Dani Blum | Mock the vote

The Danalyst | Rock the Vote’s “Turn Out for What” video sends the right message, but in the wrong way

By Dani Blum 10/13/14 10:09pm

L ast w eek, Rock the Vote, the nationwide organization dedicated to boosting youth voter turnout, released its latest video. The campaign, a four-minute YouTube clip, features Lil Jon, Lena Dunham and other celebrities dancing to “Turn Out for What,” an anthem modelled after the all-too-popular song, “Turn Down for What. ” With midterm elections just four weeks away, the video urges millennials to “turn out” for various issues and make a difference through political participation. It’s a noble, well-intentioned goal. I just wish there was a different way to reach our generation.

“Turn Down for What” is a song you only hear at frat parties because the sole lyrics are “Fire up loud, another round of shots / Turn down for what?” There aren’t many other applicable circumstances. It’s a song about getting wasted, plain and simple. And Rock the Vote decided this was the best platform to catch our attention.

I would call the video condescending, except for the most part, our generation deserves it. Our age group is pretty damn boozy — the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that four out of five college students drink. Half of those students who consume alcohol binge drink. At a school like Penn, those statistics don’t feel far off. Last year, the University -backed Commision on Student Safety, Alcohol and Campus Life found that 39 percent of students use alcohol and other drugs to combat stress. We’re a student body that prides itself on winning the label “Number 1 Party School. ” I’d need more than two hands to count the number of times I’ve heard the phrase, “Turn up or transfer” since NSO.

But intoxication shouldn’t be a defining characteristic of our generation. Neither should binge-watching TV shows, but Rock the Vote’s video implies that the way to reach millennials is to play up drinking culture and show off actors from our favorite Netflix series — how can we not vote if Natasha Lyonne’s doing it? Rock the Vote isn’t wrong for trying this approach, but it’s a sad commentary on how society views us.

Furthermore, Rock the Vote is right to catch our attention with issues young people typically care about — racial equality, reproductive rights and student loans are among the primary ones featured in the video. Celebrities in the video take turns stating what issues they’re “turning out” for; in a particularly memorable moment, Lil Jon laughs, “I’m turning out for the legalization of marijuana.”

Nowhere in the video, however, are economics or foreign policy mentioned. Prison reform and climate change awareness — not actual programs to fight global warming, but the awareness that it exists — are given screen time, but not ISIS. We might not be as politically active as we should be, but our generation cares about more than our own immediate concerns.

I’d like to say we don’t need Rock the Vote, but facts indicate otherwise. According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, only 45 percent of people aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2012 midterm elections. Last April, a Harvard Institute of Politics poll found that fewer than one in four millennials “definitely” plan to vote in this year’s midterm elections.

That apathy extends to Penn’s campus. While there are 24 registered Political and Advocacy groups registered at Penn , some students just don’t care about voting. A friend on Penn Dems helped students on Locust register to vote a few weeks ago and was surprised by how few actually registered — many shook their heads and walked on.

Rock the Vote’s latest video might work, and I honestly hope it does. But our age group should turn out for the right reasons, not because Lil Jon reminded us to. We should be genuinely excited to participate in our democracy — and while that sounds idealistic, the prospect of politically energized millennials isn’t impossible.

For now, though, the least we can do is re-emphasize Rock the Vote’s message. Let’s show up at the polls on Nov. 4 ; after all, it’s better to turn out than to tune o ut .

Dani Blum is a College freshman from Ridgefield, Conn. Her email address is kblum@sas.upenn.edu. “The Danalyst” appears every Tuesday. 

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