“Young people are looking out at the world with a sense of
"idealism and they’re saying we can do much better.”
“Every single person out here changed America tonight.”
Millennials. Defined as those aged 22 to 37 in 2018,
but perhaps better known by their informal description,
as those pesky kids ruining everything,
like the diamond industry, the napkin industry,
and the housing market - because how dare we pursue
what we want while drowning in student loan debt
and living life one bagged wine at a time?
But did you know millennials are set to overtake Baby Boomers
as America’s largest living generation next year?
And there’s one other thing we should take over sooner
rather than later,
congress.
I mean let’s be real congress is the one thing already
sooo broken that not even us messed up millennials
couldn’t make worse.
While the median U.S. age was 37.9 in 2016, the average age of
a US House Representative last year was 58,
and the average age in the Senate was 62.
Keeping in mind there are age restrictions - I mean you can go
ahead buy an AR-15 at 18, but god forbid serve
in the house you have to be 25 or 30 in the Senate.
Regardless, 63% of the 115th Congress is made up of
Baby Boomers - you know, people who ask questions like
“What is the Facebook?”
“I have to admit that all of this is just boring as beans
"and um what are we talking about again?”
and think it’s cool to promote uzicorns to toddlers
“and this is one for the girls it’s a lovely little unicorn.”
Generation X makes up 23%, the Silent Generation 11%,
while millennials comprise a measly 2%. 2%.
But the tide is changing. According to Moneyish
around 200 millenials are or already have run for congress
during the current cycle.
And the boomers on both sides, are scared.
Nobody has shook their zimmer frame
quite like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez,
resulting in bi-partisan attacks from both sides of the swamp.
But while that is expected from the majority rich white males
that run our government, I have a question for the american public
who, after being asked the question of
should we have more millenials in office,
have voiced their disdain:
Shouldn’t our public bodies represent America?
If the answer is yes, then you’ve already admitted to us
needing more millenials in office.
“By george he’s got it.”
After all who better to make decisions in this country than
those facing some of the most prominent adversities.
Like I don’t know debt for instance. But who understands debt more
than the rich republicans running the country right.
No I mean debt like those faced by three out of four millennials
who reported being in some form of debt, with a quarter of them
more than $30,000 in the hole. Forty-six percent said they were
in credit card debt, while 36% said they had student loan debt.
Shouldn’t we have public bodies who understand these issues and
work collectively to overcome.
Also, millenials are more socially active than any other generation,
doubling the rate of volunteering in the country over the past 10 years.
A study carried out by Vice last year showed that of the 3,000
millennials they sampled, they performed over 13,000 actions
related to causes and social issues they cared about.
That's an average of over a thousand actions a month.
This is never more represented than through Ocasio Cortez’s campaign.
Who out worked her establishment opponent during her campaign.
Going door to door. Listening to the residents in her community.
Building an immense team of young people around her.
All without corporate backing. And after her win she has continued
her efforts helping others in their campaigns.
Not to mention that this shift including more young people
in office runs hand in hand with more woman in office.
When asked about issues they care about
in regards to the current U.S political system,
representation was outlined as a priority among young people,
an area that is still largely overlooked in congress
considering women make up one fifth of the 535 congressional seats.
Millennials understand more than anything the need for representation
in office, as well as a need to address the everyday issues
that have impacted them, all while being lambasted
as lazy and entitled of course.
And i’ll leave you with a great point I found on twitter when asked
if there should be more millennials in congress.
‘Millennials have fought in two wars not of our own making,
"powered through an economic collapse not of our own doing,
"pay taxes, have kids and contribute into your Social Security,
"why is this even a question?”