Our generation needs a better story
In 2016, we were finally old enough to cast our ballots in a presidential election. We were proud to participate in American democracy, the world’s first and greatest experiment in self-governance for a nation so vast, so diverse, so boisterous.
We had grown up studying transformational American leaders who served this democracy and spoke to our country’s highest ideals: Abraham Lincoln, who saved the Union and appealed to the better angels of our nature; Ronald Reagan, who stood at the foot of the Brandenburg Gate and demanded that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall, and Barack Obama, who reminded us that his own unlikely story is possible only in the United States, a country constantly pursuing the fulfillment of its founding documents.
These leaders inspired us by showing what is possible in this land of opportunity and made us hopeful for the future of the world because of the special role America plays in it.
But we came to realize that our optimistic vision was not shared by everyone in our generation. In conversations with classmates at the University of Virginia, we often found ourselves defending capitalism, democracy, and the notion of American exceptionalism to our peers.
Our classmates were not alone: just 45 percent of millennials have positive views of capitalism, the first time in history that the majority of a generation has rejected our economic system. Similarly, only 51 percent of millennials think that our nation should play an active role in world affairs. Although our generation has been told that the institutions and structures at the foundation of today’s society are necessary for peace and prosperity, many are skeptical because of what they have observed in their own lives.
Our generation has been told that bountiful wealth can only be achieved through capitalism. But many watched as their family savings evaporated, neighbors lost their homes, and friends were laid off during the Great Recession.
Our generation has been told that the American-led world order would be the guarantor of peace and security. But they witnessed the Twin Towers fall, grew up in a country locked in endless war, and watched the news in horror as images of children killed in conflicts fought with American weapons filled their screens.
Our generation has been told that democracy is the ultimate source of liberty. But they have watched democratic elections pave the way for leaders who push back against the fundamental freedoms of speech, press, and religion.
Our generation has been told that a more integrated world would bridge gaps across demographic differences. But in place of bridges, they have seen a proposal for a wall as the defining policy of the last presidential campaign, a travel ban instituted to keep Muslims out of the country, and a weekend of hatred in Charlottesville as self-proclaimed neo-Nazis and white supremacists attacked the very community where the words “All men are created equal” were first crafted.
The shortcomings of capitalism, the U.S.-led world order, democracy, and global integration are real, but they only tell part of the story. We have seen the other side of these systems as well, and know they work. We agree with President Obama’s words in Johannesburg this summer, that “those of us who believe in democracy and civil rights and a common humanity have a better story to tell.” That story is not just one of theoretical ideals, but one proven by the course of human history.
Our leaders must use that history to tell the better story.
Our leaders must tell the story of capitalism lifting millions out of poverty and raising living standards for people across the income distribution. They must tell the story of political prisoners in Myanmar who, when recalling their time in captivity, said they never would have survived if they had not heard that Senator John McCain knew their names, told their stories, and demanded their freedom. They must tell the story of democracy’s self-correcting powers, which allowed Barack Obama to be elected to lead a country that might have denied him the right to vote just five decades earlier. They must tell the story of America’s immigrants from different ethnic and religious backgrounds coming together on the shores of Ellis Island under Lady Liberty’s torch to form one American mosaic.
Only through these stories can we inspire future generations to regain trust in U.S. institutions and believe in the idea of America, the shining city upon a hill. Only then, once that faith has been restored, will our generation understand that the best way to make progress on the problems they have seen is by working together to make our institutions work better for everyone instead of rejecting them outright.
This is the story of America. It is one of continual self-improvement towards a more perfect Union. It is one of bridges, not walls, moral leadership, not spurious nationalism, common goals, not tribal identities.
It is the better story. It is now our generation’s turn to add our chapter.