{"id":29544,"date":"2019-02-11T11:15:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T16:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/?p=29544"},"modified":"2019-03-12T14:55:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T18:55:40","slug":"why-millenials-listen-when-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-speaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/why-millenials-listen-when-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-speaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Millennials Listen When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Speaks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is now one of the biggest stars in politics. Her <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?time_continue=108&amp;v=Qj2Xald7NYQ\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dance moves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, along with her proposition of the Green New Deal, have made her viral on the internet and a force to be reckoned with in Washington, D.C. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a short period of time, she has become a millennial archetype. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just over a year ago, at age 28, she was working as a bartender at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bustle.com\/p\/ocasio-cortezs-financial-services-committee-seat-will-let-her-dig-into-the-student-loan-crisis-15828931\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flats Fix<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a Mexican restaurant and bar near Union Square in Manhattan. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even she was surprised by the speed at which things turned around for her. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLast year I was bartending, and I bought my first couch two weeks ago &#8212; shortly after I got health insurance,\u201d she <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1060268747787767808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1060268747787767808&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnbc.com%2F2018%2F11%2F08%2Falexandria-ocasio-cortez-cant-afford-to-rent-an-apartment-in-dc.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tweeted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in November 2018. \u201cSo don\u2019t worry, growth doesn\u2019t happen in a straight line! We\u2019re all closer than we believe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Last year I was bartending, and I bought my first couch two weeks ago &#8211; shortly after I got health insurance \ud83d\ude2c<\/p>\n<p>So don\u2019t worry, growth doesn\u2019t happen in a straight line! We\u2019re all closer than we believe. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G6ZEIgVoR8\">https:\/\/t.co\/G6ZEIgVoR8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1060268747787767808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 7, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technically, Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s constituency is the 14th district of New York, which includes the eastern part of the Bronx and part of north-central Queens. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, her reach extends much further. Her rhetoric, attitude and actions represent her generation &#8212; millennials. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many young adults who have struggled to see their expensive education <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/larryalton\/2016\/12\/22\/millennials-are-struggling-to-get-jobs-heres-why-and-what-to-do-about-it\/#217e47694bb0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">translate to jobs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, her achievements symbolize hope and opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And her advice &#8212; that we are all closer to success than we may believe &#8212; hits home. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truly, it is unfair to lump today\u2019s young adults into one cohesive, like-minded group. Millennials, like any other generation, come in all shapes and sizes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there is one quality that young adults undeniably share with Ocasio-Cortez &#8212; the stigma attached to being born between 1981 and 1996. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And despite political differences, struggling millennials can all take comfort in the advice that \u201cwe\u2019re all closer than we believe\u201d to achieving growth and success. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Congress, Ocasio-Cortez is defying stereotypes of millennial laziness and entitlement by representing young adults\u2019 drive and determination to excel in their careers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her youth hasn\u2019t scared her off. When her colleagues belittle her attitude, drive or \u201ccheap rhetoric,\u201d she <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1079083478510116869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1079083478510116869&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F01%2F04%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Falexandria-ocasio-cortez-dance-video.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">barks back<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Not sure why fmr Sen. McCaskill keeps going on TV to call me a \u201cthing\u201d and \u201cshiny object,\u201d but it\u2019s pretty disappointing.<\/p>\n<p>McCaskill promised she\u2019d \u201c100% back Trump up\u201d on his anti-immigrant rhetoric &amp; lost. In MO, almost all progressive ballot issues won. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/53qKvnr8KG\">https:\/\/t.co\/53qKvnr8KG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AOC\/status\/1079083478510116869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 29, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her presence in the legislative branch, which is stronger than any junior Congresswoman before her, shakes up a very old group of lawmakers. She\u2019s there, not only to represent her district, but also her age group &#8212; all of their strengths, weaknesses and concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Appropriately, one of her first responsibilities as a member of Congress was teaching her Democratic colleagues <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2019\/01\/16\/politics\/aoc-twitter-congress\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how to effectively use Twitter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her story &#8212; quickly evolving from a Boston University-educated bartender to a star lawmaker &#8212; perfectly echoes the struggles, opportunities, downsides and benefits of being a part of her generation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although, politically, Ocasio-Cortez clearly sits on the far-left side of the spectrum, her ideas are geared towards preserving the future of the earth and creating educational and economic opportunity for millenials, Gen Zs and their children. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s proposition to mitigate climate change and reduce income inequality through her Green New Deal, as disputed as it may be, shows she is tired of the government sitting in limbo as the window of opportunity to slow down climate change continues to shrink. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And according to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.met.psu.edu\/people\/mem45\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Michael Mann<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a renowned climatologist and geophysicist, the plan could work. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are no physical obstacles, nothing in the laws of physics, that says it can\u2019t work,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s simply a matter of our commitment, willpower and willingness to reject the status quo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And to the Republican and Democratic lawmakers who claim the plan is \u201ctoo expensive,\u201d Mann says: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe cost of inaction &#8212; in the form of devastating superstorms, droughts, heat waves\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and floods &#8212; is already far greater than the cost of taking action.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Millennials have grown up with a generally stagnant legislative branch, so to many, Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s desire to act quickly and make a significant impact is rejuvenating. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But to tenured members of Congress, Ocasio-Cortez is portrayed as an eager rookie. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi recently shrugged off Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s plan, calling it \u201cthe green dream, or whatever they call it\u201d in an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/02\/07\/pelosi-trump-government-shutdown-1154355\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interview with Politico<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But while Pelosi and other politicians may have justification to roll their eyes at Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s ambitious plan, many millenials are encouraged to see Ocasio-Cortez stirring the pot, making noise and suggesting beneficial legislature instead of assuming her role as a freshman member of Congress and sitting idly. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is now one of the biggest stars in politics. Her dance moves, along with her proposition of the Green New Deal, have made her viral on the internet and a force to be reckoned with in Washington, D.C. In a short period of time, she has become a millennial archetype. Just over [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":29565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[645,6,230,229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discourse","category-student-advocacy","category-news","category-lead-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg",830,533,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a-224x144.jpg",224,144,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a-300x193.jpg",300,193,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg",830,533,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg",830,533,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg",830,533,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg",830,533,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jackson Schroeder","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/author\/jackson-schroeder\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 29, is now one of the biggest stars in politics. Her dance moves, along with her proposition of the Green New Deal, have made her viral on the internet and a force to be reckoned with in Washington, D.C. In a short period of time, she has become a millennial archetype. Just over&hellip;","featured_media_src_url":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/a.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}