George Gemelas: Here’s why young people feel disgust, disengagement

One of the many consequences—if not the worst long-term consequence—of the nation’s toxic political environment is the combination of disgust and disengagement felt by young talent.

These sentiments have become more pronounced in my circles of friends, young professionals and political networks—and more broadly in content I’m encountering online. Indiana’s high-profile fight over redistricting inspired me to try to capture this alarming trend. Driven by cold, hard power politics over common sense and fairness, it’s a case in point of why young people feel disgust.

For a while now, I’ve been picking up on a growing negativity in how young people talk about public life. You’ll notice it in how quickly people in their 20s turn aggressive in conversation when politics comes up, the flippant jokes people make about political violence, and the surprising number of well-educated young professionals who simply shut down when these topics arise.

What’s interesting is that this disgust knows no political boundaries. I’m a young professional who, through my work in environmental and energy policy, has met and mobilized young people across the country—university student body presidents, Republican and Democratic young leaders, and other highly capable young professionals.

Across these groups and across the political spectrum, disgust is prevalent—disgust for how things are run, disgust for how people in power conduct themselves in public life, and, perhaps most concerning of all, disgust for fellow countrymen.

Seldom do you hear true pride in or real excitement about being an American. What you do detect in their psyches are instincts of avoidance and withdrawal. After all, what reasonable, talented person would dare engage in public life when doing so means toxic people, toxic behavior and—as the redistricting fight surfaced—threats on your life? No way. Not my job. Not my problem.

To me, this subtle but pervasive dynamic is deeply concerning. What kind of country will we have when the rising generation of young talent becomes more used to disgust and disengagement than productive involvement? Good, honest people participating in public life is what our special experiment in freedom and democracy requires—to join local civic groups, to participate in local and state commissions, and to occupy public office.

I certainly don’t have all the answers, since combating this phenomenon will take a multifaceted approach. But I hope bringing this dynamic into the public eye will produce two basic outcomes.

First, I hope current leaders will come to fully appreciate the consequences of their actions. They are setting the example that will attract—or repel—future talent. They should feel shame when they brazenly violate basic norms and erode public faith.

Second, I hope we help younger voices seek the opposite of disgust—some combination of love, affinity and affection. People must feel these sentiments in order to want to engage in public life, especially when those motivated by self-aggrandizement or control so often occupy
the spotlight.

These feelings emerge on a very personal basis. They begin by counting the blessings of what American life brings. They continue with imagining a better future for yourself and your community. And they eventually lead to a love for your fellow countrymen, despite how different, flawed or wrongheaded they may be.

What’s brewing among young people is a harbinger of what’s to come. Turning the tide in this demographic is essential to making the future of this amazing country of ours the brightest it can be.•

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Gemelas is chief operating officer at Climate Solutions Fund, outstanding fellow of Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation and a proud Greek-American. Send comments to [email protected].

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