Thinking about silver democracy and [affirmative action
Silver Democracy is a phenomenon in which a growing population of older people allows their views and interests to strongly influence politics. Affirmative action, on the other hand, is a measure to ensure equal opportunities for historically discriminated minorities and socially disadvantaged groups.
Silver democracy can be described as an approach in which age bias may influence policy decisions, while affirmative action is an approach in which positive adjustments are made to ensure the equality of certain groups. While they have different backgrounds, they are often associated when discussing social justice and equality.
Historically, Confucian values of “respect for elders” have been a discrimination against certain groups of “young men” and have been overlooked in times when young people were in the majority, but in situations where young people are in the minority politically, they should be resolved through affirmative action, etc. However, in a situation where young people are in the political minority, the problem should be solved through affirmative action and other means.
The Confucian value that “one should respect one’s elders” has historically functioned for the sake of social stability and order. However, in the modern era, as the elderly have come to exert greater political and social influence and the young have become a minority, discrimination and inequality against the young have become apparent. In this situation, one possible solution is to introduce a system whereby the voices and rights of young people are duly reflected through policies such as affirmative action. When there is an imbalance in values and rights based on age, it is a legitimate argument, as it is for other minorities, for positive measures to correct the imbalance.
What actions are possible?
Possible actions to reflect the rights and voices of young people include
- Seat allocation for young people: Allocate seats in political bodies (parliament, local governments) for young people to facilitate their input.
- Revise the weighting of votes by age: Consider a system that makes it easier for the opinions of young people to be reflected in policies by giving different weights to the votes of older voters and those of young people.
- Youth Participation in Policy Formulation: Establish forums and advisory councils to enable young people to actively participate in the policy formulation process.
- Special programs to support youth: Develop programs to help young people become more active in society in terms of education, employment, housing, and childcare.
- Enhance political education: strengthen political education in schools and communities to help young people understand the importance of political participation at an early age and develop their ability to participate consciously.
- Lower the voting age: To give even younger generations the opportunity to participate in politics, the voting age should be lowered so that more young people can have a voice in elections.
Through these actions, it is hoped that young people will have a stronger influence in politics and that their opinions and needs will be properly reflected in policy.
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