Dear Secretary Clinton,

Millennials aren’t idiots. They may have more than their fair share of self-indulgence and unfocused idealism, but they are not idiots. Most of them know you would have done better in office than the tiny-handed ball of hot gas that is the President-elect. There are always exceptions of course, a fact Trump is probably very aware of due to his refusal to release his tax records, but for the most part, the youngest voting generation wanted to like you. Out of the two major candidates, deep down they would have rather you become President. A large number of them just did not trust you.

Madam Secretary, despite your less than stellar attempts to connect with millennials, why in their collective heart of hearts did they still favor you? Since you might be too busy catching up on some emails, answers will be suggested on your behalf. They are not as racist to start with. It is a fact that as last names are passed between parents to children, a little bit of family pride dies along with the transference. Millennials are well-accustomed to being told theirs is the worst and weakest generation to date. But besides thanking their elders for the way they were raised in order to bring about this phenomenon, millennials are also grateful for the inevitable watering down of the previous generations’ prejudices. Another piece of information, perhaps even more pressing than the obvious realizations that a wall across the border would be both ineffective and inefficient, and the banning of the second largest world religion would be unconstitutional, must be taken into account. 20 and 30 somethings are not likely to support a man with so much gel in his hair, yet is still cursed with an inability to keep it neat. The age of the “man bun” almost singlehandedly put the nail in Trump’s coffin with young voters.

However, you did not receive all of the millennial goodwill, Secretary Clinton, whether that manifested in support of President-elect Trump, or more likely, by not voting at all. Most young adults feel it is necessary to adopt the antiquated tradition of reacting against the perceived establishment. It is noteworthy that there will always be an establishment to react against, even one that was once considered radical, but that digression could be chased for as long as the circles were spoken during the round of debates. Because you did stand for the establishment Secretary, whether that was for good or ill. The younger generations remember your involvement in politics for as long as they have been alive. This would contrast with the Trump name, which does have recognition for them, but not in the political sphere. The case could be made that this anti-politician stance should have been overly attractive to millennials.

And it is true, whether justified or not. Millennials do like to challenge the system as often as they update their respective stories on Snapchat. Yet, the majority of them would admit a little system is necessary. They still believe in the purpose of higher education and stability, for example, even if that is primarily to ensure access to the modern lifestyles they identify with. Even the hipster movement now concedes that their stylish urban clothes are now found in any strip center within minivan-driving distance. Some young people, although admittedly, hopefully not part of last week’s voting pool, are still enthusiastic with celebrity families. If for no other reason, they may have tuned in to world politics for Keeping up with the Clintons.

Unfortunately, this “gun to your head support” was not strong enough to bring more young people to the voting booth. They had more than enough reasons to dislike your opponent. You just needed to give them, as well as older members of their families, more reasons to like you. Millennials saw right through Trump; they just needed some transparency from you.

Sincerely,

Millennials everywhere