Im 16. I'm pissed. What should I do?

[stpalm]

I have always hated Re pubelick cants, but I recently picked up David Brock's "The Republican Noise Machine"- I started it and got to page 21 and I am SO PISSED OFF at EVERYTHING Right Wing! I also read the PNAC website and I am even more pissed! I am only 16, so I have no real options other than to be pissed. What should I do? I should channel this anger constructively, but how?

At least I am not pissed at mom and dad like most 16 year olds!

[DIKB]

1. Simple

Spread the word to other young people, buy a copy or two for your library (if it's allowed). Get others to check it out for themselves. Let people know about PNAC. In simple: SAVE THE NEXT GENERATION.

[BrainRants]

2. Talk with your friends, get to them now and show them

what a racket the Rupug party is before they're old enough to vote. Creat Dem's today!

[Stop_the_War]

3. I know what you mean

I'm 16 too, and I can't really do anything except be pissed off. Because I live in a city where no protests ever happen. So I can't really protest because there is nobody to protest with me.

[karlrschneider]

14. Is JAX a rightwing city? I've been there several times but never got much

into politics with anybody there (lived in Tampa for 17 yrs)...anyway, welcome to DU! :toast: :D

[BlueManDude]

4. Congratulations!!

You're off to a great start. Now head over to the office of a local progressive politician and volunteer. I bet they'd love to have you around and you'd be doing something about your passionate disgust with the RW.

[stpalm]

17. I want to volunteer with Feingold

I did some stuff for Kerry and the Dem office downtown is closed because the election is done.

[BlueManDude]

18. Senators usually have multiple state offices - good luck!!

[kindoki]

40. .

.

[BamaLefty]

5. I'm 17!

And I agree...

[jody]

6. You are just growing up. In fifty or so years, you'll mellow out.

As Alexander Pope said “a little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.”

:toast:

[jimshoes]

7. Buy yourself a guitar

and start writing protest songs. Thats how we did it in the 60's. Hell, you might even become famous someday! But seriously, channel that energy into something positive.

[CyberSon]

8. create a web based movement...

even if its hard work you can do it just find a copy of front page and get creative hell if i can do it so can you, I'm only 21

[newyawker99]

35. Hi CyberSon!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[infusionman]

9. It's better to be pissed off than pissed on.

You are a typical teen. I have a 15 year old who thinks he's 21.

The best thing for you would be to eliminate that which Pisses you off.

Get involved in a good youth group where the leaders can counsel you and maybe help you get some peace.

Shalom (Peace)

[wildeyed]

10. Better to be pissed at repubs than mom and dad!

Volunteer, pay attention, spread the word. That is all any of us can do right now, whether you are 16 or 60.

[jody]

12. Why stop at 60, can't the older generation participate? n/t

[wildeyed]

22. Everyone should participate!

16-60 just sounded snappy to me.

[proud patriot]

11. Make sure everyone around you , knows how you feel

:evilgrin: That's how I carry on .

My jackets , my car , Everywhere I go
everyone who looks at me knows how I feel.

[Laurab]

13. I've got a 22 year old and a 24 year old

and I WISH they were pissed like you are. I mean, they're slightly mad, but not enough to want to do anything about it. Check out local colleges and things like, that for Democratic youth groups. Try to educate your friends, email senators & congress people(I don't think you have to be 18 for that). There are lots of things you can do, but the main one is educating other people. The danger in reading books like that (and I've read that one, and many others) is that you get MORE pissed, but if you channel your anger right, that's a good thing. You should be pissed. I sure am!

[Up2Late]

15. Start a Band

Or just go get all the "Rage Against the Machine" CD's. They should help:headbang:

[slor]

16. Tell your parents...

that you expect them to make sure a certain chimp does not tamper with your Social Security. Mobilize as many youngsters as you can to fight for it not to be "reformed" and protest, get the teachers to help get in on the news (have all the facts and the chimp's distortions at the ready). Also start the fight for the environment with friends, as nothing else will matter when that goes.

[LunaC]

19. Activism helps

Check out the link in my sig line - it's designed for "dropaganda". Exposing the bastards might make you feel better.

And congrats for being such a cognizant young'un - you've renewed my hope for the Next Generation

[stpalm]

25. You dont need to lose faith

there are many smarter, more articulate and passionate than I. this generation is not doomed.

[latteromden]

20. I'm 14 - a lot of +18s don't even know what's going on. Inform them first.

I was an intern for the Kerry campaign, and I'm going to be a page in DC when I'm either 16 or 17 years old. I don't know what else I can do, besides getting the word out.

[clydefrand]

21. Are you in a school that has clubs? If so, ask if you and

someone you know whose views are similar to yours can start a club for Young Democrats. Get yourself involved in local politics before the next election. Read newspapers, watch the news, stay informed and tell others what the truth is. Present both sides and insist that only truth be told. Opinions are acceptable but only after the facts are known.

[coffeenap]

23. GO! Find a place to volunteer.

My kid helped Melissa Bean get elected. My kid worked on the voter fraud investigation. You can do something. People will welcome you--liberals especially. Go to a political meeting. See who needs your help. 2006 is less than 2 years away. THe house is up for reelection. Where are you? Is there a member of the house who needs to be "eradicated"? Educate yourself--learn the facts, tell your friends. Work against the coming draft. Just a few ideas. Want more? Keep asking--many people here will tell you how to be an activist. Congrats on your attitude--use it!

[coffeenap]

24. Are you in Wisconsin (re: Feingold) ?

We are right next door in Illinois.

[Just Me]

26. Keep a record of what's happening.

Write to congress members, papers and blogs.

Express your concerns and your own vision for the future.

Be sure to connect with supportive others.

Read everything about history you can get your hands on.

Always try to look at "the big picture" knowing that change is not only possible but inevitable.

Don't ever get stuck in your anger 'cause it'll cripple your body and/or disease your mind.

Remember that, you are not alone!!!!

[kamqute]

27. 15! Great to find a kindred spirit!

Do grunt work on the internet. Find some group looking for addresses or something and put in lots of hours. You can also design business cards with some kind of message and print them on hemp paper from www.rawganique.com, and stick them everywhere. Phonebank and moveoniness. Organize some kind of group at your school. Get an ICQ Number, a Yahoo! Messenger account, an AIM account. Maybe start a blog. Tell everyone you know some information that might get through their defenses. Don't turn on lots of lights. Don't buy things made by sweatshop labor (nosweatapparel.com, workingassets.com), don't use paper, don't use dishes unless absolutely necessary, don't by overpackaged items, be vegetarian. Don't burn out. Cultivate yourself in whatever way seems best to you (of course, this work is great for that). I think there are programs available to start your own icecast radio station. Turn down thermostats wherever you are in winter, and run around with blankets. Turn them up in summer, and if you're too hot, well..I guess you're screwed; Lose weight or something. Wear apparel that makes a statement. Keep informed. Do as much electronic interaction as you can, where people won't know you're only 16. Look for local NGOs you can participate in. Call right-wing talk shows if you can get through. Indoctrinate other peoples' kids, especially young ones--but give them INFORMATION, not general partisan-crud. They need to be retrained to think like actual people. This might not be necessary; I don't know where you live. But I live in the depth of upper-middle-class suburbanland. Get your parents to volunteer for stuff. Protest. Get out of the habit of shutting up when people become a little flustered. If you're at all religious, get involved with your local place of worship/study--show your fellow-travelers that all religions lead to progressive values. Ask your parents to buy in bulk and bring their own shopping bags to the grocery store. Recommend buying a diesel car that can run on discarded vegetable oil, or at least a hybrid. If you end up getting a car yourself, do that yourself. Recommend all manner of things to your parents, in fact. Tell all your friends about the technological inferiority of the XBox. Get in touch with others like yourself--DU is great for that. Save up and buy a cheap solar panel or hydroturbine. In fact, maybe I could help you start a collaborative group to try to get the money together for one of those items or for a small wind device. Resist consumerism as much as you can; ask not to get presents for the orgiastic winter buy-fests. Don't drink celestial seasonings tea--you'll be supporting Lockheed. Try to get your friends to wake up to the whole thing. If you can, swear off all or almost all recreational electronics--I can almost do it, and I've been successful for significant periods of time, so I THINK it can be done. An easy way to do this is to multitask--play solitaire while you work online or educate yourself on audio. See if you can get friends and relatives to read the New Republic for a while, until you can jump them off to Mother Jones or Counterpunch or something. I know a lot of this is obvious, but I'm just trying to suggest that there's plenty little punies like us can do.

[neebob]

28. Mother of an almost 16-year-old here

I think it's great that you have these convictions and you should share them with your friends. I wish I had cared enough to find out about things when I was your age, because my right-wing parents taught me a lot of lies. Some of those lies got me in trouble in my late thirties, even though I hadn't become a right winger myself, and I'm still paying for it in my forties. All because I'd never had occasion to think about it and realize I'd been lied to.

Mostly, though, I think you should try to have fun. Seriously. I hope your generation will be the one that finally changes the world, and not because George Bush & Co. fucked it up so badly and killed so many of you that you had no choice. Nobody expects you to do it right now, though, and frankly, there isn't much you can do except share your convictions and watch out for the lies and don't allow yourself to be sucked into the machine.

If I were you, I'd move heaven and earth to get as much as possible of the best possible education (to give myself the widest range of options); surround myself with caring, ethical, liberal friends; resist the urge to pair off; and have as much fun as I could find.

My advice is based on the assumption that pursuing the education and surrounding yourself with the liberal friends will put you on a path where you will find many appropriate outlets for your anger. And a lot of them will be fun. :)

[crispini]

29. I second the poster upthread who said get involved with YDs..

Find the activists in your area and get some training. Look on meetup, talk to the county party office... I'm sure there are some things going on. There are local elections in many areas coming up in May. these are good times to cut your political teeth so to speak. learn how to walk a precinct, phone bank, ORGANIZE a precinct, use Demzilla, talk about the issues..... get ready for 2006. find kindrid souls and train yourself as an activist now.... and in 06 you can help this all get even bluer, bluer, bluer!

[justiceischeap]

30. Just get involved

There are so many opportunities out there. Someone already suggested it but start a Young Dem club at school or a Progressives club, whatever. Your state rep should have a local office, go there, tell them you are 16 but want to get involved, they can certainly point you in the right direction. Go to city council meetings and make your voice heard. Think locally, act locally. Really, change will start locally and that's where we need the most help. Over the summer, try to get an internship somewhere or check out Camp Wellstone. http://www.wellstone.org/

[baldguy]

31. Apply for colleges in Canada.

You don't want to end up in Iran w/o body armor, w/o armored Hummers, w/o ammunition, surrounded by Mujahadin patriots who would like nothing better than to peel the skin off an American dog.

[Senator Lamb]

32. as a 19 year old

I will be involved with my college democrats. I am reading a lot over break and I am getting pissed, its not healthy. The facts are obvious yet we are a system where the truth is twisted into half-truths, lies, and fears. there is so much to be done in this world yet there are so many obstacles especially getting across to the people of this country; its fustrating, especially when the policies are hazardous to a positive, healthy future. the best thing to do is become aware of the issues as much as possible and one day enter public service and fight for our future.

[Senator Lamb]

33. also,

is there a young peoples forum here?

[manic expression]

34. Pissed off 16 year old here, too

It's good to know there are others!

[kk897]

36. Are you guys in the minority?

Hi all you people under 21... would you say that your awareness is unusual among your peers? If it's anything like when I was in high school (class of 83), it probably is.

Something I've been curious about, though, is the effect of the internet and forums and blogs. It seems to me that perhaps the youth culture is more accepting, maybe even demanding, of speaking out, of formulating your thoughts in writing and having the resultant texts continually deconstructed by peers (friendly and unfriendly). This would seem to encourage investigation, introspection, critical thinking, logic, research, writing skills...all good things.

If I'd have had DU back when I was in HS, I'm sure I would've been far happier and felt far less freakish. I'm also sure I'd have been much better informed.

How are young people at becoming informed? Are they as reliant on corporate media as older folks? Are they as unthinkingly devoted to TV news if they care about news at all? And is there interest in figuring out what's "true" about world events?

Or is it all still zits and making out and trying to get into the college of your choice?

I'd love to know what it's really like for young people today, since I don't have kids myself and know only a very few teens, and not that well.

[stpalm]

38. I woudn't say me and others are in the minority

Basically most kids dont pay any attention to the news and dont have an opinion- the ones that do are viruently anti-Bush

[Gyre]

37. Say "hey" to your relatives in ANY other countries

better start laying some groundwork for your flight when you hit 18. The bright side is you've got nothing to lose by leaving.

Gyre

[against all enemies]

39. Relax, sixteen is to too young to worry yourself to death.

Stay in touch with reality, have some fun, and in a couple of years it will be your turn to carry the torch.