The Secret Ingredient in "Kool-aid"

[DeadElephant_ORG]

The Secret Ingredient in "Kool-aid"

Jeff Goldsmith, March 19, 2008

When the Beatles sang "Come Together" that was "cool". But when Barack says it... that's "Kool-aid".

Hillary's supporters on this board throw out epithets such as "Kool-aid", "cult", "followers", "super-guru", "chosen one", as well as "Obamatons" and "Obamtiods". They do so frequently and shamelessly. It's an unmistakable slight against the mental, emotional, and political maturity of Obama supporters, and of Senator Obama himself. It's as unmistakable as "watermelons" is for racism, or as "iron my shirts" is for sexism. The stench of ageism is all over DU. Ageism permeates this place, yet goes unmentioned - our very own "Elephant in the Room".

Believe it or not, there is one thing this country needs even more than it needs a new president. We need an increase in civic participation and engagement by Americans across the board, but especially by youth. More than anything else, it's apathy that got us into this mess in the first place. Voting rates in America are appalling, and have been my whole life. And nobody has successfully evangelized progressive ideals, and civic participation among our youth - before Barack Obama.

This is not in dispute. Obama has dramatically grown our party at the grass-roots, and built a new youth movement. His achievement is without parallel. And these new, younger Democrats are not just voting. They're voting in state primaries, in large numbers. When has that EVER happened before? They're donating money. They're working the phones. They're showing up for caucuses. Hell, they're running the table at caucuses.

They're not children. They're the progressive future of our nation. And by the way, we've really screwed up their inheritance. We've bequeathed them a broken economy, an interminable war, and a dying planet. Nice.

At 46, I'm too old to be cool. But I am flat-out flabbergasted to see my fellow old-fogies give the straight-arm to these brave young citizens, with hope in their hearts. We've waited our whole lives for them to show up, and you give 'em the straight-arm! What is your deal?!

Well... your ageist "Kool-aid" insults make your "deal" very clear. After all these years it's still "Hey HEY, you YOU, get off of my cloud!" Some here denounced my prior post "This White House is MINE!" as divisive along age lines. But calling out ageism where it exists is not ageist, anymore than calling out racism or sexism makes one a racist or a sexist. And this subject is a taboo that we must address.

And for anybody who doesn't believe that ageism here is real, I challenge you to better explain why half our party, including the majority of our core party establishment, would be so unwelcoming, so outright rude, to an arriving army of new Democrats.

It seems that after 40 years of "youth culture", of dissing older generations as irrelevant, the baby boomers, Hillary's generation, have made their own old age, and diminishing relevance, intolerable to themselves.

So what is the secret ingredient in "Kool-aid". What gives that epithet such a bitter taste?

Fear of growing old.

[FrenchieCat]

1. Wow. I like this.

It is disgusting, isn't it?

I think they undestand that we can't handle it. They've seen our track record. I believe that it is their turn....and actually, I'm right there with them, precisely because it is their turn.

[niceypoo]

37. The term "Kool-aid-drinkers" comes from cultist Jim Jones...

Whose followers were told the poisoned kool-aid they were drinking was good for them. Sadly, many of the children who use this term don't have any idea of who Jim Jones was, and what the term represents, if they did they wouldn't use it.



A real selling point, isn't it?

[DeadElephant_ORG]

39. here's a vat of the real Kool-aid

[better tomorrow]

2. I'm one of those "boomers" BUT.....

I'll drink the Kool-Aid with any of the new youth.....Heck, I even mastered Message Boards, MySpace, YouTube, and MP3 players (although I still have my old 8 tracks and 45's) just so I could stay young.

PS I really think that a lot of the reason that the youth are so well-informed is because they do have the above mentioned things. The older demographic isn't as well-informed because they still believe in Walter Cronkite..... :rofl:

Now, just get out there and VOTE this time, kiddies.......

[housewolf]

3. Hear, Hear!

I think you've nailed it right on the head.

You know, John Edwards kept reminding us that entrenched interests resist change and tansformation at all costs. That doesn't mean that every one of us who is a baby boomer is fully entrenced in that, but that it speaks worlds about a great many, perhaps the majority.

I'm an early baby boomer. When I was born, my grandparents' generation was in power - Truman & Eisenhower. In 1960, my parents' generation came into power with Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan & Bush I. That covered 1960 - 1992, 32 years. The baby boomers have been in power from 1992 till now, 16 years, half the time our parents' generation was in power. To yield power now to a younger generation, as Obama represents, to many baby boomers feels "wrong". Yeah, Obama is technically a bably boomer, but he's a very late one, more of a transitional era from baby boomer to Gen X.

Many baby boomers, with the sense of entitlement many of us were raised with, aren't ready to yield power to the next generation yet. We had such hope, in the 1960's, about a world that we could create. It's gut-wrenching painful to surrender that to those younger.

Thank you for your most thoughtful post.

:toast:

[better tomorrow]

5. times just change too fast....

[JohnnyLib2]

4. I'm a potential Obama supporter.

I'm older and realistic. It looks like I will be supporting Obama in just a few months as the Democratic nominee. That would, potentially, renew many overtones of my long ago enthusiasm for both Kennedys and so forth.

I don't recall using the word "Kool-aid" as an argument for anything.

Please give some thought to what an OP like this, and the early replies,
implies to me and many others in the "potential" category.

JL2, Clinton supporter

[better tomorrow]

6. Johnny, you should know that one....

Kool Aid, Jim Jones, cult followers. The term is used in that they think many Obama supporters are acting like cultists....thus, Kool-aid. The year was 1978, remember?

[JohnnyLib2]

23. Of course I know the term (and now avoid using it)........

My point was that the OP categorized a huge number of potential voters
and not in a come-hither way......

[murielm99]

7. I've never used the words "kool-aid" or "cultist"

in reply to a thread here.

I know that ageism works both ways. Condescending posts toward anyone past their twenties only heightens division. And the OP makes the assumption that there are no Clinton supporters who are in their twenties. There are many. Two of them are in my immediate family.

I see no need to defend myself for supporting Clinton.

[better tomorrow]

10. and I see no need to apologize for supporting Obama and I am

in my upper 50's....

See, we can all get along. And, I apologize for using the term "Clintonista". Wrong, wrong, wrong of me....

[Guava Jelly]

8. I would say the secret ingrediant of Kool-aid isn't fear of growing old

It is the fear of defeat.
They can't destroy the message so as in war and rebellion they destroy the Messenger.
It is sad and hateful and proof that they have lost their way..

[oasis]

9. Experience and wisdom come with age. I'm damn glad I'm not as young and dumb

as I was in my twenties.

[KingOfLostSouls]

13. Not always true

age and wisdom aren't synonymous


just ask this guy

[DeadElephant_ORG]

31. great pic !

[oasis]

34. That "guy" has parlayed his nefarious Halliburton association into millions.

His family's set for life. Not bad.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

35. he's just 6-years older than Hillary... by the way...

[durrrty libby]

11. Well what can I say? I know. "Gaaaawd Daaaayum Ameeeerica"

[KingOfLostSouls]

12. PEOPLE TRY TO PUT US DOWN!!

TALKIN' BOUT MY GENERATION!!!!

JUST BECAUSE WE, GET AROUND!!!




funny...the generation who thought that up now are telling us not to believe in it either.

irony at its finest.

[murielm99]

17. It's such a shame that a few DU posters

are trying to divide Democrats by age. Some people will do anything to cause division in our party.

[JohnnyLib2]

25. Yes. And sometimes without realizing it.

There are examples in this thread, intentional or not.

:(

[meow mix]

14. K&R

excellent and true post

[Cirque du So-What]

15. Not to quibble, but...

Barack Obama is himself a boomer. Born in 1961, he still falls within the goalposts that define boomerhood: 1946 - 1964.

BTW, I'm a boomer too - born in the median year of the baby boom - and I support Barack Obama. I'm not impressed with the author's portrayal of age-dependent divisions within the Democratic party. I've been to functions in three different states and haven't witnessed any such thing.

[nuxvomica]

16. The cult accusation is actually a good sign for Obama, IMHO

It indicates that Obama is charismatic which is one of the 13 Keys to the White House. If he is the nominee, that's just another key against the Republicans. Normally the charisma key is hard to define so early but I figure when people start calling his followers cultists and kool-aid drinkers, his charisma is well established.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

36. I strongly agree. Lakeoff would say, the "cult figure" charge only reinforce the "frame".

I listened to Rush Limbaugh go on about Obama as a cult leader for several days straight. As George Lakeoff has taught us, Rush was reinforcing the "frame" that there is a phenomenon taking place. Calling it a "cult" suggests that we should feel negatively about the phenomenon, of course, but makes clear that there IS a phenomenon AND that a lot of people don't view it as Rush does. He fell right into the trap.

[Skidmore]

18. K&R....from an old fogey who gladly

joins the youth in forging a new America. We owe no less to our children than to address the problems we created.

[davidpdx]

19. Actually the secret of the Obama Campaign is....

there is no kool-aid. Let people believe what they want.

[LizW]

20. Flawed premise

The "kool-aid" epithet has nothing to do with age, experience, or "political maturity".

Ageism, like racism and sexism, stings because we feel attacked not for what we have done or said, but for what we are. I can't help how old or young I am.

The "kool-aid" epithet accuses one of being undiscerning and gullible, and anyone, old or young, can be that.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

24. rrrright... and "iron my shirts" was just admiration for how hard Hillary works....

To dismiss all the supporters of your opponent as "gullible" simply because they support your opponent, is prejudice. Are we supposed to believe that it's mere coincidence that the mass-gullibility argument that you are defending is being applied to the sudden influx of the largest, youngest group of Democratic activists in memory.

That argument is not only childish. It is bigoted, and morally offensive. It's the same argument Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage are making. So you're in excellent company.

[LizW]

27. I'm childish, bigoted, and morally offensive?

Way to label, dude.

Take a breath and READ what I wrote. I'M not calling you, or anyone else, a kool-aid drinker. I'M not calling YOU anything.

I am pointing out that "kool-aid drinker" is an epithet that can apply to anyone of any age. Sorry, but you used a faulty premise.

However, I got your point anyway. Ageism IS bad. We'll alert the media forthwith.

Now, if you want to be outraged about something, the "mass-gullibility argument" is something to be upset about. (Great coinage of phrase, btw.) "Mass-(fill in the blank) arguments" are bad. They are specious, divisive, and rampant in politics, especially in GD-P. What can I say? People are lame.

Anyway, yes, there IS a correlation between the supposed youth of Obama's supporters and the "mass-gullibility" argument. I'm sure it is infuriating. But "Shut up, you old farts, you've had your day," is not exactly the best rejoinder if your goal is to get your candidate elected. Annoying as it may be, you're going to need some of us creaky boomers to vote for him if he is to beat McCain.

[JohnnyLib2]

28. Please delete; replied in wrong place.

:blush:

[DeadElephant_ORG]

29. deleted

[DeadElephant_ORG]

30. credit for making me laugh when I'm mad at you.

I also appreciate your acknowledgment that the application of the "mass-gullibility argument" to Obama's new youth movement is not a coincidence. Just to be clear, I wrote that "the ARGUMENT you were defending was <label>, <label>, <label>" - not that YOU were those things. I firmly believe that argument is indefensible.

Agreed that there are young and old in both campaigns. Just as some negroes don't like watermelons. But, as with all prejudices, it's the preponderance of a trait, not the exceptions, that matter - that become the basis for bigotry.

Yes, I do think now is a good time for us "old farts" to let fresh voices, fresh vision, and fresh hope lead our party forward. Agreed that if Obama becomes the nominee he will need ALL Democrats, young AND old, to support him. And the reverse case is even more true. Clinton cannot beat McCain if the party is fractured and demoralized by ageism and "inside politics". But I'm not telling the "old farts" to "shut up" in general. I'm telling them to shut up specifically with the ageist attitude and epithets.

[WVRevy]

21. I actually crack up every time I see the "kool aid" stuff

I mean, every demographic study of the supporters of Senator Obama as opposed to the supporters of Senator Clinton show that Obama supporters are, on the whole, the more educated of the two.

In other words, the more you know, the more likely you are to be an Obama supporter.

Just an interesting little tidbit to ponder when you see these numbskulls.

[Adelante]

22. Fear of the New

I wouldn't say it is the case for everyone supporting Clinton. But for those who do it while seeing "Kool-aid" drinking adolescents under the bed, that's what is at work here. It's my generation, too, I am older than you are, and you could knock me over with a feather that those of us who saw an open future when we were young are looking to keep the door to their own future closed for the youth of today.

But I am flat-out flabbergasted to see my fellow old-fogies give the straight-arm to these brave young citizens, with hope in their hearts. We've waited our whole lives for them to show up, and you give 'em the straight-arm! What is your deal?!

Me, too. Flabbergasted.

[PatGund]

32. Not the only one....

I'm 42, so I'm right on the edge between Boomer and Gen X. However, all three of my brothers are boomers, so I grew up with a boomer mentality in places.

Ageism sucks no matter what direction it's applied to. Certain of Sen. Clinton's supporters project a really bad "get off my lawn" mentality, especially when they say things like "it's HER turn, not his". and "wait, you'll have your chance, it's our chance right now". Which feeds into the "Entitlement" mentality that Sen. Clinton projects way too well.

[Voice for Peace]

26. I believe it's the ageless in people which is responding to Obama's message.

There are young supporters of Clinton on this forum, and many "old" supporters of Obama. I don't think it can be divided along age lines.

Hope, inspiration, the human heart -- these things are ageless. Truth, beauty -- ageless. Wisdom -- ageless. Brilliance -- ageless. Love, peace -- ageless.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

33. Geraldine Farraro stokes the ageism further today

Farraro:

"...he is spewing that (Wright) stuff out to young people, and to younger people than Obama, and putting it in their heads that it's OK..."

I'm not young. And Obama supporters are no less capable of coming to their own independent moral and political judgments as Ms. Ferraro is.

HOW FUCKING INSULTING CAN YOU GET?

[Jai4WKC08]

38. I've used the term "kool-aid" before

But I don't recall that it was ever directed at young people. I've never thought of it in those terms.

But I do think that people, all people, tend to believe what they choose to believe. That is, what reinforces what they already believe. And they tend to associate with people who believe the same things, and who reinforce those same beliefs. It's the whole "group think" idea. It's kool-aid.

I know people here who despise the corporate media, and would not normally accept anything that came from the networks or wire services at face value. They would double check everything, look for original sources, and assume an ulterior motive until proved otherwise. But then suddenly, when they hear a talking head reporting things that they like to hear, they turn off the filter. That's kool-aid too.

People of all ages drink it. And so do we all of different political persuasions. It's very hard to see it in oneself, but it sure jumps out at you with someone of a differing opinion.

That all said, I won't let young people totally off the hook. It's great when they bring a new enthusiam to politics. But the fact is, GENERALLY speaking, they DON'T know as much about what went before, and it affects their ability to judge what goes on now. They are more likely to fall for the snake-oil that all politicians dispense to some extent because they have never tasted it before. And ultimately, they are less likely to value, or even recognize, the qualities that are necessary to good governance, and put too much emphasis on the fireworks that come with the show.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

42. so it's mere coincidence that the mass-gullibility argument...

... is being applied to the sudden influx of the largest, youngest group of Democratic activists in memory?

Then why wouldn't that same argument "stick" to Hillary's camp? It doesn't because they're older.

Again, try to better explain why our party is rejecting this mass of new members.

[Jai4WKC08]

43. Where's your evidence?

The party is "rejecting this mass of new members"? I don't think so.

Sorry, but your argument doesn't hold water. I'm a Clarkie. I've been accused of drinking the kool-aid of a "cult of personality" more times than I can remember. And I'm over 50. It has nothing to do with youth.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

44. well to start with, the Clinton strategy depends on the super delegates overturning their votes!

Try to imagine that in reverse - the "Obamanoids" pressuring the super delegates to overturn a clear victory for Clinton. It's incomprehensible. Why? Because the Clinton camp consists of the older insiders. The Clinton super delegate strategy is insulting on its face, and will result in years of fractiousness in our party - no matter the outcome. But more to the point - it sets the tone.

Second, why is it that the "mass-gullibility arguement" is preponderantly directed in one direction only: from Clinton towards Obama? If it were an age-neutral arguement, it would go both directions. I'm not saying that "Kool-aid" is always code for "too young to think for themselves", and more than "Watermelon" always means "n-gg-r". But it's application here is obvious.

If it is not obvious to you, I suggest you read the other comments on this string. You will discover that you are uniquely insensitive to the implications of "Kool-aid".

[krabigirl]

40. oprah

[DeadElephant_ORG]

41. please explain...

[MidwestPerspective]

45. Relevantly, Obama is a member of Generation Jones, not X or Boom

Relevantly, there has been a running debate in recent months about the issue of Obama's generational identity, and increasingly the conclusion has been that he's part of Generation Jones--the heretofore lost generation between the Boomers and Xers. The New York Times, CBS, Newsweek Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal have all run pieces in which they argued that Obama is, in fact, a member of Generation Jones. I recently heard a panel of experts on a radio show discuss this for an hour, and they concluded as well that Obama is a GenJoneser.

When you study his bio, his worldview, his political stances, it becomes obvious that Obama is part of this long-lost generation which is finally coming into its own. Which is not surprising, given that he is right in the middle of the 1954-1965 GenJones birth years, and those born toward the middle of a generation tend to most personify it.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

48. I'm Obama's age. I'm NOT a boomer.

[Bonobo]

46. The secret ingredient is hope.

[DeadElephant_ORG]

47. They're still at it. There's a new hit piece on DU " Obama: Your own personal Jesus"

Obama: Your own personal Jesus
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5208521&mesg_id=5208521