I have always been that one annoying liberal in any history or government class I have taken.
At every mention of Reagan or social justice issues, my hand shot up, unphased by the eye-rolling around me. I thought I would eventually accept that not everyone cared about politics, but recently, it has become more of a problem for me.
I know I am not alone in trying to convince my Boomer parents that Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show was not boring.
The divisiveness of his performance stems from two beliefs:
The first was that all he did was prance around the stage and talk fast. The second was that he was disrespecting the U.S. on what is arguably one of the country’s most patriotic days in front of the president.
While the latter belief is frustrating, it is the former belief that disheartens me the most.
“The revolution is about to be televised // You picked the right time but the wrong guy,” Kendrick rapped as he stood on the Super Bowl stage. Even with the political significance of his statement, many people still failed to recognize the weight of his performance.
Whether we like it or not, politics follows us wherever we go. From the music we enjoy to the clothing we wear, politics inadvertently affects many of our choices.
The entire world has shifted toward conservatism within the last decade, with ultra-right-wing parties infiltrating both American and global politics.
Donald Trump won the 2024 election campaigning on an extreme platform. In Germany, support for the Alternative for Deutschland party — representing Germany’s far right — nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023, according to a July 17, 2024, Vox article.
AFD became Germany’s third largest party in the 2017 national elections, winning 94 seats in the German parliament, according to the Vox article.
Considering this political context, it may seem strange that provocative artists like Charli XCX and proudly queer ones like Chappell Roan have dominated our Spotify Wrapped. However, with every dominant culture comes its counterculture.
The early 2000s and 2010s saw a rise in what has been so lovingly coined “recession pop,” which encouraged ditching the struggles of life for dancing and partying, according to a Sept. 11, 2024, Vogue article.
In light of the horrific world events that occurred in the early 2000s, along with the 2008 recession, embracing a hedonistic attitude was a much-needed coping mechanism against a bleak reality.
Flashing forward to the 2020s, with the election of a government that aims to strip away our rights, dancing our troubles away acts as a metaphorical “fuck you” to an oppressive government.
Cultural trends in response to the political climate are not exclusive to the 21st century. Fashion has commonly been used as a political statement: Red lipstick was worn by suffragettes as an act of liberation, according to a March 12, 2020, CNN article.
Red lipstick soared in popularity once again during WWII, as Adolf Hitler was known for his hatred of red lipstick, according to the CNN article. Red lipstick was both a stand against fascism and an act of patriotism.
Not every reaction to our government’s actions is as explicit as red lipstick or recession pop. Every piece of media that we consume, every book we read or movie we watch sends a message.
Politics are unavoidable in our daily lives; ignorance or inability to accept this has led to a great divide among people.
Failure to learn from the examples the media provides contributes to a lack of empathy that forms a part of bigotry’s roots.
It may be easy to write things off as “not being that serious,” but it is a shame not to see everything around us as learning experiences from which we can be introduced to different perspectives.
I find it fascinating how most of Gen Z grew up watching movies like “A Bug’s Life,” yet can turn a blind eye to injustice in the world. Yes, these are children’s cartoons meant to entertain, but they both teach lessons.
In “A Bug’s Life,” there is a monologue where the main villain, a grasshopper, warns of the strength of ants. Bugs stand in for the government and its people.
This cartoon, and almost every other piece of media, provides a framework for meaningful discussion to take place.
With an increasing number of books with political themes and marginalized identities being banned, I fear that the crucial conversations that surround them will be limited, especially in schools.
If social issues are not talked about, they can never be improved. By adopting a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality about identity, there will always be marginalized identities.
In a time where everything feels so scary and uncertain, it is more important than ever to do our due diligence and recognize the power and messaging of a silly children’s cartoon or a Charli XCX Boiler Room Set.
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