It's not that young people are apathetic. They care, and deeply. Apathy should not be confused with helplessness. That overwhelming and pervasive sense that positive change is beyond the capabilities of our current institutions, systems and leaders. Social stasis is a paralysing reality.
The problem is not a lack of passion. It's a lack of power, or the means to attain it. To wrestle it from the dinosaurs who grip on with all the strength their puny claws provide. Or, rather, hide behind the walls they've built to maintain control.
I hate binary arguments between 'old people' and 'young people', or the false equivalency between these parties and 'conservatism' and 'progressive policy'. It's reductive and not at all useful. I mean, if I were to engage in such petty discourse, I'd probably start saying that everybody over the age of (let's say) 50 are greedy, crotchety and past their used-by-date. I'd say their views on social issues are archaic and inhuman, and that they're all terrible drivers.
And that just wouldn't be right at all.
The solution for young people is not easy. How does one (or even many) confront a society that firstly vilifies them, and concurrently seeks to gather and protect the interests of those who already hold power?
The answer is to be creative. To think of ways to engage, inspire, motivate and educate that haven't been done before, and that cannot be countered by existing measures. The natural evolution of that thinking is the harnessing of technology and the greater sense of global community that this encourages.
And, I guess the sobering thought at the end of all of this: one day I'll be one of those dinosaurs, gripping to something I should have released long ago. My hope is that, by then, we'll at least be moving in the right direction. And that I don't fall into the trap of looking down on young people as anything less than the product of our society.
(Note: Political rhetoric is fun. I enjoy engaging in hyperbole and exaggeration.)
