Hot 'n Fresh out the Kitchen
It's no secret that I like the Internet. I'm all about Facebook and Twitter, and I even recently upgraded my LinkedIn (get at me, employers). I'm still at "lurker" status on Reddit and Imgur because what if I get downvotes, but I feel like I can kind of consider myself a part of those communities, as well. Internet people are my people.
I get the internet, which is why this petition to change the National Anthem to R. Kelly's 2003 hit Remix Ignition made me laugh for several minutes, began a seemingly endless loop of "bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce" in my brain, and instilled a sense of generational pride I hadn't totally felt before.
We're Millennials! The internet is our home. We were the ones troubleshooting our parent's Internet Explorer, meticulously changing the fonts of our AIM buddy profiles, and starting angsty blogs about our troubled suburban lives (Or was that just me?). We're no strangers to the online world, and we haven't always appreciated or really even acknowledged that power.
In the 2008 election, Millennials made up just 18 percent of the electorate. Granted, 18 percent is higher than was expected, and in 2012, that number rose to 19 percent. But why isn't that number 38 percent, like the boomer generation? Personally, politics hurts my feelings because I'm very easily offended by raised voices and unwavering opinions. However, I voted! We have a duty! This is America, etc.
We've been using the internet for dumb stuff for years! This is also, admittedly, a little dumb. But it's political! Guys, it's progress! According to Pew Research (what isn't according to Pew?) more of us were able to identify the Twitter logo last month than were able to identify Secretary of State John Kerry. That's embarrassing. But according to MacArther foundation, we're the first generation to really use the internet for participatory politics, and 41 percent of us have communicated politically using new media. That's a lot of percentage, y'all!
So now, after five paragraphs of words, here is the point of this blog post: I feel like we're getting it. I was one of the first 1,500 people to sign that petition, not because I really think it would or should ever happen, but because I just feel like maybe President Obama would handle it with a very charming press conference and maybe R.Kelly would make an appearance and maybe I would be invited. We're still not the most politically active generation. But I think this is a strong start. We're relating, finally, in our own way.
Keep it up, fellas and honeys. Go 'head on and break 'em off with a lil' preview of the remix.