A Lazy Generation

A group of now twenty-something year olds, known as the Millennials, have recently been deemed as “the lazy generation”. This nickname unfortunately tends to hold true as the entire generation is now eligible to vote, but few choose to exercise this right. In a blog post entitled, Few Millennials Plan to Vote in 2014, the author, Lauren Fox, discusses how this disengaged and disinterested generation votes. So, how do they vote? Well, there is in fact one clear answer. They don’t. As I look around to my fellow millennials, all I can see is just one big contradiction. We are an America-loving generation who fails to show America any true love. Well, at least when it comes to the electoral system that is. In no way do I want to bash my own kind, but the fact of the matter is that we are just a bunch of hypocrites. This generation of couch potatoes chooses to display their patriotism in a different way. Instead of going to fight in wars like preceding generations, this new group of young adults chooses to show their patriotism by sporting American flag bandannas and constantly chanting “USA”. This cohort really does believe that they are truly patriotic. But as voting in young people continually decreases, it is clear that they do not know the proper meaning of patriotism.

This generation comes off as a proactive group of individuals who are more than willing to make a change. But did this short-lived phase end after President Obama was elected? With only one quarter of people under 30 planning on voting in the upcoming midterm election, it seems as if we have lost our enthusiasm. Is this seemingly apathetic generation the same one that started the Occupy Wall Street movement? Are we talking about the same generation that started Facebook and the social media obsession? Because it sounded like those people wanted to create change in the world. And for just a moment, we saw that difference that they were hoping for. The millennial generation was the instrumental change that elected President Obama in 2008. But has that gung-ho energy to make a change just died down? Or was the “change” campaign just another craze like frozen yogurt and that “Flappy Bird” app? Even if it was just a craze, the question still remains if it is truly a lack of enthusiasm or is it just a lack of education? This generation seems to care about so much and wants to be heard, but the only way that anyone will listen is through the ballot box.

Lately, the pressing issue of the legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic of discussion among millennials. Many of these opinionated young adults post their strongly worded comments all over social media sites. But what good is posting an opinion on a twitter account with maybe 187 followers (all of which being your friends) really going to do? Is that tweet really going to affect a politician’s opinion about the issue or is it just a complete waste of time and a waste of 140 characters? The one way that someone with a strong opinion, or any opinion for that matter, could make a change is through the civil liberty of voting. Voting is a right. Unfortunately, the millennials refuse to recognize the right to vote as something that should be utilized. Young people can change the face of elections as well as differentiate the spotlight issues that affect each and every one of us. It is a shame, however, that the only way in which this will happen is through the one thing that millennials will not do: vote. 

Fox, Lauren. "Few Millennials Plan to Vote in 2014." US News, April 29, 2014. Accessed September 10, 2014. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ballot-2014/2014/04/29/few-millennials-plan-to-vote-in-2014.