Question: How did Gen Z go Right?

[En_Sabah_Nur 9,366]

So I have a question?

How (in this past election in the U.S.) did Gen Z go rightwing/MAGA? As someone who studies history, I do not recall a time where the young were conservative. Usually it is always opined (throughout history) that the young are liberal, and the old/older are conservative. Not the other way around, like it seems to be now unfortunately. So what gives?!  Are we TRULY just living in the upside ⬆️ down ⬇️ right now, in this current moment in time??  🤔 

 

[Gagaism 12,471]

Because these social media times we are living now are basically making people stupid and incapable to think wisely and these governments know that especially when it comes to making quick moves to get people frozen. That’s exactly what’s happening. 

[River 127,664]

I don't know why but it's kinda natural for young people to be more right wing, because it's showing strength, because they are ignorant, 16-20 years old are usually very racist and homophobic, hating on women, but things are changing once they experience collage. but now social media and the heavy right wing propaganda marketing thanks to Elon and friends, nurtured this behavior and these opinions and we see the results right now.

[windzo 811]

My take its the internet. 
The right wing anti sjw gamer gate boom wasnt that long ago. Doesnt suprise me there is a surge in gen Z. 
Rage sells and social media wants you to keep using their platform. 
and overtime get fed more addictive rage. 
Its how you get people like Tate being so popular 
in my short opinion

[Gagaism 12,471]

which is all very interesting because when we think back about the cyber future ahead of us especially for ppl who are now on their 30s/40s we wouldn’t never imagine that it’s improvements could be actually the end of our lives in a certain way if you think about it. 
I mean, we always knew most of human beings were all stupid all the times but there’s always that felling we get that things are gonna be better and stuff.

sigh  

[bionic 50,111]

22 minutes ago, River said:

I don't know why but it's kinda natural for young people to be more right wing, because it's showing strength, because they are ignorant, 16-20 years old are usually very racist and homophobic, hating on women, but things are changing once they experience collage. but now social media and the heavy right wing propaganda marketing thanks to Elon and friends, nurtured this behavior and these opinions and we see the results right now.

Historically not true

[bionic 50,111]

21 minutes ago, windzo said:

My take its the internet. 
The right wing anti sjw gamer gate boom wasnt that long ago. Doesnt suprise me there is a surge in gen Z. 
Rage sells and social media wants you to keep using their platform. 
and overtime get fed more addictive rage. 
Its how you get people like Tate being so popular 
in my short opinion

This is it

Social media algorithms thrive on clickbait, and nothing gets people riled up quite like right wing talking points. Anybody 21 and under is basically a social media addict and their entire moods depend on short term dopamine hits that their social media feeds give them

Young people have spent their entire lives being told constantly how awful the world is, its not a surprise that right wing  simple "Only we can solve these problems" rhetoric is appealing than the left wing offerings of practical long term solutions that are much les glamorous

[Lucas 31,159]

Social media for sure. Trump was trendy for whatever reason amongst a lot of kids, even if Project 2025 wants to ban video games, ****, and destroy education and schools funding.

Young guys from PUERTO RICO were voting for him as some kind of trendy thing which is absolutely crazy.

[Bronco 25,453]

Simple. 
The left has never understood how to communicate in the digital age. And has had 40 years to combat the rampant neoliberalist focus on individualism and failed to do so. 

Look at the podcast sphere - almost all non-news agent based political podcasts that are popular are right leaning or fully alt right. 
Look at influencer culture - that's inherently right wing because of the values its based on and promotes. The grifter mindset. The clean girl aesthetic. 
Look at how left wing figures behave vs right wing - Right wingers latch onto right wing figures, even if they dislike them, because it advances the agenda in the long term. Left wingers demand purity and devote their content to complaining about how bad the alternative to the far right is and then complain when the alternative to the far right doesn't win. 

Look at the focus of left vs right in the last decade + - The period since 2008 has been defined by massive gaps opening up in wealth, growing poverty and instability for working people, the complete collapse of regional industry through which entire areas built their community and sense of identity and future around. 
In this time, the right has consistently positioned all policies around this economic pain being felt by the working class even though we all know a lot of it is manipulated lying. In the same time period, parties like the Democrats & Labour in the UK have increasingly ran away from talking about economic issues and solutions and trying to run up a core vote strategy based purely on social issues. Which the right have exploited and successfully painted their opposition as parties ignoring the economic pain many people are feeling - all while without offering them a future. 

Gen Z is the first generation entirely failed from the first to turn 18 to the last of them to turn 18 by the generations prior. It started showing with millenials, but Gen Z is the first generation to come to maturity where the social contract has entirely broken down. They inherit a worse future than that of those who came before them. And right now, the only political groups offering radical changes to this (whether we think they would work or not) is typically those on the right. 

[Helxig 45,396]

Someone said Gen Z are the new Boomers and now I can't stop seeing it all around social media   It's really depressing because my whole life I thought the next generation were so lucky because I thought they were going to be such educated, free thinkers and be more left than ever. But now I feel disappointed and saddened. Obviously majorly generalising, I love many of you Gen Z, but you can't deny something has happened to make a lot of them so conservative, mean spirited, judgemental, hateful towards minority groups etc

[Helxig 45,396]

1 minute ago, Bronco said:

Simple. 
The left has never understood how to communicate in the digital age. And has had 40 years to combat the rampant neoliberalist focus on individualism and failed to do so. 

Look at the podcast sphere - almost all non-news agent based political podcasts that are popular are right leaning or fully alt right. 
Look at influencer culture - that's inherently right wing because of the values its based on and promotes. The grifter mindset. The clean girl aesthetic. 
Look at how left wing figures behave vs right wing - Right wingers latch onto right wing figures, even if they dislike them, because it advances the agenda in the long term. Left wingers demand purity and devote their content to complaining about how bad the alternative to the far right is and then complain when the alternative to the far right doesn't win. 

Look at the focus of left vs right in the last decade + - The period since 2008 has been defined by massive gaps opening up in wealth, growing poverty and instability for working people, the complete collapse of regional industry through which entire areas built their community and sense of identity and future around. 
In this time, the right has consistently positioned all policies around this economic pain being felt by the working class even though we all know a lot of it is manipulated lying. In the same time period, parties like the Democrats & Labour in the UK have increasingly ran away from talking about economic issues and solutions and trying to run up a core vote strategy based purely on social issues. Which the right have exploited and successfully painted their opposition as parties ignoring the economic pain many people are feeling - all while without offering them a future. 

Gen Z is the first generation entirely failed from the first to turn 18 to the last of them to turn 18 by the generations prior. It started showing with millenials, but Gen Z is the first generation to come to maturity where the social contract has entirely broken down. They inherit a worse future than that of those who came before them. And right now, the only political groups offering radical changes to this (whether we think they would work or not) is typically those on the right. 

I keep saying that the left need to learn how to employ dirty, manipulative tactics like the right. Unfortunately they're usually too 'good' to do it. But it's a war right now against hate and division and we need to fight for the future for everybody. If they aren't learning to be good people by just observing, and are being actively targeted and manipulated by the other side, then they need to be manipulated back the other way until they're old enough to properly understand things

[Arcanum 5,210]

afaik in my country, it's due to corrupt democratic governments (that are literally right in ideology) & no practical propositions by the left.

+ignorance

+socioeconomic crisis

[FFXIV WhiteMage 6,316]

Maybe it has something to do with societal cycles. Just like the economy, popular music/media, and ideology, different elements rise and fall in prominence over time. Social media, new technology/inventions,  and other factors certainly play a role in these shifts, but one thing remains constant: change.

What's crucial, in my opinion, is that regardless of the current societal climate, we must remain steadfast in advocating for equality and equity. 

[bionic 50,111]

8 minutes ago, hELXIG said:

I keep saying that the left need to learn how to employ dirty, manipulative tactics like the right. Unfortunately they're usually too 'good' to do it. But it's a war right now against hate and division and we need to fight for the future for everybody. If they aren't learning to be good people by just observing, and are being actively targeted and manipulated by the other side, then they need to be manipulated back the other way until they're old enough to properly understand things

Left wing ideas are based on facts, technical arguments, proposals. They say "we need this because XYZ" but its not easy to engage with if you aren't already interested. Left wing populism is tough because by default you're moving against the status quo and trying to change people's minds

 

Right wing ideas are ironically based on feelings and emotions. They have no issue saying "I don't want that" without any need to elaborate further. No scientific study can tell them their instinctive feelings are wrong. Who are you to question what they think?

It sucks

[Bronco 25,453]

1 minute ago, hELXIG said:

I keep saying that the left need to learn how to employ dirty, manipulative tactics like the right. Unfortunately they're usually too 'good' to do it. But it's a war right now against hate and division and we need to fight for the future for everybody. If they aren't learning to be good people by just observing, and are being actively targeted and manipulated by the other side, then they need to be manipulated back the other way until they're old enough to properly understand things

Honestly its not even just dirty manipulation. 

I always bring this up when talking about the likes of Jill Stein & the American Green party and the rest of the left alternative to the Democrats. 

The Tea Party/Republicans/MAGA have completely monopolised low level political roles, especially outside of the big metropolises of LA/NYC etc. They run for literally everything. School boards, parish councils etc. Literally any political role with some form of power, they run for it. And once in that role they turn up to everything even the opening of an envelope. 

Meanwhile, you see all the big names of the American left like Jill Stein that turn up once every 4 years. And they get nowhere, because they have zero infrastructure or ground game. Then they disappear for 4 years again. 

The way you grow a power base in politics is by rooting it in local politics, demonstrating success and professionalisation and build up. The Tea Party did it from 2008 through to 2016, MAGA did it from 2020 to 2024. The BNP did it in the UK. The AfD do it in Germany. The National Front do it in France. And look at their successes as a result.