Mini-Theory Blog: The Kids Are Alright

NinaIllingworth November 11, 2022November 11, 2022 activism, anticapitalism, antifascism, antifascist organizing, antifascist united front, blog, CC3, Climate Crisis, Democratic Party, FA1, fascism, fascist creep, Gen Z, global warming, GOP, instagram, left wing theory, liberals, millennial issues, Mini Theory Blog, MP6, NIDC, Nina Illingworth, organizing, Politics, Pork Reich, Republicans, ST2, stopping climate crisis, Theory, US Midterm Elections, US politics

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In the aftermath of the recent U.S. Midterm elections, I think there are two larger points being mostly left out of the media coverage; both of which I consider vital information for antifascists and those who would oppose the Pork Reich. The first point is quite simple; the fascists are still winning, and losing less badly to a reactionary order seeking to dismantle democracy and fire up the pogroms, is still losing to fascism. You can cry to me about the structural nature of the defeat, and how the Biden’s party outperformed the last five midterm elections until we’re both exhausted; it still doesn’t change the fact that an American fascist movement got closer to absolute power this Tuesday.

The second key information point however, is far more hopeful. Although the data is not entirely in, it is increasingly looking like the secret American anti-fascist bulwark in our electorate is actually young people! In a society that was already trying to make its peace with fascist suppression just one week ago, voters under the age of forty turned out in massive numbers and overwhelmingly voted against fascism. This is relevant from a political perspective because demographically, this exact same cohort of “Millennial” and “Gen Z” voters will represent an electoral majority in U.S. politics by 2024; a pivotal year for antifascists indeed.

Furthermore, we know from studying climate crisis protests and infinite rounds of polling, that this same cohort overwhelmingly opposes fossil fuel capitalism that is rapidly murdering the planet, and nearly every organism on it. In these two generations of people, the fight against extractivist capitalism, climate catastrophe, and fascist ideology appears united internally, in precisely the way it must be for us all going forward; if we hope to stop the end of the world and the billionaire reactionaries driving that phenomenon.

They say we’d need an army to stop capitalism; well I found your army. These kids are alright. Maybe it’s time to start listening to them, and organizing with them; lord knows we’re not going to get there with octogenarian liberal millionaires and folks who lost their will to fight under Reagan.