It's an election year. You know what that means? Social media is filled with people's opinions on who they think should be president and why the other party will just ruin America. People are constantly sharing articles by "experts" claiming who will beat whom, and why *insert name here* has no right to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
In the midst of all this chaos, there is something very specific that sticks out to me. I'll see a fellow college student make a post about a political candidate, and a "wiser" Facebook user quickly lets them know they are totally wrong because they are too young.
I'm not saying that a good political debate is bad. I'm simply addressing the issue of our millennial voices being silenced because we are viewed as inexperienced and naive.
Sure, we don't have as much experience in the world as the 35-year-old working mom living paycheck to paycheck or the 46-year-old dad figuring out how he's going to afford to send another kid to college. But just because we lack experience does not mean what we have to say is any less important.
Actually, when taken in moderation, the perspective of us '90s kids should shed light on some real problems in America. Most of us are getting closer and closer to facing those looming college loans, something we know can take years and years to pay off. That, plus the fact that we're about to enter the job market, means we have a lot of interest in the state of our economy.
Most of us have had to take basic government and economics classes for our gen eds, so we know a little bit about how these systems work, and we are eager to elect someone we feel will help these areas.
So when someone discredits what we're saying about a candidate simply because "we're too young" and "haven't experienced the real world," we can't help but get frustrated. There are people I graduated with that are married, have kids, are working full-time, work part-time to pay off school, and so much more. So while we may not have been in the "real world" as long as the older generation, we have an idea of what it's like.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for my elders. However, I do believe that there comes a time when they must stop seeing us as "silly kids" and more as fellow voters in the political process that will affect us all.
On the other hand, fellow millennials, we also have to realize that there will come a time when wisdom will trump what we think we know. In those cases, we simply must do what we've been doing since we got to school: research.
Research what you're told. Research what you hear from the media. Research everything until you know what's true. I'm not saying each of us has to agree on the candidate or the stance, but is important to know how the Bern will feel when you're that 45-year-old parent, or how Trump's wall will affect the America your children will grow up in.
Most of all, millennials and others, let's remember that we're all part of one America, one nation just trying to make it through the day.
