The Motrin Revolution
Last night, I attended the Bruce Springsteen Land of Hope and Dreams concert at Chase Center in San Francisco. The tour is more than a concert series, it’s a protest movement; a gathering of pro democracy, like-minded people sharing a lament for what’s being done by this administration and unifying around a determination to fight for American values. Like in Minneapolis and cities across America, it was an invitation to take a clear-eyed view of where we are right now, and to come on up for The Rising. Of course, given the age of most of the folks in the crowd, rising can be easier said than done (especially for the duration of a 3-hour Springsteen show). The age of our protest crowd made sense. Aging rockers/Aging fans. I pre-gamed with my standard concert drug of choice these days: a handful of Motrin. But it turns out that our concert demographics weren’t all that different from what you’d find at a No Kings rally. In the NYT (Gift Article), Thomas B. Edsall looks at some of the interesting reasons why young people could be missing from a movement that so directly impacts their interests. “We have a president who has directly attacked the finances and the intellectual freedom of colleges and universities, is building the technology for a surveillance state, undermines free and fair elections and took the nation into an unjustified war with no explanation while causing domestic economic havoc. But one ingredient is missing: a substantial anti-Trump youth movement.” NYT (Gift Article): Why Aren’t the Kids Out Protesting Against Trump? “‘At No Kings 1 (June 14, 2025) the median age was 36, at No Kings 2 (Oct. 18, 2025) the median age was 44, and at No Kings 3 (March 28, 2026) it was 48. Clearly, it’s getting older’ … So what’s going on? I asked a wide range of experts for their thoughts. Some pointed to such structural developments as the explosion in social media usage and public access to artificial intelligence, both of which weaken users’ sense of efficacy and agency.” The irony is that it’s precisely in-person gatherings like concerts and protests that can renew our shared sense of efficacy and agency. Yes, my back was a little sore when I woke up this morning, but, thankfully, I still have the sound of freedom ringing in my ears (at least until I pop one more Motrin)
+ Photos of young Hungarian voters who helped end Prime Minister Orbán’s grip on power. (Yesterday, I covered the big loss for Orban, and MAGA: Fallen Idol.)
+ Of course, young people have plenty of things to worry about these days, from AI shifts in the job market to the political mess we’ve left them. And they’re coming of age in the age of age. “Although political gerontocracy has operated overtly, the rising economic power of the elderly has escaped much notice. Over the past 40 or so years, American wealth has grown ever more concentrated among the oldest generations. In 1989, Americans over age 55 held 56 percent of it; today they hold 74 percent. During that same period, the share of wealth held by Americans under 40 has shrunk by nearly half, from 12 to 6.6 percent. The color of money is now gray.” The Atlantic (Gift Article): An Oligarchy of Old People.
