Not-So-Blind Trust

Future Lover of Democracy?

For all our criticism and cynicism towards the Federal Government, a recent NPR article revealed that Millennials are more trusting of Uncle Sam. That’s according to a Pew Research Center survey. While some (like my dear old dad) would like to believe that this trust comes from blissful naivete, I believe it comes from a sentiment harvested and nurtured during the last presidential election – and not just from progressives.

Regardless of which candidate you supported, the 2008 Presidential election was a life-changing, historical event, especially from Gen Y. It was the first time that the majority of adults under 35 became actively involved in the political process, mostly because of a charming, spry, young candidate known as Barack Obama. His campaign was smart enough to realize the potential of online and new media tools that we use on a daily basis, thanks to his savvy Gen Y staff. His is the first presidency of the Millennial Generation. Exit polls on election night revealed that Obama won by a larger percentage among young voters than older voters. His first term in office became possible thanks to a new wave of votes – from us.

It’s this feeling of a symbiotic relationship between the voters and the federal government that gives us a sense that we all have a stake in the future. I wouldn’t say it’s so much blind trust, or Obama love – but rather the knowledge that Democracy actually works if you put effort into participating.

I should let you know, that for all my pontificating about President Obama, I did not vote for him. I couldn’t, I didn’t become a U.S. citizen until 2009. But it was the election that motivated me to actually get off my butt and make my way to Immigration, determined to be able to fully participate in the democracy that my college history professor (Hi Mike Brown!) made me love. I think I fell more in love with the power of an active democracy than I did with Obama, and I wanted to be a part of it.

As for my young conservative counterparts, I can only infer. According to the survey, only 32% of those ages 18-29 trust the government. That doesn’t mean that the other 68% are rushing to hang out with bored retirees at the latest Tea Party rally, or the mainstream two-party system either. In a Nation article, 21-year-old Learned Foote, a self-described conservative, unequivocally stated, “I hate Republicans.” But that hasn’t stopped him and others members of the College Republicans from participating in the political process. Instead they’re taking on a mission to carve out a space for their new conservatism in the political landscape – no doubt led by Meghan McCain. So maybe Foote and McCain don’t trust the government as much as that 32%, but like all Americans, they were taught to love and admire the unique Democracy that has existed since its ratification in 1788 – we just didn’t really believe it worked until November 5, 2008.

Boomers should be smiling. Its our parents who experienced the political turmoil, craziness, and revolutionary changes of the 60s that instilled this little bug of democracy inside Gen Y. Sure, they didn’t always agree or trust their government and it’s politicians, and wanted to rabble-rouse and protest everything. But there is one thing they believed in – the political process laid out in the U.S. constitution.

They knew that we all have a stake in the actions of our government. It just took us a bit longer to reach that point.

Photo: Valeria Villarroel