Hanaa Khan ’28 is a Politics and International Affairs major at Furman University. She was chosen as a finalist in the Riley Institute’s 2024 student op-ed contest for the following piece, in which she responded to how Gen Z Americans can foster dialogue and collaboration across political differences.
Today, Gen Z finds itself in a world brimming with both promise and challenge. We have grown up in a time where we can access the world from our fingertips, making it easier than ever before to communicate with other people. Yet, despite being the most connected generation, we find ourselves lost in a growing rift over the values we hold and what it means to be an American.
In the confusion, we turn to our screens and are swept further into a world of hatred and division, where we perceive differences as our enemy and continually resort to igniting disunity, fear and anger. Just in these past few months, we have seen how far animosity and political violence can go, with the two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump being recent examples.
As we approach Election Day, it is critical for our generation to embrace a healthier political culture — one that allows us to look past our disagreements, find our common bonds and effectively address our most challenging issues.
While this endeavor is taxing, Gen Z can take the first step by simply listening to each other. Seeking out perspectives besides our own allows us to discern and understand the hopes, fears, and dreams of other people. By learning more about others, we can find common ground and devise solutions.
Engaging in these vital, eye-opening conversations enables our generation to lead in creating necessary change. Opening ourselves up to different views, ideas and collaborations does not hinder or prevent us from believing our own convictions. Rather, it deepens our understanding of them and contributes to a larger collective identity that transcends individual differences. In this way, Gen Z can create and inspire civil and effective political discourse.
When Gen Z focuses on its commonalities instead of its differences, everyone benefits. We get to prioritize actual solutions and forgo ideological conflicts. By working together, we can bolster the notion of unity over division. This all stems from listening to different views and the people behind them that we have previously shut out.
America’s current political climate consists of polarization, conflict and resentment. Our generation must not be one to partake in it. There is a desperate need for cohesion in this country, and Gen Z must be willing to answer the call. We have to listen and engage with people of diverse views if we want to be unified as a country and establish change.
When faced with challenge or disagreement, let us do as our founders have done and work toward a more perfect union by hearing new beliefs and overcoming divisions.
