This video uses reverse psychology to get you to vote—and it’s bizarrely effective
With about a month to go until November 6th, the 2018 midterm elections are creeping up on us. Voting in the midterms might not seem like it will make much of a difference, but this election has the potential to alter the current makeup of Congress, which in turn affects the president’s ability to enact his agenda. And one viral video has a message for young people: Even if you don’t vote, someone else will.
In the PSA, tweeted by NowThis on October 3rd, a group of curmudgeonly elderly people address the youth of America, telling them, “Don’t vote. Everything is fine the way it is.”
As the video progresses, individual seniors list hot-button issues like school shootings, the environment, and Black Lives Matter, arguing that they’re happy with the current status quo.
"Tax cuts for the rich?" one man asks. "Hell yeah. I'm rich as f*ck."
"Climate change? That's a 'you' problem," one woman continues. "I'll be dead soon."
They then turn their focus to young people, mocking those who protest or share PSAs on Facebook.
"You won't vote," the video's senior cast continues. "You young people never do. But I do. Midterms, primaries, every single election. We'll be there, but you won't. Because we're a generation of doers, not whiners. And we're doing great."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0e9guhV35o?feature=oembed
The message of the NowThis video is clear: If young people don’t vote, there will be no change. In recent years, voter participation among millennials has been low. According to Pew Research Center, only 19.9% of 18- to 29-year-olds voted in the 2014 primaries—compared to 59.4% of voters 65 and older.
But that could change in 2018. In an August 29th poll from NBC News and GenForward, 55% of millennials surveyed said they would probably or definitely vote in November.
Our current system of government definitely has its flaws, but it’s the only system we have right now. Voting is the best way to make your voice heard, so be sure to cast your ballot in the 2018 midterm elections on November 6th.
