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The disenfranchisement of Youth

The past few posts have discussed how the educational system limits the freedom and opportunity of students. The educational system does not exist within a vacuum. It is part of a series of broader legal and implicit constraints on young people. Young people in the modern world are disenfranchised in a variety of ways, both political and economic. Unfortunately, this has been the case for most of modern history. Power tends to be concentrated in the hands of older generations. Since those in power typically act in defense of their own interests, the interests of youth are generally left out. Youth can overturn this trend by organizing to redistribute power.

The school to prison pipeline is the best example of how teenagers are often persecuted by the reigning powers. The pipeline is rooted in the inane, authoritarian policies of zero tolerance. In schools, zero tolerance policies hand out harsh punishments for minor infractions. These policies are inflexible and often defy common sense, as was recently seen in my school district, where a third grader was suspended for bringing in a shock pen without intent to harm. There are numerous other incidents like these across the country. Following the Columbine shootings and 9/11, these zero tolerance policies have tightened, and the powers of law enforcement increased. The worst effects of zero tolerance are typically seen by law enforcement’s treatment of poor, minority teenagers. After these students violate school policy, the police often get involved. In juvenile courts, denied a trial by jury and sufficient legal representation and knowledge, teenagers are often sent to juvenile detention facilities, or potential expulsion. U.S drug policy punishing teenagers for minor drug infractions further contributes to this system. Minority teenagers thus become trapped within the prison system, profiting corporate prison companies and justifying continued expansion of police powers. The legal system is thus set up primarily from the benefit of those who run it. Middle-class teenagers can more easily escape this, but poorer teenagers cannot, trapping them into a life of poverty and legal disenfranchisement.

The school to prison pipeline is but one of the ways youth lack power. Increasingly, it is becoming more difficult for young people to become economically independent. Child labor laws restrict young people’s earning potential until age 18. The increasing cost and necessity of more education perpetuates this dependency until a person is well into their twenties. College debt results in creditors having power over young people, limiting their prosperity. The lack of good jobs for even educated young people is also a heavy contributor to this dependence. This phenomenon is hardly particular to America, it is found the world over, from Europe to the Middle East to Africa. Spanish youth have it particularly bad- it is estimated that half of Spaniards in their twenties still live with their parents, due to the extremely high unemployment rate. This has given rise to the indignados movement, who protest for more economic opportunity. Other European countries, particularly in the Mediterranean, also suffer from high unemployment. In the Middle East and Africa, opportunity for young people is limited even further. The populations here tend to be younger, though the governments tend to be ruled by older people. This inequality has resulted in little freedom for young people, who are frustrated by their lack of control over their own lives. The youth factor was a major contributor to the Arab Spring, as young people seek to bring down geriatric dictators. Youth disenfranchisement has also resulted in the rise of terrorist and militant groups.

The Arab Spring and other movements, such as that in Chile, have occurred because these problems can at least partially be attributed to young people’s lack of political power. The system is run by adults for adults. Youth lack independent political representation and power. Until the age of 18, they are patronizingly considered minors, denied the right to vote and the full rights of a citizen. Even when a person reaches the age of majority, they are often ignorant of politics and lack powerful groups to represent their interests. By contrast, older people wield total political power. In many developing countries, the government is run by an aging elite who have been in power for decades. In the United States, the AARP lobbies heavily for the interests of the retired, particularly regarding social security. Therefore, the government is geared far more towards those who vote the most and have the most money: older people. This does not necessarily mean that the political interests of older people are wrong or bad, they are a part of our society as much as any other group. The problem is that young people are not sufficiently represented, damaging our democracy and society. The governments of the world, focused on the short-term interests of the baby boomers, ignore current and future problems facing youth. Often these governments perpetuate the problem, as is seen in debt policies and a failure to address global warming and unemployment.

So what does this have to do with education? As in society at large, students lack control over their lives and the schools that they spend them in. With virtually no real representation besides powerless student councils, schools are thus run for the benefit of those who run them. By controlling students, these systems thus prevent young people from achieving political power. The beginnings of a youth movement to gain power must thus be rooted among students. By organizing on the local level to change local educational and legal policies, students can begin their liberation. This movement must not be limited to the United States. For democracy to be realized on a global scale, students must unite to fight for their interests and liberty.

Comments

  1. Ben Haspel says:

    Some really interesting points here, Neil. First, I’d like to talk about the school to prison pipeline. I completely agree that there is a problem here, and that we are experiencing a phenomenon where it is a crime to be poor. This is what I think you should be more focussed on. I don’t think there is much hope for kids being involved in politics. While students can certainly organize and make their opinions known, the voting age is 18 (and used to be 21), and for different offices in political office there is a minimum age requirement. Why? Because honestly, I don’t want a kid making important decisions! Level of education and amount of life experience is essential to holding public office. Like I said, I think you should be more focussed on getting those in poverty better represented, because as you said, middle-class students and up are better situated to fight a restrictive school system. At this level though, students can form student governments and do have the right to a constitution for students and by students. Public schools, at least, cannot restrict and prohibit this right. Overall, you make some very interesting and compelling points, and the blog is very well written.

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