General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)On DU's population aging, and change to DU... [View all]
Rumination inspired by Atticus thread https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217582951
Theres something in the air. It wasnt the first time I saw mention of how DUs population is older and that is what Atticus was reacting to I certainly have also seen a few posts over the past year or two that boomers somehow abetted the rise of the oligarchs, voted for Trump, and shit like that. Its a good long thread he started.
Someone made the point about the age group when DU started as skewing younger, and I agree. Hello? That was us! I think of us then as people in robust middle age a rather elastic term, as I was already 50.
When I got here in 2002 I found a cohort of people who were already activists from their youth. Most of us had a lot of experience already, when it came to resistance and working for real change. We were outraged by BushCheney and were only too glad to share with others (ie younger posters) how to create a movement for change. Wed already participated in all the major change movements of the second half of the 20th century
I also found people who could write intelligibly, and carry a thought from beginning to end. I found people who insisted on reliable sources. I found people whose opinions I could respect because those opinions were well grounded, and people I could do battle with, too. I found a community that insisted there be no bigotry including no misogyny, which is a toxic element in too much of the web.
Robust middle age. I miss it. Of course DU skewed younger 22 years ago. We were those people.
And we do need to attract a younger cohort as we go along for who are we without metaphorical descendants, and for whom else have we done this lifetime of work? But we need to hold fast to the principles on which DU was founded (the TOS as set down by the three founders our Constitution, if you will and the way they/we have evolved the TOS for the betterment of the community a living Constitution, if you will).
I dont know exactly how that is to be done, just that it does.
Thank you all.
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