Discussion
Where were the young people, those in the age group 18-30, during the No Kings demonstrations, Timothy Burke asks? Citizens of that age group were conspicuously absent at No Kings.
Why?
Burke (who's a college educator dealing with folks in this age group) offers a gamut of possible answers to his question:
1. "The kids are scared."
2. "The kids have no frame of reference besides Trumpism."
https://timothyburke.substack.com/p/the-news-where-are-the-young-people
@wdlindsy I saw plenty of young people and young families with babies and children at my #NoKings march. My guess is that the marches reflected local demographics. In college towns, lots of young people. In mature cities, lots of the people who live in cities. I think I remember seeing a lot more young women than young men though.
3. "It’s certainly possible to argue that many young people are living in a bubble reality that's full of discursive intensity in online media that is matched by a kind of thinness of real-world material experiences."
4. "It may be that the kids are, entirely reasonably, in a fatalistic mood."
5. "The kids have no model for cross-class solidarity in American life."
6. "The kids don’t trust anybody over 30, and for better reason than the Baby Boomers when they first gave voice to that sentiment."
7. "The kids are conflict-averse."
8. "Maybe they’re just waiting for some leader, some charismatic voice, some movement, to call them into the struggle directly, to speak to them intimately, to recognize their specific situation and mindset in a way that isn’t patronizing."
9. "Maybe they’re not showing up because generationally they’re hearing or seeing something about Trumpism that is actually appealing."
10. "Trumpism may simply feel unreal or disorienting for them even more intensely than it feels for older Americans."
I'd add that there's an increasing trend of young people globally to look at the political (and religious) right and outright fascism as attractive.
And this is happening, in part, because super-rich elites and their allies in the tech industry have groomed and cultivated young people for that move towards fascism for some time now.
I'd note that a shocking percentage of young voters actually chose Trump in 2024 — especially young males.
I don't see calling young people to accept responsibility for making such political choices as condescending. This call acknowledges their agency as adults.
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