Politics As Explained By A Gen Z'er

Politicians don't understand us and that's their problem.

Unsplash; Illustration: Ian Hurley/Pacific Standard / Via psmag.com

“Oh, you don’t really know what you’re talking about, you’ll understand when you’re older.”

- Every Boomer ever.

Flashbulb memories are described as “a vivid, enduring memory associated with a personally significant and emotional event, often including such details as where the individual was or what he or she was doing at the time of the event,” (APA Dictionary of Psychology). When I was taught about flashbulb memories in an AP Psychology class, it was explained to me that entire generations often have flashbulb memories surrounding the same event because of how relevant or impactful it was. People in their teens and on in the sixties will likely recall what they were doing and where they were when they learned JFK had been shot. Entire generations can remember where they were when a plane crashed into the Twin Towers. These memories are so ingrained in the psyche of generations of people that they, in a strange way, bind us together.

My generation, the acclaimed Gen Z as we are called (or call ourselves) have recently obtained one of our first flashbulb memories. Ask any of us, and we will likely be able to tell you where we were the night of Tuesday, November 8, 2016. We can recall with complete clarity the moment we learned Donald Trump had been elected as the 45th President of the United States of America.

I was in my living room watching Netflix and doing homework. After stressing over math problems had tired me out enough I packed up my books and made my way to my bedroom in hopes of falling asleep as soon as possible. But I stopped in my father’s room first to say goodnight. As I walked into his room I can remember so clearly looking from my dad, sitting in a black desk chair, his eyes wide, to the large TV mounted to the wall where a map of the US was lit in red. My dad gets up from his chair and goes over to a map of the US he has on his wall and writes a small “T” over Kansas. He was keeping track of who won every state. And in that moment, I knew Trump had won. The media had been wrong. The news anchors who believed Hilary would win, had to win, were wrong. The girls at my school who had been passing out Hilary buttons were wrong. And Trump had won.

The following days were...insane. Schools canceled class, people wept, people celebrated, people marched, people went about their days. The country was split in half and I went back to high school. All Gen Z’ers did. Because what else could we do?

Almost four years later things have in no way calmed down. The 2020 presidential race is underway, and with a field of Democratic candidates ready to take a swing at Trump, and each other, most people think Gen’Z will just go about their day like always. Those people are very wrong. Let me start off by saying we are no longer just in high school. An entire new voting block has turned eighteen, entered college, and become part of the workforce. We are fully functioning members of society now and you know what that means? We are also fully functioning voters. We care about stuff like student debt and healthcare (because one of those we have and the other we can’t afford, funny how that works).

So, as a member of this new and overlooked voting block, I am here to enlighten politicians on what issues are important to my generation and how we view the world of politics, so they can try to understand what we are thinking in our drug-ridden, destroyed by technology minds. Because frankly, some of them are doing a good job (Sanders) and some not so much (Buttigieg). At least that’s what the polls are saying.

(Disclaimer: I in no way speak for my entire generation, but here’s the gist, take it or leave it)

First of all, WE DO CARE. There are things in this country that directly affect us and we are very aware of it. Not just because of an impact on us, but because we’ve watched our parents fight and struggle. You may not think we are paying attention but we are.

“But where do you get your news from if you don’t read the paper?” Believe it or not, we do know what a newspaper is and we have nothing against them. Some of us even want to be journalists. But we also get our news from millions of sources like the internet, online newspapers, news apps, some of us get news alerts on our phones. Sometimes it’s even hard to avoid the news.

Now let me lay some things out for you. Because we do have issues we are very passionate about and for good reason.

Climate Change, ie the thing that is most likely to kill our children. This is OUR planet. It is OUR duty to take care of it. We know the science and it is terrifying. During the second season of Big Little Lies one of the children on the show (aged 6 or 7) has an anxiety attack at school because her teacher was teaching the class about climate change. This is an existential crisis we are all struggling with. Art really does imitate life.

Gun Control. I’ve talked about this topic a lot. And often I am viewed as being either too soft or attacking someone’s 2nd amendment right. That’s not the point. Generations before ours do not understand the fear we experience going to school knowing that one of our classmates could have a gun in their backpack. To summarize and incredibly complex issue I’ll say this; my generation grew up practicing what to do if an active shooter were on campus, and all the generations to come will too. Isn’t that a terrifying fact?

Women’s Rights. Look I get it. Until the 70’s the idea of a woman doing more than raising children and running the household was ridiculous. But it isn’t the thirties anymore. Times have changed and women do not belong in the box built for them by the oppression of men. Women of my generation are walking a path laid out by powerful women before them, and they are ready to embrace the workforce and make their mark. Oh, and the right to choose is just that, a RIGHT. So stop trying to take it away. And please, don’t tell me men and women have the same rights and are treated equally. They should be but they aren’t. And if you are a man clutching your pearls right now I promise this is not an attack on you. But I have a feeling you probably don’t understand the fear women walk with. You may never know what it’s like to walk through a parking lot at night clutching your keys like a knife. Or to constantly be looking over your shoulder. There is something fundamentally wrong here. And it’s time it is fixed.

Last I’d like to talk about LGBTQIA rights. We are living in a world now that is accepting and open. Sometimes. Othertimes gay men are beaten on the street and transgender women of color are killed without a second thought. Hate is a vile thing. It seeps its way into words and actions without anyone realizing it. But hating someone for who they are and who they love is wrong. No religion in the world can excuse that kind of hate. And my generation won’t either.

I know politics is a sore subject right now. I’ve seen firsthand the fighting that has erupted between families and friends. But it needs to be talked about. We need to fight so we can find a solution. So we can stand on some kind of middle ground without falling into a dark sinkhole.

To the candidates currently running for President. If you want to appeal to Gen Z the issues I’ve listed are just a few of many that you should be focusing on (see immigration, student debt, healthcare, etc.) And you should focus on us. Dismissing us and looking the other way won’t work anymore. We have voices just like you. And if you are unwilling to use yours, you can bet we’ll use ours.