While grassroots may be viewed as a political affiliation, at root, it is educated activism, and street advocacy. When society comes together for voter registration events, or community service and engagement, it is at this level that politics is initiated. This advance civil participation before it is turned over to politicians, addressing the people’s needs and embodying a trickle up government. A trickle up government is essential in promoting nonpartisanship because politics starts with the people; is turned to organizations and leaders; then is handed up to our government bureaus. Here, we promote the people’s republic and not private or ‘government’ interest. As a progressive, I have connected with grass roots to not only advance underrepresented narratives and to advance underserved needs, but to ensure the people are involved in politics. Because all equity and inclusion programs, in essence, provide direct access to congressional rights, we can build a government that’s power rest in the people, not strictly into branches. All political movements that were a change maker, established reform or legal precedent, all were grassroots. Martin Luther King Jr., a pastor who utilized his faith, and congregation to establish a pipeline directly to the executive branch advancing the Civil Rights Movement; Malcolm X, a first-generation black man whom mobilized educated activism for The Nation of Islam, and Black America; Ta-Nehisi Coates and James Baldwin, both authors who spoke of the black-experience from black narration, moving society towards truth over discourse. The Black Panther Party utilized a Ten-Point Program (symbolic of a policy proposal) to advocate self-determination for Black folks and oppressed communities; it discussed manifest destiny of the people, economic justice, equitable access to basic necessities, etc. This continues today, through three black woman organizers; Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. These women radicals founded The Black Lives Matter movement in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. These movements and activist, promote social justice reform, advocate for equitable politics, and inclusion of persons who have historically been subjected to discrimination and disenfranchisement. If true democracy brings constituents together, social justice must become the duty of the government, grassroots must be redefined from woke to reforming, and civil participation must begin from these roots not the polls alone. Acknowledgement: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author, not necessarily Our National Conversation as a whole.
By Raven W. M.
Generational rifts have always been a common part of life as long as there has been recorded history. However, in recent times, that feud has seemed to grow into an intense hatred between the young and old. Older people call the youth spoiled or lazy, while younger people blame the elderly for ruining the world. The split between the young and old has created generational labels that have only further divided people into warring groups. There are the Baby Boomers [1946–1954], Generation Jones [1955–1964], Gen X [1965–1980], Millennials [1981–1996], and Gen Z [1997–2012], with Generation Alpha [2010–2024] following quickly behind. Many people following Generation Jones have begun to blame Baby Boomers for stealing opportunities from their Millennial children with their self-interested mindset. This mindset has led young people to take to social media to make videos and memes mocking Baby Boomers and their advice to young people trying to start their lives and break into the market. Even the New York Times made a video addressing this situation and blaming boomers for the current-day issues. Some argue that this claim is merely an attempt to shift the blame for current economic, political, and cultural problems onto others who happened to be alive during more opportunistic times. Moreover, these grievances have morphed into personal vendettas against elders. However, others consider the Boomers to be immensely selfish and ignorant. Even the American venture capitalist, Bruce Cannon Gibney, published a book accusing Boomers of being “a generation of sociopaths.” Many have called Baby Boomers “delusional” for their inability to accept that the economy and employment landscape have changed drastically since they were younger. Others slam Baby Boomers for looking down upon or mocking their children or younger people for the way they live, specifically not owning a home or starting a family. Millennials and Gen Zers have taken the time to present the differences between their economic situation and that of older people, by exposing that unemployment among Gen Z is double the national average. This partially stems from AI practically ending entry-level jobs, which have fallen by 35% since 2023, making it much harder to break into the industry. Due to these factors, young people are getting stuck in minimum-wage jobs and cannot move up, leaving many feeling as though the American Dream is impossible right now. In addition, many complain that it is harder than ever to own a home, comparing prices from the 1970s and 1980s, which generally cost about three times the average income in America. In comparison, current prices now cost seven times the average income. Due to rising prices, the age of first-time home buyers today is close to 40, while in 2008 it was about 30. Some people over 50 believe this is merely the whining of young people, but even Baby Boomers cannot sell their homes at market price because the next generation cannot afford them. Now, over half of Baby Boomers say they will never sell their homes, creating a housing inventory shortage and keeping prices elevated, making it even more difficult for younger generations to enter the market. As of today, there are no states in the US where a minimum-wage job can afford a 2-bedroom apartment. In the 1980s, the median monthly rent in America was $243 to $308, while the federal minimum wage was $3.10 an hour. Meaning, if someone worked 40 hours a week, every week, each month, they would accumulate $496, leaving almost $200 over after rent. Meanwhile, today the median monthly rent is $1696 to $1713, while the federal minimum wage pays $7.25, which has not been raised in 10 years. In one month, that accounts for $1160 before taxes, meaning that living today is significantly harder than it was in the 1980s. These vocal grievances against Baby Boomers have encouraged negative sentiments toward youth, rather than addressing the policies responsible for the problems of the day. Many of the issues stem from the second half of the twentieth century, when the US experienced a demographic and economic shift as a large generation entered the labor force, leading to greater female participation and higher wages. Logically, the government’s fiscal position should have improved; rather, the national debt grew, savings rates fell, and public investment collapsed. At that time, the nation mistook a demographic dividend for a permanent economic transformation, and the result was one generation becoming enriched, while leaving those who followed with diminished fiscal opportunities. However, some have pushed back on this narrative, claiming the youth blaming the generations that preceded it functions as a “scapegoat for all that’s wrong in the world.” Others suggest that “Boomer-blaming” socializes younger generations to believe that people in the past caused all the problems in the future, which is not always true. This ideology will only serve to estrange the young from their elders, as many believe that people born around the same time share the same values: i.e., Boomers are all narcissists, Millennials are all spoiled, Gen Z are all lazy. Realistically, it is not fair to blame one generation for all the world’s ills. However, it is neither sensible to disregard the current struggles of young people. If society is to move forward and better itself, it must stop looking at people through the lens of a generational divide and instead look to its leaders and those responsible for maintaining the nation to create a better world for its future.
By Alexandra Miskewitz
Over the past few years, AI has grown exponentially in use by the general public. ChatGPT is used by every student now; Google Gemini is the first thing that pops up when you search; and basically every social media platform is full of AI-generated images and videos. As of late 2025, generative AI was being used by 55% of people, and 37% of workers in the United States. Understandably, this development has drawn significant backlash, with many concerned about the future implications of AI’s growing presence in our world. However, AI can be a powerful tool for good, and quite frankly, it is clearly here to stay. Many critics of AI oppose it due to environmental concerns. A particularly common claim is that AI uses up too much of our freshwater. AI actually accounts for a very small share of American water usage. In fact, its daily use in on-site data centers is dwarfed by bottled water consumption, and its total water use is small compared to that of golf courses, residential city use, and even peanut and bean farming. You would actually have to prompt Google Gemini around 1,500,000 times to consume as much water as just one hamburger. In fact, AI is helping us mitigate and solve climate change. It can help track melting icebergs, deforestation, make waste management more efficient, and even help marginalized communities impacted by climate change. However, fearmongering videos about AI using up all our water get much more engagement than looking at the facts. AI has already begun to deliver immeasurable benefits to our society across fields such as medicine, technology, and defense. For instance, AI can reduce drug development time for pharmaceutical companies from 5 years to 18 months. The AI model Chief, developed by Harvard Medical School, has achieved a 94% accuracy in cancer detection and can predict tumor variations and patient survival. The Automated Driving System, known as Waymo, significantly outperforms the human driving population, with 88% fewer property damage claims and 92% fewer bodily injury claims. While many people fear that AI is interfering with student’s abilities to learn and think, AI algorithms can also revolutionize educational settings. Carnegie Learning developed a platform known as MATHia, which adapts content to align with individual student requirements, and can enhance math proficiency by up to 20%. Similarly, Duolingo’s usage of AI algorithms boost retention by 22% and improve learner outcomes by 17%. AI can bring about a much better future rather than the impending doom many fear. Of course, there are many concerns that AI is coming for our jobs. Only time will tell, but rather than rejecting the software that will shape the future, it is beneficial to make yourself familiar with it and use it as a tool alongside your own human thoughts. Rather than fearing AI as an unstoppable threat, society should focus on learning how to use it wisely, ensuring that this powerful technology becomes a tool that benefits humanity rather than something we unnecessarily resist. Acknowledgement: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author, not necessarily Our National Conversation as a whole.
By Alexia Silva
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