Gen Z Reaction to Kavanaugh

On the day of Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh's testimonies, I sat in a dorm surrounded by friends, glued to my laptop in silence. There were no conversations of the parties the night before, the things we learned in class that day, or the drama we heard from home; we were a group of empathetic college kids watching history repeat itself, hoping to one day see a nation that believes survivors.

As a group of eighteen year old students, I would bet most of us took modern U.S. history less than a year ago. Sitting in a classroom learning about Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas is in our recent purview. Perhaps my prep school education impacts my opinion, but I and others around me look back at Thomas' confirmation as a dark spot in history; it is a place where our legislators did America wrong, and more importantly, it is a place where it was proven that women could be silenced and forgotten. To me, and the people around me, this was an act so inexcusable that history should never allow it to be repeated. But, I sit here today knowing that to be untrue. We have let this unfold once again, and I watch as people say the same of Kavanaugh as I learned they once did of Thomas.

However, just as learning of Hill and Thomas is in my recent memory, so is being seventeen. I am not far off from the age that Brett Kavanaugh was at the time of this alleged assault. To hear a woman so eloquently recount the horrors that a seventeen year old supposedly committed resonates with me differently than I believe it does for those of a different generation. I was practically seventeen yesterday; what does this mean for my actions and the actions of my peers? Were we not grown enough to make decisions that affected the rest of our lives, like choosing colleges or choosing careers? I don't believe so. Then why do we believe Kavanaugh to have been too young to be held accountable? Maybe I will look back on how I think now in twenty years and think myself to be naive or over-optimistic, but I don't believe seventeen is young enough that actions are excusable. I make the same conscious decisions today as I did yesterday, just as I did nine months ago as a seventeen year old too. By posing questions similar to that of, "How would you feel if the worst thing you did when you were seventeen was brought to light?" it undercuts the conscientiousness and understanding of these near-adults, and disqualifies any type of intelligence that young people have. Most seventeen year olds don't rape. Most seventeen year olds don't lack the understanding of consent and self-control, so to excuse the poor behavior of one seventeen year old sets a concerning precedent for all, and undermines the intellectual capability of others.

All of this being said, my view of the entire Kavanaugh situation is entirely biased, and that is something that I acknowledge. I have a stake in the outcome of his confirmation, and I have a life similar to that of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. I was educated in a very similar manner to Ford, my high school is all-girls and quite exclusive. I know the Kavanaughs of the all-boys school nearby me, too, and I know friends who have been the victims of those just like him. Stories like Ford's are stories like my peers, and thirty years down the line they will still have been real. I am also close with too many survivors of sexual assault than I would ever wish to know. I have held my loved ones too closely too many times for me to hear Ford's gripping testimony and think of her a liar.

Due to my life experience, I am evidently inclined to believe her, but that doesn't mean relatability is necessary to believe any victim of sexual assault, especially Dr. Ford. The testimonies of Ford and Kavanaugh sat in direct contrast to one another. In my opinion, Ford appeared level-headed and well spoken, while Kavanaugh was hot-headed and angry. To me, he appeared defensive, paranoid, and uncomfortable. Regardless of if he did it or not, I don't believe him to be fit for one of the most important seats in government. However, I do believe he did it. I do believe he committed a heinous act, denied the claim unequivocally, and continues to lie in an attempt to cover up one woman's truth. I believe he was not only a danger to Ford in the summer of 1982, but a danger to women now and for years to come. His policies are threatening to the autonomy that women have over their bodies and his conservative ideologies could bring danger to upcoming Supreme Court cases. I don't think he is fit to represent America, and I do believe something that allegedly happen thirty years ago impacts that.

Perhaps my situation is unique, too, because I am living and learning just miles from the Capitol, but regardless, the Kavanaugh hearings are not simply the news playing in the background of a coffee shop; they are the only conversations I am having. In talking to one of the deans at my school, she posed the question: "Do you think all of America cares as much as we do, or are we just in the 'Washington bubble?'" Being this close to all of the action, I have friends who are skipping class to go protest, and everyone I know has an opinion on the situation. I have to stop and think to myself, does it only seem like a big deal because I am in D.C.? While kids in the middle of America may not be talking about the testimonies with the same fervor my friends and I are, the Kavanaugh hearings will have a lasting effect on our nation. Even if he is confirmed, he will be another name in the history books for students to learn and contemplate the ethics of. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, we will look back and see that we have failed our nation, but we will see how survivors of sexual assault have risen up to make their voices heard.

I am not hopeful these days, but I am unshakable. Brett Kavanaugh is fifty three; I am eighteen. Regardless of whether he is confirmed and sits in the highest seat of law until he reaches one hundred years old, I will outlive him. I, and the people I know will outlive him, and our society will continue to progress. My peers and I are strong, we are resilient, and we hope to enact the change that those before us have not. Maybe we as a society will be set back for some time, but that doesn't mean we won't keep fighting. I will always keep fighting. I am not hopeful, but I am unshakable.