I’m not slacking

Beehive Buzz notes that Michael Moore wants to get the youth vote out with his latest movie, soon to be freely available on the internet, Slacker Uprising.  Much as I admire some of Moore’s work I have to admit I’m a bit confused.

I thought the slacker culture was an early 1990s phenomenon.  Those twenty-somethings who don’t want to buy into the system so instead read German philosophy, celebrate ironic pop culture and listen to grunge and opt out, are now, I assume were all in their mid thirties when this was filmed and if they haven’t been consumed by their own post modern irony have already learnt that opting out is simply tacit support for those already in positions of power.

I’m of Richard Linklater’s Slacker generation.  But I’ve never liked the label.  Even then.  Or the implication that idealism and activism doesn’t work because the system is too powerful.  Young people have power, not from their savvy IT skills or ability to ironically deconstruct manipulative mass marketing.  But from organising collectively for change.  I know that is what Moore is trying to achieve but why not be openly proud that that his goal, like for instance Gareth Hughes, rather than hiding it behind an aging label that frames young people (and former young people) as lacking the idealism to change things for the better.