“W
ho here knows
who their state
representative
is?” my professor asked on the
first day of class.
As I quickly scanned the
room, I was startled. Not a
single hand was in the air. You
might be wondering what class
I was in, rationalizing that
maybe this lack of knowledge
is acceptable in Introduction to
Biology or Calculus 2. But you
would be sorely disappointed,
just as I was, to know that the
class was Electoral Politics in
the Developing World, a class
taken by most political science
majors as one of their final
requirements for graduation. In
a population with a relatively
high need for basic political
knowledge, not one person could
name their state representative.
His name is Adam Zemke, by the
way, but that could not be further
from the point. For progressives
to reverse the causes of a Donald
Trump presidency, they must
not once again fall into the trap
of throwing away local elections.
Under
President
Barack
Obama, Democrats had a net
loss of 1,042 state and federal
posts.
Read
that
number
again
for
good
measure:
1,042. Democrats lost nine
senate seats, 62 seats in the
House of Representatives, 11
governorships and over 900
seats
in
state
legislatures.
For all of the unity and hope
tied to Obama’s campaigns,
it
is
startlingly
evident
that those themes did not
translate
to
Democratic
candidates
everywhere.
In
fact, the opposite happened.
Republicans running in local
elections relied on emotional
appeals, in direct contrast to
those of Obama.
Using
racism,
anti-
Semitism,
conspiracy
theories and lies, politicians
in
these
local
elections
started
a
transformation
in
the
American
public.
In
Oklahoma,
the
state
legislature mandated teachers
present
the
shortcomings
of evolutionary theory. In
North
Carolina,
the
state
voted to deny using studies
that cited rising sea levels in
formulating policy. Finally, in
Georgia, the legislature had
a four-hour meeting where
at one point it was proposed
that Obama was capable of
mind control. These are just
a few of the truly absurd
actions local politicians have
taken recently. The lack of
accountability in American
politics is striking, and it by
no means started on Nov. 8,
2016. In the wake of Obama’s
resounding win, Democrats
lost sight of the influence local
races can have. Having the
presidency was not enough to
stop the destruction of trust
in our political institutions.
The Pew Research Center
found that fewer Americans
trust the government now
than
after
the
Watergate
scandal. Democrats allowed
Republicans
to
relentlessly
attack our institutions, and
we are seeing the effects of
that now.
There is a lazy narrative
out there that these baseless
attacks, or “alternative facts,”
were born out of a Trump
presidency. The truth is that
Trump was a consequence of
almost a decade of looking the
other way, and not a cause of
compulsive lying in politics.
While it is true that all of the
examples above come from
states
with
a
Republican
majority, Democrats are to
blame too. Instead of fighting
for truth and facts at every
juncture, they chose instead to
save their time and resources
for only the biggest of races.
In the congressional district
where I grew up (Pa.-18), I
did not get a chance to cast a
meaningful vote for my U.S.
representative
because
the
Republican
incumbent
ran
unopposed. That congressman,
Tim Murphy, resigned this
past October after reports
came out that he urged his
mistress to have an abortion,
despite his staunch pro-life
advocacy. Even though it was
highly unlikely for a Democrat
to win in the district, at least
contesting the seat might have
led to a more rigorous vetting
of Murphy. More generally,
by failing to contest races all
over the country, Democrats
allow Republicans to erode
our democracy one election at
a time.
There
are
signs
that
everyday
progressives
started
to
recognize
the
value in consistent grassroots
organization.
Groups
like
Indivisible,
Swing
Left,
Flippable, Run for Something
and many more are equipping
citizens who want to get
involved in politics with the
tools to make differences in
their communities. There have
been some recognizable gains
because of this transition,
such as the performance of
Democrats up and down the
ballot in Virginia; however, the
Democratic establishment has
not fully embraced a 50-state
approach.
In
a
Montana
election for the House of
Representatives,
where
the
Republican candidate body-
slammed
a
reporter,
the
Democratic establishment had
been outspent by $4 million.
The Republican candidate won
because the election was not
played on a level field because
of a lack of interest from
the
Democratic
leadership.
Members of the Democratic
Party must demand that the
establishment step up and
match their fervor. Finally, my
home district, the one where
the Republican just resigned in
scandal, sees the Democratic
candidate
only
trailing
by
three points. The Democratic
Party must be learning their
lesson, right? They have to be
all in, right? Nope. Republican
outside groups have spent $3
million to the Democrats’…$0.
Go figure.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, February 15, 2018
DAYTON HARE
Managing Editor
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ALEXA ST. JOHN
Editor in Chief
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND
ASHLEY ZHANG
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All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Samantha Goldstein
Elena Hubbell
Emily Huhman
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Lucas Maiman
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Ali Safawi
Kevin Sweitzer
Tara Jayaram
Ashley Zhang
In defense of hook-up culture
W
hen
a
former
contestant
on
“The
Apprentice”
became a White House staff
aide, it felt like the world was
beginning to turn on its side
(though, to be fair, the star of
the show becoming president
is probably the primary reason
for
why
everything’s
gone
lopsided). When that same
contestant is dismissed from
the White House staff and then
airs her complaints and fears
about her former employer on
“Celebrity Big Brother” to an
E! News anchor, it feels like
someone set the world ablaze.
The complaints of Omarosa
Manigault (known, inanely, as
the mononymous “Omarosa”),
the
former
director
of
communications for the Office
of Public Liaison, could be
internalized in several ways,
all of which indicate the
bizarre state of media and
news consumption.
In one aspect, it can be
viewed as her warning to the
American people via the popular
reality television show about
the hazardous ineptitude of the
incumbent administration.
However, it can also be
perceived as — and this is
the way I processed such
bizarre news headlines — that
entertainment
has
seeped
into
the
stratosphere
of
the
already-hyperpartisan
political climate. Or, instead
of seeped, perhaps it has
completely
devoured
it,
distorting the face of politics
into something that is as
harrowing as it is amusing.
After seeing a headline
as asinine as “Omarosa talks
Trump
on
‘Celebrity
Big
Brother’: ‘I was haunted by
tweets
every
single
day,’
I recalled how a certain
entertainer
prophetically
tried to tell the world, or
at least his fans, of this
disastrous path.
Omarosa’s
dark
proclamation on reality TV
evoked a certain album that
haunted my summer days, the
stinging and searing “Pure
Comedy” by folk-rock singer
Father John Misty. The blend
of masterful cultural criticism
with the resonance of someone
who’s been left exhausted and
beleaguered by the political
climate was both cathartic and
blisteringly incisive.
As though with a scalpel,
Father
John
Misty’s
clean
dissection of today’s politics
came from a messy place,
especially
in
songs
such
as
“Total
Entertainment
Forever,” where he highlights
how entertainment saturates
existence,
rich
or
poor,
describing an Oculus Rift-like
VR system that elucidates every
desire through a screen.
Every
dystopian
image
rendered is clearly rooted in
the messiness of a culture
whose politics have become
circus-like.
Two
summers
ago,
after
the
nomination
of President Donald Trump
at the Republican National
Convention, I saw Father John
Misty at Camden, New Jersey’s
XPoNential music festival.
He
bitterly
improvised
a cover of Leonard Cohen’s
“Bird On a Wire” with new
lyrics slamming the fact that
a “reality god” was inching
closer to the White House,
and that we, the crowd and
proverbial
“people,”
were
to blame for fostering an
environment that commodified
politics vis-à-vis an obsession
with entertainment.
After the festival, which
I
went
to
solely
for
his
appearance, I was miffed by
his departure after singing one
song that he didn’t really write.
Yet
his
words
have
continued to linger in my
head, and the only way to
internalize the increasingly
fatuous nature of our world
has been through his music.
It is almost as though I have
begun reading every headline
as inextricably tied to his
omens
as
they
manifested
themselves in a White House
run by clueless celebrities and
far right zealots.
Though I doubt Father
John Misty is the only cultural
critic to point out the troubling
nature of our discourse, I
referenced his music in the
hopes that perhaps it would
shed light on how our insatiable
need for entertainment has
transmuted politics.
Omarosa’s warning could
signify the deeply troubling
nature
of
a
White
House
currently teetering the world
on the brink of apocalypse. But
we already knew that.
Instead,
her
appearance
on “Celebrity Big Brother,”
whispering to Ross Mathews
while she chokes back tears,
featured the staple histrionics
of any reality TV show as
she exploits the fears of the
American people. Do we blame
the advent of capitalism for
pushing for every last view out
of the American people, or do
we blame ourselves?
However, the point is that
Father John Misty’s prophetic
vision,
one
which
doesn’t
stand alone but, invariably, is
constantly floating in my mind,
has barely even been approached.
We continue to frame every
political act in such overly
sensationalist terms that it
feels like a globe is falling
off the edge with a racist,
xenophobic
world
leader
at the helm. Will we begin
flouting this hedonism in the
hopes
that
entertainment
and politics will no longer
be inextricable? Or are we to
continue being complacent in
our own decadent demise?
Perhaps this is the next
move
of
the
resistance:
distilling
politics
and
entertainment
and
renormalizing the culture in
the hopes that we will never
again elect a “reality god.”
Manigault, Misty and madness
JOEL DANILEWITZ | COLUMN
Looking to local elections first
RISHABH KEWALRAMANI | COLUMN
Rishabh Kewalramani can be
reached at rkew@umich.edu.
Joel Danilewitz can be reached at
joeldan@umich.edu.
ELENA HUBBELL | OP-ED
JOIN OUR EDITORIAL BOARD
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national, state and campus affairs.
— Olympian figure skater Adam Rippon on Twitter
“
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
I was recently asked in an interview
what its like to be a gay
athlete in sports. I said that it’s
exactly like being a straight athlete.
Lots of hard work but usually done
with better eye brows. ”
W
hen I was a little
girl, I had a very
clear
picture
of
how my romantic life would
turn out. Here’s what would
happen: When I was about 18
or 19, I would meet the love of
my life. He would come home,
meet my parents, impress them
and, after a few years of dating,
we would get married. It would
be an easy and simple system,
following a moral code of
conduct in parts inspired both
by the Bible and the Disney
princess movies I was addicted
to watching.
As I grew older, the media I
consumed changed from Snow
White and “The Young Women
of Faith Bible” to more mature
romantic
books
and
films,
mostly romantic comedies such
as “27 Dresses” and “Hitch.”
With this change also came
an alteration to my perception
of sex and dating. All of the
sudden, the clear picture of
my future romantic life turned
into a story of how I would
date multiple awful men before
finding The One. Sex early on in
the relationship was imperative
to the relationship’s survival,
and I would have to walk the
fine line between slut and
prude. Though less easy and
simple, this new system would
also follow a sexist moral code
of rules and regulations on how
to act and behave in potentially
romantic situations.
And then I was old enough
to participate in both of the
systems I had created in my
head, and I began to realize just
how unappealing they really
were. I could either pressure
myself into getting into a long-
term relationship at a super
young age, or I could play
romantic games with everyone
I dated until I found someone
with whom I could cut through
the bullshit, holding myself
to ridiculous beauty and diet
expectations until then. So,
though every adult I’d grown up
with was shaming millennials’
“hookup culture,” I have to say
I’ve found much more freedom
in
this
supposed
immoral
system than in any of the other
dating systems presented to me
by the media and the rules of
our parents.
The freedom I have found
comes from the fact that in
regard to dating, none of us
really seem to know what the
hell we’re doing. Some of us are
hooking up with lots of people,
and some of us are intentionally
single and abstinent. The rules
that governed the romantic
lives of our parents don’t seem
to apply anymore, so we’re kind
of making things up as we go.
And honestly, I think it’s in this
confusion that really makes
hook-up culture great. People in
romantic/sexual relationships
are forced to talk about their
relationship status and what
that status looks like to them.
They’re forced to really think
about what their expectations
are and what they want from
a romantic/sexual partner or
partners. From my experience,
I’ve learned that “casual” and
“dating” look a lot different
to different people, and what
might be “casual” for one
person might be more serious
for another. And honestly, even
though
they’re
undoubtedly
awkward, I’m here for these
open
and
communicative
discussions. They prepare us
for when, or if, we decide to
enter into more serious, long-
term relationships. They make
us better listeners and also
better friends.
Our
generation
has
seen a sexual and romantic
revolution
comparable
only
to the sexual revolution of the
1960s. In our lifetime, we have
witnessed the implementation
of marriage equality, the rise
of
discussions
surrounding
consent on college campuses
and the #MeToo movement,
all of which have transformed
the ways we view romance,
sex and relationships. In my
experience, the generational
gap between our parents and
us regarding attitudes towards
LGBTQ relationships is the
size of the Grand Canyon, and
the universal idea that we are
all sexual beings who wish
for romantic happiness is very
much in question. Suddenly,
the conversation surrounding
our romantic lives isn’t as open
and shut as it once was, and I
celebrate that.
I’ve
read
articles
criticizing
hook-up
culture
for dehumanizing women and
for destroying young people’s
abilities to have long-term,
meaningful
relationships.
However, I would argue that a
more liberal attitude toward sex
and relationships has created a
landscape where young people
feel more able to express their
wants and desires. It’s this
more liberal attitude that I see
bringing about the ability to
discuss the #MeToo movement
without the shame that was
once
attached
to
sexual
assault and harassment. And
apparently, since the divorce
rate is dropping, I would
advocate that folk’s ability to
foster
healthy
relationships
isn’t dying out, but becoming
stronger. I would argue hook-
up culture’s liberal attitudes
toward sex and romance are
creating an atmosphere that
makes sex and romance safer.
So,
this
Valentine’s
Day I hope everyone does
exactly what they want to do,
uninfluenced by any societal
expectations of what they
should want. If that means
looking for a casual hook-up,
having a romantic date with
a long-term partner, being
alone or spending time with
friends because you aren’t
interested in romance or sex
now or really ever, then I hope
you do that. We are living in a
time of unprecedented change
and confusion in regard to our
personal lives, and I hope you
take advantage of that and do
exactly what is comfortable
for you.
Elena Hubbell is an LSA senior and
a Senior Opinion Editor.