Where Have All
the Young Ones Gone?
by Ambra Nykol
We must have done something right as a country because the election is over, and much to the chagrin of one overweight media propagandist by the name of Michael Moore, this country re-elected George W. Bush. Even better is the fact that by most peoples' estimation, Bush was elected and not selected. The last thing this country needed was a repeat of 2000. Unfortunately for those that may have showed up at the polls last Tuesday, expecting to see hordes of young people in Eminem-style black hoodies with their fists in the air, Kerry's defeat is particularly repugnant.
No hoodies, no fists, no passion, and almost, no youth. Quite simply, the youth were uninspired; and quite frankly, it's not entirely their fault.
The failure of young people to come out to the polls in the "record numbers" predicted wasn't due to a lack of issues about which to be inspired. This election was jam-packed with issues of pressing importance. Instead, the "youth vote" flopped because of a lack of principled leadership.
Everyone was telling us to vote, but it seemed no one was delivering a clear cause or values worthy enough to light our fire.
The voter registration campaigns were smart, the commercials were slick, the concerts were packed, the websites were tight, and even Eminem's over-hyped music video had some high points - visually. Despite all this creative talent and abundance of funding and supporters, the seeds planted fell on stony ground. The "just vote" message fell short in offering a political ideology with enough substance behind it to rally the youth to be passionate.
If there's one thing my generation doesn't lack, it's passion. If you give us cause enough to be so, we are nothing if not loyal. Our adulation of our own youth sub-culture and ability to exalt celebrities who don't deserve to be exalted is proof enough that when inclined, we can push a cause. Our apathy isn't the lack of passion. It's the lack of direction and vision for us to effectively apply our passion.
So what separates the young from the old? According to media hubbub over our most recent presidential election, the "old" vote, and the "young" don't.
As exit poll statistics rolled in, pundits and commentators wasted no time calling the bluff of the younger generation of voters. Were we truly 20 million loud? Had we not jumped to P. Diddy's cattle call and instead chose "death" over "voting"? Did we make Cameron Diaz cry again? Were the throes of glossy celebrities brought on board to rally the vote all in vain?
The pollsters may never know.
Voting trend "specialists" and other individuals being paid to analyze polls (and probably make stuff up) are still scrambling around, collecting data and trying to figure out what exactly happened to the beloved "youth" vote.
As it stands, statistics have been sketchy. Pollsters (yes the same ones that falsely predicted an early Kerry win) announced that their research showed young voters turned out at 17% this election, which is eerily the same number that came out in the 2000 election. From the moment the polls closed, it's been lamented from the newswire that fewer than 10 percent of voters this year were between the ages of 18-24.
Meanwhile, according to analysis by Circle Research, who was hired by the MTV "Choose or Lose" campaign, over 21 million voters between the ages of 18-35 participated in this year's election, which is 3 million more than four years ago. In the key swing states, one in five voters were under the age of 30. Perhaps when Ohio finally gets wrapped up, we can find out what role that "1 in 5" played in getting Bush re-elected.
Still, various media reported different angles of the result of the youth vote. The day after the election, The New York Daily News published a headline that read, "Young voters show up in earthshaking numbers."
Is the media getting its information from the same place?
While the demographical statistics are all over the map (and theories abound), one thing is clear. As a whole, when it came to making our opinion known in this election, the youth were more "talk" than they were "walk".
Early on in this election, nearly 80% of all newly registered young voters pledged to show up at the polls. While admittedly, that's a big percentage, it was OUR percentage, and we have failed to hold up our end.
In our typical double-minded and distracted nature, it seems we the "youth" have not kept up our end of the P. Diddy "Vote or Die" bargain. Maybe it was the t-shirt colors, or P. Diddy's Mohawk that did us in. Will he kill us now? Doubtful. Will he shave the hair? Let's hope so.
It wasn't a lack of transportation or too much homework that kept us away from the polls. Eminem's release of his Bush-hating video, "Mosh", failed to produce the army it was seeking to overthrow the ruling class. The reason for our apathy is that the message of "just vote" was just that - a message. And it backfired. The millions of dollars spent reaching out to the younger generation, seeking to remain nonpartisan, and intentionally avoiding delving too deep into political issues left holes. There wasn't enough substance to spur people to action.
MTV and friends tried their darndest at "nonpartisan" discussion of the issues, but unfortunately, the threats of a military draft weren't potent enough to pump fear through our veins and the "anyone but Bush" methodology was marketed to a group of individuals who had not yet felt the sting of the job market or healthcare or taxes.
The "just vote" philosophy left many without a firm foundation on the issues being discussed. The nonpartisan cheerleading left little to be passionate about. Perhaps next time, strategists will take heed and shift from fluffy voter registration campaigns to principled and intentional education on the nature of democracy.
Can you raise your fist to that?
Ambra Nykol is freelance writer, Seattle native, and member of the "rebellious" generation. Visit her website at www.nykola.com.
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