With the emergence of the pandemic, and the countless other issues that people face — the Black Lives Matter movement in America (and elsewhere in the world), the standing with Hong Kong against China’s policies, a looming dictatorship in the country that yearns to penalise dissent — I have seen with my very eyes the capabilities and strengths of the youth; and how, now more than ever, it is important to listen to them, and to give them a platform.
These kids know. These kids want to make things better. To tell them to stop and defer instead to the instructions of the elders will disenfranchise them; and now, there is no room for hope to be lost.
I’m pasting this status I made on Facebook here as a reminder, to myself, mostly. To understand, deep in my heart, of the fact that the youth have the ability to change the world.
the gen zs and the millennials are equally – if not more – important in this fight. we know tech; we know information dissemination; we understand the concept of captive audiences; we organise well (and quickly); we know how to use design and social media; we understand that social media is a hellhole of fake news, and so we aim to make sure we verify things; were unafraid to learn and change our minds if presented with counter arguments that are based on logic.
the gen zs have never seen a world which was not at endless war. for many of them (actually also for me, being a cusper), their earliest memory is 9/11. many students entering college now were born in 2001, and will become freshmen in the midst of a pandemic and continuous efforts to infringe on peoples’ political and civil rights.
the gen zs are a group of their own, and while many of them are not voters yet, a huge number will be registering for the 2022 elections. ngayon pa lang in the states, you see the youth clamouring to go out and vote. THEY KNOW WHATS AT STAKE. theyre unafraid to be UNPOPULAR, and so its never an issue for them to issue statements and use their platforms to educate, even if it means earning the ire of boomers.
we grew up reading hunger games, a series about dismantling the status quo; harry potter, which, while its author is a transphobic racist, taught us that the youth is important. hindi ba nanalo sila precisely because of dumbledore’s army? hindi ba nanalo sila dahil nag-invite sila ng youth na maging part ng order? and now you’re surprised we know what we want and we shout it out loud?
also, have you not seen us use our platforms in a way we understand to communicate, advocate, educate? look at our memes, look at tiktok! WE HAVE A LANGUAGE OF OUR OWN, AND WE ARE GREAT AT IT. WE CAN EVEN TEACH YOU. ALLOW US TO HAVE A SPACE IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES.
i guess, what im saying is, listen to the millennials and the gen zs. the effects of the world were living in now will affect in severely personal ways all of us, but the gen zs most especially.
parents, your kids are alright. so listen to them, and when they talk to you, understand that they know more about the world than you probably think they do.
listen to us. were unafraid. were willing to learn. and i swear to the universe we will make this world a better place.
Of perpetual finds 