historical fiction comes to mind, particularly her book, The Eagles Have Flown. She wrote at least seven books. However, it is most important to note that I found that one person used Joanne’s good name, instead of her own name, to claim authorship for one book the real Joanne S. Williamson did not write. The real Joanne is deceased and cannot stand up to that only one time, as far as I know, misuse of Joanne’s name. It was misleading book buyers, and thanks to one or two reviewers a number of years ago on Amazon, the truth can be learned so anyone will know which book was not one of Joanne’s. I know that one high school somewhere still purchases a number of one of Joanne’s book titles each Fall for student use. I
I am so sorry much understanding in schools now is and has been missed or lost and that opportunities are lost. Further, I know that our population must be diligent in keeping the Department of Education, keeping it funded by Congress, and keeping education truthful since it currently faces huge threats from the current administration. We also must protect the funding for PBS and NPR programming and
broadcasting. They are especially educational, truthful, and valuable and deserve protection from current and any future threats.
When education was not available, many Americans became self-educated. One that comes to mind: Abraham Lincoln.
Read many books, kids and adults.
We are with you, Olivia. Keep protesting. Run for office. Start at the School Board level if you are too young to run for any other office. They will need you even more now. And as others have said, vote. Do not vote for a third party as I did in my first election-John Anderson. That protest vote does nothing to advance what your generation wants to do. Third parties don’t win. And remember what others have done before you. Learn from history
I understand this, to some extent. That said, an understanding of the history of building a nation, understanding the fights that happened before we were all born, a sense of how our own personal lives are shaped by what happened in decades or centuries before us, may give context to what is happening now. And frankly, not everything in this millennium has been terrible. Focus on what President Biden’s administration has achieved in just four years. That, of course, is being destroyed right now. But to say that the current generation of 20+ year olds do not have the strength or vision to influence and/or improve political structures because of their own personal experiences is a bit too easy a cop-out. Democratic engagement is built on more than personal experiences.
Bless you, Olivia. You are an influencer for me, an old Boomer. We were once idealistic as we lived through the 60s for our formative years, and I thought we would change the world. I thought we had... then too many of us seemed to forget what we were fighting for. I can't imagine being your generation, especially with the gun violence. I was a teacher during the years we navigated that horror. We had to do all kinds of training to stop shooters by making students "be nice"--but no one would save us from the guns. The horrors of this shadow president, though, are the worst that I have experienced. I am not asking your generation to save us. I am doing all I can to save ALL of us, for my grandchildren's sakes.
Yes-I’m doing the fight for my grandchildren. But since they have LGBTQ+ mommies they’re going to have to move to Canada. My grandson is autistic and gets help from Medicaid that he is now losing. We must improve critical thinking in this country so that if it’s saved, the take over by the oligarchs won’t happen again.
When Dwight Eisenhauer was U.S. president, I was a teenager. (I might be old.)
I am so impressed by Olivia and the ever-growing number of young people speaking out for their world. In spite of all the mass shootings (an absolute rarity when I was young), the climate change monster, the financial upheavals, and then the pandemic drama they suffered though to reach adulthood, these young people are savvy, caring and ready to fight for what is right. I am so impressed by their thoughtful and incisive comments on our society, their determination to make a difference and effect needed change. I am grateful I get to hear from them. More power to you all!
I am so grateful to Olivia Julianna for sharing her thoughts and opinions. And, I agree with many of the comments. The older generation, of which I am one, need to tell the truth, we need to LISTEN TO EACH OTHER and we all need to work together. In addition, we all need to educate ourselves about how government works, how the economy works and some knowledge of history is helpful, too.
I think some of the comments here are a bit condescending, when I think we should really be listening and keeping our hearts and minds open when someone like Olivia is writing from the heart so powerfully.
I agree, the system is broken; whatever we've been trying has obviously not been working. What if Harris had won, or for that matter, Hilary? It would just be forestalling the inevitable, because it's obvious that the right has been working hard to get back their power for decades, so here we are. We need some new answers, and we need our young people to be part of the solution.
What if one of the women had won? Then the right wouldn't be getting their power right now. Should they not have run and tried? Would it be better if they had not? NO. As a woman, it meant everything to me to see the possibility of what could be if we had a female president.
That WAS the new answer. That WAS the Let's try something new. Every woman and every caring man in America should have backed that. Every young woman certainly should have. Now we will likely not regain our rights in my lifetime. Possibly in theirs.
I voted for both Hillary and Kamala, and I do believe that things would be better now than they would be otherwise. I also disagree with people who say that the US isn't ready for a woman president. But would that have been enough to counter other trends that are working against progressives in the US? The right has been working for decades on building many strategic advantages:
* 6-3 right-wing advantage in the Supreme Court (can't really call them conservative)
* Citizens United lets them pour money into politics
* Many states are hopelessly gerrymandered, and as a result they are either captured by Republicans, or Dems are way underrepresented, both on a state and national level
* Voting rights have been constantly encroached upon
* The right wing has been really good at gaming social media to their advantage
Republicans are playing dirty, and I don't see the Democratic Party doing enough about it; part of it is that they are kind of stuck in what worked before. Republicans, and Trump especially, are appealing to the worst in human nature. My hope is that enough people are energized enough to do something about it.
Thanks, Bob. My sense long before the election was that if Dems don't pick an entirely new campaign strategy, we won't have success. If people want change, give it to them--in the form of broader engagement. We blue voters in blue states that "don't matter" to the electoral college are tired of that. Blue voters in gerrymandered red districts are tired of THAT. All of us watching one man throw more than a quarter of a billion dollars into Trump's campaign and be rewarded by a job are tired of that.
The virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention during the pandemic showed us what was possible--to reach the entire nation and even the world with a positive event highlighting democracy and its participants. I watched every moment of it--for free. It was thrilling. I saw my fellow American constituents from the Marianas Islands to small town across the mainland represented--and it was important to see each other. I felt included. I felt energized. I felt hope, and I felt like a participant. And that doesn't even count the actual appearances by candidates. The entire 4-day event was uplifting and effective. It took the money out of the campaign in a big way, showing that wasteful travel to reach voters is just for show.
Dems need to do this on an ongoing basis, not just every 4 years. We need a virtual platform the way the Rs have their crummy Fox News and hate podcasts, one that informs citizens of their history, rights, and responsibilities. This is where we can hone a winning message--not in the same 6 states that many of us will never set foot in. Dems should hire a top branding firm and get on it. We have years of propaganda to counteract.
And that is how we reach young people.
Not at all surprised but a lil taken aback at the speed
I needed to be reminded of this very fact today. I have a 20 and an 18 year old. This is the norm for Gen Z. Thank you
Thanks for that Olivia.
Half of eligible 18 to 24 year olds didn’t vote. It wasn’t for lack of the handful of people like Olivia Juliana trying. But every generation needs to pull their own weight. If only a small % of people who didn’t vote, did, we wouldn’t be here right now.