Being Young Isn’t Enough – We Have to Be Courageous

By Jon-Dalton George 

“Young gets it done!” I said grinning ear to ear in a Boone Town Council meeting. We had just gotten a big infrastructure win that I was proud to play a part in. It’s been awhile since that meeting, but one of the folks in attendance still brings that phrase up when he sees me about town. "Young gets it done!"

If you’re under the age of 30 and you’ve attended any sort of political gathering or meeting, you’ve likely heard some variation of “It’s so good to see young people! You're the generation that will save us!”

It’s a sweet sentiment, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t inspire me at times to do more, trying to deliver on the lofty political and organizing expectations placed on an entire generation. 

When I was running for political office at the ripe age of 22, folks took notice. And while a few skeptics had some unfair criticism because I hadn’t had enough revolutions around the sun, others cheered me on, even without knowing much about me or my platform. Young people across the state continue to grab positions of power, win elected office, and more. But, unfortunately, being young doesn’t automatically mean that you’re the perfect person to step up.

Here’s the thing: I’m so confident in young people that I think we have every capability of being as terrible as previous generations. The trappings of politics impacts everyone, regardless of age, and young people can make the same missteps generations before them did. Trust me, I’ve seen egoism, nepotism, infighting, selfishness, and more among my peers. The allure of some of these eternal political traps have snuck into my mind at times too, so this is not meant as a critical piece of writing, but a cautionary one. 

The reality is, any aspiring public servant that’s seeking elected office for themselves will only continue to add to the problems of our political landscape. 

That’s not to say that there’s no truth in the message that this generation has the potential to save our political process. Young folks in the political arena have the ability to look at our political history to learn how our political system hit such a snag. On how we’ve ended up in a place where we need saving to begin with. 

So the task before our generation, as we work to create better communities, is to challenge the way things have always been done. To find our own voice, not to emulate what a “politician” looks like. 

As both a young elected official and a person from a working-poor background in rural North Carolina, I’ve heard both messages — One, that young people will save us, that we alone can right the direction of our nation. The other, that anyone in political power will not care for those seen as less than, that to wait to be saved by those in power is to be resigned to defeat. And in all honesty, I think that the second message has a lot more going for it to justify its sentiment. 

I’m always conscious of this dynamic and I truly hope to be a small part in that cultural shift. to alter that latter message and belief and to be one of the “young ones who get it done.” 

To end positively, I’ve had conversations with young electeds and power holders across the state who seem keenly aware of the trappings of politics, who work hard to defeat those negative cultural forces and keep the danger of ego in check, who understand well the plate they’re stepping up to when entering this world. 

Anderson Clayon, the Chair of the NC Democratic Party, is another excellent example. And while some may see her and seek to emulate her, they miss the point. Her power comes from the fact that she’s herself. She’s taking on politics authentically and with courage. I think we’d do well to learn from that as much as we learn from her youth.

Jon-Dalton George is Mayor Pro-Tem of Boone and works for the Endangered Species Coalition.