The Forgotten Youths and Uninspired Politics
Youths and Politics are not usually topics that would be interrelated nor discussed together. As people tend to resist talking about youth’s involvement in politics, this is a so called “taboo topic”. In terms of its outcomes, the disadvantages have always been prioritized more than the beneficial outcomes.
Yes, we can see that there are young people trying to get involved in politics but politics can try to change or control them. The real youth involvements are in demonstrations and meetings, where they can voice out against the current system, laws and so on.
For a change, why don’t we start talking about how the involvement of youths in politics could shape our future?
We should begin our discussion with the ways to promote involvement of youths in politics based on current world issues. I would like to share my opinion on how to promote active youth involvement in politics. This is something that I feel is right and that should have already been incorporated into our society. My only hope is that by the end of this article I would have changed your stand on “Who should be running our politics” in current times.
The two biggest and most powerful social powers that have the capability to determine the future of a country and its’ citizens are: the country’s youths and the country’s current political landscape.
Let’s take an inside-look on why youths have the ability to shape the future of the country. The word “youth” itself tells us that this is a group of young and energetic people in their prime time, who have great potential of achieving or contributing something big and valuable to their people.
I would love to call the youths of this current era the “Gen Z’s” because this helps us to differentiate the generation gaps better and more precisely. Gen Z’s are a set of people born between 1997 and 2019 (according to Pew Research Center). They have been updating themselves rapidly, in parallel with the advancement of mankind in technology. This is by far the most technologically advanced set of people compared to their ancestors, which are the Gen Y’s and Gen X’s.
In current times, we are certain that the Gen Z’s are the most intellectually advanced generation. There are many “critical thinkers” which make up most part of the generation, thanks to the advanced technology that copes with our need and thirst for information. Technology has helped deliver the youth’s needs and this is the sole reason for their evolvement.
Unfortunately, the bitter truth is that the involvement of the Gen Z’s in politics might not create a very big impact. This is mainly because only a small proportion of them have exceeded the voting age as per now. However, Gen Z’s involvement in politics will certainly be a stepping stone towards greater progress in the coming years. In the meantime, their involvement through social media platforms is already evident and will only continue to grow. In a few years from now, these youths will have a bigger role to play in politics.
Let’s have an insight on how the politics in a democratic country impacts the current society.
Politics can be defined as an involvement of a group of people from different social backgrounds and individual motives, working together in governing a country. So, why aren’t the youths taking the opportunity to get involved into politics and bring about change for the betterment of people? Is it due to social fear, lack of personal determination or a lack of support from the society? The answer to this question will have to be answered by the people of this society themselves.
From my personal point of view, we as a society in whole are creating “mindless thinkers” which supposedly have an opportunity of becoming critical thinkers. We do it unconsciously to our youths by inserting our own thoughts and inner fears of stepping out of our comfort zones into them. This mentally restricts their involvement into politics.
Nowadays, the youths do respond to issues that they feel is wrong no matter if it is a political, economical or social issue. A perfect example is the recent incident where WIKILEAKS founder, Julian Assange, was taken into custody after an approximate 10 years of house arrest. He was arrested due to his involvement in leaking classified government documents of many countries worldwide.
Note: The classified documents were leaked to expose the true wrongdoings of their government to the public.
Youths from all parts of the world came together and carried out huge rallies. Sadly, their motive, which was to release Julian Assange, was suppressed by the government authorities. Rallies are not as powerful as politics. This statement cannot be denied by anyone.
As quoted by Steve Marabili an Italian-American author: “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t”. If youths have had a stronger foothold in politics, a better action might have been taken provided the good will of the society was still upheld. At least, there is a higher chance of the appropriate action being taken with the involvement of Gen Z’s.
In a nutshell, youths or Gen Z’s, especially the critical thinkers and intellectuals of this generation, should be actively involved in politics and this will surely have more good outcomes than bad under the condition that the youths embrace good will in their actions. We as a society have the responsibility to create a stable and healthy political landscape. Gen Z’s are the best option in current times if we are seeking for a better, healthier and brighter future for ourselves and our future generations.
I think I have answered your question on who should be running our current political era.
- Youths and Politics do interrelate well together. -
Thank you.
Text Asshwin Palaniappan Ramanathan
Edited by Adeyeye Mojibola Damilola
