what's interesting about this is that it serves the same purpose as trump's rallies — energizing potential supporters and interested people, creating a positive vibe that builds an affective relationship — but is so much more democratic in that it is participatory
It is time to turn the government over to Millennials and Zoomers. Boomers and Xers get one more election. I'm a young boomer. I'm pretty cool (IMHO), well informed, and very politically involved. I still have great ideas and energy. But... If we are honest with ourselves, it's their world now
Genius!!
It is an educational and fun civic adventure 🤩, unlike Drumpf’s MAGA GOP cult’s hate rallies
Community building.
zohrans mind
Also it’s not evil
Community building, making a large city more personable
They haven't shown up for a long hate speech and a bunch of stupid lies so obvious journalists, apparently, can't be bothered to point them out.
It looks like so much fun. Fun isn’t something I had previously associated with political campaigns. The energy is great! As a bonus Zohran Mamdani is showing off the beauty of NYC while his opponents all describe its flaws & try to scare people.
Also, not mean spirited
Looks like a beautiful day in NYC - loving all the fun folks and their support for The Big 🍎 Apple and good leadership!
Hell yes. There's train a'comin' Dems best get on board, or get TF out of the way.
also, by all accounts, attendees at Trump rallies actively hate each other.
They smell like chew & hotdog water.
For real? I thought they bonded through wearing the same thing (red hats, tacky T-shirts) and hating the “other people” (press, non-whites, etc)
A reporter from Salon (I think) went to a Trump rally not long ago. She didn't say whom she was with or why she was there. It was just a collection of horribly impolite and selfish people completely disregarding each other's existences.
“Horribly impolite and selfish people” sums up Trump’s base pretty well
They seem to hate everything in general. Folks just wallowing in negativity.
maga is Old, hateful and bitter. Compared to this young, diverse, hopeful and energetic crowd
MAGA in southern Missouri is young, arrogant and hateful. It isn't all old people.
The young people Trump attracts are the ones who wreak havoc on quiet neighborhood, desecrate graveyards, steal cars, shoot up schools, kill their parents/grandparents, use date rape tactics, get dishonorable discharges from the military, join hate groups, abuse drugs…young scum.
Around here they tend to be Christians. They tend to have blue collar jobs. They tend to be from farms and the smaller surrounding towns. They shop at Bass Pro and open carry guns and wear farmer boots as opposed to western style. They're rednecks.
Probably the same type. Just haven’t got caught yet.
It’s nice to see so many young people living & loving Democracy!
bsky.app/profile/ever...
It is creating a single day third space where community can meet and gather, which is brilliant because third spaces are so badly needed
Mamdani GO! 🤳
Yep, the biggest difference is that the event isn't about Mamdani, it's about the community and the participants.
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social is building community, not just speaking the words of community from a stage. I love this! Gets people excited in the possibilities of where they live which is a far more productive focus then on the rich wall street fucks.
And he emphasized that all the scavenger hunt locations are transit accessible which is 💯.
But too scary, too dangerous
bsky.app/profile/empi...
You’ll need to scroll up in my above post for context. This is the view from inside the farmers market area: #ZcavengerHunt bsky.app/profile/wils...
This seems like political shit people would actually enjoy participating in even if they’re only partially engaged too
This is great to see!
Bringing people outside and then interacting with each other … fun, I think they call it … what a RADICAL concept … 🇺🇸 🔥
Don’t forget FUN!
Pokemon go to the polls but good.
Would almost consider moving to NYC to vote for him. But I get to stay put and vote for my wonderful anti-Trump mayor, Michelle Wu.
Clarify for my feeble brain is this a pro or anti Mamdani rally? If it is lock them up if not spread his activism all over this country.
Pro- he's doing some sort of NYC scavenger hunt through his campaign.
And no one in cultwear. (Altho more and more people are stopping me to ask where I got my Zohran button. I got it for free during the primary campaign but direct them here: www.zohranfornyc.com/supporters)
“Cult Wear” 🤭
Speaking of cultwear -- I checked the site, and there's very little merch for sale. There's a poster, and fans can make their own buttons and stickers (yay, participation!). But no t-shirts, hats (Zohran is Right About Everything!), yard signs (less relevant in NYC, I guess?), etc.
In the primary campaign workers were handing out free buttons and signs. I had to pay for my Harris merch. Scored this from Zohran.
Another thing different than Trump.
Giving folks an opportunity to be a part of something bigger……that is what has been missing from the Democratic Party…..
But Jamelle where is the rabid idolatry surely we must have some kind of abject worship of a single figure for democracy
This is also the kind of thing many joyous YouTubers & TikTokers picked up as a fun type of event to do on their channels, not to mention Pokemon Go. Utilizing it attracts young voters, builds a sense of community & cooperation & is great PR for the city & public transit too. 100's will livestream.
And it reinforces one of the main thrusts of his campaign; the joy of city living.
We love our city and we love that he loves our city.
honestly feels very 19th century (and i am a big believer that there are valuable lessons to take from the *how* of 19th century mass politics)
As much as I hate the do nothing online leftists, they're 100% correct that the Democratic party has no idea how to rally or galvanize a support base, refuses to listen when that base tell them what they need to do, and looks at candidates who do with derision and hate.
Mamdani, Pritzker and (*through gritted teeth*) Newsom get it
Jamelle then you’d love my piece in Liberal Currents then. And the upcoming follow up. www.liberalcurrents.com/civic-campai...
But trumps don’t create positive vibes. The rest feels accurate in getting engagement, which is kinda cool!
One thing pundits seem to miss about Mamdani is that his success is rooted very much in being an old-school urban politician of the kind that a guy like Cuomo was supposed to be
I think it has more to do with Mamdani's fluency in digital culture, which has a strong participatory tendency (I highly recommend Henry Jenkins' "Participatory Cultures")
I share your optimism and your analogy to the courthouse-speech and oyster-house politics of the 19th century, but the pessimist in me worries that the uniquely well-connected context of NYC - connected with transit, info, and common identity as NYers - means that it's impossible to replicate.
This kind of thing is doable in basically any walkable/bikable/transit-oriented city (I did a bunch of similar things in DC and SF), but I do think it would struggle in suburbia.
Social activities in party building is something we need a lot more of
I am here to chew bubblegum and build third places to counteract our 21st century dystopia. And I'm all out of bubblegum.
RETVRN to political events being festivals at heart. A political rally should be like a midwestern state fair with corn dogs, face-painters, live music, and rousing speeches.
Not to speak of the fact that Tammany Hall is one of the stops.
Where can I read more about 19th century mass politics?
Politics as tent revival, performance, affiliation, enlightenment, and entertainment. Can I get a huzzah!
Especially given that the Trumpian version of mass politics is a very fascist one: attendance and participation in political spectacle. Only the spectacle matters, though, not the participation.
I think people need to decide they don't want to keep making the same mistakes of the past. It's time to make some new mistakes. 🥸
I would love some more explanations about how mass politics of the late 19th and early 20th century could teach us something about the moment today, particularly to the current Democratic fixation that too much that used to work is somehow inappropriate
tl;dr it was a lot more fun to be involved with political parties when they had gigantic torchlight parades and massive drinking at their rallies. Gilded Age elections had voter extremely high turnout, although they were ofc quite corrupt, restricted, etc.
Lessons to take from the *how* of 19th century mass politics: 1) get people together talking and sharing in group activities 2) there is no such thing as “overly outlandish facial hair”
I keep thinking of Vienna
wohnbausteuer (effectively a millionaire's tax, pegged to housing size) + labor-intensive housing construction funded by the housing tax to get more people working + health care + education + public goods tied into all of the above, with constant repetition of how and why. 100 year policy.
Some similarities to the plot from "Dispatches from Elsewhere." 🤯
I'm a big ball of twine truther
Any suggestions on where to read up on that sort of thing?
any recommended books on 19th century mass politics?
This one is a really interesting look at a post- civil war mass movement by farmers, that expanded to include trying to make our whole monetary system more democratic archive.org/details/popu...
Reminds me of the Jejune Institute's scavenger hunt, which I did when I first moved to SF. Using the city to create a sort of magical Situationist game. I believe the guy responsible for it went on to design the Exploratorium. There was a not very good doc about it www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqin...
I saw this doc!
I would read more about this
Also, gets an isolated, anxiety driven generation out into the world engaging with other people.
This is the way.
Say more about that please
Just want to hang out at the local Indivisible Bar.
I took my son and we did the whole thing (except the last stop because we weren’t able to get a card to be able to go). It was very fun and communal.
Mamdani is going to run a local 5k and put down 7 minute miles
📌
🤞 mamdani will herald in a new era of Georgism
Minus, I assume, the coercive tactics of party bosses, the corrupt patronage system, and the food and copious alcohol offered to assist voters' choices? And the often questionable hand-counting of ballots?
And none of them are shipped in or paid for😏 Or corralled into one group so the place looks more full
People may make fun of me for this comparison, but it feels like capturing some of the energy of Pokemon Go in summer 2016.
And you don't think that asking three million people all at once to fork over three bucks for the DNC, or else, has that same "bonding" effect?
We did a photo scavenger hunt as part of a campaign for the local chamber. It got people out to places they hadn’t been in their own community. It broadened people’s views. Trump’s rallies corral people in fairgrounds for the same propaganda they get at home. His rallies are just confirmation bias.
🌳 Plus notice, the complete lack of jingo & cosplay symbolism: No red hats, no overt flags, no ears taped up with bandage, no MAGA regalia. Just authentic PEOPLE, engaging in the democratic process.
As other people have said it also gets people engaged with their cities as well. Instead of siloing away or sticking to metaphorhically gated places or going out solely for consumer reasons, this is getting people out. It's incredible. And a great antidote to our loss of public spaces.
And you know the pub crawl after it's all over will be epic, which means $$ poured (literally) into the coffers of NYC businesses and in taxes. It's a fantastic idea all around.
Oh man I would love to do the pub crawl. If there's bar trivia too then it would be the perfect day.
It's not quite anti homeless architecture but you know what I mean. It's a reclamation of public space by the public, not just the wealthy or "right" people.
Do Trump rallies create a positive vibe? I haven't been to one but my perception is that he tries to scare people.
This is also a reminder of how dominant Dems could have been the last few decades if leadership encouraged Zohran types rather than spending all their energy defeating them. The fact that they continue to do it shows that depressing the base has always been the point. They like Republican policies.
And it's not full of lies, racism, xenophobia and general hatred.
And not a cult.
Mamdani gets it.
and contrary to yamtits rallies, most of the people look to be in possession of multiple brain cells each.
The best thing is that Andrew Cuomo is staying in the race as a constant reminder of how inept our Democratic establishment is and has been
This should scare Russell Vought and the rest of the White House crew over at Weekend at Bernie's.
At it's lighthearted not angry
Builds community which we need now more than ever.
Also nobody has collapsed
It builds a bigger community in a way I never really considered before. They're doing something participatory in public, drawing attention, experiencing their city. It's smart as hell. And the unexpected nature builds interest in what might be next. Pretty cool.
I see a lot more community here than I do from footage of Trump rallies.
Seeing those crowds is uplifting. A good mix of fun and politics.
When I was a child, my Dad was a member of the Democrat Party. They would have outdoor fried fish dinners with what seemed to me at that time, Huge kegs of beer. It was a blast. The next day we kids would sneak to the kegs & get drops of beer on our fingers & then lick them.
They took our town squares. This is the people taking them back. Meeting as a community for fun and activities. 💙🇺🇸
the idea that both serve the same purpose is a problem. purpose has more to it that the social affects and trappings. energizing people - to do what?? hate? creating a positive vibe - to promote what? ice raids? building relationships - not really. he wants worshipers.
Gamification of the political campaign
It's an event but not really a spectacle
It's more about the city and fellow citizens than focused on the candidate. Brilliant.
I.e., not a cult of personality.
What I ❤️ about this is the young residents of NYC, who ❤️ our city and want to continue to live here and enjoy every amazing thing NYC makes possible.
This is important for learning solidarity and mobilization when the inevitable fuck shit starts happening
"starts"
Awesome!
Congressional Democrats should be studying everything his man and his team is doing and stop listening to people like freaking David Schor!!!!
I've commented on how the "Make America Great Again" tagline was genius (whether intentional or not), because it's a participatory and inclusive call to action. [I need you to] MAGA. [We are going to] MAGA. Etc. It's activating in a way that many campaign slogans aren't.
Well, there must be a reason so many warmed to Trump. He has a firm grip on slogans and branding, and no qualms about anything. For instance "they're eating the dogs" was an outrageous lie which however stole the debate spotlight from Harris.
And that call to action, that ability to engage and activate people, is what's needed more than ever before. Having candidates and officials that get out among their constituents will be a key component of retaking our polity
I was worried after November that Dems would give up on politics as an expression of joy. This gives me hope.
Weird it took so long for someone to figure this out.
Creating a sense of community! Brilliant @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social and much needed in NYC.
Blob rallies don't have "positive" vibes.
Having been to a Trump rally back in 2016, I can tell you that they were like attending a carnival. It definitely had a sideshow vibe and I remember leaving thinking the dregs of society like that would never win an election.
This ad was also pretty baller. It was a nice "point to the latest Cuomo scandal" without specifically saying it.
This was genius!
I'm going to be sad when his campaign ends. It's truly the one bright spot in a dismal time.
What I see is a crowd of young people. That's a good thing.
This is so smart. It gets people moving and enjoying themselves and each other. They attach that feeling to the candidate. Trump did it with grievance and owning the libs. This is much better.
Ya gotta do fun in fascism! /s
It isn’t based in fear or bigotry either
Fascism as funsies! What will WP think of next!
Maybe they will think of showing up to vote for the candidate who won’t do fascism. We rest. You fix your mess.
Gentrification patty-cake games are adorbs! /s
Google gentrification. I assume you know how to internet
…are you even aware of what you posted this screed in response to?
You tone policing Junior? That’s mighty authoritarian of you
Get better at this goofy #digitalblackface
And, unlike Trump, FUN. 😀
It's brilliant, honestly. Mamdani is energizing the demographic that made the most important difference in the primary election (young and mostly white voters). It's a fun, stress-free way for them to meet each other and it's a way of him recruiting for the last 2 months of the campaign.
It's also a way to get the young voter who didn't vote in the primary to be more likely to vote in general. There's probably a ton of them doing this scavenger hunt.
I know I would rather attend a non-political scavenger hunt than listen to trump drone on for 2 hours about how none of this is his - if it's broken - and all because of him if anything happens to work right.
*and* it generates news coverage on *his* terms.
And building up community and local business.
His instincts are out of this world.
And apparently at least one game of Miss Mary Mack.
We don’t need Gimmicks, the Time we are in is SERIOUS! Democracy is in the cross hairs! Let’s talk Our Democratic Agenda! -Jobs -Immigration REFORMS -Healthcare -People Rights -Voting Rights -Expanding the SCOTUS -Cost of Housing(bringing back Government Projects) -Living Wage increase -Education …
Definitely a healthier vibe from the crowds here. Probably because they're working FOR something, not AGAINST.