On Oct. 18, a commentary by my father, Bill O'Brien, was published on these pages ("An apology to millennial voters, and a wish"). As a son who cares deeply about his father, the rest of his family and his country, I'd like to offer a response.
Referring to me and other millennials, he wrote that "the seeds for the emergence of the likes of Donald Trump were sown long ago, long before even your capacity to remember."
I was surprised how oddly reassuring this was. I am 26 years old, and to hear from the old guard that the pseudo-politico ideologies of a person like Trump aren't the sickly excretions of my generation alone gave me hope. It was a reminder that I needed to hear, because otherwise it meant that my generation had taken an epic nose dive away from the standards this country once held for its highest office. An office that has classically been presided over by great men (and that may be filled — with perhaps a final push — by great women in the future).
It's true that when you look back into the past, "this room called American politics," as he called it, is not entirely void of the early likenesses of Donald Trump. Barry Goldwater does not escape comparison, nor can I deny that when I see Hillary and Trump on stage during the debates I have flashbacks to Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. — and I am, as I said, only 26. What he clearly stated as well, though, but with which I agree unequivocally, is that these early examples of the Orange Miasma permeating our current politics pale in comparison to the real thing.
What I'd like to add to your comments, Father, as a small voice among many of your generation, is twofold.
First, I would like to not only accept your apology for the current political climate, but also accept the responsibility of doing my part to fix it. In doing so, I will make promises. I promise never to treat the women in my life with such utter disrespect as Trump has done in front of, and behind, closed doors. I promise to welcome new neighbors, always, should they be moving here from across town or across the sea. I promise to always bear in mind that money is not a status symbol, and that its point is not simple accumulation, but the abililty to benefit a greater good. And I promise, finally, that I will never ask Mexico to pay for any ersatz project I happen to dream up.
Second, I would like to remind you that my generation is not entirely without fault. In a world full of distractions, especially for the tech savvy Gen Y, I admit it is easy for us to get lost or sidetracked. In terms of staying informed and deciding which news and current events to follow, we are like magpies picking out the shiny things from among the dead leaves. Trump, unfortunately, is very shiny.
My challenge for fellow millennials is to make their own promise. I want them to promise never again to let a man like this get as far as he has. While it is our responsibility to promote progressive, fair and inclusive democracy — let our majority never rule in favor of racism, sexism and hatemongering.
I know firsthand the capacity of my generation to stand up for itself and instigate change. Groups like Black Lives Matter are prime examples. What I call for is the mental fortitude to allocate more of our time to the issues that matter.
Get out and vote, read books, write and share opinions on which direction our world should take. Do not remain silent.
Luke O'Brien lives in Chicago.
