Brain Rot Politics

News | Imani Majors | November 26, 2023.

Democrats have perfected the art of being boring. From local positions to Biden’s presidency, boring has put up a good fight against their flamboyant Republican counterparts. But as more Gen Zs quickly approach the 18-year-old line, Democrats need to combat this arising problem: they're being buzzkills. 

It feels pessimistic to say that my generation gets all their political information from TikTok, but it also feels true. After the first Republican Primary debate, my page was filled with glorified edits of the candidates, highlighting the moments where each of the stars got a good “dunk” in. These videos, with millions of likes and attention, held no information on their specific stance or plan of action, but rather snips of the debate with stimulating songs in the background and quickly moving clips. No one understands the power that comes with this quite like Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. His entertaining debate style gained massive traction on TikTok, leading him to join the app and collab with popular stars like Jake Paul and the Nelk Boys. Nikki Hayley has a viral sound on TikTok from the primary debate, exclaiming that “if you want something said ask a man, if you want something done ask a woman.” Ron DeSantis, while getting attention through being laughed at, consistently gets clicks and views from his high-heel rumors and his embarrassing and awkward interviews. Even Republican political commentators like Ben Shapiro and Candance Owens have made a career being entertaining and outlandish with their ultra-conservative takes. 

There is no Democratic equivalent to these Republican superstars who have seemingly mastered the teenage gaze. If the saying “all press is good press” is true, Democrats are done for. In an age where attention is the most prized currency, Democrats are going to need to make stark changes in order to cater to the new voting population. If Biden wants to stand a chance in the 2024 presidential campaign, he needs to focus less on being a good president and instead become the best celebrity.