Confessions of a girl with too many options.

Theoretically I can choose to write about anything I find interesting since this is, in fact, my blog. I generally try to share my views and opinions on issues that will not alienate readers. Not to mention I’d prefer to avoid subjects that I have limited experience working with in the real world. In this one case however, I have followed the media coverage and public opinion with avid interest and feel it deserves mentioning.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

My peers are feeling abandoned. They had been given hope, and a purpose that invited individualism and creativity in a media(professional) outlet that otherwise squashes those characteristics. President Obama won a historic majority (66%) of the 18-29 year-old-voters in the 2008 election by encouraging engagement in growth and progress. And believing in the ability of the youth to make their mark. Not since 1952 has there been such a surge in political activism among the generation of tomorrow. College campuses became the center for the call-to-action; Demanding to be heard, demanding to be educated.

An area of life that had been all but disregarded by the young demographic because of the difficulty to make a single voice heard was suddenly generating passion in the previously ambivalent. The declaration of political science majors skyrocketed, identifying yourself as an activist became something to boast of at parties. The more you knew and were contributing to a campaign trail the more impressive you were to your coworkers, classmates, and adults. And it was so nice to be respected and sought for their opinion on the political issues of the day by professors and parents. It was so obvious that the older generation’s time had passed and now it was time for the young to make a statement.

18 to 29 year-olds were emotionally invested. They caught the sentiment. This was the chance they had waited for. Hopes for a revival of democracy, a chance to play a bigger role in the political agenda. From humble origins the 0 Generation rose as campaign heads; they had structure, movement, belief, prominence, education, and influence. A very heady combination. And they used it to the best of their abilities. But what of the real-world? Daily governance is hardly the emotionally engaging and intellectually stimulating arena that is campaigning. What difference do they make once the battle is won? They have used their inexperience to the most profitable end, but they want more. This wasn’t just about the win. It was the chance to be taken seriously, to earn “face” in their social and professional community.

This is the catch. Once again, they are greedy. Oh, America’s youth most definitely are interested in the benefit of humanity, the greater good, if you will. We grew up with Harry Potter and the incredible selflessness and sense of right has been impressed on us as the most honorable of characteristics. So why then have the hard efforts, the nights spent educating themselves on policies and procedures, the days patiently explaining those concepts to the masses, fallen to the wayside in the months following the general election?

The Democratic party certainly hit a sweet spot with the young voters and were very successful in developing their advertising skills and creating a force to be reckoned with in terms of momentum and excitement for change.

But when the polls closed is when they may have inadvertently created some bitter enemies. What is the old saying? ‘The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference’. On polling results, in interviews, on college campuses, the generation that was ready two years ago to throw all of their support into recruiting and educating the world in order to make a difference are now talking about waiting out the mid-terms to see what they have to work with when the time comes to choose sides.

The momentum waned, when the young needed it most. Needed to feel the reward for their hard work and the promise of their future in the outcome. The election of 2012 could have been in the bag for the Democratic party had they taken a little more care in the after-shocks of the country’s involvement. If there had been a little more time spent on giving attention to the media outlets appealing to the teenagers and twenty year-olds so that they really did feel assimilated into the world of politics, it would take so much less effort to re-engage their support.

But what does it tell you about the evolution of our democratic structure, to say that had the President  taken on extra engagements at colleges and TV shows and video addresses a whole generation would be more  interested? I am the first to be incredulous at the high standards President Obama is being held to during his two years of holding office. Two years. George W. Bush we waited out patiently for 8 years. But President Obama we give an ultimatum to after 2?

It seems like such a simple task to reach out to those constituents who provided the margin of success for the Presidency in 2008, but would you have thought of it? Or would you have been in a rush to prove yourself to a widely displeased public by diving headlong into your campaign promises? Why should it be an outside force that motivates the interest of the young to stay the course? Is it not the generation that claims to be independent, self-reliant, self-sufficient, stubborn, and eager to distinguish themselves from every other person in the world? You know what? Sometimes you have to suck it up. You have to realize that you are a drop in the bucket and that the true joy in life is using what little influence you have for a purpose recognized by yourself as a worthy one.

Rather than withdraw from the world that has shown you no favors, stand up and show that it wasn’t a one time phenomenon, that this generation is the tipping point and will continue to make the decisions that count. Rather than punishing the system for ignoring you, make it impossible to be ignored.