Zogby : The Importance of Youth in This Election

I was thrilled to hear John Zogby would be lecturing at SMU.  I simply can't believe how many esteemed intellectuals SMU makes available for its students.  While I was excited to hear Mr. Zogby speak, I had a feeling the tone and content of the speech would be similar to other speakers.  I was wrong.

Mr. Zogby was a very engaging speaker, mostly because of his attention to the upcoming election in November.  Yes, he spoke about what each candidate offered, but what I thought was most significant was his attention to the importance of young voters.  While it is "up to Obama to lose the election", Zogby noted that there are so many youth that are fired up for this election that they could swing the vote either way.    

I know I am not alone in recognizing the unappreciative attitude our society has for America's youth.  We are loud, reckless, disrespectful, and don't know 'how good we have it'.  I get it and I agree with those comments for a lot of my kind.  

However, I know I am different.  I am appreciative, responsible, and am very grateful for my blessings.  And I know I am not alone.  Some of my peers don't get the respect they deserve.  While older adults in our community claim we are disrespectful, we feel we are disrespected by such stereotypes.

This election excites me because said adults are finally recognizing our important roles in this society.  Yeah, you may not understand us, or even want to, but we are going to have a large impact on the outcome of this election.  It is time for people to realize young people may seem reckless, but whether you like us or not, we do have a voice and we will be heard.