In 1970, former United States Census Bureau director Richard Scammon and electoral demographer Ben Watternberg coined the phrase "demography is destiny." Writing in their book The Real Majority: An Extraordinary Examination of the American Electorate, Scammon and Watternberg argued that a real governing coalition in American political life "is the one that holds the center ground on an attitudinal belief." The crux of their argument, which came in the aftermath of a turbulent 1968 presidential election, was that the ideal America is an inclusive America—and, they surmised, it's only a matter of time before diversity and demographic change make political extremism intolerable.
Indeed, new research suggests that, despite the apparent devolution of American civil society during the first year of the Trump administration, Scammon and Watternberg's thesis remains persuasive. A national survey of young Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 (read: younger Millennials and their Generation Z counterparts) released today by the Public Religion Research Institute and MTV reveals that the budding political generation is defined both by a consciousness of systemic and institutional discrimination and an embrace of racial and cultural diversity.
But, more significantly, the new data also signals a particular power shift ahead for a potent political force: toxic masculinity. And in the wake of the #MeToo movement, young Americans seem poised to expand the definition of what it means to be a man—and how those norms and expectations can shape the future of the country.
[For more on this story by JARED KELLER, go to https://psmag.com/social-justi...inity-on-its-way-out]
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