Vox explains why 'Gen Z is done with both political parties'

I'm beginning September with Vox explaining why Gen Z is done with both political parties | America, Actually.

It’s clear that the youngest generation of voters isn’t the same as the ones that came before. So, what’s up with the kids?

Gen Z researcher Rachel Janfaza joins Vox’s Astead Herndon to discuss how young voters are prioritizing economic survival, confronting their anxieties related to AI-job displacement, and searching for pragmatic, transparent leaders who address their everyday challenges.

00:00 Astead’s love-hate relationship with Gen Z
05:04 The theory of two Gen Z’s
06:19 How the pandemic broke Gen Z
09:48 Growing up with a phone in one hand
16:15 Rejection of the algorithm
17:56 The drivers of economic anxiety
22:08 AI and the future of work
25:25 The gender divide, explained
31:43 Hope for a post-Trump politics
32:51 Takeaways

I've been teaching since 1978, when I became UCLA's flag instructor, and I've seen how every generation is different. They require me to change my teaching to match their peer personalities. Some generations are independent learners, some require more direction. That difference generally reflects how they were taught in K-12. Having been trained and worked as a secondary school teacher allows me to pick up the styles they learned under. Gen Z in particular has been, as Rachel Janfaza pointed out, shaped by remote learning during the pandemic. That would make them more independent, along with the effects of social media, giving them access to sources outside of the classroom, both for good and for ill.

Another way I understand generations has been the writings of Strauss and Howe on generations, which I last mentioned in FiveThirtyEight asks 'Why Are There So Many Boomers In Congress?'

I agree with FiveThirtyEight's quick summary of what our gerontocracy means for policy. It's good for issues relevant to seniors, but maybe not so good for those important to younger Americans. That's good and bad for me personally. I'm 63, so the current Congress would be more likely to pay attention to health issues, like my diabetes, and retirement. On the other, they might not take climate change and technology as seriously as I think they need to, while a younger group of legislators would. Sigh.

Gen Z getting mobilized against AI in general and data centers in particular shows that they are getting other generations to attention to pay attention to their issues.

I'm not surprised by Gen Z's activism; according to Strauss and Howe, they are the same kind of generation as the Silent Generation, that of my parents. That was the generation that supplied the then-young activists of the Civil Rights Movement and later the Women's Liberation Movement. Boomers may claim credit based on their protests against the Vietnam War, but the Silents really provided the people power behind the first two.

Speaking of the past, Gen Z probably has even less connection to the events of the Depression and World War II than I had to the Civil War in my youth. First, I was a young boy during the Centennial of the Civil War, so I got reminded of it regularly. Second, the U.S. has never stopped rehashing the issues of the Civil War, such as sectionalism and racism; the Civil Rights era was still going on when I was young. The Cold War replaced the global struggle of fascism, which everyone thought was defeated. Now that fascism is back, the people who remember are mostly gone and today's young people see World War II as ancient history; they don't understand the relevance. That's one of the reasons why history, even if it doesn't repeat, certainly does rhyme, as Theodor Reik wrote, then had his line attributed to Mark Twain. The history is forgotten, then it returns. Cue George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

That's a gloomy thought, but one that isn't enough to make me think less of the final generation of my students. I like the generation that is saving movies and the mall. As I wrote in those two posts, I like them and think they're good people.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow.

The Marsh Family sings 'Moronic' about Lake Ontario and the trade war with Canada

I promised "something short I can share to social media" and the Marsh Family promptly obliged by uploading "Moronic" - Marsh Family parody of Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" about Trump's Trade War with Canada.

This song treats the Trump shenanigans in recent days as he has escalated a trade war with Canada and – when faced with defiance and the threat of counter tariffs – indulged in petty statements and pathetic acts such as sanctimoniously renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’. We have been inundated with requests from Canadian followers for something on this topic (including plenty of suggested lyrics and songs) – but we’ve stuck to our own model and selection, which we nearly always do. We wanted to use an iconic Canadian musician for the parody, and opted for the cutting tongue and clean spiky sound of Alanis Morissette – whose show Danielle loved seeing live in London recently. "Jagged Little Pill" was one of our favourite albums - coming out in 1995 when we first met at uni - and "Ironic" (co-written and produced by Glen Ballard) topped the Canadian chart for six weeks when released, thanks in part to a memorable music video that showcased different characters/versions of her.

Yes, it is moronic, but I expect no better from Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump, especially on trade.

The Marsh Family deserves an encore, so I'm embedding Canada Responds To Trump’s Tariff Threat from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

After President Trump took offense to an advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan, he threatened Canada with major tariffs. Here now is Canada’s official response.

Yes, it's nearly a year old, but it still works. Also, as I wrote in 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's final Emmy nominations, "That was fun and I already miss Stephen. My monologue posts are not the same without him."

That's a wrap for today's post and August's blogging. Stay tuned for the first post of September.

Once again, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win for the third time

As I promised at the end of It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations, I'm examining the competition program nominees at the Emmy Awards for the Sunday entertainment feature. Watch 78th Emmys Nominations: Reality Competition Program from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Reality Competition Program are Dancing With the Stars, RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors.

RuPaul's Drag Race leads nominations with nine (eleven for the franchise), followed by six for The Traitors, five each for Dancing with the Stars and Survivor, and four for Top Chef. The prognosticators at Gold Derby orders the top two like they did last year, when I wrote 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win again. Every editor, 95.2% of experts, and 93.5% of users think The Traitors will threepeat. The fans and the professionals diverge on the next most likely, with 4.3% of users rooting for RuPaul's Drag Race to upset, while the remaining 4.8% of experts and 1.8% of users selecting Survivor. Dude, I used to be such a big Survivor fan that I was a moderator of a reality TV forum; I get it, but it's not happening this year. Top Chef trails with the last 0.4% of users, while no one is picking Dancing with the Stars.

Gold Derby also has odds for the next category, which will be presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, along with all the rest I'm examining today.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program

• RuPaul Charles – RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
• Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)
• Kristen Kish – Top Chef (Bravo)
• Ariana Madix – Love Island USA (Peacock)
• Jeff Probst – Survivor (CBS)

Alan Cumming won last year and Gold Derby expects he will win again as the choice of every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 91.9% of users. The professionals and fans split on the next two with 7.7% of experts and 1.9% of fans choosing RuPaul Charles while 5.0% of users picked Jeff Probst. Kristen Kish and Ariana Madix divide the remaining users at 0.6% each. By the way, I predicted "Love Island...will be nominated for at least one Emmy next year after breaking through," and I was right. Sorry, Sharks, who got snubbed. On the other hand, congratulations to Madix; just being nominated is an honor.

Follow over the jump for the behind the camera categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'Love on the Spectrum' leads Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards.

It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations

I closed CityNerd asks 'Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?' A driving update by asking "Saturday Night Live's eleven Emmy nominations, anyone?" Not seeing any objections or other suggestions, I'm doing just that, beginning with one category I haven't covered yet.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

• Michael J. Fox – Shrinking: "The Field" as Gerry (Apple TV)
• Brett Goldstein – Shrinking: "Happiness Mission" as Louis Winston (Apple TV)
• Hamish Linklater – Widow's Bay: "Seasickness" as Richard Warren (Apple TV)
• Christopher McDonald – Hacks: "No New Tricks" as Marty Ghilain (HBO Max)
• Rob Reiner – The Bear: "Tonnato" as Albert Schnur (FX)
• Connor Storrie – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Connor Storrie" as host (NBC)

Connor Storrie is the only SNL performer nominated at these Emmy Awards and the youngest SNL guest host ever nominated, but that doesn't seem to count for much at Gold Derby, where none of the professionals have picked him to win. Their leader is Michael J. Fox, who has the support of 53.8% of experts and 42.9% of editors along with 60.7% of users. Fox is followed by the late Rob Reiner, the choice of 23.1% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 22.0% of users and Hamish Linklater, picked by 23.1% of experts, 14.3% of editors, and 7.0% of users. Professional and fan opinion diverge for fourth and fifth, as 14.3% of editors but only 2.3% of users consider Christopher McDonald to be a potential winner while no professionals but 7.5% of users selected Storrie. At least everyone generally agrees that Brett Goldstein has the worst chance with only 0.5% of users.

That written, I think Storrie deserves another moment in the Sun. I already embedded his monologue in 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update, so watch The Gentlemen’s Code.

Two Victorian men (Connor Storrie, Mikey Day) settle a dispute with the help of the gentlemen's code.

Well, that escalated quickly.

Follow over the jump for the other ten categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'.

CityNerd asks 'Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?' A driving update

I just returned from my morning appointment and will drive into the office this afternoon. By the time I return home, Pearl's odometer will have rolled over another 1,000 miles, so it's time for a driving update.

I begin with Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty asking Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?

People always hate congestion pricing...until they see how good it is. Whatever you want to call it — "the valley of political death," "the hill of hysteria" — it's a dynamic that goes way beyond congestion pricing. Let's examine.

"[T]he hill of hysteria" — that alone makes this sequel to CityNerd explains 'Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?)' worth watching. I'm going to start using that phrase from now on. As for the answer to Ray's question, I hope it's yes.

That's the big driving picture. Follow over the jump for my personal driving update.

Ray 'CityNerd' Delahanty explains why 'Gerrymandering Is Bad for Cities. Here’s How to Fix It.'

I submitted all my grades, but I'm not up for a long post. Instead, I'm sharing Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty explaining why Gerrymandering Is Bad for Cities. Here’s How to Fix It.

Gerrymandering, more often than not, is used to disenfranchise people who live in cities and scatter their votes into outlying districts. It doesn't have to be this way.

Ray has more in his Instagram post.

[T]here have always been embarrassingly bad, nakedly partisan congressional maps, but things went to a whole ‘nother level in 2026. And it’s bad enough that it’s impacting the balance of power in the legislative branch, but what really sticks in my craw is how it stacks the deck against cities.

So today’s video tackles a couple questions: how big should the House of Representatives be, and how should we be drawing districts to make sure city dwellers and rural folk both get legitimate representation?

(Side note: I spent more hours on this video topic than any I’ve ever done, partly because it comes with a companion piece on my site — nerd4cities.com — that also ate up a bunch of hours. The time kind of flew by, though, so...call it a labor of hate)

I agree with both of Ray's legislative fixes, repealing the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 and replacing it with the Wyoming Plan, which Ray calls the Wyoming Rule. I wrote about both, particularly the Wyoming Plan, in Vox explains 'The House of Representatives is too small. Here is one way to fix it.'

I find all three formulas converging on one district for every 500,000 people encouraging. It tells me that my support for the "Wyoming Plan," which has the population of every district being the size of the smallest population state, is well founded. It's also why I'm not terribly eager to add the U.S. Virgin Islands; their population would make the Wyoming Plan unwieldy, if not downright impracticable. Fortunately, the last referendum overwhelmingly supported territory status...However, making the population of a district 500,000 and not that of the lowest population state would remove those reservations.

Ray advocating for the Wyoming Plan/Rule bolsters my support.

As for Ray's preference for keeping communities of interest together running afoul of the Voting Rights Act, I think he shouldn't worry too much about it as long as the current Supreme Court justices are serving. As I wrote in Vox and MS NOW explain 'The voting rights case that could set us back 60 years' and repeated in 'Last Week Tonight' examines redistricting, "the conservative majority of the Supreme Court shot multiracial democracy in America in the leg, if not an even more vital part of the body. The bullet is still traveling, injuring tissues and organs on its way." Much, if not most, of the redistricting that Ray is objecting to is the result of that decision.

That's a wrap for today. I have an appointment in the morning and will return to the office tomorrow afternoon, so stay tuned for another short evergreen educational entry I can share next month, which begins on Tuesday.

RIP, Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton passed yesterday, and I couldn't ignore it. Instead of posting an obituary from a news program (I'm sure TIME will include her in their end of 2026 list), I'm paying tribute to her my own way, through the mutual interaction between her and marching bands. I begin with Marching.com's tribute, Remembering Dolly Parton: She Was Her Own Parade | Dollywood Opening Day 2024.

Dolly Parton didn't just lead the parade — she was the parade.

Today, we extend our condolences and sympathy to all who are mourning her loss. The world has lost a joyful icon who brought beauty, kindness, and inspiration to countless lives. Her music, generosity, and spirit touched generations and left an immeasurable mark on the world.

Captured by Marching.com during Dollywood’s Opening Day Parade on March 8, 2024, this video shows Dolly riding through the park atop a stunning flower-covered carriage that looked worthy of the Rose Parade itself. Her signature smile and larger-than-life presence turned the parade into a truly unforgettable moment.

Thank you, Dolly, for sharing your light with the world.

I couldn't agree more.

Dolly sent her love back to marching music, as shown in Dolly Parton Shares Message with The Franklin Band from Williamson County Schools.

Country music superstar Dolly Parton shares a special message with members of the Franklin High School Marching Band.

That was characteristically gracious of her. And, yes, she played snare drum in the Sevier County High School Marching Band. Now for the band and show she wished well to, Franklin Band COC Final (Dolly Parton Tribute) from Michael Hatley.

Franklin High School Band Contest of Champions Finals performance of the Dolly Parton Tribute "Rags to Rhinestones" 2023 including “Rocky Top” “Shucking the Corn” “9 to 5” “Jolene” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I will always Love You”

Both Dolly and the Franklin band can be proud of that show.

RIP, Dolly.

The Marsh Family sings farewell to Karoline Leavitt

I'm sharing the Marsh Family singing "Thank You for the Bullsh!t" - Marsh Family parody of ABBA (on Karoline Leavitt leaving White House).

Karoline Leavitt is leaving her role as White House Press Secretary and spokesperson for Donald Trump at the end of this week. So we didn't want to let the moment pass without marking it. We used for our parody the emotional and uplifting ABBA ballad farewell song "Thank You For The Music" - originally released in 1978 and penned by the inimitable Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

I'd say good riddance except that I'm sure her replacement will be worse. They almost always are in Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump's White House.

I appreciated the parodies when paired up with the original, so here's ABBA - Thank You For The Music (Official Lyric Video).


That was pretty and, honestly, if I've heard it before, it's been decades.

As for the post itself, short? Yes. Evergreen? Maybe. Educational? Well, I learned something about ABBA.

Time to get final exams graded. See you tomorrow!

BBC and DW News on the 'Godzilla El Niño'

For today's "short evergreen educational entry," I'm revisiting PBS Terra and Vox explain the forecast 'super El Niño'. I begin with two videos from BBC News, starting with 'Strongest El Niño of the century' is coming. Should we be scared?

El Niño is a natural weather pattern that begins in the Pacific Ocean.

The event developing in 2026 could be the strongest in living memory, according to the Met Office.

But what does it mean, and what will it affect?

The answer to "should we be scared" is yes, at least a little. Calling it a "Godzilla" El Niño will just reinforce that feeling.

The above segment built upon El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office.

The El Niño event that is developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest in living memory, the Met Office has warned.

The powerful natural climate phenomenon pushes up global temperatures and can increase the risks of extreme weather.

Added to the effects of human-induced climate change, the Met Office is warning that it is "very likely" to mean 2027 is the hottest year on record globally.

There is growing evidence that weather patterns around the world.

Hearing about all the effects El Niño is having on food supply and food prices reminds me of two of Commoner's Laws, "There is no free lunch" and "Everything is connected to everything else." I'll try to remember this when I teach Environmental Science one last time beginning next month.

Speaking of stories I tell my students, looking at the graph showing the effects of El Niño and La Niña on global temperature also reminds me of a question I ask in the worksheet for Chasing Ice, "How is increasing greenhouse gases like using performance-enhancing steroids?" They make extreme events more frequent and stronger. While climate change doesn't make El Niño more frequent, it is making the natural disasters it causes more frequent. Also, climate change is making El Niño at least appear stronger and El Niño is definitely increasing temperatures.

DW News features more expert commentary in A historic El Nino is forming. Here's why scientists are worried.

The UK's Met Office says this year's El Nino could unleash extreme weather, the likes of which the world has not seen in a century. The results could be record-breaking global temperatures in 2027 and a raft of natural disasters. DW's Sarah Kelly talks about the weather phenomenon with Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society in the UK and President of the European Meteorological Society.

The graph shows that the Pacific sea surface temperatures are already 2^oC above normal and could reach between 3 and 4^oC higher than average by the end of the year. Will that be stronger than 1877? Maybe.

All of the above examined the weather globally with a focus on Europe. What about the United States? PBS Terra covers some of that in What El Niño Predicts for Snowfall This Winter.

With El Niño officially here, and predicted to get stronger, let's see how it's going to affect our snow forecast for this winter! Weathered host Maiya May breaks it down.

The pattern predicts less snow here in Michigan and more snow in the mountains of California and the arid Southwest. That's good news for both places, so not everything about El Niño is bad.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for another brief evergreen educational entry tomorrow.

'Remarkably Bright Creatures' leads Outstanding TV Movie nominees at the Emmys

I'm returning to the Emmy Awards for the Sunday entertainment feature with one of only two remaining program categories that I usually cover, Outstanding Television Movie. Here are the nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Movie

• Heads of State (Prime Video)
• Miss You, Love You (HBO)
• People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix)
• Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix)
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime Video)

Remarkably Bright Creatures leads nominations with three, followed by Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War with two, and Heads of State, Miss You, Love You, and People We Meet on Vacation with one each. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has Remarkably Bright Creatures leading, as every editor and expert plus 97.9% of users have selected it to win. Heads of State, Miss You, Love You, and People We Meet on Vacation split the remaining user vote with 0.7% each. Despite having two nominations, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War has no users choosing it.

Next a category recognized at the Primetime Emmy Awards, 78th Emmy Nominations: Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

The nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie are Claire Danes, Sally Field, Carey Mulligan, Sarah Pidgeon and Sarah Snook.

The prognosticators at Gold Derby see this as a much more competitive contest than for TV Movie. Carey Mulligan leads as the choice of 70% of experts, 50% of editors, and 69.7%, but the professionals and fans differ on the next choice, with 10% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 7.1% of users picking Sally Fields while 10% of experts and 17.3% of users selecting Sarah Snook. Sarah Pigeon also has the support of 10% of experts along with 16.7% of editors and 4.8% of users. Claire Danes is the choice of the remaining 1% of users.

Back to the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

• All Her Fault: "Episode 7" – Jeff Beal (Peacock)
• The Beast in Me: "The Beast and Me" – Sean Callery and Sara Barone (Netflix)
• Black Rabbit: "Isle of Joy" – Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans (Netflix)
• In the Blink of an Eye – Thomas Newman (Hulu)
• Washington Black: "If You See My Mama, Whisper Her This..." – Cameron Moody (Hulu)

All Her Fault leads the nominees at Gold Derby with the support of 86.7% of experts, 83.3% of editors, and 92.7% of users, followed by The Beast in Me with 6.7% of experts, 16.7% of editors, and 5.5% of users, with the rest divided between experts and users. In the Blink of an Eye, the sole movie nominee, has the vote of 6.7% of experts, but no users, while Black Rabbit and Washington Black tie with 0.9% of users each.

Follow over the jump for the non-music craft categories.