An Interview on the State of the Nation with the Leaders of Tomorrow
By Iris Pritchard (they/them)
As someone who follows politics fairly closely and spends a lot of time on TikTok, I have seen many videos of elected officials doing very stupid things. Whether it’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, wearing a Cruella DaVil coat and yelling “liar” at Joe Biden during the State of The Union or democrats continuously fail to pass legislation and stand up to republican colleges despite controlling two out of three branches of government, there is no shortage of incompetence. It all just feels very hopeless. I often hear people talk about how there are not enough young people in government and how the older people are messing things up for us. Despite all this discourse about our futures, I haven’t seen many people talk about what our peers around the world think about us. Sure, other world leaders seem to lack faith in the United States but those people are not the future, kids around the world are. They are the world leaders we will deal with when we grow up. What they think of us is important because it will dictate the future of the United States’ international standing. With this in mind, I reached teenagers across the globe to see what they thought, Maria Isabel (17, Brazil), Eleanor O’Toole (17, Ireland), and two individuals who requested to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from their government (Hong Kong and Taiwan).
How closely do you follow American politics?
Maria: “Pretty closely.”
Eleanor: “I try to keep updated a fair bit on everything. but I'd say in general, most people my age don’t really follow it. I think a lot of the country (Ireland) has kind of given up recently. I know that doesn't sound brilliant but, there’s always so much going on, it seems. People are just kind of rolling their eyes and saying “well that's enough.”
When you were younger, what were your impressions of the United States and as you have gotten older how have those impressions changed?
Maria: “When I was younger the United States was sort of like a big theme park. They all portrayed the United States as this great place. Like hamburgers! Mickey! As I got older I became more aware. I have come to terms with the United States history of colonialism and how they interfere with international politics. The United States government partially funded a coup in my country.”
Eleanor: “When I was a kid I always wanted to live in America, like that was my goal. I don’t have a particularly Irish accent and in Ireland if you don’t have an Irish accent you kind of have an American accent. So my entire life people have been telling me I am American because I don’t sound Irish. When I was a kid I used to take that as a compliment but now that is not a compliment.”
Are there things you admire about the United States?
Maria: “I love the culture that was made from the people. I really love how there are lots of different cultures and how they integrate with each other.”
Eleanor: “Of course, it's such a big country with so much worldwide influence so there are always going to be things I admire about the states but there's just so many things I admire less and less as things happen. I think there are really great people who really care about your country and want to make a difference but I think it's in so much turmoil. It just seems so immature nowadays. There are so many people with such great minds and I really feel for you guys.”
Anonymous interviewee from Taiwan: “Its influence on fashion and pop culture.”
Anonymous interviewee from Hong Kong: “People have rights and freedom.”
Are there things you think are broken about the United States, things you would be ashamed of if you were American?
Maria: “[I am] very disappointed in the public health system. In Brazil we have a thing [called] SUS…it is a unitary health service, very accessible, affordable.”
Eleanor: “When it comes to the issue of racism in America, we don't have it here because we're a lot less diverse. We don't have huge issues with racism. You can just argue that we don't have those issues because we are very much not diverse. But things are getting better because more people are moving here.”
Anonymous interviewee from Taiwan: “The election system.”
Do you think these are American or worldwide issues and do you think it is worse in America?
Maria: “It can be classified as a worldwide issue but things such as public healthcare have been addressed by other countries so it can be seen as a very American issue. Especially when it comes to how the US views things such as abortions and other kinds of healthcare. The way that religion is very intertwined with politics is not uniquely an American issue.”
Do you think the United States is still a powerful and influential country?
Maria: “When it comes to worldwide politics, I don't think it has lost power. But when it comes to the people I've seen lots of people critique it more, people in general have been more skeptical. Although it's still a big, mystical powerhouse in worldwide politics.”
Eleanor: “It always has a kind of influence, but I definitely noticed since I was a kid, it has so much less influence. I think people are a lot less trusting of what's happening in America. The more we kind of develop ourselves, the more America seems to fall apart politically, it's such a very noticeable way for everyone. Especially since Trump's presidency, I just want to reiterate that because, [America] had kind of lost that grip.”
What has been your impression of the three most recent American leaders? Obama, Trump and Biden.
Maria: “Obama was a step forward. Not perfect, politicians are never perfect, but it was a step forward. Trump… he is very tricky. He just, he was just like hate. He really set a wave of far right thoughts and ideologies into the whole world. I don’t think I can describe how bad it was. [Biden] has been kind of strange. He promised a lot of stuff that still hasn't happened yet. I think he's really trying to really, like, [to] relive the Obama days, like, bring it back to how it was, but I don't think he's as impactful as Obama.”
Anonymous interviewee from Hong Kong: Trump wasn’t really a president, more of a bully. Biden seems to be better.
What are your impressions about the American people as a whole and then specifically the American youth?
Maria: “I try to see the best in people and I definitely can see a lot of great things in the youth even through the mob of anger. I admire the immigrants and the people who rebuilt their lives. I really admire the American youth for their influence on Brazilian youth. It's great to see young people taking more of a place in politics and the US has more cases of this. It is really promising and makes me very hopeful to see other countries.”
While some expressed admiration for the triumphs of the American youth, the strongest message I got was that America's world standing is slipping. The people I interviewed are commenting on what they see happening but that doesn’t mean we are beyond saving. As Eleanor expressed, “I think it is never too late to change things. I think America has seen itself as this country that is the center of everything for so long. There are so many things you guys could take from other countries that really do work. You refuse to see anything apart from America, I think that will change. We all have our issues but I think some governments are more willing to work on that than others. You see things so one sided and no one is willing to listen to one another. I so agree that it is so hard to listen to some people because they sound fucking insane but like I also think that’s half the population that’s fucking insane.” This may be a dark note to end on but I don’t want to sugar coat the situation we are facing. Hours of research and work will be useless if I refuse to recognize what I found, and that is that we are in serious trouble and it is time to realize that. There is no hope if we cannot acknowledge the problems in front of us.
