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Ryan Healy is a recent college graduate. He is a founder of 
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What do George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt all have in common?
If you guessed they were all great presidents, you’d be right. But there’s more. According to an article in the Washington Post, (which I believe is citing Strausse and Howe’s Generations book) each of these presidents presided when a “civic” generation was coming of age.
The Washington Post says that about every 80 years in American history, “a civic generation emerges to make over the country after a period of upheaval caused by the fervor of an idealist generation.”
Idealist generations, on the other hand, typically create very divisive times. The baby boomers were an idealist generation, obviously (and often angrily) splitting the country between traditionalists (conservatives) and progressives (liberals).
Millennials are the next “civic” generation. Our fights and causes will be not to tear down established systems like the federal government and big business. Rather, we will strive to fix, repair and rebuild these broken systems, because history shows that the systems do work – if properly designed.
And we’re already making some headway. Take Super Tuesday for instance. Three million Millennials cast their ballots in the primaries.
But young people don’t vote! This is what people have been saying for years. Apparently what they should say is that young people didn’t vote until the Millennials came along.
Look closer and you’ll notice that we’re starting to push for change in corporate America. In fact, companies are almost scared of our generation. Consultants teach companies how to deal with us crazy young folks, 60 Minutes airs propaganda segments that warn, “Here Come the Millennials,”and women like Jean Twenge swear we will be the downfall of all things sacred.
They’re worried that Millennials are hopping jobs, starting businesses, and searching for meaning and passion instead of just blindly conforming to the ideals of past generations. They don’t understand that it’s not about being lazy, pampered, or entitled. History says our destiny is to be the next great generation, a generation of builders and doers.
Millennials aren’t revolting in the streets or marching on Washington, as Thomas Friedman suggests we should. We know that doesn’t actually accomplish anything by itself. What Millennials are really all about is improving broken systems and unifying unnecessary divisions. The best way to do that is by working within the system and doing, not by dropping out and making a lot of noise.
By using our political power to vote and by not settling for a meaningless job just because it pays well, we are making a lot more noise than all the screaming, yelling and protesting in the world ever could.
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Great post! This is something I’ve been thinking about for awhile now and I agree with you 100%. Marching in protests has no appeal to me whatsoever. I’d rather change organizations from the inside. Much more effective. While the Boomers did accomplish some good things with their idealism, they also created a big mess for us to clean up. I’m ready to roll my sleeves up and get to work.
Great commentary, here Ryan. I agree that the system must be fixed and this can happen from the inside. We’ll soon realize the problems we’re trying to fix may be hazardous malfunctions of the machine we’ve become a part of. But Millennials will wake up quickly enough to not blindly drone on.
Agreed! I was also excited to see the numbers for Super Tuesday!
We’re tired of fighting and yelling for change. It’s time to do something. Protesting has it’s place but most times it just makes people roll their eyes and think about what a hippie you are. I think they’re less apt to listen. But if we’re living the change we want by example, I think it will change a lot of people - even those who are scared that it’s the end of all things sacred. I’d like to think it’s just the beginning…
It’s good that we’re getting out there and voting, but I’m concerned that some are getting out there and voting without considering the issues. I know politics is a delicate subject, but whenever I make even the slightest mention of government policy, I’m labelled as an extremist (simply because I want state government to have more control than federal government!); it seems that people still don’t want to think about the really tough problems.
But we are definitely hard workers! Most of my coworkers put in wel over 40 hours a week, and have genuine enthusiasm for their job. This seems odd to me, as I’ve always thought of work as something that you have to do in order to afford fun (or sometimes just to afford staying alive!) But, I think that’s changing. Even work environments are changing- more lounges and gyms are being put into corporate buildings.
As far as instituting change- I definitely agree with you that we should try to use systematic methods such as voting for representatives that will institute policies that we favor (that’s what they’re there for!) ; if our government does not want to listen to our demands, then we must also be prepared to use more extreme measures (as a last resort), such as protests.
Although, in this technological age, it can’t be too difficult to institute a more democratic system where individuals can vote on each issue as they see fit…
I think it’s a big deal that a young candidate such as Obama has gotten all these millennial voters out. It’s definitely our time to make a difference Ryan. Thanks for pointing this out!
I like the distinction you make between being “Civic” and being “idealistic,” especially when people criticize our generation for being too quiet. We have our tasks to accomplish, just like the Baby Boomers had theirs. Things can’t be rebuilt if they are not torn down first.
Dan, let’s not give Obama all the credit. Not all of us young people are running out to vote for him. There’s a huge resurgence in the number of young people who follow a much more conservative ideology. Matter of fact, a return to conservative ideals is often cited as a characteristic of our generation. These people are voting, too. And not for Obama.
And Jehan, you’re right, people do vote without looking at the issues. But unfortunately millennials are no more guilty of this than any other generation. It’s an epidemic among all voters. (This is the exact reason why the direct democracy you’re describing, no matter how easy technology may make it, is a bad idea.)
Thanks for all the great comments.
The interesting thing I’ve noticed about us trying to fix the system from the inside, when it comes to work at least is that we are already collectively doing it by not settling for jobs. The more we hop around and don’t settle, the more organizations will be forced to fix themselves or risk going under because nobody wants to work for them.
As far as voting and not taking issues into account goes, I think this is partially true. Yes, issues are important, we should put the person in office who most aligns with our values. But we are also human beings and human beings want to be lead, we want to be motivated and we want to be inspired. Strictly voting on the issues would make sense if we were all a bunch of robots without emotions.
To the Obama point, I made it clear not to point him out, but he is receiving the majority of the millennial vote. However, this does not mean we are all liberal and we don’t all agree with him. What I got out of the quick history lesson in the Washington Post article, is that whatever party is in power at the end of the idealist generations time of power will inevitably be the party that gets ousted.
It’s not about liberal or conservative, and its not about Obama or Clinton or McCain as individuals. It’s about what they represent and it’s about a movement taking place. Even though she is far different from Bush, Clinton represents the same divisiveness that’s plagued our country for the past 15 years. Obama represents a movement. A movement is new and different and powerful. Millennials have never actually seen a movement, we’ve only heard about such things. So it makes sense that a majority of us are drawn to it.
-Ryan
Healy - I’d much rather be having this convo over a beer but what the hell…
What exactly is this “change” everybody keeps referring to? I don’t think anybody really knows because the person behind this buzz word (Obama) certainly has not clearly defined it.
If “change” is higher taxes, socialized medicine, a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq, increased government entitlements, “green” policies that ignore reality and restrictive trade policies - then count me out!
I agree that Obama has started somewhat of a “movement” that may be new, different and even powerful but I’m more interested in the direction he will lead that movement.
I’ll be interested to see how the “young vote” turns out when Hillary gets the nomination.
There’s a huge resurgence in the number of young people who follow a much more conservative ideology.
Economically for sure. However, many of the otherwise young “conservatives” (I use in the traditional small government, low taxes sort of way) are otherwise voting for Obama because he doesn’t represent the dogmatic religious wing that has had control of the republican part for the last 20 years. It is somewhat ironic that the republicans were made powerful by a brokered deal between the religious right, who really didn’t have anything to do with economic conservativism and the small government economic conservatives not really caring about religiously infused public policy…I think we’re seeing a growing rift in the agreement that’s lasted so long. I think this has as much to do with the “change” that we’re seeing as Obama does.
But posts like this, and recent polls do make me fear that if Obama does not win the democratic nomination, and it is solely based on the super delegates and not the will of the people, we will spend the next 15 years recovering from even worse voter apathy than the last 15. The fact is that voters are excited, and definitely should be, regardless of who they’re voting for. But I do have a real fear that the crash of emotion will be difficult for many if they get so worked up only to realize that our system does not actually rely on the sentiment of the people, and that smokey rooms and power deals are still the foundation of the political machine.
To Scott’s point, the young vote will be along the lines of past elections if it’s a Clinton/McCain battle.
Scott, I agree a beer would be nice. Ryan, I like what you wrote.
Jacqui, I hear you - Obama’s not my choice either. I don’t think Obama inspires a stronger youth vote, I think our generation just wants to vote for the reasons Ryan pointed out in his post. I respect the people who are voting for Obama based on the issues, but I agree with whoever said Obama is a buzz word among some millennials.
I hate that youth vote = Obama winning; it doesn’t. The youth vote is strong because young people are voting, not because the candidate with the most support from young people wins.
One thing I have to quickly note without straying into politics:
….socialized medicine….
Not a single person is talking about socialized medicine. Let’s be clear, both Obama and Hilary want to mandate in some shape/form that everyone have healthcare, but rest assured, the private insurance companies will still be alive and well, and completely free to have some of the ridiculous circus policies they have today. Doctors will still work for private hospitals and make however much they want. It is far from socialized medicine.
And because someone always wants to compare us to Canada, even in Canada there is no socialized medicine. Doctors do not work for the government, and there is, though a small percentage, of people who have private insurance. The difference is that the government is the insurer. Basically this means that doctors are dealing with one insurer instead of 50. However, still not socialized medicine.
But simply because I hate hearing such a misinformed term, no one is advocating socialized medicine.
Scott, if you want to hop on a flight out to Madison, I’ll gladly buy the beer.
To the point, in my opinion, the change is simply ending the divisive, left v. right battle that we can’t seem to get away from. As far as I’m concerned, the real “issues” take a back seat to this theme of unifying the country.
That being said, McCain is similar to Obama in this nature. He is a moderate republican who actually almost ran on Kerry’s ticket in ‘04. He doesn’t seem interested in hating people for having different views. This makes sense in the generational argument too. He’s a traditionalist, not a baby boomer, and he doesn’t seem to have the same hostility. The problem is, he is 70-something years old and its a little hard to believe someone that age is going to make any kind of drastic change.
Nathan, I think you’re right, voter turnout will drop drastically if its a McCain/Hillary battle. And it could be bad in the long run. Thanks for the socialized medicine tip…I didn’t know that.
-Ryan
What I think change means is….
legislating that congress have their pay docked when they pull BS like spending a day passing a resolution to commend the Giants.
I mean, good for the Giants, whatever, but… did my taxes just seriously pay for that?
I think the key to change is going to be making a solid middle-class life possible again, which means NOT subsidizing things unnecessarily, and NOT following irresponsible economic regulations. (Because the middle class is large enough to market-correct when they’re not being hindered).
I hope that’s what Obama means, but if not, I think we’ve got to start grooming candidates from our generation now for Presidency in 2016. Anyone want to form a committee on this?
Kristen, I was thinking about running for a position on the local school board, but hey- why not dream big? Count me in!
Ryan, I always enjoy reading your prospective. Thanks for sharing you thoughts.
I would love to hear your thoughts on where you feel Gen Xer’s fit into this?
Nikki
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