Generation Y, as people born during the 1980s and 1990s are
often referred to, has often been criticized for being largely
disinterested in the world around it, especially the political
arena. Only 47 percent of young people voted in the 2004 election,
according to the New Voters Project, compared to 66 percent of
older people.
But our generation does care and has hope after all.
Cynics everywhere scoffed earlier this month when young people
finally did unite for a cause on Facebook, the older people’s
second-favorite social-networking punching bag after MySpace. Only
days after Facebook launched Facebook News Feed, a stalker’s
dream program because it essentially keeps track of almost every
little thing your friends do on the Web site, over 700,000 people
had joined a group to protest the News Feed.
At least we Generation Y-ers (we desperately need to pick a
better generation name) do care about something. It might only be
Facebook’s News Feed, but we’ve shown we can mobilize
quickly to complain about something. Yes, even something as
pointless as Facebook.
And what exactly are we supposed to do? What exactly is this
generation supposed to stand up for?
There’s obviously the Iraq war. But many who speak out
against the war are frequently called un-American, unpatriotic and
supporters of the terrorists.
Unlike major movements involving the young adults of the past
century ““ the Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights Movement
and women’s suffrage ““ the U.S. was attacked only a
couple years before the Iraq war (even though Iraq had nothing to
do with Sept. 11, 2001), and the United State’s sense of
patriotism was much higher than normal, leading to a setting where
it’s hard to question the government.
These are different times we live in now. As bad as the Iraq war
has become, it still pales in comparison to the Vietnam War, when
over 58,000 Americans died. In Iraq, “only” 2,600 have
died.
Members of the baby boomer generation, many of whom became
parents of Generation Y-ers, experienced the draft of young men
into service during the Vietnam War. They had to go to Vietnam to
fight against their will.
If a draft were reinstated today, I guarantee you’d see
protests of the same magnitude by young people today as you saw
during the Vietnam War.
Young people do care about issues today. We just care about them
differently. With the dawn of the Internet and other new
technology, we don’t have to go out into the streets and
protest, risking arrest, a riot breaking out, and getting sprayed
with a hose as has happened at times during protests of past
decades.
We can protest online on blogs, message boards, chat rooms and
e-mails. And while these may not have the same visibility and
impact as major protests and rallies, the Web does have an impact.
Both liberal and conservative blogs help mobilize their bases to
vote and help raise money for candidates they support.
Even the much-maligned social networking Web sites are helping
young people get informed and take a stance on political
issues.
Facebook launched Facebook the Vote! on Aug. 31, which puts
profiles for politicians running for the Senate, the House or for
governor across the country on the Web site and makes it easier for
Facebook users (there’s over 9 million of them) to display
which campaign issues they care about.
The profile pages of politicians who have not edited their
profiles still serve as forums where Facebook users can endorse
candidates and comment about them. And a growing number of
politicians (or, more likely, the people working for them) are
using the site. Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa.; Ned Lamont, D-Conn.,
who beat Joe Lieberman in a senate democratic primary; and
California democratic candidate for governor Phil Angelides are
among the notable politicians whose Facebook profiles are updated
regularly.
Expect more of this in the future, especially if more young
people start voting (the 47 percent mark in 2004 was up from 36
percent in 2000). Generation Y-ers do care about the issues. They
just care about them differently than their counterparts from the
past.
E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu. Send
general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.