Activism is not about being “cute.” You cannot resist oppression by being “deferential.” You do not make real change by sycophantically pleasing those in power.

As people across the country call for “resistance” in the face of Trump’s fascism, you would think these things would be clear to all of us. But as Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose illustrated last month, these basic tenets of social justice still do not apply to one class of people in our society — youth.

In his column (“Young people should consider activism,” April 28), he encouraged young people to get involved in activism, and then preached a ream of advice. Though he noted they should speak confidently (“don’t say ‘I think’ or ‘just’ ”), he strongly cautioned, “be respectful and deferential — people who you’re trying to get to do something often have expertise on issues that you don’t know about.”

He also suggested, “The more friendly you can be, the more positive your suggestions can be, the more helpful you will end up being to them,” noting that he found success by being a “cute kid activist.”

Activism and organizing are undoubtedly critical tools for disadvantaged people to successfully advocate for the things they need in life. And we would be blind not to count youth as one of the most disempowered and underprivileged groups in our country.

At the mercy of our schools for 180 days a year, the lives of youths are constantly controlled by, and dependent on, our government – but youths are denied the right to vote for the people making those decisions. Also note, with no democratic representation, they still pay billions of dollars in income and sales tax every year.

Their language, ideas, and expression are policed throughout society. They are disciplined without due process. Their perspectives are regularly discounted as either immature or uninformed.

If they are low-income, students of color, queer, disabled, or women, these problems multiply. Every day, adults with both good and bad intentions control young people’s bodies and command their minds.

No autonomy and complete disempowerment — there is a reason that none of us want to be teenagers again.

In contrast, youth organizing has the liberating potential to resist and revolutionize these norms and institutions. Whether it’s rethinking education and ending the school-to-prison pipeline (as a group of youths have done in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina), or suing the federal government over the future widespread destruction of climate change, or resisting student censorship, youths can fight back and reshape their lives and their communities for the better.

Though I’m sure Rep. Goldstein-Rose wants to be supportive, his advice to youths will not help them in a world that discounts their opinions. In fact, it would harm them. Youths don’t need to be told, yet again, to be cute or deferential. They don’t need to hear that they should get involved for pats on the head.

They deserve to hear from us that they are smart and powerful. They deserve to hear from us that they are as entitled to this democracy as anyone. And to whatever extent they need our guidance, we need to help them figure out how to build power and organize for real — especially if they aren’t so privileged as to have ready access to adults in power.

Youths may not be wholly grown, but they are whole people with hopes and dreams and brilliance. Ultimately, I don’t worry about youths internalizing this false advice about activism. They live this reality and they’re smart enough to know what it will take to change it.

I worry about the adults around them and whether we’ll be ready to support them when the time comes.

Sarah Waldman, of North Amherst, is a 2013 graduate of Amherst Regional High School and a 2017 graduate of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She has spent the past six years working as an activist and conference organizer for an international young women’s leadership program.