Charlotte Alter discusses how 'Harry Potter' has inspired millennials to fight against authoritarianism. Michael Eric Dyson challenges Stephen Colbert and his guests to name a more talented and influential performer than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Millennial leaders are inspired by the Harry Potter series to fight against authoritarianism and view their role as part of a collective movement.
Millennials have lower voter turnout due to the high standard set by Barack Obama, associating voting with love and passion rather than duty, and gravitate towards candidates who align with their values and address issues like student debt and climate change.
Deep dives
The Ones We've Been Waiting For
The book explores the emergence of millennial leaders and their impact on politics. Charlotte Alter, the author, focuses on elected leaders born between 1981 and 1996, whose lives have been shaped by major historical events such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis, student debt, and social movements like Black Lives Matter. The book also highlights the presence of millennial leaders from both political parties, emphasizing that millennials lean more towards left-leaning politics. The title of the book, 'The Ones We've Been Waiting For,' is a reference to a 2008 speech by Barack Obama, which inspires and shapes the millennial generation.
Millennials and Political Engagement
The podcast episode discusses the reasons why millennials tend to have lower voter turnout. One explanation is that Barack Obama's transformative presidency set a high standard for young people, making them less inclined to vote for candidates they don't wholeheartedly support. Voting became associated with love and passion rather than duty. This partly explains why many millennials gravitate towards candidates like Bernie Sanders, who align with their values and tackle issues such as student debt and climate change. The episode also addresses the misconception that all young people lean left politically, highlighting that their political attitudes are shaped by the events and challenges they experience in their early adulthood.
Harry Potter and the Influence on Millennials
The podcast episode explores the profound influence of the Harry Potter series on millennials. The Parkland shooting survivors, for example, compared their fight against the NRA to Harry Potter's battle against Voldemort. This cultural phenomenon has shaped the way many young people view their role in the world and their ideas about good versus evil. The episode mentions how references to Harry Potter are seen in various fields, including politics, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other resistance groups referring to themselves as 'Dumbledore's Army'. This influence stems from the fact that Harry Potter addresses themes of authoritarianism and the power of collective action, which resonate with the challenges of today.
The author of "The Ones We've Been Waiting For: How A New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America," Charlotte Alter, joins Stephen Colbert to discuss why "Harry Potter" is so ingrained in millennial minds and how that inspires them to fight against authoritarianism (Originally aired February 26th, 2020). And can anyone name a greater performer than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter? Acclaimed author Michael Eric Dyson challenges Stephen, Jon Batiste and the members of Stay Human to name an entertainer who is more talented and influential than Queen Bey. Dyson's new book, "Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America", is available everywhere now (Originally aired November 2nd, 2021).