When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, he reportedly told an aide after signing the legislation, “We have just lost the South for a generation.” He was right. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Virginia since Johnson. This time around though, the generation of which Johnson spoke so prophetically about is fading into the sunset. People such as myself born during or after the turbulence of that era are now what Nixon liked to call the Silent Majority except that we didn’t fight in Vietnam, we didn’t use segregated bathrooms and we didn’t see the Beatles. The possibility of a black president or a woman vice president doesn’t seem odd to us. While this is a historic moment in American history, my generation, thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of the ones that preceded us, has (mostly) evolved beyond the prejudices of the past. The old rules no longer apply to us.

We are the new majority.

Music and politics dominate my life. I guess it is true when they say that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree because that was how my father raised me. He was obsessed with both. When Barack Obama accepted the democratic nomination for president, my mother called and told me she wished he were alive to see it. “He would have loved him,” she said, quietly choking up whenever we talked about my father, “He would have been so proud.” My mother has often told me of the depressions he went into when Kennedy, King and another Kennedy were murdered and I was taught at an early age to hate Richard Nixon. One of the happiest days in my father’s life was the day Nixon resigned. He was simply giddy.

My family never went to church. When I was six years old, I remember asking him what our religion was after spending another friendless Sunday afternoon when all the neighborhood kids went to their various religious functions. He looked at me for a moment and then said, “just be nice.” It was sound advice, free from dogma and an easily understandable concept of humanity to impart to a child. My friends were going off every Sunday to learn how to be nice.

I think it is because of this lack of conventional worship that music became my moral compass. The stereo was our temple and I was, and still am, a true believer. My mother often laments the lack of formal religious teachings in our early lives but I am happy to not have any imaginary friends. All of my prophets are real. Music by its very nature is a unifying experience. At its best, music frees the mind so the ass can follow.

This election is probably the first time many people of my generation have become actively engaged in the political process. The reason for this is simple. There isn’t a draft. If there were, street protests would be a daily occurrence. The tragic events of 9/11 sparked a wave of patriotism in people, myself included, that was squandered by eight treasonous years of the Bush Administration. What should have been our defining moment as a generation unified in the belief that we are a nation worth fighting for was wasted in vindictive party politics. We slumped back to our couches mired in the bitter apathy of the deepest, darkest division.

Barack Obama changed all that. Regardless of how you feel about the man, he has galvanized people as no other in recent memory to actively participate in this ongoing, cultural experiment known as the United States. This can only be a good thing. As of this writing (Tuesday morning), I don’t know if he, as I hope, is our next president but I will say that voting in this election has been my proudest moment as an American.

Best of all, I know that I am not alone.

chris,

you are definitely not alone. thanks for this article. i think many of us can relate. as i get older, i learn to appreciate my parents more and more. and that includes their opinions and the choices they made in raising me. i called my mom a few weeks ago to talk about the impending election. the conversation lasted for at least 45 minutes. my parents are by no means liberal, but they voted for barack obama because they believe in him and in the majority of his policies. it’s not about a party, it’s more about a position. and a belief system. i made the decision a few years ago to educate myself about politics because my high school and college experiences left me severely lacking in that department. i think it’s great that so many young people are so eager these days to become involved. it’s an inspiring notion. as a fellow music lover, i just wanted to say thanks.

-christy