Summary
Gen Z posted greater voter turnout in 2022 compared to previous generations in midterm elections. As the 2024 election approaches, campaigning continues to be directed at this generation — including outreach led by Gen Z voters themselves.
Gen Z voters are more motivated to participate in elections due to specific policy issues, particularly reproductive rights. Political groups and candidates are implementing new strategies to engage this generation, including peer-to-peer organizing and authentic messaging.
Vice President Harris has been praised for her relatable social media presence, while former President Trump has appeared on popular male-dominated podcasts.
Unlike previous generations who were able to conveniently ignore politics because most of it didn’t directly impact them, more young people than ever are LGBT+ and/or disabled.
When I was growing up in the 90’s, white Christian America still dominated, and so fewer young people were getting directly involved simply because there were fewer people upset at the state of things and more people who believed the propaganda that everything was fine.
Millennials and to a further extent Gen Z have lived in a world that just keeps fucking them over at every turn so they don’t have a choice but to become involved. Millennials got involved in their adulthood, and Gen Z is growing up around and being influenced by those adults who are now politically involved.
It makes complete sense why they are more involved than past youth generations because in the past the youth had a lot less to lose.
Also, getting pregnant in your thirties is risky business so abortion is by and large a youth issue, because it impacts young women more then older women.
Currently the youth have a lot to lose so they are understandably getting involved.
Small clarification: more young people than ever are openly LGBT. They were always there, they just had to hide it.
And as a consequence more young people know someone who is.
It’s a lot harder to hate a group of people you personally know members of.
1000% this. I’m now rediscovering my rather fluid gender identity and attraction to both genders that started in my late 30s. Looking back, all the signs were there, I just kept things private as it wasn’t socially acceptable. Had some outlet with the teen goth scene, which was nonexistent in college. Grew up in a heavily catholic influenced region.
Have an awesome wife who is supportive and revealed she is (now was) also closet bi from the same generation.
We moved away from there, but when I visit family all the churches are run down and closed. I smile every time knowing their grip is loosening. All the LGBT hate today just tastes like desperation.
I’m glad for you but please remember that progress is not inevitable it is fought for to attain and needs to be fought for it to be kept.
Every time a church closes, freedom and decency improve.
I’d argue differently. Free access to abortion affects all women. Obviously young women in their prime child-bearing years are affected, but older women are more likely to have complications which make access to medical abortion a life-or-death issue. And the oldest remember what life was like before the Roe decision. So it is not surprising that women of all ages are viewing this election as if their lives depended on it.
However, young white men are skewing right. Because the only thing the left says to them is they are privileged pieces of shit that are useless rapists that are trusted less than bears. Winning strategy.
Well, that’s kind of true.
Bullshit. The message from the left is “you don’t HAVE to be a privileged piece of shit that is a useless rapist.” That isn’t just aimed at young white men. It’s aimed at anyone that was raised in a culture of toxic masculinity and feels like that’s the persona they have to project to be considered manly. You have the choice to not be that person. The fact that so many men are is why women don’t want to be alone around a strange man. Does that seem unfair to you? It probably is, but it’s the culture we’ve built over generations, and it’s going to take time and work to fix it. You aren’t part of the solution by complaining. The left is pointing out uncomfortable truths. The right is doubling down and trying to encode them into laws.
Everything you said is true. And will not get you victory. That’s my point. Uncomfortable truths aren’t going to get votes. Hope does.
The right may be liars but their message is essentially pining for better times past.
I am pointing out the uncomfortable truth that we are losing young men to the right, and you guys just down vote instead of face the truth. Hypocrisy.
…“I don’t like what people are saying about me, so I’m going to prove them right”? Lmao
Lol, the mirror of which is, “I can’t believe people I insult didn’t support my cause!”
Like what’s the win for you guys, to get someone who would have voted with you to be demotivated enough to stay home? And if so, isn’t that just the same childish attitude?
To help us get to the same page, could you tell me how a TikTok trend is related to political leaders and policies?
Trump being in charge won’t stop people from insulting white men…or from being afraid of them. And it might actually make women more afraid of men (given surrounding policy changes).
No it won’t. That’s not the point though. You talk as if humans are wholly rational. All I’m pointing out is the left are masters of shooting themselves in the foot with how they message and present themselves.
You catch more flies with honey and all that.
So could you tell me how a TikTok trend is related to political leaders and policies?
Because people are tribalistic and paint with a very wide brush. And we have a FPTP two party system. So like it or not, liberal, left, feminist, etc memes all get lumped together. It’s up to us to reign in the crazy on our own side lest we look crazy by proxy. Or replace crazy with venom, or whatever you want to call it that is making young men feel more welcome on right.
It’s like that line from the Newsroom. “You know why people hate liberals? Because you lose. If liberals are so smart how come they lose so god damned always?”
I’m on the left and I’m tired of getting my ass kicked because my own party has no strategic or tactical sense, and no unity to rally us. Just infighting and giving the right easy wins and plentiful sticks to beat us with.
The TikTok trend went beyond the US. I’m familiar with it, but I don’t live in a two-party system.