Fight Darkness With Dawn
A cultural revolution is brewing. Time to lean in.
There’s so much going on right now that it’s tough to know where to begin.
Thousands of people living in America are being disappeared by ICE without due process; hundreds have been arrested and detained in Los Angeles in just the past few days. Trump mobilized the National Guard to oppress Californians, threatened to arrest the governor, and is now sending in 700 Marines (I guess when you fire everyone that disagrees with you, you can do things like give unlawful orders to 700 Marines in a largely unchecked manner. Janessa Goldbeck of Vet Voice Foundation addressed this abomination thoughtfully and succinctly here). A group of young people in a sailboat loaded with baby formula and other first aid supplies–a humanitarian effort to raise awareness about a genocide with a deth toll nearing 55,000–was captured by the Israeli government in violation of international law. Louisiana lawmakers once again decided raped children should still be forced to carry their rapists’ babies. A new study shows that in the last 15 years, firearm deaths of children have increased in every state that has enacted looser gun laws. Shit is bad.
Meanwhile, the New York Times just published that more members of Congress are over 70-years old than ever before.
It seems plainly obvious to me that all these things are connected. The Old Guard (who gets older and older) maintains control of the levers of power in this country, and thus the status quo is protected. The status quo wants to protect that which protects it. Power wants to keep power.
In an extreme capitalist state, it all comes down to the bottom line. We run healthcare and prisons and detention centers like businesses which means CEOs don’t have much incentive to lobby for preventative public health measures or criminal justice reform or streamlined immigration. They have big bucks to spend on elections, so all the reformists running who want to change the system have targets on their backs. For many reasons that I’m too tired to get into (but I assume most of my readers are well versed in anyway), minorities will especially struggle to overcome the home team advantage (incumbents with institutional support).
Buuuut maybe we can chip away at that advantage?
Elon Musk wasn’t able to buy the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. They may have the money, but we still have the numbers. Historically, young people have shown they can flip elections when they turn out to vote. And when they turn out to protest and to demonstrate, to march and to mobilize, they can flip a culture. The 1960s saw some of the greatest single pieces of legislation passed ever. You know these bangers: the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, and the Housing Rights Act. It was possible because of the unification of so many spheres of influence–politics, religion, music, and more. Young people helped bridge the gap. Students, artists, young politicians, a young reverend… and so on.
So what the hell are we doing? It’s time for another cultural revolution.
There is, actually, one happening already. Students on Columbia’s campus and numerous others offered examples of how to peaceably assemble for a redress of grievances. And I’m inspired by the display of solidarity that citizens of Los Angeles have been showing in the face of what is an unprecedented attack on an American city ordered by an American president. Hot Girls for Zohran is mobilizing young people in New York to vote for Zohran Mamdani on June 24th. Youth climate activists from Montana, Hawaii, and Oregon are suing the president over executive orders. Plus, last night at the Tony’s, Cole Escola of Oh, Mary! became the first openly nonbinary person to win for Leading Actor in a Play. The play, which itself offers a hysterical ode to theater in an unapologetically queer and un-fact-checked version of the story of Mary Todd Lincoln, also won a Tony. For anyone who has ever been discouraged for being different, in a country where transgender people are banned from serving in the military and people are getting arrested for being brown and correct, watching Cole accept their award in a ballgown (an homage to Bernadette Peters) was a joyful reminder that being yourself can be its own refreshing form of rebellion.
The tides of culture are changing.
But the Old Guard retains power.
Protests won’t be enough.
I do want a revolution, but I don’t want a violent one. Luckily, we do have peaceful revolutions in this country on a regular basis. They’re called elections.
At least for a little while longer, we may still have them.
It might be time–it’s been time for a long time, but it’s urgent now–for young people to run for office. It’s also time for young people to organize and create a youth lobby. And to anyone who believes in a better future, join us! At 32, I’m hardly a youth. But as we all attempt to respond to the onslaught of fascism we see, it can be tempting to match chaos with chaos. We should not forget to organize. Whatever energy we have now, we must sustain until 2026, and 2028, and beyond.
We can do what we did in the 60s. In fact, we may even be able to do it better (hopefully), because we have organizing tools we never had before. Even just the fact that we can text today is an advantage (especially because many sitting members of Congress likely can’t use an iPhone. And the same goes for 47).
So, start thinking about it. Imagine running for office. Or imagine who in your life you would encourage to run for office; find a young candidate and try to empower them. And don’t just show up to the rally–invite your friends. Form a group text. Start organizing them. Step up. We’re all activists now.
Run for Something can help prospective Gen Z and Millenial candidates figure out where to run here
Free advice for aspiring young candidates from a political consulting group I like here
You a lady? Emerge offers run-for-office bootcamp. Find your state’s program here
Local to San Diego? Keep your eyes peeled for when the San Diego Leadership Alliance Institute is accepting applications here
Follow Gen Z for Change here
Invest in young candidates here
Or just reach out and let’s brainstorm
Maybe one day we’ll all be in Congress and then we can rewrite this flawed ass Constitution. Until then, keep unapologetically being yourself, look out for each other, stay healthy, and don’t talk to any of those creeps without a lawyer.