A Generational Portrait of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Posted by on Jan 20, 2019 in Millennials | 0 comments

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a millennial, not a phenom. She’s the advance guard for her generation — trying to clear the way for 80 million marching troops. She’s reconnoitering, communicating information deemed important via social media, and pursuing the enemy (those who disagree with her).

#AOC is not a younger version of the Silent Generation’s beloved Notorious RBG nor the Baby Boomers’ determined HRC. Ocasio-Cortez is simply the quintessential millennial.

Generationally, here’s the story.

Millennials embrace socialism. Why? Helicopter parents helped them with everything, even college interviews, grad school interviews, and job interviews. The government saw them as 25-year-old “dependents” who could stay on their parents’ health insurance. Moving home was and is an attractive option. So, socialism is seen as an extension of what millennials have been taught from youth: someone will always be there to provide free birth-to-death assistance.

Millennials are social media whiz kids. They are the first American generation to grow up in a digital world. Sharing information is a survival skill to them, and social networks help them tell it all. Ocasio-Cortez documented her Congressional orientation, cooked mac and cheese, sang her favorite songs, answered questions, and danced in the halls of Congress, all of which were streamed on Instagram Live (the millennial version of a fireside chat). Think that’s easy? Just ask Senator Warren about beer and Beto O’Rourke about teeth cleaning.

Millennials feel entitled. They expect to assume leadership roles quickly, maybe too quickly. #AOC has been in Congress a little over two weeks. Baby Boomers believe that people have to pay their dues before they can move ahead. Boomer Whoopi Goldberg’s advice on The View to millennial AOC was: “…sit still for a minute and learn the job”.

Millennials feel empowered. They want to make a grand statement with their lives. Ocasio-Cortez describes her Green New Deal as “similar in scale to the mobilization efforts seen in World War II or the Marshall Plan”.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents, at the moment, the most visible of the 80 million millennials in America. That’s one-fourth of the U.S. population. Understanding millennial strengths and challenges will give you insight into this American generation. Even with that, you probably should “fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”