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There is still hope
Nov. 3rd, 2004 11:25 pmWell, I don't think I can say anything about the outcome of the election that anyone hasn't already said, so I won't bother. Let's just say that there isn't enough alcohol in the world, and leave it at that.
This post was originally going to be pointless whining over how the world sucks and how sad I am about the way things have turned out. But, you know, I'm really not - sad, that, is. I'm angry. And the outlet I've decided on for that anger...is action.
Contrary to what you may have heard in some recent news reports, I believe that our generation made a difference in this election. Pundits may be claiming that the youth of America let Kerry down, but that's not what I saw this election season. From the numerous late teens and twentysomethings in line here at the polls in KC at 6 a.m. - an hour at which popular culture would have us believe that we should be sleeping off a hangover instead of trying to make our world a better place - to the Ohio students I saw on CNN who spent 9 hours at the polls waiting to cast their vote, I wouldn't say that we've "clocked out" or "couldn't be bothered." To me, it's clear that the youth have turned out in this election. No matter what anyone says, we came, we saw, we voted.
And the fact that we did in the numbers we did has our opponents worried. What they'd love most in the world would be if we all shrugged and said, "Ah, fuck it, our vote doesn't make a difference anyway," and disengaged. But it did make a difference, and it does. And not just our voting, either; even more important in this election, I think, has been our activism - registering to vote everyone who we could get to stand still long enough, organizing concerts and rallies to get out the vote, holding screenings of political documentaries...these are things that have made a difference in this election, and the most important thing in the world - and I can't stress this enough - is not to stop now. You want a few days to relax before getting back into the activist grind? Sure, take them...as long as you come back more ready than ever to kick ass and take names.
One problem with the liberal youth movement, however, is that we're not truly organized. I was talking with my mom about this, and we agreed on one thing: while her generation (those who grew up in the '60s) made a huge difference in society in their day, this isn't their battle. They're getting older, their health is failing, and while their ideals are still valid the people who originated them won't be around forever. It's up to us to keep this nation from going completely into the crapper, and the only question is: are we up to the challenge?
I believe we are, but that doesn't mean the older generation can't be of any help to us. We need to work together to make this happen - our generation's passion, our energy, our leadership, and our technological savvy working with their experience, their wiliness, and their willingness to guide - but not lead - us. Working together, we can become a juggernaut large enough to change American culture, American law, and even the American people - something their generation has shown us, from the civil rights movement to the women's movement to the gay rights movement.
However, every massive movement begins with a small, dedicated group. The United Farmworkers movement started by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta made a huge difference in U.S. labor relations, but it began with a couple of people making plans around Huerta's kitchen table. So this is my request to all of you - get any fellow liberals you know together, and set a goal that you will all work toward. It can be something as grand as starting a liberal think tank in order to help move public discourse back to the center, or trying to introduce a bill at the state or local level in order to force all electronic voting machines to have a paper trail, or working to get Election Day declared a city/state/national holiday. It can also be something as simple as spending the next four years making sure every single person you know registers to vote, or attempting to get major underrepresented voter blocs (such as poor single women) to register, or to stress the importance of voting as a civic duty to your fellow students/co-workers/family members.
Just work on something, and put every ounce of creativity, cleverness and caring you possess towards that goal. Take advantage of LiveJournal, of e-mail, of online message boards and web pages. Get more people interested, involved and participating in your project. And above all, don't let momentary setbacks - and as bad as this election result may seem, it is only a momentary setback (albeit a four-year-long moment) - get you down and convince you to give up. If every one of us who put our time and energy into this election can put at least that much into a collective goal in the next four years, and if those who wish they had this time will join us in our efforts, there's nothing we can't accomplish. And that's no lie.
This post was originally going to be pointless whining over how the world sucks and how sad I am about the way things have turned out. But, you know, I'm really not - sad, that, is. I'm angry. And the outlet I've decided on for that anger...is action.
Contrary to what you may have heard in some recent news reports, I believe that our generation made a difference in this election. Pundits may be claiming that the youth of America let Kerry down, but that's not what I saw this election season. From the numerous late teens and twentysomethings in line here at the polls in KC at 6 a.m. - an hour at which popular culture would have us believe that we should be sleeping off a hangover instead of trying to make our world a better place - to the Ohio students I saw on CNN who spent 9 hours at the polls waiting to cast their vote, I wouldn't say that we've "clocked out" or "couldn't be bothered." To me, it's clear that the youth have turned out in this election. No matter what anyone says, we came, we saw, we voted.
And the fact that we did in the numbers we did has our opponents worried. What they'd love most in the world would be if we all shrugged and said, "Ah, fuck it, our vote doesn't make a difference anyway," and disengaged. But it did make a difference, and it does. And not just our voting, either; even more important in this election, I think, has been our activism - registering to vote everyone who we could get to stand still long enough, organizing concerts and rallies to get out the vote, holding screenings of political documentaries...these are things that have made a difference in this election, and the most important thing in the world - and I can't stress this enough - is not to stop now. You want a few days to relax before getting back into the activist grind? Sure, take them...as long as you come back more ready than ever to kick ass and take names.
One problem with the liberal youth movement, however, is that we're not truly organized. I was talking with my mom about this, and we agreed on one thing: while her generation (those who grew up in the '60s) made a huge difference in society in their day, this isn't their battle. They're getting older, their health is failing, and while their ideals are still valid the people who originated them won't be around forever. It's up to us to keep this nation from going completely into the crapper, and the only question is: are we up to the challenge?
I believe we are, but that doesn't mean the older generation can't be of any help to us. We need to work together to make this happen - our generation's passion, our energy, our leadership, and our technological savvy working with their experience, their wiliness, and their willingness to guide - but not lead - us. Working together, we can become a juggernaut large enough to change American culture, American law, and even the American people - something their generation has shown us, from the civil rights movement to the women's movement to the gay rights movement.
However, every massive movement begins with a small, dedicated group. The United Farmworkers movement started by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta made a huge difference in U.S. labor relations, but it began with a couple of people making plans around Huerta's kitchen table. So this is my request to all of you - get any fellow liberals you know together, and set a goal that you will all work toward. It can be something as grand as starting a liberal think tank in order to help move public discourse back to the center, or trying to introduce a bill at the state or local level in order to force all electronic voting machines to have a paper trail, or working to get Election Day declared a city/state/national holiday. It can also be something as simple as spending the next four years making sure every single person you know registers to vote, or attempting to get major underrepresented voter blocs (such as poor single women) to register, or to stress the importance of voting as a civic duty to your fellow students/co-workers/family members.
Just work on something, and put every ounce of creativity, cleverness and caring you possess towards that goal. Take advantage of LiveJournal, of e-mail, of online message boards and web pages. Get more people interested, involved and participating in your project. And above all, don't let momentary setbacks - and as bad as this election result may seem, it is only a momentary setback (albeit a four-year-long moment) - get you down and convince you to give up. If every one of us who put our time and energy into this election can put at least that much into a collective goal in the next four years, and if those who wish they had this time will join us in our efforts, there's nothing we can't accomplish. And that's no lie.
