I have seen it more in 2008 than any of the previous years I have been active in youth  politics, and for this "old" man - that means since 1992. 

Right now there are so many bold accusations, so much back and forth bickering, an onslaught of fingerpointing, a healthy dose of the blame game, and even some pretty narrow minded insults flying around.  Frankly, I'm getting really tired of how negative things have gotten and wish we could just find some happy resolution to our differences and move on. Hell, maybe we can even find a way to work together!

I'm not talking about any two candidates or parties or pundits going at it, instead I am talking about what seems to be a war of words between two generations.

This year several commentators, journalists, politicians, and some that could only be described as "get off my lawn" types, seem to spend their time coming up with ways to say the same thing.  SINCE YOU ARE YOUNG YOU DON'T CARE AND YOU WON'T VOTE.

Basically, the formula they use is predictable.  You are dumb, overly distracted, and care way more about the newest thing to download onto your xbox than world events happening around you.  You probably can't point to some place on a map (gasp) and that proves you aren't ready to participate in Democracy.  You won't actually be able to get out of bed on Election Day to vote because you will be too hungover from the previous night's binge drinking.  You are excited and seem engaged, but only time will tell if this is a passing fad like pinch folding stone washed jeans or wearing hyper color shirts and you will disappoint everyone ... again. Oh yeah, and something about two feet of snow and walking uphill both ways.  But, I normally tune out by then (it is the low attention span thing I guess).

We really ought to be pretty used to this by now; specifically the won't vote thing isn't really anything new.  Despite election after election of increased turnout, and study after study revealing that young people are very highly engaged in politics this year, the naysayers remain.  I mean, after all, they didn't vote when they were younger -- why would OUR generation be any different.

There is a pretty simple way to handle all the youth vote doubters - just vote and get your friends to do the same.  Then, on November 5th we can all stumble into stuffy doily filled houses and watch all the Gargamel's wash down their doubting words with a big swig of prune juice (or whatever inflammatory old person stereotypical drink I can come up with).

Things are getting worse though, and just voting won't be enough to quiet these haters. Some of the grumpier in the mix are starting to realize that, yes, we are going to vote but unfortunately, this doesn't make them any less likely to be Debra Downers (Debbie just sounds too fun).  Instead, their line of attack changes from you won't vote to you are too dumb and shouldn't vote.

Here is their argument: Since we aren't their age we probably don't know jack about the world.  Not knowing jack means that if we do vote - it will be a dangerously uniformed vote.  Additionally, the fact that we are brain dead and insular isn't a big surprise.  After all, how would we know about the world when there are so many distractions for kids like us these days!  You see, all we ever do is online date on facebook, click around on our internet tubes, and wear that phoneutubepod thing they bought us for graduation.

The preferred way to prove this point is to go out on the street and ask a bunch of random kids (probably between their sessions playing Skate or Die or pulling bong hits) questions about basic civics or world geography on camera.  Then, if people don't answer properly - CASE MADE - they shouldn't be allowed to vote. If they do answer properly, cut them out and focus only on the people who sounded dumb. The irony of how unconstitutional an intelligence, literacy, or other gateway to voting is always seems lost on the Mr. Wilson preaching about our disregard for the way our government works.  But, then again, these pieces aren't really about facts or the big picture.

20/20 did just that this week, and the result is exactly as you are imagining it right now.  Kids=Dumb.  Old People=Smart.  Kids shouldn't vote.  Vomit on my keyboard.

Our friends at the Oregon Bus Project had a great video response, mocking the 20/20 piece and shining a light on how foolish it is to brush a full generation with one stroke (as dumb) and insist on any sort of requirement, beyond citizenship and will, to vote.

Of course, this is all noise in the big picture of this generational narrative, or as we should more properly call it "battle."  The real questoin here is why do our elders find the need to diminish our impact, to mock our passion, and more suprisingly to make this one of those "us vs. them" battles.  Shouldn't there be a level of support, an excitement about this generation getting engaged, and an optimism that their children and grand children are looking at the world and realizing they can make a difference by working together?

Instead commentators decry our use of new technology in organizing as a waste of time (we should be taking over the Dean's office to end the war apparantly or parading around with big protest signs and talk about flower power) and constantly make comparisons between the two voting blocs as if both can't (or shouldn't) strive for full participation.

Sure, right now there does seem to be a pretty sizable gap between what people my grandparent's age and people my age think about the way to improve our communities, but if we have learned anything over the course of the past several years - we have learned that iit is going to take a united multi-generational movement to actually get our economy fixed, end the war in Iraq, fix our healthcare crisis, and find a way to free us from the shackles of foreign oil.

So, prune juice and doily jokes aside ... maybe we need to be the bigger people in this squabble and actually reach out to the people who love us that are older.  Our parents, our grandparents, our coworkers, and our neighbors probably just need a conversation with us to know that our decisions are informed, that we are going to vote, and we aren't going to go away.  I genuinely believe that most of these naysayers don't believe that we, as a generation, are sacrificing or doing our part.

They don't know that the vast vast majority of causalities in Iraq have been people our age.  They don't know that the largest and fastest growing segment of the working population that doesn't have health insurance is our generation.  They don't know that this credit crunch is coming down hard on students who need to finance their education with loans, or young workers trying to stay in or buy their first home.  All they know is that we really like the internet, send each other messages on our phones, and watch a lot of reality TV.

It isn't like this generation gap thing is new, surely they remember what it was like when their elders were telling them to sit down and shut up.  If we have to be the "mature ones" about this - fine we will do it.  But only by working together are we going to be able to turn any postive electoral gains into long term community gains.

An article from Tony Cani, YDA National Political Director