As Vice President Kamala Harris finished her concession speech after the results of the 2024 Presidential Election, which officially closed her ultimately unsuccessful campaign, she finished with a quick anecdote about the future: “There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” In a similar air to much of the rhetoric she employed throughout her campaign, the closing of her speech touched on hope for a better future, through an optimistic perspective.
Yet as President-elect Donald Trump readily awaits his return to the world’s political stage; the stars aren’t quite visible yet. In what seems like a tipping point, for the United States (and thus the world), young people like myself suddenly must realize that the direction of our future is at stake. So as the lights begin to flicker or dim, should young people simply look up at the sky and wait for the stars to appear? No. If we see the stars, it may already be too late.
Across the world, there have been massive political shifts. As more and more elections roll in, right-wing nationalism has seemingly been on the rise. France barely fought off a conservative win, the German right is having a resurgence, as are right-wing parties in Sweden and Finland, and right-wing populist and anti-immigration leaders won elections in the Netherlands and Argentina. Even less-conservative leaders, like the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are further right than previous leaders of their parties were. Additionally, increasingly authoritarian regimes continue to win elsewhere, and such is the case in India. In all cases, including the United States, young people are making a huge difference in this shift across the world.
While young people generally favor progressive and left-leaning candidates, in Europe, young people are no longer a hard guarantee for left-leaning parties, and young men specifically have turned sharply towards conservative and nationalist parties. Trump gained ground with young voters in the US, as did right-wing parties in Belgium, Finland, and Germany, just to name a few. In the United States, this is true as well. Kamala Harris lost significant ground with young voters across the country in comparison to President Biden in 2020 and Democrat candidates in the past twenty years. Young people, as well as people across the world in general, are choosing anti-immigration, right-wing populist, economically exploitative and nationalistic candidates with oft-prejudiced rhetoric, and at least in the United States, candidates who do not support protecting the environment. Despite the fact that the majority of young people claim to be concerned about the effects of global warming in the United States, young people still were shown to turn towards Trump, more than previously documented.
But why? Why are young people turning towards Trump and other right-wing candidates? Is it social media? Is it the consequence of a shrewd campaign? Poorly-run leftist campaigns? A significant shift in ideology?
Most likely, a combination of these factors has caused this shift. If history of authoritarianism and right-wing leadership tells us anything, the road forward looks dangerous, and the threads of democracy have seemingly frayed in front of our eyes. As young people, there is suddenly more impetus for action to pave a smoother road forward, not for our parents, and not really for the next generation, but for ourselves.
For us young people still interested in actually reaching for those stars, we must look in the mirror. Will reposting a story on Instagram be the only “action” we partake in? Will a comment on a post suffice? Will wearing a political t-shirt change anything? No. While these are nice ways to show you care, reactionary and eye-catching acts do not create real change.
Instead, organize and take action. Join and expand movements, like the labor and climate/green movements, and pave the way for a real plan to make true change in the world. It cannot be understated just how much young people’s votes and actions affect the world. It’s easy to tune out a weak protest or an empty act – swipe to the next story, turn up your music, or close your blinds – but this generation of young people has the chance to make the noise insufferable for those in power. The future of ourselves and the earth may hinge on the actions of us and the near-next generation. With issues like climate change, our parents’ and grandparents’ generations have already made our futures as complicated as they need to be, and still cling on to power over our futures. Why let them tear it up any further? Make real change, and correct the shift before it’s too late. Because even if the sky ever gets dark enough to see the stars, will we be able to see them through the smog?
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