There is this ongoing rhetoric, this feeling, this jibberish that I have heard way too many times. “Young people don’t count, young people aren’t doing anything, young people don’t vote.”  I bought into it at first, but now, I’m at a point where I don’t want to ever hear that garbage again.  The first time that sentiment rubbed me the wrong way was when Tom Brokaw released The Greatest Generation.  He was doing his publicity tour, and he made some comment about how the current young generation – which happened to be my generation – Generation X, was spoiled, and had never really had to fight for anything.  This was three years before 9/11, five years before we were dragged into an illegal war.  All we had lived through was the ridiculous impeachment of our president over an extramarital affair. 

At the time no one was considering the fact that Generation X would be the generation responsible for dealing with the ramifications of years of imperialism around the world. Generation X would be responsible for finding alternative energy solutions once we’d exhausted all other resources.  The “apathetic” generation would be trying to correct the economic disparity not only in the US, but throughout the world for years to come. Gen X’ers and generations to follow would be faced with the types of challenges previous generations had never even fathomed.  Quite a bit for the slacker generation. 

Around election time, it gets worse.  News stories always come out about how some candidate is the “youth” candidate – how they’re drumming up support among young voters, and how it doesn’t matter because – young people are not going to show up and vote on Election Day.  No, they’ll probably just be passed out, drunk somewhere.   I mean that’s what they’re getting at, right?  It just isn’t true.  From 2000 – 2004 there was a 4.3 million jump in youth voters. 

I’m sure there are complacent 20 and 30 somethings, but many young people are organized, they’re making change. They’re blogging and legislating, and protesting, and advocating…here is a list of young progressives that are out there doing it.  So this is for you, young activist, Generation X or Y or whatever.  This is for the next time someone compares our generation to the 60s and calls us dispassionate.  This is for the next time someone challenges you and asks you what your generation has ever done for the world, you site one of these people and let them know what your generation has done and then you get out there and do something yourself.

Jeff Johnson

Andrea Batista Schlesinger

Billy Parish

Eli Pariser

Jessica Valenti

Iara Peng

Kabira Stokes

Luke Ravenstahl

Sonali Kolhatkar