As in any society, the young people of today are the leaders of tomorrow. But in Tuesday’s debate, America’s youths were done a disservice.
From coast to coast, millions of young viewers — many of whom are preparing to vote in their first election — expected to hear convincing words from two candidates vying for the free world’s highest office. In an already turbulent year, America’s youths deserved to hear something — anything — that would bring a semblance of hope to our nation’s next generation.
Instead, they likely squirmed through a televised shouting match. In the 90-minute debate, President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden interrupted each other or the moderator 93 times (Trump 71 times, Biden 22). That kind of behavior would get you kicked out and disqualified from a high school debate competition, as one teacher wrote for Fortune.
That sentiment is surely echoed by teachers in Utah. It’s a common practice for high school civics or history teachers to assign students to watch presidential debates. Usually those assignments lead to thoughtful discussion or reflection essays on policy, presentation or “presidentiality.” What started as a simple homework assignment for some became more difficult as the debate wore on.
Young people have further found themselves in the middle of a debate about America’s history and what should be taught in schools. As youths grapple with what to be proud of, what to accept and what it means to be an American, the public display of contempt from our nation’s highest-ranking leader is unhelpful at best.
In the home, too, Tuesday’s debate fell miserably short. After COVID-19 kept families together at home more than any other spring or summer in memory, many parents assumed dual roles as school teachers. The Deseret News annual American Family Survey shows that nearly three-quarters of couples (73%) discuss politics with each other, and two-thirds of those talk about it with their children, too. This hyperpoliticized campaign cycle is finding a place at dinner tables, but parents hoping to use the election as a real-time civics lesson were given little to work with.
Heading into November’s election, America’s younger generations are expected to play a major role. Millennial voter turnout nearly doubled in midterm elections from 2014 to 2018, jumping from 22% to 42%. In that same election cycle, for the first time in history, America’s younger groups (Generation X, millennials, Generation Z) outvoted baby boomers and older generations.
November should be a high-water mark for millennial and Gen Z participation, too. Some 47 million 18- to 29-year-olds will be eligible to vote, around 15 million of which were too young in 2016. Millennials and Gen Zers will encompass 37% of the electorate.
Whether those young voters fill out ballots, though, is another issue. While Generation Z has seen a major uptick in social and political activism in recent months, it’s hard to tell if that will translate to votes.
What’s certain, though, is Tuesday’s debate failed to nourish those seeking for a civics lesson. Washington Post columnist George Will remarked that “some viewers, their minds already closed concerning their presidential choice, watched the debate the way some people watch stock-car races: in hopeful expectation of carnage. They were not disappointed.” The rest of the viewers — young voters included — had a hopeful expectation of civil dialogue and constructive conversation.
As America’s young people continue their search for what to emulate, what to respect and — in a few short weeks — what to vote for, they deserve something more. Someday, they’ll be the ones on the debate stage. We can only hope they have better role models to follow by the time that moment arrives.