Youth candidates - we're here, we're young, we're not at fucking summer camp!

The BBQ Pit
1

I’m really annoyed. One of the local alternative newspapers just sort of casually stomped on a local youth candidate, saying “Guess what, this isn’t summer camp” and calling my party exploitative and undemocratic for having nominated her. Her crime? Going to university while running a campaign. (Her name’s Willy Blomme, she’s the NDP candidate in Westmount-Ville-Marie, and she’s a student at McGill.) Check out the column at: http://www.afterhour.com/columns/c_forum.asp

For one thing, a lot of non-youth candidates have to balance their everyday commitments (like, say, work) with elections. I happen to know that Willy’s been running her campaign with great professionalism and organizational skills.

But mainly, the whole thing just pisses me off. It’s like the author’s dismissing any contribution that young people could make. I felt insulted on my behalf and on behalf of the many great youth candidates I’ve spoken with from all parties.

I mean really, they used to say the same thing about women, that they weren’t really serious about being in politics. The idea that Willy or I or any youth candidate is just playing around is insulting in the extreme, as well as ageist.

We chose to fight our campaigns and have fought them for the same reasons and with the same intensity that any candidate brings to a federal election. We, the youth candidates of the federal election, are not playing around,
nor are we cannon fodder. I chose myself to run, for which party to run, and in which riding to run, knowing full well what I was getting into.

And believe it or not, this was the same day an article came out in the Globe and Mail about youth candidates, headlined “Like, I so want your vote”. Can you imagine what the reaction would have been if they had done an article on Black candidates with a headline in Ebonics?

I’m just really feeling devalued as a young candidate. And people wonder why young people don’t vote! If we can’t get any respect as candidates, why should we feel respected as voters?

2

Yeah, this is definitely a world that devalues youth. I mean, come on, only 18-25 year olds can get drafted to go off and kill and die, but many federal elected offices have age limits of 25 years or more. This means that the group that dies and the group that decides they should die are mutually exclusive. Truly disgusting.

BTW, I have seen you mentioned the NDP party in many posts, but I still don’t know what it stands for. Enlighten me, please?

3

Sure, sorry. The New Democratic Party of Canada is the party I’m presenting myself for election in. It’s the furthest-left of the parties that are currently represented in our parliament. Info on them is available at http://www.ndp.ca .

4

At least you do have the ability to have some say in the government beyond voting there… I don’t think there are any national positions (Congress or President) that you can run for here, and I’m not certain that you can run for state legislature either. The youngest person here ever to hold elected office is, I believe, Michael Moore, who was elected to his school district at the age of 18. That said, I definitely know what it’s like to have “adults” look down at your accomplishments and actions and write them off, and it’s annoying as hell. I wish you and Willy the best in this election, and know I’d be voting for you guys if I could (and not just because you’re young, but because I agree with you politically).

5

Matt: Glad you are running as one of us, and don’t let the ink-stained bastards get you down. I’ve been a New Democrat in Quebec, and now I’m a New Democrat in Alberta so I have some idea of what you are up against.

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Bag: Cool! Always good to meet a fellow kneedipper. Are you running this time round?

7

Say fellas, what’s involved in becomming a candidate for the NDP? That must be a challenge in itself especially if you’re young.

8

Matt:

Nope, we found a more willing sacrificial lamb. Spending my time trying to convince people that strategic voting in Calgary Centre is a fraud. Trying to get them to get over their belief that it would be less embarrassing to have Joe Clark as an MP (his being house-trained and all) than that bastard Eric Lowther (who insists on pissing on his constituency). A pox on both of them.

9

Well, now, I think Joe Clark is an honourable man. (So are they too, all honourable men. :slight_smile: ) Be that as it may, good luck on the 27th!

Pweet: I called up the office to find out who was the candidate in my riding, and they said nobody yet, and offered me the chance to run, which I accepted. If there had been more than one person who wanted to run, there would have been a nomination meeting, but the other guy decided he didn’t want to run. (I would have let him and run in a different riding if he had wanted to because he is quite famous.) Anyway, then the party executive nominated me by acclamation. I then had to go door-to-door to collect 100 signatures from people in my riding to have the right to run. I took the signatures down to the returning office along with a letter from the party and the party’s cheque for $1000. They checked out and I was put on the ballot!

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This is so funny. The article implies that the youth today is only good for spending money on inane entertainment, from which these same newspapers get money by advertising it. God forbid that they do something actually worthwhile in their lives.

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In my opinion, I think they must have been referring to the fact that younger people don’t have as much experience. I think that does get balanced out by drive and idealism which we lose with age, though.

I saw Willy Blomme (and I feel so bad that her name is so easy to make cracks at) speak at the Candidate’s speeches in Westmount-Ville Marie and she did seem very nervous, but I liked what she was standing for. Youth isn’t turning EVERYONE off, she’s got my vote.