I’ve been seeing some really great ideas so far and I think the one about articles in the local papers is the best one I’ve seen so far; I’m wondering though what would be our best course of action trying to get people out of the mainstream media bubble? Social media has been a great proponent for younger progressives but what about older individuals who are not computer-savvy enough or don’t really read the papers?
I was thinking that every now and then or whatever time will allow would volunteer at senior communities and local Libraries to get the word out to older individuals who may not be aware of TYT.
That is a great idea. I have been looking for a way to help TYT and get the word out. I am going to call the senior center in my town and see if they would be open to having someone speak. Being a senior they might be more open to listening to someone like me. Any suggestions on how to get started would be great.
Nice! I think the best way to start is to just speak from the heart about your experience, or what you could do is read from “Justice is Coming” (If you have a copy of course) or start a book club for JIC.
Or you could just start it as a random discussion talking about the upcoming election in 2024 you want to get everyone’s feedback on what they think, hear them out, and once you get a good rapport going you talk about your progressive insight and let them know your views on things they care about like Social Security and Medicare and go from there. Just a few ideas or you could do a mixture of all those ideas but as long as you engage with them and let them know there’s better out there for them.
cerberusalphagaming – I’m a little confused. How are older folks who aren’t computer savvy & also don’t read the papers getting their news? They all have cellphones – don’t they get their news online, either through social media or rebroadcasts on YouTube? If they still get their news from tv, there’s no way to break them out of that bubble when all they’re consuming is MSM. Progressive candidates can’t afford tv ad campaigns.
One thing I know is that retirees have plenty of time on their hands,. A progressive candidate might gain traction by doing a town hall with oldsters.
My parents are 72 and 81yrs old and they don’t get any news online. My dad still refuses to use a cellphone. They get their news through the paper, which they still get delivered every day, and TV. On the plus side, my Dad voted democrat for the first time in his life in 2016 and I give 100% of the credit to Stephen Colbert. If you can get left leaning folks who are funny and likable on MSM it can help. It won’t make people progressive, but it can pull them further left at least. My parents just started wintering in the Villages in FL last year and I think going there and holding talks and town halls would be incredibly helpful as well. All my parents do is go to social events and talks. Arizona must have places like the Villages too I would think? That’s the other big retiree hub.
Nymzie - Glad to know someone is still getting the newspaper delivered! : I switched to reading them online ages ago, to save the trees. And I was actually thinking of The Villages when I mentioned having a progressive candidate do town halls with the oldsters! (I lived on the Gulf coast of FL for a decade.) We have to get Bernie on our team. He’s an oldster who can talk to anyone, of any age & make progressive policies easy to grasp. He’d be great talking to seniors, they’d trust him.
Don’t forget that many “old people” didn’t experience conservatism as a reality growing up and “reminding themselves” of what their own life experiences showed them is more realistic than the candidate’s lies or the concentrated propaganda being pumped into them from every media source.
Cenk is right
All of north America is at heart, progressive because it’s in our best interests to be.
Remind them of who they truly are.
Nymzie - A step in the right direction. But corporatist sources are still a problem in both tribes. From what I have seen the Villages has a large MAGA following.
That is a great idea! I worry that some places might look at us like we are trying to “shove our ideas” on those who might be vulnerable. I’m sure it’s all about the approach. It’s most likely already been thought of and REALLY expensive, but what about a 15 or 30-second TV ad somewhere we know older folks are watching?
I know it’s expensive… so we could do a strategic fundraiser to JUST raise the amount we would need for an ad on daytime television somewhere. You KNOW older generations are watching that and it would be a break from all the prescription and walk-in shower commercials.
I like the idea of getting people even older than me involved. I’d like to mention that many retirement residences – with or without nursing – have libraries that might accept donation of THE BOOK . Also the residents sometimes have families that visit their elders.
Other places where the elderly congregate. ( are we a herd or a pack?) handing out paper fliers to those willing to take them outside of: churches, Bingo, grocery stores (for grocery stores, I’ve noticed the ‘as soon as it’s open pack’ are usually more mentally alert.
I really like the electronic-democracy concept (35 years old for me).
I think starting tiny to get the counter litigation started would be a good approach.
Pick a state with a judge the opposite of Kacsmaryk.
Pick a tiny, in population, village (off the MSM path) that’s in the judges purview . Have them vote for electronic-democracy for their village. Personally, I think somewhere in Alaska would be ideal. Imagine, “ It’s really hard to get to the polls in a -40 degree blizzard.”
Perhaps contact – copied from Bryan Taylor-Cohen’s You tube page – “Top voting rights lawyer and Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias “ . IMO his law firm has done some impressive litigating.
Just another crazy thought. There are too many without homes. Not all are gone on drugs, the people that are lucid are probably bored, angry and want the social safety net, some would be willing to hand out paper pamphlets.
Rather than trying to “get people out of the mainstream media bubble”, I wonder if we can find a way to get progressives into the mainstream media bubble. When Bernie ran, we started seeing more progressive representation on CNN/MSNBC, but it seems that has largely gone away since.
I don’t know if it’d be possible to create a television channel for progressive politics. Maybe the closest thing we have is Democracy Now, but it’s not accessible everywhere, and from what I’ve seen, it seems to have a larger focus on world news, rather than domestic politics.
Thank you for your insight on retirement/nursing residences. Your idea about getting THE BOOK into their libraries is exceptional! I feel silly for having absolutely no idea that they have libraries. So simple, but could be impactful if implemented well.
Older people watch cable. It’s why Fox has so many older viewers. I’m older and cut the cord 3 years ago and don’t miss it at all. I’ve tried to convince my friends to do the same – we aren’t so old we aren’t computer-savvy (I think of that more as my mom’s generation) – but that cord seems like a security blanket to them, even when they really should save that money.
I, being an older person if 61 counts, found the progressive environment only after Bernie’s run for president. I heard him speak. Then I dug for more news after seeing he was being cut out of mainstream media. And “POOF”, I had found the community I have been looking for. BUT, I am a software engineer, with the rigors of seeing and living with the incredible changes of the internet and computers for the past 25 years. FAR too many of my age or older just can’t get into these bubbles just because of their lack of understanding of the basic technology. A lot will need to be done through word of mouth or access to those same mainstream networks to get the word out. It is a HEAVY burden, one in which I am not sure we can win at given the time there is. In this area, it is more getting out to family, friends, and through discussions at the thanksgiving table that this battle will be either won, or neutralized till we die off. (OK, a bit morbid here…) Too many of the older folks just won’t understand progressivism(s). But they can be dissuaded for voting against their best interests. Focus should be in that area.
Can TYT start a physical newspaper operation? My parents also prefer paper news; shouldn’t we meet them where they are at? Then, the TYT audience could even gift subscriptions for the TYT paper news to their families. And, the paper could be curated for such an audience as well.
I have heard of a newsletter, I always thought that there should be a newsletter website where you could have people mail you physical copies. It would be similar to a digital only media a print on demand service.
(I lived on the Gulf coast of FL for a decade.) We have to get Bernie on our team. He’s an oldster who can talk to anyone, of any age & make progressive policies easy to grasp. He’d be great talking to seniors, they’d trust him.
THE BOOK 
What about local news? 