We must work to make politics relevant to young people again
While the rationale given by many young people for their lack of political participation is that the system is broken, that logic leads to an even more corrupt system.
Whatever your political persuasion, the fact remains we are not going to solve issues like immigration, inequality, healthcare, and the myriad other pressing public problems without public policy solutions. Thus, a vigorous debate needs to occur on how to get young people tuned in to politics. It is the only way that the broken system will actually be repaired.
Many of the proposed solutions to the conundrum of engaging young people in politics come back to a core tenet: how can we meet young people where they’re at? How can we use social media to engage young people in politics? Online games? Can we relate popular culture to politics?
Can we get celebrities to talk about how important politics is? At the core of all these efforts is a desire to make politics fun and hip. But should political engagement be about fun and games? Or is it about the serious business of individuals working to collectively solve the thorny public issues that face our country?
Should we be trying to get young people to eat their proverbial broccoli? Or should we be deep-frying the broccoli and sprinkling cheese on top to make it taste better? This question is becoming increasingly pertinent given the entertainment-bent of recent elections, which are seemingly devolving into reality shows. Is this our new politics? Games, popular culture, and celebrity-focused?
Just as politics should not be just about entertainment, it also should not be completely about white papers and hefty intellectual discussions – that type of politics, while necessary, tends to turn off a significant portion of the electorate.
But some sort of middle ground does exist. Politics can be fun, especially when it’s locally based. Generation Citizen is a US-based initiative that tries to teach students that engaging with community members to use policy to solve problems can and should be invigorating and fun. So why not engage our young people here? The act of going into a voting booth and casting a vote can be fun. And yes, even watching debates can be fun. After all, politicians are naturally gifted comedians. Anthony Woods Ennis, Co, Clare