My generation is often portrayed as being narcissistic and one composed of snowflakes. Many say young people these days are apathetic, obsessed with technology and too caught up in our own lives to deal with differing opinions. I encounter this assumption nearly everywhere I go, hearing the echoing sound of the phrase, Kids these days! followed by a sad shake of the head.
Yet lately, Ive found it ironic that when young people do indeed decide to speak out or try to change social norms, we are faced with immediate, harsh backlash by the very people claiming we arent doing enough.
The Parkland High School survivors (and March for Our Lives gun reform founders) and Greta Thunberg (the 16-year-old climate activist from Sweden) have been at the center of systemic bullying, threats and harassment from both average citizens and world leaders. And although I dont consider myself to be on the same scale as the Parkland students or Greta, I see a recurring theme that holds true in my own life as well: young people who speak their truths face insults, and even threats. Allen County is no exception.
Shaking things up in the community began when I founded the Allen County Young Democrats chapter in hopes of spreading awareness about the party and its positions to local youth. Almost immediately after our actions earned us front page news in The Iola Register, we were met with backlash. I distinctly remember one well-known community member cornering me on the downtown Iola square and lecturing me on how my actions offended him as a veteran, saying I am letting my family name go to hell. Another local, with whom I had a personal relationship, condemned me as a maggot-brained baby killer.
As other members of the Allen County Young Democrats began working on their LGBTQ+ inclusion work, they, too, began experiencing (and still are subject to) harrassment and bullying on social media, and even being verbally labeled as faggots.
A few months later, I questioned the history behind the definitionally incorrect, two-mascot decision that Iola school administrators made decades before I was alive. Ill admit, I truly did not intend to start an entire movement to change the name. Alas, I found myself in a firestorm that would lead to weeks-long Facebook arguments and several locals giving me dirty looks and cold shoulders.
Things only escalated when I proposed the renaming of Coon Creek, a racial slur. This resulted in several comments made to my face, through private messages, and public social media. Thats what happens when you let the youth do whatever they want, one said, along with, Too many libtards to count, and perhaps the most staggering, Im glad my kids didnt end up like you.
The words hurt. I wont pretend otherwise. But Ive also been incredibly frustrated by watching people criticize my actions through a computer screen instead of engaging in a democracy thats aching for real-life action. My generation is often stigmatized as being addicted to our cell phones, but I passionately believe young people are hyper-aware of how high the stakes are and understand how real change is made by showing up. Its why the 18-29 year-old voter turnout increased from 20 percent in 2014 to 36 percent in 2018, the largest percentage point increase for any age group.
I didnt begin advocating for local changes because I aspire to live the life of a public figure. Its led to me losing friends, being labeled as the most hated teenager in Allen County, and taken a massive toll on my mental and emotional health. Despite this, I find it encouraging to see people across the board, perhaps for the first time in recent memory, engage with others about local issues and debate exactly what type of community we seek to be. These conversations matter, and I encourage all individuals those who agree with me, and those who dont to continue being aware of whats happening around them. But I also challenge them to take their beliefs beyond their keyboard and into city council meetings, public offices, the voting booths and rallies, to places where ones participation contributes to real solutions.
After all, changemakers arent the problem idle internet warriors and public bullies are.
