Millennials don't believe protesting works.
I've seen a lot of discussion about why millennials aren't coming out. Yes, they work and have young children. They are taking care of their elderly parents. All of these things are true and valid.
But also millennials have gone to the Occupy Wall Street protests, which accomplished nothing. The BLM protests, which accomplished nothing. The Women's March, which lol. I protested during all of these things only for our country to slide even further into capitalistic greed and corruption. When Bernie was running, someone we could get excited about, he was undermined by his own party.
Many millennials don't even believe their vote matters anymore in the face of gerrymandering and the electoral college.
I still want to believe protesting can effect change. Or frankly that American citizens have any power at all anymore. I'll be protesting on the 5th, but man is it hard to keep hope alive when our generation has been crushed under the establishment for our entire lives. Combine that with how oppressive the 40+ hour work week is and can you blame people for not protesting? Millennials barely even have the energy to do their laundry.
I'm not sure how to energize people. I'm not even sure how to energize myself. The Democratic party offers no leadership or hope whatsoever.
Please offer your local millennial (and me!) some hope. Please tell me we aren't just screaming into a void.
Originally Posted By u/duckhunt420 At 2025-03-31 11:47:11 AM | Source
Rugged individualism killed the Millennial activist. While social and political issues were impressed upon this generation from childhood, when the cards are down it's everyone for themselves. Individualism was the other value they we're raised with.
It's why in spite of holding enough electorate power they do not assert it. It's why millennials don't run for office or if they do they have zero solidarity among their own cohort.
I think a key difference lies in the way Baby Boomers were born in huge families with many siblings and first cousins. The parents cranked out half a dozen kids. They had to raise each other. They grew up in a period of collectivism.
Millennials were born to an age of the nuclear family in the era of mass production. It was a time of over abundance. It was Fukuyamas "end of history". The parents had one or two kids. They were treated like little princes and princesses destined to inherit humanity's final social and political form that is liberal democracy. That is faltering and Millennials have no idea what to do about it.
edit: I also want to add that a lot of millennials are comfortable enough to not have to care. This has been very unpopular to point out on reddit. While the middle class has been disappearing that doesn't mean everyone got pushed to the lower class. A lot of millennials made it to the upper half. There's no reason for them to be protesting.