Did you know that Millennials have surpassed the baby boomers as the United State’s largest living generation? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, whom released this study last April, Millennials now amount to around 83.1 million, making them not only the largest generation but also the largest demographic of voters. That’s a lot of untapped potentials, and when only about half of this age group went out and voted last November, it’s only natural to wonder what sort of impact the full force of their vote could have on elections to come. There are however a few things standing in the way of their total domination of the political sphere; One potential threat could be the media’s overwhelming amount of political coverage (please excuse the hypocrisy).
Only 47 percent of millennials said they would vote for sure on election day, according to a Gallup poll taken in September of 2016. That means that two months before the election, 53 percent of the largest voter population in America had resolved to not vote at all, that’s 44,043,000 people! Furthermore, a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 7-July 5 2016 found that 59 percent of American adults reported feeling exhausted by the amount of election coverage. All this, coupled with the growing numbers of people pretty much all of us can observe on our news feeds, clamoring on about how tired they are of hearing about politics, could be indicative of a very negative impact the media is having on voter morale. If people were this tired of politics before the election, what must they be feeling now that it’s over and is showing no signs of slowing?
For many Millennials, anxiety and depression are a daily struggle. Studies have shown them to be suffering from one or the other at a much higher rate than any previous generation. A record 19 percent are currently diagnosed with both, and with the disconnect, this generation seems to have with healthcare, it’s possible that such a large group could potentially have people suffering within its ranks completely unreported or even diagnosed. People are already calling it “Generation Stress”, and after all the political blows millennials have been fielding ever since the loss of their champion, Senator Bernie Sanders, it seems that no one is in high spirits. To further sprinkle salt in the wounds of these 18- to 36-year-old's, the candidate they viewed as the harbinger of their destruction, not only claimed the presidency but has been issuing executive orders left and right in a very short amount of time, that threaten a great majority of millennial ideas.
Many are struggling with their desire to stay informed being at odds with their desire to keep their sanity. So how can this tidal wave of voters keep its momentum in a world where hardly a moment goes by that they don’t hear another devastating political anecdote? The answer is simple; We must remember that we have a responsibility to ourselves, to humanity, and to our future, to uphold the ideologies we believe will ensure our precious world is one we will want to wake up to tomorrow. Our seemingly Sisyphean efforts could resound throughout all of history, making our current frustrations minor inconveniences in comparison to the monumental impact we could have on the lives of millions, if only we make our voices known.
“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
No matter what you believe in, I urge you to not let this ongoing storm of negativity keep you from continuing to be the catalysts of change. I know you are tired, I know that now more than ever it seems like an uphill battle, but we must never forget that our right to vote is a privilege not to be taken lightly, that other people’s lives are at stake, and not just in our own country. The votes of the American people have real life-threatening consequences that reach far outside our own borders. It is imperative to all our future's that we not sleep through this revolution because after all, the minor annoyance we feel now is nothing compared to the future injustices we could prevent if only we do not give in to our complacency. The coverage of the 2020 presidential campaigns are set to air around November this year, so make sure you do everything you need to do to self-care and keep yourself informed from now until the next election so that when the time comes, nothing is standing between you and your vote.
