Face-Off: Is student activism futile?

The Messenger’s writers debate on the social effectiveness of student activism. 

Graphic by Meghana Ramineni, Editor-in-Chief

Yes

Juliette Salah, Staff Writer

In recent years, student activism has increased greatly, boosted by the growing presence of social media that allows people from all over the world to be more interconnected than ever before. More notably, a major surge of student activism occurred in recent months. That includes Black Lives Matter movements, rising awareness for LGBTQIA+ rights, climate change, and more. Students all over the country have gathered to organize protests and movements through various channels: some have created clubs and organizations, others have used social media as a way to spread knowledge and information. This, however, begs the question of how effective all that effort and time that students dedicate to this really is. Do these efforts ever lead to actual change and permanent effects, or are they futile?

Student activism undoubtedly comes from good intentions, and in recent years, many students feel the need to have a voice, whether it be in politics or other local or worldwide issues. While it might be more preferable to think that student activism causes actual change, that statement remains debatable, for multiple reasons.

For one, the downside of being a student is constantly being viewed as childish by older lawmakers. Certain adults will easily default to not listening to what students have to say simply because they believe that students do not understand what is going on. They believe that they, as adults, know better, due to age. Therefore, anything said by us is useless in their eyes. With that being the case, it becomes hard to progress forward and seek actual change when current lawmakers neglect the voices of young people. In order for movements and other forms of activism to have an effect, people who actually have power over what is being discussed are needed for the change to happen. Unfortunately, however, those people are not always ready to listen.

Furthermore, as students, it is hard to get ahold of resources that can be useful when attempting to create change. Such things include money; support from other, bigger, organizations; major social media presence; and a substantial amount of views. The lack of resources means that despite the valid efforts of students, such efforts are left to fade away in the end. Actively advocating for a cause that one believes in through protesting or movements is not easy by any means, but it becomes nearly impossible when all efforts seem to lead to dead ends, and the motivation becomes harder and harder to find.

Present-day student activism faces many challenges that hold students back from causing the change they want in the world. Perhaps it is time to find a new way to demand change, or rethink current methods to make them more effective. Everyone has a powerful voice, but one must just learn how to use it to its fullest potential. 

No

Nikki Skyer, Sports Editor

Activism among teens is absolutely necessary to uphold the political structure of the United States, today. Politics are often seen as part of the adult role in society, and while this point of view is true, it fails to recognize the impact of young people, especially of those not yet of age to participate in the voting process or hold office. 

As social media has become such an influential aspect of life, the use of these platforms has made it easier to speak out on national and worldwide events. TikTok, the quickly growing video-sharing app, has given teens the ability to reach large audiences and make significant changes. An app that once consisted of dancing and meme videos now incorporates insightful human rights discussions. Millions of views have been hit on videos advocating for forms of protest like mass registration without attendance for Donald Trump’s rallies, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and sharing important petitions. Teens are discovering the actions they can take, actions that have no age requirement. They are also being exposed to issues that may not affect their personal lives. Parents, to an extent, are able to shelter their children from the harsh physical realities of the world, but social media completely removes that shelter. Social media is,  without a doubt, the major contributor to increased teenage outrage and activism. 

Teenagers are not only impacting their peers, but also others in their community. Information is at our fingertips now more than ever, and those who choose to share that information with, for example, their parents, may be changing some opinions. The information displayed across social media platforms is not only changing the thoughts of the teens whose social media is overloaded with political content, but also the minds of those that teens share their newfound knowledge with. These people, who are more likely of voting age, have an important role in the process and are being influenced by teens. Children are often led to believe whatever they are told by their parents and other adult leaders. However, as kids grow older and more socially aware, they look to form their own opinions. Social media and the internet are facilitating a generation of rebels, seeking the truth about topics, and believing in what is right.

The boom in protesting over this past summer definitely owes a portion of the credit to American teenagers. Many of the largest and most successful protests have been organized and advertised by young people. Teens were out on the front lines of protests, demanding attention and change. Almost 8,000 Black Lives Matter related protests took place in the 88 days following George Floyd’s death, leading to an exponential growth in the fight for equality. While most of these politically active teens would agree that the journey is far from over, it is impossible to ignore things like social changes and huge demand for police reform. 

Teenage influence on national issues is clearly making a difference. Their numerous accomplishments and constantly determined mindsets are evidence for older generations that Generation Z will not stop until the right thing is done. Teens are upset, and they inspire real change. Whether through social media, protesting, or simply having conversations with voters, it is not hard to see that America needs its politically and socially active teens in order to evolve the morals of our country.