Capitol View
THEY are a relaxed bunch, more comfortable in T-shirts than business dress. First stereotyped as whining slackers, they now produce and star in television commercials that mystify the Boomer Genera-tion. Generation X: Next
big force in politicsGeneration X has made its mark as a new, ambitious, independent and technically adept force. It is likely to be the next big thing in politics.
Xers are moving in at the same time that we are becoming a nation and a state of nonvoters.
One of the biggest groups of nonvoters belongs to Generation X, the group born between 1965 and 1978, according to a fascinating article in The Atlantic monthly, "Politics for Generation X," by Ted Halstead.
He notes that in 1972, across the nation, half of those aged 18-24 voted, while in 1996 only 32 percent did.
In Hawaii all the numbers are down. More than 84 percent of those registered to vote in the state's first primary election in 1959 did so. Last year just 50 percent of those registered actually voted. It was the lowest in Hawaii's brief history.
For Generation X, however, the numbers point to an absolute crisis in confidence. Xers believe that politicians aren't talking to them and are irrelevant to the problems of the day; 61 percent agree with the statement, "Politicians and political leaders have failed my generation."
Imagine how the state buttresses such feelings when the University of Hawaii announces that it has again lost state financial support, or that the public schools will suffer more budget cuts, with no promise that public education will improve.
Interestingly, The Atlantic contends that "improving public education" is one of the Xers' highest priorities.
On one hand, the generation has been given the benefits of a long and sometimes bloody civil rights struggle, plus, as The Atlantic notes, the women's-rights and environmental movements. And the technology of the Internet and dramatic advances in medicine.
But Xers also must contend with an educational system that is not preparing youth for the demands of tomorrow, a fractured middle class and a tinder box of violence and racial warfare.
So what of the politics of the X Generation?
Three-quarters of the Xers agree with the statement, "Our generation has an important voice, but no one seems to hear it."
Incumbent politicians certainly don't want to listen. Those low voter turnout figures mean that if no one rocks the boat, incumbents will continue to get re-elected and enjoy their sinecures.
PERHAPS they should be readying for what Generation X thinks.
Fiscal prudence, economic populism, social investment, campaign reform, shared sacrifice and environmental conservation top the Xers list.
According to new figures and polls, Generation X has little use for the two established political parties, which Xers feel lack the guts to handle the shared sacrifice needed to change.
They particularly like third parties, which explains much of Jesse Ventura's appeal to young people.
Their digital sophistication also lends itself to bypassing the traditional means of communication and political organization. In fact, a revised electronic democracy may be the catch word for Generation X.
For those in power today, ignoring Xers might be their last big mistake.
Richard Borreca reports on Hawaii's politics every Wednesday.
He can be reached by e-mail at rborreca@pixi.com