Millenial's Man
Why young Bahamians continue to back Branville McCartney's DNA
Ahhh millenials, the generation responsible for 7 second long cat videos and the rise of pumpkin spice-flavored everything. I will admit, this batch of humans that I am a part of is strange. I imagine that to the outside observer we must look downright idiotic, irrational and sporadic at times. We are often misunderstood; love my generation or hate them, we are so interesting that you can't ignore us. We are now almost old enough to pay taxes, buy our own groceries and yes, to vote. We are about to take our place in Bahamian society, and I for one can't wait to see how my peers handle their new political power.
In the meantime, I have been trying to get a sense of where this block of the electorate is leaning towards in Bahamian politics. Around the world, Millennials are showing a distinct disdain for politics. Young as we are, we have been made to believe that politicians as snakes running for office for no other reason than to line their own pockets. It is now 2015, and I’m still not sure that is necessarily a good thing. Analysts worldwide are talking about comparatively low millennial voter turnouts in recent elections. Skepticism of fancy speeches and campaign slogans is one thing, but apathy for the political process is something we should all be concerned about.
These global trends mean that I am not surprised to see and hear a lot of millennial frustration with the general state of affairs in The Bahamas. Many say that they would not know who to vote for, or might not vote at all if elections were held today. Others, however, are far more adamant than I anticipated in their views. For quite some time now, I've been noticing a lot of young people openly saying they will support Branville McCartney and the DNA in the next election, regardless of what may happen between now and 2017. Yet, I really shouldn't be surprised. I know my generation, and because I do, I should have seen this spike in popularity coming.
You see, millenials only support that which they agree with, and that which actively reminds them that they are a generation that matters. One only needs to look at the over-night success of the (phony?) activist movement, Kony 2012 to understand this. For those who don’t know, an anonymous group known as "Invisible Children" released a video on social media detailing the need to catch a little-known criminal in the Uganda area - a man by the name of Joseph Kony. In exactly 30 minutes of narration, imagery and rhetoric, Invisible Children not only caught the attention of millenials worldwide, they inspired them to make a difference on a previously unheard of issue. This included online donations, the purchasing of action kits, and a few public demonstrations in the United States. The hashtag #stopatnothing, referring to a determination to catch Kony, went viral. The video itself has surpassed 100 MILLION views on YouTube. Despite this initial success, the movement ran out of steam in a few weeks, quickly derailed by the leaked video showing one of the founders of Invisible Children both intoxicated and streaking naked through the streets of San Diego.
But back to the point.
The initial success of Kony 2012 was not at all accidental, it only occurred because it actively targeted the most social-media savvy generation on social media… what a revolutionary concept. This targeting is similar to what Branville McCartney’s DNA is currently doing, with consistently updated Facebook and Vimeo pages. In addition, just like Kony 2012, the party offers something that hasn't ever been present before in my generation's lifetime: a tangible, approachable platform for social change.
This is exciting. This is new. And, with just one general election appearance, there is still reason to be optimistic about the DNAs future electoral success. The man currently leading this party looks like a newborn baby when placed next to our more elderly political leaders. He is someone who has become well known for being unafraid to voice his opinion on national issues, whether people agree with him or not. Some older folk have diminished his contributions to mere "radical outbursts with the aim to gain attention", while others say that the DNA leader just talks a little too much and should learn how to "sit small until your name is called".
But millennials are not older folk. They are a fast paced generation that bounces off the walls and is short on patience. While many generations of Bahamian kids before would 'tote a beatin' before daring to talk back to their parents, it seems obvious that this generation was given the freedom to talk back and perhaps openly disagree with their elders. They have been raised fighting their own parents' system. Branville McCartney is in the midst of fighting a much larger political system. Through the blessings of democracy, he has been allowed to openly talk back to his political elders in the PLP and FNM. The similarities between this generation and McCartney's brand of politics are apparent.
But how does the DNA avoid the same fate as Kony 2012? Keeping the scandals to a minimum certainly seems like a good place to start. A broader answer would be to keep millennials inspired, entertained and motivated. It was the older folks who insisted that social media was just a fad. It was also the older folks who said that Obama would not be able to retain millennial support and ensure a second term as the President of the United States. My global peers seem to revel in proving the naysayers wrong.
Yes, the political future of Branville McCartney will be determined by this fickle generation. They will exercise their authority at the polls, either ending his political career, or rewarding him with a more-significant place in our democracy.
McCartney was not born a Millennial, but from all indications, he is starting to look like the consummate millennial politician; Often doubted, but impossible to ignore.
