4A - Monday, April 15, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
4A - Monday, April 15, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
e M i nan 4 . 1r
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
The myth of the millennials
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
MELANIE KRUVELIS
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS MATT SLOVIN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
ANDREW WEINER
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
F RO0M T HE D AIL
Students for city council
Mixed Use Party may fill a void in Ann Arbor politics
Tn January, a group of University students made the unexpected
move of forming a political party to run for Ann Arbor City Coun-
cil. The party, coined the Mixed Use Party, seeks to select candi-,
dates to run in four of the city's five wards. Seeing as so many of Ann
Arbor's residents are students who currently have no peer represen-
tative voice in the city's operations, the Mixed Use Party fills a long-
standing void in city politics. The party's effort to elect a student for
city council is a positive step toward involving students in the city and
spreading awareness about the particular problems students face.
Who are those Millenni-
als, anyway?
It's a question some
pollster in a
swing state is
trying to figure
out right now.
Pundits have
argued about it r
during the past
few election
cycles. Adults of MICHAEL
all occupations
are puzzling SPAETH
over it.
And everyone
seems to have an opinion about it.
New York Times columnist David
Brooks has described the Millen-
nials as "smart, hard-working,
pleasant-but-cautious achievatrons
who thrive in elite universities."
victoria Buhler, a student enrolled
in Brooks' course at Yale Univer-
sity, recently described members of
our generation as "Cynic Kids" who
"have embraced the policy revolu-
tion; they require hypothesis to
be tested, substantiated, and then
results replicated before they com-
mit to any course of action."
Brooks has also described Mil-
lennials as "risk averse," and some
Millennials have taken issue with
this characterization of our genera-
tion. Cameron Joseph, a member of
the Millennial generation, defend-
ed our supposed risk aversion by
noting that "we have much less
room for error than any previous
American generation, due to both
the economy and the constraints
that society (e.g. older generations)
have placed upon us." He wrote
that "we were brought up with zero
tolerance policies for everything
from drugs and alcohol to political
protests in school, faced the most
competitive college admittance
process ever and graduated into the
worst economic situation for young
people in nearly 80 years."
Millenials also been described
as generally progressive, particu-
larly on issues such as gay mar-
riage and climate change. Yet, at
the same time, we are characterized
as being "skeptical and even cyni-
cal" about entitlement programs
because we "don't expect (Social
Security and Medicare) to be there"
for us, former Clinton speechwrit-
er and adviser Eric Liu wrote in
Time Magazine last month. We are
societal rebels, "shar(ing) illegally
downloaded music and movies even
if the labels and studios don't want
(us) to" because we are "growing up
in a social and technological milieu
that is dismissive of large top-down
institutions and in many ways hos-
tile to elite power concentration."
Others say we're "apathetic, dis-
interested, tuned-out and selfish"
- adjectives that Chelsea Clinton
firmly dismissed in a recent op-ed.
Writing about her interactions
with Millennials at the latest meet-
ing of the Clinton Global Initiative
University, Clinton observed that
although Millennials are "obsessed
with money," "mobile maniacs,"
"social media-obsessed" and
"awfully impatient," they are using
those traits as catalysts for selfless
concrete actions that are improving
Since the mid-1970s city council has gone
without representation from University stu-
dents. Many students hold jobs, pay taxes
and vote in the city of Ann Arbor. A student
holding a city council position would greatly
increase the connection the University has
with the city and the rest of its residents.
Though their platform needs work, the
Mixed Use Party has taken the first step in
creating the necessary attention and support
for their initiative.
Unfortunately, city council members have
continuously discouraged students from run-
ningfor avarietyof reasons, includingthe fact
that the majority of students here aren't per-
manent residents. Recently, Ann Arbor city
wards were redistricted so student voters now
make up the minority in each ward. In addi-
tion, fraternities, sororities and co-ops aren't
allowed in R1, R2A or R3 districts, which
cover a large section of the city.
If elected, the Mixed Use Party needs to
address a variety of student concerns and
look beyond the issues surrounding housing
for Greek life and students in co-ops. One key
issue is rezoning districts so that students
are better represented in the city council.
The party should also campaign for more
adequate off-campus housing inspection.
Moreover, candidates chosen by the Mixed
Use Party must strive to enhance the overall
relationship between city council leaders and
the University. By creating a closer relation-
ship, students will play a more vocal role in
citywide matters.
With a large potential voter base and focus
on student issues, the Mixed Use Party has
the potential to better integrate students into
Ann Arbor. Students have the right to repre-
sentation in the city where they reside, and
there's no better place for that representation
than city council. As a major constituency of
Ann Arbor, the students' voices deserve to be
heard - loud and clear.
peoples' lives
throughout
the country
and around
the world.
So who are
we, exactly?
Lazy bums?
Technol-
ogy addicts?
Ridiculous
overachiev-
ers? Pro-
We can't b
into a tij
of pre-pa
attribi
es. There are Millennials in Amer-
ica who are in a downward spiral
of poverty with little to no hope of
ever escaping it.
These are the forgotten Millenni-
als - members of our age group who
don't have smart phones, who aren't
debating what classes they should
take or what activities they can
pursue outside of class and aren't
contemplating strategies of social
activism. They are simply trying to
survive each and every day.
At the very least, these Millen-
nials deserve to be included in the
national conversation about our
generation. But we shouldn't stop
there; we should do everything in
our power to help our fellow Mil-
lennials rise above mere survival.
We've grown up in a highly global-
ized, interdependent world. What
affects one group of people will
inevitably affect us in some way.
Messages and videos travel across
the planet in the blink of an eye.
Countries' economies depend on
one another. We're all connected
whether we like
it or not. The
same istrue for
r our generation.
e stuffed We can't be
stuffed into a
ny box tiny box of pre-
k packaged attri-
iCkaged butes. We're
uses. much more than
the stereotypes
- suggest. We're
everything.
We're lazy and
ambitious, cynical and idealistic,
cautious and daring, conservative
and progressive, impoverished and
rich, drifters and fighters, failures
and 'successes. We're as diverse as
humanity itself. We're the world
and the world is us.
The only thing we have in com-
mon is that we have much more
time ahead of us than the other
generations. Let's not waste it, and
let's not leave any other Millennials
behind.
- Michael Spaeth can be
reached at micspa@umich.edu.
0
gressives?
Conservatives? Future leaders of
the world? Future innovators? Cyn-
ics? Cautious planners?
The answer: all of these things,
and more.
In fact, there are whole other
groups of Millennials that are
completely left out of the equa-
tion, and never discussed in these
conversations about our enigmatic
generation. There are Millennials
in third-world countries who are
starving and live under the threat of
violence every day. There are Mil-
lennials around the world who are
suffering from debilitating illness-
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, Eli Cahan, Eric Ferguson, Jesse Klein,
Melanie Kruvelis, Maura Levine, Patrick Maillet, Sam Mancina,
Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Jasmine McNenny, Harsha Nahata,
Adrienne Roberts, Paul Sherman, Sarah Skaluba, Michael Spaeth,
Daniel Wang, Luchen Wang, Derek Wolfe
SAM MANCINA 0
America's race problem
- the Campus Corne: Are your usual study spots tilling
up now that finals are almost here? Kat Cartwright
od lull reveals five often overlooked study areas. Go to
michigandaily.com/blog/podium to read more.
Speak out, or don't
Recently, while in the Central Campus Rec-
reation Building, I heard a student say "Man, we
can't beat them. They're black." I was startled at
the blatant racism of this statement, especially
in this nation, on this campus.
As someone contemplating a history major, I
reflected on the progress of race relations in our
country. I started with colonization. Many peo-
ple voyaged to America in search of religious
tolerance. They wanted to build a "city on a hill"
- a society others would emulate. However, the
first settlers quickly started harming the native
population. Later,the original U.S. Constitution
allowed the practice of slavery while counting
African Americans as three-fifths of a person.
In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln finally
banned slavery with the 13th Amendment. One
hundred years later, segregation was abolished.
Now Americans are slipping under a veil of
ignorance, believing our nation is free, equal
and colorblind. This perspective is wrong.
Immigration issues, crime rates, inner-city
problems and negative stigmas define Ameri-
ca's race problem.
I was astonished to find a stark presence of
racism on campus. Students leaving the tute-
lage of their parents for the first time can for-
mulate and espouse their own views freely.
Many, including myself, have ingrained per-
spectives and views of race that lead to biased
attitudes. Everywhere I go - the CCRB, my
classes, my dorm - I hear nonchalant racist
jokes and comments. I'm a perpetrator myself
sometimes, though I try not to be. Obviously
racist comments are dismissed as jokes, when
in reality these attitudes are anything but. I
believe many of these offhand remarks are
formed by stereotypes and observations of
society, but the habits and tendencies of other
people aren't a basis for racism.
The research I do surrounding the effects
of government agencies on racerelations has
taught me that institutionalized racism leads
to many biases and causes many of America's
societal ills, including segregated communi-
ties and poor urban neighborhoods with high
crime rates. Institutionalized racism can
clearly be seen in the criminal justice system.
A multitude of sentencing policies and puni-
tive laws were enacted after the civil rights
movement. The 1973 Rockefeller Drug Laws
in New York established harsh mandatory
sentences for those caught with illegal drugs.
More than 90 percent of those arrested under
the new laws were black or Latino Ameri-
cans. These laws were the start of a drug war,
with other states and eventually the federal
government following suit. According to The
Sentencing Project, in 2011 America incarcer-
ated more people per 100,000 than any other
country in the world. Additionally, one in
three blacks are likely to be arrested, as com-
pared to one in 17 for whites.
America's criminal justice system is clearly
facing massive challenges. High incarcera-
tion rates and even higher prison populations
are just a few of the many consequences of
our government policy. Furthermore, incar-
ceration keeps inner-city communities in
stagnant despair and reinforces harmful ste-
reotypes. The criminal justice system dispro-
portionately re-incarcerates felons as well.
According to a 2012 New York Times article,
there are approximately five million people in
the United States who have committed a felo-
ny and, as a result, are unable to vote. In this
way, the institutional racism evident in our
nation's criminal justice system exacerbates
America's problem with race.
Everyone - the government and even stu-
dents here at the University - must strive
to change the path of our country and work
toward complete freedom and equality. Stu-
dent organizations like The Detroit Partner-
ship and the Understanding Race Project are
great first steps. All stereotypes and prejudic-
es against race must be transcended by toler-
ance and acceptance. Hopefully, historians
will look back and reflect on this era asa time
when this campus, this country, became a
"city on a hill" - a society that treats all races,
all people, as equal humans.
Sam Mancina is an LSA freshman.
ast week, Harsha Nahata
wrote a column in The
Michigan Daily address-
ing the silence of our generation
- "Generation
Q" for "quiet,"
according to a
New York Times
columnist. We're
not necessar-
ily ignorant or
apathetic to all
the shit that goes KATIE
on in essentially STEEN
every corner of
the world, but
eventually we reach a point where
"save the world" turns into "shit
happens." So, we become wrapped
up in our own lives. We have our
games and our shows and our Net-
flix and our beds at night that keep
us warmer than the food particles
nestled between the keys of our
Macbooks. We're watching and
we're warm, and life develops a lull-
ing pattern over which there's a hum
like a fan by your bedside - white
noise that you don't even bother to
speak over.
OK, let's all agree that apathy
is overall shitty. But I don't think
silence necessarily equates to indif-
ference. Silence isn't always a failure
to respond, but rather can be a tacti-
cal action. Sometimes it kills us to be
silent, but we do so because it seems
to be the best decision in agiven con-
text. So, when is it OK to be quiet?
Well, I'm not entirely sure, as
there are an impossible number of
combinations of events in which
a person could either speak or not
speak. More often than not, there are
other methods of action, too, beyond
speaking or not speaking. Ugh, life's
so complicated.
Let me begin with a conversation
I had last week. I was talking to my
current mentor in the School of Edu-
cation. She's pretty brilliant from
what I've gathered after a few weeks
ofsittinginher classroom andtalking
with her in the hallways amid the
riptide of high-school students. Our
conversations are usually pretty
dense in compariso
sions of chemistry e
dates. The teacher:
teaching interns an
along the lines of
your classroom like
one gay student in i
probably is." What
to be aware of ou
how heteronormat
a thing (althoughI
may argue otherwi:
red squiggly lines)
be mindful of LGB
a teacher, don't ass
mativity. Actively
an atmosphere of
students in the
classroom.
That said, what
if the students
assume hetero-
sexuality in their
teacher? What
if there isn't an
atmosphere of
respect for the
teacher? And
what if this isn't
just in the class-
room, but in the
entire school or th
the city or town itsel
teacher, when asked
winter break, were
"I went skiing withr
As our mentor a
that has the poten
stir" in the classro
that's all that would
school year would cc
teacher would go sc
his boyfriend duri
or something, and1
about that, too. But
in the class wouldg
his parents about h
friend while seatin
dinner table, and m
create a stir somewl
mashed potatoes a
casserole - a stir th
ally make its way ba
istration, an adm
doesn't like the idea
skiing with other m
an to the discus- this sounds petty and absurd - that's
xams and dance the point) And while I'm speaking in
said to the other hypotheticals, this scenario is some-
d me something thing that is still very, very real in the
"Always teach 21stcentury. JustGoogle teacherfired
there is at least for beinggay. The results are disgust-
it. Because there ing, all 15 million of them.
she meant was So, yeah, I can see why sometimes
;r audience and it's easier to just remain quiet, or to
tivity is totally simply say, "I went skiing," and leave
Microsoft Word it at that. Just like it's easier to sim-
se - damn those ply ignore - or perhaps smile back
and we need to - at the men jeering at you as you
TQ students. As march home in stilettos at 2:30 in the
ume heteronor- morning. Not every situation offers
work to create an equal opportunity to speak your
respect for all mind. In some situations, it's not
only easier, but
also safer to say
nothing. And we
must respect the
right to say noth-
OK, let's all agree ing. Because that
.amay simply be the
smartest thing to
i do - it sucks, but
overall shitty. it's t" "
'it's true.
So, then, how
do things ever
change? How will
we ever progress
e community of if we're cowering atop our stilet-
lf? What if a male tos or censoring pages of our travel
what he did over journals? If we're scared and silent?
to respond with, Change requires people to speak
my boyfriend"? out - and not solely or not necessar-
.nd teacher said, ily the people who are experiencing
tial to "create a this oppression - but the people
om. And maybe who have the power and privilege
happen, and the to speak out against it, and suffer
ontinue, and that no to minimal repercussions. This
cuba diving with ties back into Nahata's column -
ng spring break "It's not enough for one person to
tell his students raise their voice - we all need to,"
maybe a student she writes. But the "we all" in that
go home and tell sentence isn't always possible. By
is teacher's boy- all means, I believe that those who
g himself at the are oppressed or marginalized in
aybe that would whatever way certainly have the
here between the right to voice their opinions just as
snd the chicken loudly. However, realistically, it's
at would eventu- not an obligation or even always a
ck to the admin- possibility.
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be fewer than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and
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inistration that
of male teachers
gales ... (I realize
- Katie Steen can be reached
at katheliz@umich.edu.