It’s Time to Take Our Generation Seriously!

IMG_0950By Kaitlyn Loft – Country to Canberra Teen Blogger

The word ‘politics’ is often used like a youth deterrent by adults and as a punchline by teens themselves. My generation – the millennials – are infamous for their political apathy; but it is, arguably, not the fault of our own laziness, but the difficulty young people have engaging in politics.

The general inability of young people to comprehend the complexities of the political system stems, in part, from the unwillingness of those who do understand to explain, and from the older generations to encourage youth to engage in politics.

There is no reason why we shouldn’t be interested in politics. Simply put; voting is compulsory. Any change in leadership can change the future path of a country, and the future is where we are all inevitably heading. The laziness and political apathy of my generation probably stems from the attitude with which we (women, in particular) are treated with the moment any idea that questions the existing system leaves our mouths.

My generation and the generations before us exist on different wavelengths. That much is obvious from those sketchy comics about students in school, holding books and asking, “How do we turn it on?”.  There is a disbelief in older generations in our ability to handle ourselves in the world because of the misconception that technology has somehow alienated us from society, rather than left us better connected than ever. It is the lack of trust in passing the responsibility for caring for the world into a new set of hands.

Young people are turned away from politics and turn towards a cool apathy that leaves us at a stalemate. I, for one, have had enough of being belittled by others for half-formed political ideas that are shut down rather than nurtured by the people who could help us to understand the system (political and social) we are shoved into post-high school.

If I had one pet peeve when it came to having this conversation, it would be the intrinsic sexism threaded into almost any and every social debate.

Women, as a minority, are discouraged from having anything. Too much sex; whore. Too little sex; prude. Likes to read; a bore. Likes to party; airhead. Girls are shamed about what they wear, how they, like, talk, what their interests are. Girls often believe they cannot enter male-dominated fields because they will not make it.  It is also said that girls cannot be as successful as men in the types of jobs deemed worthy of women – secretaries, nurses, teachers – because they are undervalued and reputable for having low salaries (and why is that, I wonder?).

The same thing applies to politics.

Women, in particular, are dissuaded from politics not just for the same general reasons as the demographic of young people, but the treatment of women in politics is also another deterrent. Media headlines run rampant, scrutinizing expression, appearance and clothing; as if the colour of a coat should have any bearing on former PM Julia Gillard’s ability to run a country or on the credibility of her voice.

If only the media could advocate female empowerment and political interest rather than advocating the need of new wardrobes for women in tough, highly-valued jobs

Girls can do anything; that’s not the argument being had here. What I want to see more of is girls doing anything they want (wear a dress, wear high heels, be a politician, be a housewife) without being mocked for it. I want our generation to be taken seriously, and I want our generation to take themselves seriously so that we can begin to bridge this generational gap and start to have our say in the world we live in.