This article distinguishes the Millennial Generation from
other cohorts in terms of systematic differences in values, preferences and
voting behaviour. It describes their social media use and highlights evidence
of intra‐generational variance arising from, economic, cultural, technological
and political shifts. We also discusses the variance in the Millennial's savvy
use of social media, mainly to influence changes considered as “establishment driven politics”
that do not serve their best interests. Kingston Mouth is interested in
examining the voting patterns and socio/political trends of this generation.
Our interest is mainly because of a shift of values, attitudes and political
expectations of them across the world. Kingston mouth contends that the
valuable political contribution of the Millenials is often obfuscated,
demonised and undervalued by the establishment class. They are also the
generation less likely to be schmoozed by the slick talking millionaire
televangelists or the mind controlling bearded mullahs. Most importantly, it appears
that they are quietly plotting a counter cultural revolutionary movement to
dislodge the old Wall Street and Fleet Street controlling politically backed
corrupt establishment.
The Canadian Economist David Foote was the first to locate this
generation by using the term “Baby Boom Echo” to describe them. He posited that
they were the offspring’s of the Baby Boomer Generation and were born between
1980 and 1995. Sprawling through available statistics in 2001 he suggested that
there were about 76 million of those persons in the US and 6.9 million of them
living in Canada. Strauss and Howe are
widely credited with naming them Millennials. By 2013, a more comprehensive global generational study,
conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in collaboration with University of Southern
California and the London Business School, similarly defined Millennials as
those born between 1980 and 1995. The Pew Research Centre, conducting their own
research a year after, extended their birth period to the year 2000. Generation
theorist William Strauss and Neil Howe in 20001 are widely credited to have
given them the name “Millennials in
Generation”. They posited that the turning of this generation is stifled by the
conformity imposed on them by controlling establishment. Strauss and Howe theorise
that a crisis era has affected this generation in the post 2008 financial
meltdown. In March 2014, the Pew Research Centre delivered a report about how
'Millennials in adulthood' are 'detached from institutions and networked with
friends'. They are the internet generation who conduct their social and
political activities on social media platforms. The Pew Research Centre has
identified Millennials as the first generations to grow up with this new
technology.
There has been an incongruity by political commentators to label
generations below others as lacking ambition without examining the root cause
of their behaviour. We know for example that American sociologist and lifestyle
writer Kathleen Shaputis pigeon-holed Millennials as the boomerang generation
or Peter Pan generation in her numerous publications; most of the
Millennials have a perceived tendency for delaying some rites of passage into
adulthood for longer periods than most generations before them. The truth is
that the current financial crisis, together with a shortage of affordable
housing, has stalled these young people from flying the nest. Junco and
Mastrodicasa in a 2007 survey pointed out that this generation is indeed
ambitious and aspirational about higher education and the use of technology
when compared to their generational cohorts such as the baby boomers. Most of
the research centered around the New Millennials is focused on their consumer
habits at the expense of their socio- political leanings. The Political coming
to prominence of anti -establishment politicians such as Canadian Prime Minster
Justin Trudeau, US Presidential hopeful Bernie Saunders and British Opposition
Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn, owe a lot to this generational cohort for their
thrust into the spotlight of political eminence . This appears to be because
these anti-establishment politicians’ connect authentically with the
Millenials aspirations, economic needs
and difficulties and are not aligned
with big money special interest. They are also sceptical of utopian religious
ideas that were tied to the old established political regimes that do not act
in their best interest.
Research by the Pew Research Centre in 2014 showed a preference of
socialism over capitalism. This finding is in line with a recent Yougov survey
published in February 2016 showing that 43 % of Millennials have a preference
towards Socialism compared with older Americans. This is good news to
supporters of the Bernie Saunders campaign team who no doubt must be tapping
into this ground swell of support. One of the most important lessons that often
escape statisticians about the Millennials is that they, more than any other
generation, are unfazed by the Wall Street influenced media spin. They are also
adept at circumventing the Rupert Morduch /Ted Turner choice of establishment
candidates through their use of social media. For this reason, the electoral
appeal fortunes have been waning for the Wall Street backed political 'dolly
birds' such as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. They are also responsible for
routing the political family entitlement dynasty of the Bushes.
If you are gullible enough to absorb the nonsense that Millennials
are a bunch of politically alienated self-centred, narcissistic loonies, only
fixated on taking selfies, you are way off base. It was this generation in
Britain that laid to rest the political career of the former UK Deputy Prime
minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg.. He was punished at
the polls and his party received a thumping electoral lesson in 2015. Why?
Mainly because he broke an election pledge made to the National Union of
Students before the election not to raise tuition fees in 2010. However,
enticed by the offer of Deputy Prime Minister in a David Cameron Tory led coalition;
he made a U-turn to lift the cap on fees to £9,000.
It was the British Millenial generation of 2015 that cut through the
spin, lies and ageism rants of the media and establishment propaganda brigade
of the Labour Party to elect a left wing anti-establishment candidate, Jeremy
Corbyn. His leadership campaign attracted 40,000 new Labour Party members in
five days. He secured a thumping victory over his Blairite rivals, despite
their smear campaign against him. In the media
run-up to his selection the Murdoch influenced press, along with Chancellor
George Osbourne, branded him as threat to national security due to is
anti-nuclear stance. He survived the most vicious character attack from the
right wing press, who vilely ridiculed him with mocking epithets such as
'Maverick', 'Carcass Corbyn' and accused him of being a 'looney leftist'. Yet,
with the help and funding of new Labour party Millennial members he won the
leadership contest by securing nearly 59.5% of first-preference votes,
beating his establishment rivals Andy Burnham,
who trailed on 19%, and Yvette Cooper who received 17%. The “Blairite”
candidate Liz Kendall came last on 4.5%. Within days of Jeremy Corbyn settling
in office a YouGov poll, paid for by Rupert Morduch’s SUN newspaper, recorded
an opposition approval rating list showing Jeremy Corbyn as the most unpopular
opposition leader ever. How questionable?
The next time you see college student in the US crouched over their
smart phones with their thumbs and index finger texting frantically, don’t be
judgmental; they might be raising funds for Bernie Saunders. The New York Times
has recently reported that the Bernie Saunders campaign has amassed a million
online donations over the past five months, far faster than Barack Obama in his
first, digitally ground-breaking, campaign for president. Saunder's campaign
fund raising back office is being run by Tech- savvy Millennials who are
positioning a powerful message for the “old Maverick” that is spreading across
social media platforms like a Californian wildfire. It clearly suggests social
media is more effective advertisement than polls bankrolled by the Koch
Brothers. As a matter of fact, the Koch brothers are slowly warming to the
Bernie Saunders narrative. In a USA Today post Charles Koch was quoted
by Journalist Nicole Gaudiano asserting that he agrees with Bernie Sanderson
one issue: the US has “rigged” political and economic system. How surprising!
Finally, Kingston-mouth would like to issue a word of caution to the
smug Harrod's handbag cavorting Baby Boomers: whenever you meet in a
Conservative club with your Bentley driving, Cuban smoking cigar friends do not
slag off the Millenial generation as materialistic couch potatoes lacking in
ambition. The designer clothes they are wearing were bought at fraction of the
cost that you bought yours for at Harrods; they are smart enough to buy exact
replicas from mainland China online. We assert that the Millenials are one
of the most politically engaged and ambitious of all generations. Be aware
that they are not Smartphone junkies, as you often wrongly perceive, they are
the 'now generation', surreptitiously plotting an online Socialist revolution
in order to escape student debt, unemployment and rising house prices. Unlike
Baby Boomers, they are not afraid of failure in order to confront the dishonest
establishment politicians and thieving exploitative capitalist billionaires.
This article was written by Donovan Reynolds CEO and edited by Ann
Smith Managing Editor of Kingston-Mouth .com.
Donovan Reynolds is an Independent Blogger and Human Rights Activists
who is of a Jamaican descent and a legal academic that has an interest in
Politics, Human Rights, Culture and International Development Issues.
