Enough with the condescension and dismissal; It’s time to start listening to teenagers.
Young people have so much to offer the world for being just as they are. Their hopeful nature is of serious value, as they are less prone to accept the world as it is and more likely to challenge it. Young people are also more malleable in principle; While they have their bias, they tend to be open to new ideas and eager to be persuaded. This intellectual curiosity is the way out of the labyrinth of suffering and wrongdoing; It’s a chance to restart and abandon regressive dogmas of the past.
Young people see the world through a different lens because they haven’t fully internalized the errors of the past. They are capable of seeing the things that those weathered by circumstance become blind to. It’s undoubtedly advantageous to consult those that have not yet accepted defeat with regards to the problems of the world.
Teenagers will not always be right, nor will they always think things through; After all, they are just human beings. Regardless of whether they’re right or wrong, they’re worthy of consideration. Their thoughts should be criticized when they’re wanting and promoted when they’re virtuous as any other idea is. Their opinions should be given a chance in the open battle of ideas since they are the future leaders, thinkers, activists, and workers of the world.
I believe the importance of listening to teenagers would be extremely clear were if not for pride, stubbornness, and fear. Young people were right about Vietnam. They were right about Civil Rights, marriage equality, and a multitude of other issues throughout history despite being told they were “just kids” or "too young." Who’s to say they won’t be right about gun control reform as well?
In light of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school, high school and college aged students have been increasingly vocal about gun control. Demanding a legislative response to gun violence issues across the nation, students are participating in walk outs, marches, and social media campaigns.
It is the belief of these students that lives are being compromised time and time again to avoid limiting the second amendment as it should be limited. Rights and risks are not being balanced; We, as a nation, continue to watch people die without calibrating that devastating imbalance. These young gun reform movements lead by the survivors of the Parkland shooting are only growing in participants and momentum.
In a recent survey from December, Hamilton University revealed 85% of high school students are concerned about school shootings and support stricter gun control laws. This statistic doesn't even account for how many more people have become aware of gun violence issues in the last few weeks.
Despite the widespread support of the cause, there has also been backlash to the movement. The opposition has been referring to these insightful individuals looking to make a change as “political pawns” in addition to criticizing them for lacking the life experience necessary to comment on such serious issues. In response to these criticisms, I ask what President John F. Kennedy asked the nation during his presidency: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
Instead of telling teenagers to “grow up,” address their ideas. Instead of using your sense of authority as a debate point, consider the possibility that the upcoming generation is seeing something that you’re missing. If you’re going to oppose a movement, at the very least have a more valid reason for doing so than their age.
Consider joining the right side of history before all you amount to is a mere roadblock in a larger timeline of progress and growth; It has happened too many times before for us to pretend it won’t happen again.
