Another open letter to the older generation

by The Mix Staff

Friday 1st December 2017

Dear Old Folks,

I fall under the under 25 category, which has seen widespread news coverage that has been predominantly negative, from us not being able to afford a home or go to university, to death due to gang violence. These stories may have fuelled your opinions on us as a generation and made us seem as though there is no hope for us, but I just wanted to shed some light on the fact that we aren’t as troubled as you believe. So here it goes.

Boy have you got it wrong about us. You may think we’re a bunch of hoodlums and trouble makers, but that’s not the case. We’re part of Gen C, a generation of creativity, connection and community. We’re also part of a generation where technology has advanced so quickly it’s allowing us to stay informed with current events, just with the swipe on an app. We’re not mindless kids that don’t understand what is going on around us.

We’ve seen heightened accounts of countless shootings, police brutality and devastating natural disasters. All this negativity doesn’t stop us from trying to change the world into a better place. We’re only stronger and more resilient to the negativity being shoved at us daily!

However, in our lifetime we’ve been exposed to great change, for example the election of the first black president and the legalisation of same sex marriages. Things you would have never thought be possible when you were my age! We’re part of a generation that watched it being made possible. This is because more and more 18-25 year olds are getting more involved in politics. It seems as though we are far more passionate about equal rights due to the diversity that comes from living in London, making us more compassionate to those around us. We tend to put 100% into what we believe in, if it be protests about helping refugees or campaigns spreading awareness about mental health in young people.

You’re only scared of us because you know we have the power to make great change, which I think is amazing.

There are so many young role models to look up to like: Malala Yousafzai (20) who stood up against the Taliban for the educational rights of young girls in Pakistan and getting shot in the process; Mhairi Black, the Scottish politician aged only 24, and the youngest Member of Parliament; or even Stormzy (24), a UK grime artist who is a great representation of a new generation of artists turning the music industry on its head. Not only is he involved with the youths of today but he also follows politics.

You can’t deny that these are some really powerful role models we have.

We come from very different generations, and during your time you weren’t as exposed to all this negativity. Things were cheaper i.e. houses, university and it was easier to get loans. It’s far more difficult now, but we can’t help that. We still choose to take out loans and go to university even though we know it’ll cost us a fortune.

As you can see we are a stronger generation than you might have been and the generation after us will only get more resilient. So stop viewing us so negatively and start giving us more credit. We’re only trying to live our lives.

Yours truly,

The younger generation.