A while ago someone asked me how to appeal to young people, so I thought up some answers that might help.
I'm gonna be honest, no one I know under the age of 20 has a high opinion of the GOP or the conservative ecosystem in general. It's hard to get anyone my age interested in politics as it is but being vaguely liberal is definitely the default position.
Here's what I think should change:
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No more bootstrapping. Young people aren't proud of the fact that they might have to work hard every day doing something they hate just to survive. Gen-Z generally sees productivity in a negative light, because the general vibe it gives is that of being stressed, rushed, and forced to do something that feels completely unnatural. I think a lot of zoomers turn to socialism because they hate how much of their lives are dominated by economic considerations. Everything from picking a major in college to choosing where to live to choosing whether or not to have a family is downstream from the pressure to compete in an economy and stay financially afloat. Everyone hates this.
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No more Cold War / War on Terrorism rhetoric. We were born after 9/11 and every example we've seen of going to war or doing regime change is seen as a total disaster. We don't care about "defending our allies" or "making America strong in the world" or anything like that. Our lives are being decided here in this country, not in Ukraine or China or Israel. The best Zoomer-friendly foreign policy position is trying to make friends with everyone and making compromises to achieve that.
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Being an "institutionalist" in this century is completely out of step with the times. Young people want revolution. We want to take part in a new era of history that's completely different from the shitty world we're experiencing now. Something great and exciting, not just a return to legal precedent or the founding fathers. Pretty much everyone I know thinks the Constitution is either outdated or something that should be interpreted very loosely. The few Trump supporters and Young Republicans I know are more interested in handing power over to an inspiring leader like Trump who will use his judgment instead of going by a pretty limited historical document.
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This is a smaller one, but politician speak really needs to die. "When we do this, they do that." Talking about the kitchen table or "everyday Americans." The cringe turn of phrases and canned lines written by someone who has obviously never had a real conversation before. Basically don't be Ron DeSantis or Tim Scott lol. The president we grew up under was Trump, not Ronald Reagan. Talking about Reagan or trying to sound like him is like trying to make Calvin Coolidge a big thing in the 80s. It doesn't make sense for this generation.
I'll try to think of more soon.
Wanted to make this point too. OP sounds like I probably did at one time, but if there’s one singular thing I’ve learned since then: you can’t control what people say or do, it’s foolish to try, and it tends to reflect worse back at you if you try it.
That principle basically is how the cabal operates - get everyone into an emotional frenzy, then create conditions so everyone in opposition “looks bad”. You don’t control the narrative by playing their game by their rules, you do it by showing everyone how stupid it all actually is.
This is great insight. Fantastic comment and advice for all of us to think about.