Our generation and the press

Teens, young adults are too obsessed with celebrities to notice major political changes being made that will affect their future

Understand that a claim like calling any group the “enemy of the people” made by the president of the United States is not something for anyone to ever take lightly.

In fact, Donald Trump didn’t make this comment in reference to terrorists or tyrannical leaders of foreign countries posing a threat to the United States, but the press who are granted their own freedom by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Our generation is going to be the ones that are the CEOs, government officials, and teachers of the future. If we grow up not being exposed to different ideas and varying opinions, we will live in a world where everyone is forced to read the same news articles and not have the right to view media that presents the facts no matter what the person’s views are. This doesn’t sound like a country that is supposed to be known for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

At a press briefing on Feb 24, several news outlets were not allowed to attend the event by the president’s request. That list included the New York Times, CNN, and Los Angeles Times, all of which Trump often criticizes during his constant Twitter rants. However, the commander in chief was gracious enough to allow some press in, which he personally put on a type of VIP list. These included Breitbart News, the Washington Times, and One American News Network, which are all known for their conservative and very Trump-friendly stories.

As someone who is personally affected by this right to freedom of the press, it astonishes me that this is something my generation isn’t more concerned about.

The changes made now could continue to affect our future and the future of the coming generations. More people, of all ages, should be up in arms about something as important as calling the professional press “the enemy of the people.”

If our country loses its First Amendment right of freedom of the press, everything we see in news media will be controlled by our government. The American people would only be allowed to see articles published by media outlets the government has approved, creating a society of extremely narrow minded and ignorant citizens.

At the same time, however, it doesn’t surprise me the least bit that people my age don’t care.

The majority of my generation could seemingly care less. People my age care more about the new Kylie Jenner makeup that is being launched the next day and making sure they have the best lighting possible to take a good selfie. The majority don’t care, let alone know, if a new legislative bill that was just passed that could change their lives dramatically or if there are terrorist threats against the country.

Most people only care if something like a shooting or bombing is trending on Twitter and major celebrities are posting about it or if there is a story on Snapchat dedicated to the incident. Once it invades everyone’s feeds, that’s when people notice. Once people see the pictures of distraught people sitting on the sidewalk wrapped in a blanket crying after a shooting in another major city, that’s when people care. It’s too much for teens to rip their eyes away from posts about relationship goals, makeup tutorials, fight videos, and, during this time of year, promposals to look up and see that the world around them is changing.

There is a place for both news and what’s already in your social media feeds.

If this is the world we want to live in, the one we want our future children to live in, then go back to looking at celebrity drama and keep your head in the sand.