“There are so many things wrong with society.” “Our generation has gone to s**t.” “Where’s the good in this world?”

For the majority of my fairly short time here on earth, I have heard phrases like these over and over again. Everyone loves to complain about what kind of place this world is turning into. They say that people today are terrible and society as a whole is “like, so messed up, man.” People will throw fault at politicians, at the media, and even at each other before they even think about looking to themselves. Far too often I feel like people are forgetting we live in the most democratic time period on earth.

I’m not just referring to politics, either. Everything in this world essentially boils down to the people’s vote. Music, food, and entertainment, in general, are all at the whim of the people. We have the ultimate say in what’s popular and, in turn, have control of the shape of this world. Do you know why fast food is so much more popular in America than farmers' markets? It’s because people are consistently choosing to frequent fast food restaurants over farmers' markets. Do you know why Justin Bieber is significantly more famous than The Maine? It’s because more people buy his music than theirs. (Though I highly recommend The Maine for those who haven’t given them a listen. Incredible stuff.) It has very little to do with what's better and everything to do with what's more popular. Despite what conspiracy theorists will tell you, we the people really have all the control in the world. What we say goes. The vast majority of this world is the way it is because it’s most popular way of doing things.

Let’s start with movies as our first example so you can get an understanding of what I’m talking about. Have you noticed that lately, almost every movie coming out is either super-hero movie or a sequel? This is because they are the biggest sellers. Everyone wants to see their childhood comic heroes come to life or their favorite clown fish return to the screen. (That reference wasn’t too obvious, right?) These movies spark the most excitement out of movie goers, so naturally, they end up making the most money. Even when they’re not very good, they still turn a profit just because people want to go see it. In this way, we the people have control over what types of movies are produced. Now, I don’t know about you, but I love superhero movies and really any Pixar film, so I am 100 percent fine with them making more. This is a great example of good coming from the popular consensus. (Well, it’s good in my eyes, anyway.) Obviously, there are other, not so positive outcomes of the popular consensus.

Let’s take energy, for example. We continue to use fossil fuels and non-renewable resources despite the fact that we know without a shadow of a doubt that they are literally destroying our world. Logically, it would make sense to change the way we use energy and invest our time and efforts into perfecting new ways of harvesting clean energy. However, as we all know, this is not the case. Sure, some efforts have been made to popularize alternative energy forms, but fossil fuels and ecosystem-destroying practices are still the main sources of our fuel. Research and funding are needed for these safer alternative methods to become viable, but unfortunately, the attention of the people is not focused on safe energy methods. It’s focused on cheaper gas prices and saving few bucks. At this rate, the only way things will change will be when the earth finally has nothing left to give. By then, however, it will be far too late.

Let’s look at a final, more horrific example; the 2016 presidential election. I really don’t have to say much here, as everyone by now knows what we’re dealing with. For those of you who are completely unaware of what I’m talking about, let me sum it up for you the best I can.

The 2016 presidential election has stuck the American people between a rock and a racist hard place.

These individuals aren’t even fit to run a restaurant, let alone our country. Yet, here they are getting the republican and democratic nominations. In the fall of 2016, the American people will make their way out to the polls to cast their vote for either incompetence or ignorance. Want to know how we got this way? That’s right! We did it! We, the American people, dug ourselves this hole. These candidates were selected because they were the most popular with us. We chose them. Every day, people bicker back and forth about how awful these candidates are and how screwed our country is, when it’s all our fault that we’ve gotten to this point. There were plenty of other options, but we were much more interested in absurd political rallies and insanely narrow-minded ideals than anyone with real substance.

That’s how it’s always been, though, hasn’t it? We are like moths to porch lights. We swarm toward anything that’s shiny without any regard for what dangers it may hold. Why go see a regular movie when we can see explosions and cute animal faces? Why use alternative energy when everything else is cheaper and allows us to have more money? Why have the option to vote for a sensible leader for our country when we can choose between two children who like to fight on Twitter for retweets? There’s a reason the way the world is the way it is.

Stop blaming society; you are society. You ever hear the phrase "Be the change you want to see in the world?" Well, it's a hell of a quote that more people need to practice. Stop buying crap. Stop giving attention to selfish celebrities who only care about how their fashion line is doing and start giving it to Nobel Prize winners who are working tirelessly to change this world. Give your attention to the things the world needs, not to something shiny.