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Yesterday I decided to look up my local young republicans group, to see if I could actually do something political instead of just talk about it online. This is in the U.S. of course.
I was quite surprised to find that, while there are ostensibly two groups operating in my area (a major metro in a purple state), there's basically nothing happening in either. One of the groups seems completely defunct, with a broken website. The other looked more 'official' and the site worked, but there was exactly... one event listed for all the rest of the next year: an awards dinner months out, that costs $75 for anyone who is not already a member to go to.
Nothing besides a basic google form with regards to contact, and no other events or opportunities listed whatsoever.
I talked to an AI about this, and apparently this is the norm? ChatGPT recommended I volunteer to canvas or whatever at the official GOP arm in my state, but I wanted to at least go to some sort of social event to start out. Again, nothing! All official meetings, no unofficial mixers or community building volunteering or anything.
Seriously, what is going on here? These are the most major political organizations in the country, and they're being run far worse than most local Effective Altruism groups. This just makes zero sense to me.
FWIW, I looked up the young democrats group in my area, and that seemed just as bad.
Am I missing something here? Is there a reason why these incredibly powerful, important political parties seem to have zero effort involved in actually getting young people to work for them? Seems like an incredibly massive self-own.
Even a highly motivated and intelligent young person will basically be at a loss as to what to do with their political energy. No wonder our generation is so politically blackpilled. No wonder everyone freaked out about Charlie Kirk's assassination!
Am I missing something, or are things really this bleak for political activism amongst the youth in the U.S.?
I wouldn't say it's "the norm" but it is in no way surprising.
As I brought up in my post from a few days ago, the the US Republican party isn't really a national organization in the way that our European commentors would naturally assume upon hearing the words "political party" or even in the way that US Democratic Party is. It is more a loose confederation of state, municipal, and regional parties who's individual scope, resources, and levels of engagement can vary wildly. This distributed party structure was baked in to the party's founding as a cross-regional cross-social-class coalition focused on a small number of specific core issues, and has persisted to the present day both out of cultural inertia and as a defense mechanism against subversion by the forces of "liquid modernity".
Speaking of which, you don't survive as a sincere conservative (as distinct from edge-lords posting on X) in this post-modern age without developing a level of reflexive fieldcraft. Advertising yourself as a young conservative seeking other young conservatives is a good way to get yourself canceled by both sides. Another way to think about it is that the first part of the entrance exam for joining the resistance is "can you find them?". This ties into what @Turniper was saying below about how the functions where the actual connections are made and work gets done are not going to be discoverable via a simple google search and how this is by design.
As far as actionable advice, all I can really offer you is "go where the conservatives are" but remind you that as an educated urban youth who's posting on a site like this one, where you think they are and where they actually are, may be very different.
By way of example, my introduction came through the fandom of a sports team.
As a religious guy, his best in would be the local pro life movement. Go join a group that protests or holds prayer vigils and go from there.
As a first step? yes but again fieldcraft.
Imagine you join such a group or attend one of their vigils and notice that 3 out of the 8 men there all go to the same gym and very specifically not that other gym.
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