Bernie Sanders and Young Adults
We’ve all seen the
stickers, pins, shirts, and memes; it is impossible to be in a young, liberal
space without seeing traces of the Bernie phenomenon that has young people
enthralled. With all of this paraphernalia, it may seem as if the image of
Bernie Sanders has been commodified into the newest, hip fad. He is on rainbow
pins, pictured on sweatshirts dabbing, he’s been the subject of multiple
Saturday Night Live skits, and #berniepromposal is currently all over twitter.
Sanders, then, is not your average presidential hopeful.
 |
| For the political skater in you, this sweatshirt can be found at redbubble.com |
The first telling sign of this unexpected Sanders craze is his
ability to actually receive young votes. Young adults have a disappointing
voting history that has only gotten worse over time. In 1964, 51% of voters
ages 18-24 participated in the national election, and sadly this represents the
height of young adult voting rates. By 2012, only 38% of eligible young people
were voting, and even in Obama’s run, commonly cited as a success with young
adults, only 44% of that population actually turned out to voting booths across
the country (Washington Post). In New York just this month
however, about 408,000 18-29 year olds voted in the Democratic Primaries. This
turnout rate is even larger than the rate during Obama’s 2012 run (New York Times). Furthermore, of these young adults, 65% voted Sanders (New York Times). It is clear that
an unprecedented number of young people are feeling the Bern, thus changing the
landscape of the presidential election. Why have so many young folks sided with
this grandfatherly, balding senator?
I believe it is only condescending and ignorant to claim young
people support Sanders to follow a fad or follow a hip, personality image.
Instead, the issues Sanders tackles and the message his campaign rides on feel
sincerely relevant to new adults. His economic plans specifically resonate
clearly with this demographic, many of whom are struggling to deal with student
loans, unemployment, and keeping up with the rising cost of education. Sanders
has a College for All Act, for example, that proposes free tuition at all
public universities (feelthebern.org). Such a bill is catered to young adults
and their families, creating genuine political interest in his campaign.
His consistent message is
also cited as a factor in gaining a young following. Amidst the pattern of the unpredictable
jockeying of power most other candidates fall into, Sanders is known for
sticking to his guns and resisting the pressure to compromise his stance to
appease the majority or appear less radical.
The millennial generation has also grown up in a tense political
environment, with partisan aggression at higher levels than most Americans have
ever experienced. Thus many young people are extremely disillusioned with
governmental systems and processes. They doubt these rich, majority white,
majority male bodies can really represent their wishes and provide for them and
the rest of the country in a just manner. Sanders, however, appears on the
scene as an alternative to this slippery image of government. He has just as
many problems with Washington as young adults do and is not afraid to lean into
this separation from the establishment. Bernie has somehow been accepted as “one of us” amongst young people.
To sum it up, Bernie is emerging as an unexpectedly popular symbol
of newfound political hope for young people. Young adults have decidedly spoken,
but will the rest of America feel the Bern too?
Sources cited:
"Bernie Sanders is profoundly changing how millenials think about politics"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/25/bernie-sanders-is-profoundly-changing-how-millennials-think-about-politics-poll-shows/
"Bernie Sanders and the Youth Vote"
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/bernie-sanders-and-the-youth-vote/?_r=0
"Young Voters Turned out in Records in New York"
http://time.com/4301535/new-york-primary-sanders-clinton-millennials/
Kara,
ReplyDeleteI was immediately interested in reading your post because I, too, am a young Bernie supporter. I probably am one of the "disillusioned youth". I wanted to raise a discussion about how demographics who are tired of "slippery government'' officials may also be interested in voting for Donald Trump. Trump's platform is to get himself away from the image politics and present himself as "a business man". Is Trump also encouraging a turnout rate? I would love to read and hear more about where and WHY his support is. Thanks for the engaging read!
As someone with whom Bernie's message resonates greatly, I wonder if he appeals only to those of a certain demographic. Typically, Bernie hasn't done well with minority or lower class voters. I wonder if this is due to the fact that he only appeals to a target group of people. A lot of what Bernie wants to do is indicative of a social movement more than just a presidential bid. If we look at how we covered this subject in class, a lot of social movements are dependent upon a core group of people. While social movements can be comprised of people with very little in common, it's clear that the "Berners" trend towards uniformity. Another key part of social movements are that they diverge from social norms: clearly Bernie's wish to challenge the American political system is indicative of this.
ReplyDeleteI, too, am a Bernie supporter, and I have noticed that his campaign has been getting backlash because of the success he has achieved with millennials. While a lot of his stances on important issues do target younger people - especially those who are in college - he is a straight-forward candidate who says what he believes. He doesn't beat around the bush, which is what most politicians are known for doing. I believe he recognizes that people are responding to his honesty, and as Alex said, he is challenging the American political system in a big way. He is gaining a lot of support from young people because they see potential in him.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, looking at one figure in the context of youth participation in elections and government. It is a fascinating question to look at why a traditionally non-participating group has become vocal around one particular candidate. In the context of our class, you could see it as a reflection of the decreasing participation in community and civic organizations. Also, Bernie could be seen as a figure within Millennial culture, being the voice for a lot of the ideas of non-material culture of that generation.
ReplyDeleteI found this really interesting because this is the first presidential election that I've been able to participate in. I love Bernie and love how popular he is with millennials. I also think it's interesting how Hillary tries to keep up in this regard and appeal to youth culture, while Bernie doesn't really need to do anything except talk about his agenda to gain youth support. I hope he is able to bring out voters because, as you mention, the number of young people who vote has been pretty dismal in the past.
ReplyDelete