Sanders Supporters

With this being an election year I'm probably going to be writing more political articles than normal but I'll do my best to keep up the variety. That being said, let's dive right into this topic. A while ago I wrote an article concerning Donald Trump but that last one wasn't as much about the man himself as it was about the people who are so enamored with him. Since Bernie Sanders is such a big figure and has an interesting coalition behind him I feel they deserve their own entry as well. A fair warning; I'm not the biggest fan of Sanders supporters at the current moment and while I will explain why, there may be some apparent bias. It would be fair to say that to an extent Bernie Sanders has kicked off a revolution of sorts, however recently I've become disillusioned by a few aspects of it. I will explain what I'm talking about in regards to that as well and it has to do with the divide between moderates and progressives among the American Left. Bernie Sanders has good intentions, I do believe that. Universal healthcare, environmental protection, social justice, and all of the other causes he champions are undoubtedly good things that I want to see come about. I also believe that his supporters hearts are in the right place, but their actions are where I begin to have concerns. Ends justifying means is a very tricky concept. If the ends aren't sufficiently good then the means are easy to deem unjustifiable. But if the ends are good, then the means are more arguably ok, correct? In some cases I would say yes. However the case for a Sanders presidency (being the ends), I've seen some controversial means being taken. The means I've seen, on many occasions, include cyber bullying, fostering animosity, divisiveness, and an overall attitude of moral superiority combined with a "my way or the highway" mentality. These sound more like tactics one would expect from a Trump supporter which is where I begin to feel the sense of disillusion that I referred to before. However, it should be remembered that all of this is being done for the purpose of pushing Senator Sanders towards the Democratic nomination and ideally the Presidency, an ends that I definitely don't think would be the worst thing in the world. Still, where I have a problem with all of it, is that for one thing, there's no guarantee that all of his policies will actually come about should he become president, and there's no guarantee that these means will even secure him the democratic nomination, so that casts further doubt on the merit of the borderline toxic culture surrounding his coalition. Another big problem I have, lies in the very real possibility of Sanders not receiving the nomination. Obviously the only other person running is Biden, so that's the scenario I'm referring to. Some Sanders supporters I know personally, have been ruthless in their criticism of the former Vice President, and I'm aware of many in the Sanders camp who are wholeheartedly unwilling to support anyone besides Sanders. This is a big problem in my mind. The possibility of Biden securing the Democratic nomination is very real and if there is a demographic as large as Sanders supporters who are unwilling to get behind Biden, well that's the best case scenario for Trumps reelection if you ask me. That's even more disappointing when I think about the fact that I doubt Biden supporters would do the same thing. Supporters of Joe Biden can usually be identified in online comment sections as people saying things along the lines of "blue no matter who!" or just outwardly expressing support for the former vice president. But it's that attitude of complete willingness to support the Democratic nominee no matter who it is that seems much less evident in the Sanders camp and that makes me significantly nervous. I've essentially sworn off going into the comment sections on articles regarding Sanders or Biden because it's too depressing, that's the main thing that inspired me to write this article, the attitude is just that prevalent. Alright, I think I've been critical enough, now lets shift the narrative in a more positive direction! For the first thing, it's entirely possible that I'm wrong. The case in the instance of a Biden nomination could be that Sanders supporters will put their feelings aside for the betterment of the country, and I would love nothing more than to see such unity. Sanders supporters also have many fantastic and crucial qualities worth mentioning. They are especially driven, I know some personally who work on the campaign and that gives me great hope for the future. Why does that give me hope for the future? Because of the well known fact that most are young. If Bernie has done anything that I admire (to be clear he's actually done quite a few things that I respect,but this is a particularly prominent one), it's the invigoration of the youth of my country to step up and get involved in politics. Without Sanders revving up my generation, the alternative could have easily been a whole demographic disinterested in important issues and making a difference not only in this country but in the world beyond. Sanders supporters are without a doubt attempting to do that and are extremely passionate about what they do. Many have pointed out the obvious reason for that and that is because they stand to be the most effected by how things play out on the national stage. My generation and gen Z will be the ones living with the effects of the decisions made in these days for a large portion of our lives, so why should we not step up and take part? Sanders supporters are somewhat diverse, which is not uncommon for those on the left, but his bunch appears to be especially so. This no doubt has to do with his very broad appeal but not only is the demographic very diverse, they fervently embrace and promote diversity which is something I very much respect. Above all, Sanders supporters are going to be a crucial part of the coalition that will either end this sham of an administration, or secure it's continuation. I sincerely hope it will be the former.