Power to the Individual — what I understood from Bernie’s campaign Ali Follow Apr 8 · 7 min read

Few people are afforded the chance to experience their childhood dreams. As a child, I was possessed and driven by a manic fascination with the world of Disney. My mind overflowed with a wealth of knowledge concerning the abundance of stories and characters, but of course there was more to my obsession than just the accumulation of a melange of facts; the ultimate dream was to live inside a Disney movie. Other dreams included becoming a cat, becoming famous, marrying my first crush, and publishing a book. Although I am currently working on publishing a children’s book, I gave up on becoming a cat and chasing fame.

I had also given up on living inside a Disney movie, but on February 2nd, 2020, I finally experienced it! I felt engulfed within the magic of Pixar, specifically that of Finding Nemo. More specifically, the exact scene with all the seagulls yelling “mine, mine, mine!” while they fought for fish. As I stood in Cedar Rapids (the most magical place in America), amidst reporters scrambling and trampling over each other to get the perfect photo; I took it all in. Not too many people get to experience their childhood dreams, and I will forever be grateful for the culture modern journalism has created for affording me this unique opportunity.

Sarcasm aside, this trip to Iowa, a culmination of several hare-brained decisions, a feverish obsession with Bernie Sanders, good music taste, and the power of friendship, surpassed all expectations. Like all great stories, it started during a professor’s lecture; I was biding the time by endlessly scrolling through Twitter when I noticed that Bernie Sanders tweeted about campaign event with Vampire Weekend in Iowa. Naturally, being the mature and wise person that I am, I took this as an opportunity to try and provoke my friend, a self-identifying “libertarian with a heart of gold.” But eventually the joke evolved once my internal indie music fanboy compelled me to text my friend Connor. In no time, we turned my “haha wouldn’t it be cool if we did this haha…” into a well-planned adventure. An hour later we found a car, a place to stay for ten dollars overnight, and a group of friends to join us; we were fully committed.

Connor, an extremely talented artist, designed a shirt for the rally and sent it out to a Vampire Weekend fan accounts. Eventually, the shirt found its way to across the internet, and the night before our pilgrimage to Iowa, Connor’s inbox was filled with an absurd amount of requests. I advised him to set up a CustomInk store to avoid the hassle, but Connor adamantly declined, declaring it a form of taking the easy way out. He was committed to preserving the ownership and spirit of the art while also controlling the message behind it; at the time I was not completely sure what he meant but I decided to be a supportive friend and hit him with the typical, “of course I got you. Let me know if you need anything!”

Connor’s shirt gained considerable popularity, even attracting the attention of Mike Gravel’s campaign team. Once we showed up to the venue dressed up in our matching shirts, people flocked towards us in droves trying to get their own. At one point someone tried to set his daughter up with Connor for the shirt. The power was compelling; I thought I finally understood Connor’s desire to distribute the shirts himself.

While we were waiting for the event to begin, my friend Nick and I managed to secure press passes for the entire group. With these passes, I was able to go anywhere; the venue became my personal playground. I engaged with reporters from across the world and ended up on Japanese, Australian, and other global media outlets. Once the event began, however, the press pass lost its original magic. I was no longer seen as an energetic hopeful, but rather one of the many journalists struggling to get the perfect angle and spin the best narrative. I tried to escape the whirlpool of desperation, but the scene was no longer from Finding Nemo; I was in The Lion King. I felt like Simba, trapped by a stampede of media struggling to satisfy their viewership with the DNC menacing over Bernie Sanders like Scar. I acknowledge that this metaphor might be a bit dramatic, but the message stands.

Our small group congregated at the event and was eventually approached by a journalist from a reputed news source. My childhood desire for fame took control and jumped at the opportunity, but once the award-winning journalist (who shall remain unnamed) asked us targeted questions, we all realized we were not being interviewed; we were being used to shape a narrative-reduced to tools meant to showcase the worst of Bernie supporters. After reaffirming that we did not “hate America,” were not communists, and were willing to listen to other viewpoints several times, we reached an impasse. Our interviewer realized he would not be able to collect enough ammunition from us and decided to conclude the interview before wasting any more time. Despite the overwhelming feeling of disgust, I still felt impressed by the way he managed to command the conversation and steer it and decided to approach him for advice regarding my children’s book.

At the time I had finished the first draft of my children’s book and was working with some refugee resettlement agencies to refine and self publish it, offering all profits to charity. Prior to this event, I saw my book as a small project to complement the refugee work I do. It was designed to help children empathize more with the struggles refugees face through animal allegory. After telling the reporter about my book, he was impressed with my creativity and told me to find him after his next interview. I was drunk with joy and ready to forgive him for his crimes. While waiting, I took in the sheer beauty of the event. I was briefly able to talk to Michael Moore, Senator Nina Turner, and Stacey Walker about my children’s book. They applauded my dedication and reaffirmed the campaign’s message that true change starts with individuals driven by their passions, and not the institutions. I was giddy with euphoria and more motivated than ever.

Eventually the time came and we began to discuss potential avenues for this book. The reporter offered to connect me to several of his contacts in the publishing industry under the condition that I was able to depoliticize the message behind my book. Of course, this news was crushing since the only reason I had undertaken this project was the message. Sensing my discomfort with the idea, he then told me that most renowned publishers would not want to send political messages to children. After asking him about the potential of self-publishing, he told me exactly what I needed to hear to snap out of it. The reporter told me that I would not be able to accomplish any change as an individual by self-publishing; I would need to go through the institution and conform to its ideals. I was shattered.

I returned to my friends, feeling defeated and lost. But as we stood together and internalized the rally, Connor told us that he received a message from a manager of Vampire Weekend, and she wanted to meet with him for the shirts. And it was at this moment when everything fell into place. It was not about the power; Connor did not want to sell out because he cared about his art. He did not have to rely on the institution, and he made it way further than any of his wildest dreams could take him. Right then, as Bernie spoke about the power of the masses and the true nature of democracy, I felt stronger than ever.

They can try to take away his message. They can tell us that the individuals will never be able to accomplish anything without the institution. Sure, the institution might have demolished Bernie Sanders’ campaign, but they did not crush the ideals. There will always be people like Connor- artists, musicians, scientists, academics, and regular people with vision and passion, and together we will change the world for the better. Yes, it is unfortunate that it’s over, but Bernie Sanders was not just a candidate; he was a vision that I am confident will move the world forward because of the brilliant, compassionate, and dedicated people in it. This is now the dream.