concurrence A documentation of young conservatives in the Bay Area
Written and designed by Luke Davies 2018
concurrence LUKE DAVIES
Insight into the lives of conservative youth in the Bay Area
Dedication This book is written for the open minded, those who desire to see the depth of others and themselves before assessing their viability in the political space. This is for those who preach love, inspire deep thought, and who value being informed over being comfortable. This is for the truth seekers, the outspokenly political, and the centrists. We can build a strong world only together, and we must learn from each other, regardless of our sides. I dedicate this book especially to those who aided me in this project, but wish not to be named, whatever the reason. This project was produced by not just me, but a team of individuals who aided me: individuals who granted me their creative vision, both in graphic design and written work, individuals who told me to keep writing when I felt creative blockage, individuals who aided me in seeking out potential interviewees, and most importantly, individuals who brought the flaws and fallacies in my arguments to my knowledge. With you, this project has brought to me great knowledge and practice of argumentation; you have taught me to adore debate. Thank you.
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Acknowledge
katie, my third interviewee iv
ements My appreciation goes to my interviewees: Graham Knapp, Enzo Sapoji, and Katie Thomas, alongside those who aided me, but who wish to not be named. A special thank you to A Tribe Called Quest, Grateful Dead, and Tyler, The Creator, for creative inspiration and keeping my work enjoyable. Appreciation goes to my mother, for chastising me for going out when I should stay in. A big thank you to Kate Purdy and Joanna Calo for writing the best TV show of all time, and thanks to Nicholas Fletcher for the humor and mental relief. And lastly, thanks to Trader Joe’s for my sleeping drugs. I’m sure some of it was placebo, but it’s been a pleasure having you along for the ride.
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Conten 10
Introduction
Here I introduce this book, the purposes of writing it, and the necessity of the knowledge and stories it contains. Alongside this, I give a brief introduction of the interviewees, and why I chose them for this research product.
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you’re not my son
In the first chapter, I introduce Enzo Sapoji, a freshman at Mountain View High School. He tells stories of debate at a young age, and the repercussions of strong opinions on sensitive topics.
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we can still be friends
In the second chapter, I introduce Katie Thomas. Also a student at Mountain View High School. Katie discusses remaining true to her beliefs on topics that have been popularized by recent events, and the impacts conservatism has had on her friendships.
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In the final chapter, I chat with Graham Knapp, a college freshman. He discusses the parallels he has witnessed in political debate in the various places he has lived, the Trump presidency, and changes he has noticed in political debate, beit through medium, age group, or gender.
enzo, my second interviewee 8
Foreword Going into this unit, I knew little about what I should document. I struggled to find a topic which had a vast niche appeal, whilst maintaining unique to those who viewed it. Ironically, the study of conservative youth was the very last option to come to mind, resulting from a 2 AM discussion in a church parking lot. I found this to be a potentially interesting, and entirely challenging, topic to document. All throughout the process of producing this book, I have been, and most likely still am, concerned about the manner in which I have produced it. I am mostly centrist or leftist in political discussion, but conservatism is not an alien topic for me. Despite this, attempting to portray a commonly disparaged group to a wide audience in a professional and proper manner proved very difficult to me. However, I found this challenge interesting, and it was a test of my confidence as a writer, and producer of digital media. Despite this, the documentary unit was very humbling, it has aided me in learning my capabilities as a producer, and just how much I can do in a short amount of time. While this project was the most difficult I’ve produced at Freestyle Academy thus far, it has also been one of the most enjoyable. I hope that you find this book professional, intriguing, and above all else, enjoyable.
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Graham, my first interviewee
Introduction In the Bay Area, the majority of people overwhelmingly politically aligns with each other. Rarely do young people experience opportunities to properly disagree and argue their own opinions without the safeties of the internet or the backing of their social spheres. It is often found that when presented with the opportunity, it is viable for one to quickly revert to emotional backlash betwixt difficult topics of conversation. Likewise, it is very rare for people to search out, find, or trust news sources displaying information under a varied political bias from the one they agree with. In an area that overwhelmingly agrees with itself, the value of disagreement and intellectual argument have diminished. The most effective way of restoring the value of political debate is to remove the self imposed emotional blockage some may have towards understanding the reasons people believe various things on topics which may be difficult to discuss. By providing a secure option of discussion with those who may not find it anywhere else in the Bay Area, insight into the lives and ideologies of conservatism without the negative connotation or any other form of prejudice may be shared. This is very important, in that it is becoming increasingly rare for people to expand beyond their scope of friends or political advocates, both in person and over the internet. With the great increase of political unrest and divide between socioeconomic classes, the importance of understanding and communication with those you do not agree with is equally rising. To put a human face to the ideology of conservatism, I interviewed just three of the teens in the Bay Area who follow conservative beliefs. Towards the beginning of this project, I was searching out fellow students, as well as friends, who followed more conservative beliefs. Along the course of this, I came across a school club which had a centralized ideology and purpose of bringing together conservative youth for the cause of discussing politics and forming a sense of camaraderie. I contacted the club via one of their social media pages, through which I obtained emails to several students who may be interested. I emailed five of them, and of the five I contacted, two did not respond, one responded that he was willing, but we ran into errors of time coordinations, and two said they wished not to work with me on this documentary, because they felt that it would be harmful to their reputation, or would otherwise put them in social danger, to have the reality of their social and political beliefs broadcast. While this was disappointing to hear, I found it particularly helpful, in that it was an introduction to what the social nature of conservative youth may be. Included in this book are some students who agreed to speak to me on their conservative beliefs; I ask you to read what they have to say before thinking of them in a vilifying manner.
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Enzo performing a bike stunt
ENZO SAPOJI Enzo is currently a freshman at Mountain View High School. He is 15 years old, and loves to ride motorbikes and participate in curricular and extracurricular theatre programs. His father works as a film producer, which has given him access to work with professional filmmakers, directors, and artists. In terms of political alignment, I brought Enzo onto the team for his beliefs on the topic of gun control. The first thing you’d notice in Enzo is his confidence. Beit through his proud stature, awesome bike skills, or charismatic nature, he’s a lot of fun to talk to. Enzo and I met through our schools theatre programs, and I admired his sense of knowledge in his own character. Rarely do you find that freshmen in high school have great confidence in who they are and are meant to be, but Enzo presents a strong sense of such whenever you’re with him. I was unaware of his conservative nature on gun control until the week of March 14th, which was a historic day for American students. March 14th was the day of the national school walkout and protest, which the vast majority of our high school attended. This was the tech week of a musical Enzo and I were in, and one day during rehearsal, dressing room banter turned to political debate, over the implication of gun control, and the consequences of the second amendment. After this event, Enzo and I began to discuss and debate gun control on our own. Enzo and I met after class across from our school’s pool, where water-polo practice was in session. We talked for about half an hour, with the first few minutes being banter, and the last 20 about politics. This interviewee occurred a few days after my first interview with graham, and I was wondering if Enzo agreed on the belief that there is some form of social disconnect between those with conservative and liberal beliefs. “100%, especially with the spread of information in this day and age… one’s political views can provoke hostility and foster unhealthy social relationships”. After bringing up this initial discussion point, Enzo discussed how his beliefs impact his friendships and acquaintances. 13
i try to be informed of both sides; it’s better than having a very provincial, one set mind
-Enzo Sapoji
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enzo after i told him to make a “badass” face
What it is like
One of the largest political topics Enzo engages debate in is gun control, and he brought up an instance where his beliefs caused harm to his social relationships. He mentioned one case, where he was discussing gun control with his mother, and it ended in fighting. “I started talking with her about it, and she literally said ‘you’re not my kid’. And she apologized later for it, sure, but it left a lasting impression on me”. Obviously, a statement such as this has a lasting impact on an individual, but I wondered whether the consequences of following beliefs which may disappoint and anger those around you is grotesque enough to cause you to change your belief. One of the questions I asked every one of my interviewees was whether they found it more important to listen to new, uncomfortable ideas, or to expand on your own beliefs. Enzo responded with “it’s definitely important for people to listen to (new) ideas; like I said, having an open mind. If you listen and process all the facts it starts to make sense… I think that it’s good to always be aware of everyone else’s opinions and try to factor them in, and look at both sides of the story”. And then, the ultimate reason Enzo and I met to discuss: gun control. As of late, gun control has been a very hot topic, drawing attention from across the country. While Enzo follows mostly conservative beliefs on gun control, he discussed with me how his beliefs have been impacted by his surrounding
environments. He discussed how his exposure to liberal viewpoints has enabled him to understand and qualify different points of view. He discussed the main points of gun control which he felt more liberal on, such as much more thorough background checks, and raising the legal age of firearm purchase from 18 to 21. However, Enzo remains steadfast in his beliefs on gun control, these have been developed through complex study of the second amendment, and a logical understanding of the potential for gun violence. “A more looked over part of the second government is the protection against tyrannical government… there’s a very ‘interesting’ man in charge of the United States right now; if the government has automatic weapons and we don’t, it puts us as citizens at a disadvantage”. One of the aspects of gun control that is so difficult to discuss is the potential for weapons to cause mass levels of destruction and death. Regardless of if you consider the fault of the murder with the individual or the weapon. Enzo discussed with me where he places the blame, and how the legalization of assault rifles is not necessarily as dangerous as other firearms. “The argument that automatic weapons cause more deaths and shootings and stuff is valid, but at the same time, someone can walk into a full theatre with a shotgun and kill as many people as they could with an automatic weapon. It’s a valid argument but at the same time it’s flawed, there’s conditions”.
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Katie Thomas
Katie Thomas and I met under pretty unlikely circumstances. She’s a different year than I, we have no classes together, and honestly, I didn’t even know of her until this project. I didn’t know what to expect going in to our interview, but she’s was a lot of fun to talk to. We met by some classrooms at lunch one day, and began to chat casually. We met through a mutual friend, who mentioned that she was relatively conservative herself. She’s a freshman at Mountain View High School, but she’s heavily involved in the arts. She performs ballet, and has done so for multiple years. We discussed politics, and formally met for the first time, over lunch at school. It was a very interesting experience getting to know someone and immediately usher in a much more professional discussion. Nothing felt necessarily wrong with it, but it felt slightly more artificial without the proper relations of friendship being established prior to the meeting. I was afraid that Katie would feel the same, but regardless, she spoke strongly and proudly on political debate, but more so on the impacts conservatism has on her friendships and personal connections. I was very impressed with her confidence in stating her beliefs, in fact, after I asked her one question, she responded with “people are going to hate me for saying this”. I was intrigued by such confident and polarizing opinions at her age.
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We all have different opinions, we can still be friends. -Katie Thomas
Katie on our first meeting 17
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Katie Thomas discusses the impact of her beliefs on her friendships
Katie is a rather shy person, with her exception being stage performance of ballet. While communication was a tad difficult betwixt us in the beginning of our conversations, I found that she had genuine ideas about difficult topics. We began by discussing gun control, which has been a hot topic as of late at our school, and nationwide. We discussed how Katie has had experience with recreational gun use, and her family’s stance on guns, which heavily impacted her own beliefs. She discussed how firearms are valuable for some professions, especially in the agriculture industry, and how firearms can be an important tool for self defense. While our primary discussion was on what should be done, we also discussed how to communicate with others about gun use. One of the important ideas that Katie discussed with me is that “it’s just a rifle, until you hurt someone with it”. After Katie and I discussed gun control, she told me a few of her experiences of being conservative in a majority liberal area. She told me that it isn’t very common for her to have political debates with strangers, or even classmates, but that she finds more comfort in associating with friends who follow similar beliefs to hers. She discussed with me how most of her friend group is jointly conservative, and they tend to rarely talk about politics, but the safety of knowing that you are with people who will agree with you is greatly beneficial.
and culture that leads one to believe what they do. Katie and I agreed on this, “I think it’s more of just a different thought process, how you see this happen, and you think ‘oh, it’s because of THIS’”. She brought up how in the past, she had difficult conversations with her friends who followed more liberal beliefs, which ended with hurt feelings. She described how often with political discussion, especially at her age, emotional language is quick to appear in political discussion. She told me how she finds it difficult to make friends with those who do not politically align with her, because most of her classmates know her as “that conservative girl”. While Katie feels that it is difficult to relate to those who follow liberal beliefs, it does not mean she has not tried. She is active in performance programs, such as dance and theatre, which provide a creative outlet, and allow her to meet new people. She maintains a mostly positive attitude, and hopes to build friendships with those around her, despite their differences.
One of the most efficient ways of understanding the “other” in politics, I have discovered, is not the fact of someone believing in a separate ideology from the one you align with, but is more found in the thought process 19
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Graham, probably thinking about super smash
Graham Knapp Graham is a college freshman, who graduated from Mountain View High School last year. He currently works with Door-Dash, and is working to join the military. He enjoys playing classic video games competitively and singing. His father is a congressional liaison, and his mother is a retired navy service member. Graham had complex ideas on the distribution of information and political alignment with the upcoming generations. Graham and I have been friends for a few years now. We met through our high school’s choir program. He sang tenor, and I sang bass, but somehow we ended up getting along. While he’s pretty reserved as a person, he’s got a lot of great ideas and things that will make you laugh. He’s pretty nerdy at heart, with a huge passion for playing Nintendo games such as Super Smash Brothers competitively. In fact, he has entered multiple competitions, and has become a regional semifinalist and finalist in the past. Alongside this, he works in strongman athletics. He set or reached multiple records at our high school for deadlift and squat, and as a freshman he played football. As if that wasn’t enough time to fill, he is an excellent student, who was enrolled in various extracurricular programs in high school, and took multiple AP courses. Graham is relatively quiet in the political scheme, and doesn’t often discuss politics unless someone else brings it up. I brought up politics with him on occasion when we went to the same school, and I always noticed a deep embodiment of knowledge in what he said. Rarely did he use emotional language, or raise his voice when we disagreed. It felt like a proper debate, where no one left feeling disappointed, in that you either proved your point, or you learned something new.
I need to be well informed... if you don’t, you’re making your whole demographic look uninformed. -Graham Knapp
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“There’s plenty of better ways” After Graham discussed this, he elaborated on his understanding of political parties, and how he feels that a two party system is not the best way to politically control a country. I brought up a 2016 study performed by the US Politics and Policy division of the Pew Research Center, which found that in 2016, among registered voters, 41% of the millennial generation applied as political independents, while only 23% of the Silent Generation voted politically independent. After this, I asked Graham about his thoughts on political independence in the context of voting. “You should still not identify fully with a party; if you agree fully with everything in your political party then there’s a problem… you only see extremist sides (of political debate). Millennials and generation Z seem more against that extremism… when they see this extremism they’re shut off to it”. After this, we discussed the Trump presidency. I think that this is one of the most difficult topics to address when discussing with conservatives, because the two party system of American politics is easily abused, and can cause a very polarizing, black and white view of the American people. One thing that was interesting about my interviews for this project was that the majority of those who I talked to, both included and the book and not, did not support the Trump presidency as much as I had expected. Graham was a huge fan of Ted Cruz at the time of the 2016 presidential election, particularly for his more professional attitude, and strong opinions on subjects that he deemed more important than other. “I liked him (Ted Cruz) a lot, Ted Cruz still wasn’t perfect though, the one thing I worried about if he became president was being too polarizing, because he’s not going to give in. It’s good in some ways, but bad in some ways”. 22
For the end of our discussion, I asked Graham what he would recommend to others, in terms of political discussion. Graham emphasized the limited value of emotional language and emotional backlash. “I learned and I changed the way I treated people when it comes to politics, because people are very sensitive about it, and people need to be aware that it’s a sensitive topic, so you can’t just go around saying political statements with people you barely know...Always respect others about it, always listen, don’t raise your voice”.
Graham after i made a bad pun
Graham on our second meeting 23
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Conclusion The political arena is unforgiving, emotional, and often corrupt in one way or another. But it does not have to be. A common principle of liberalism is the ideology of welcoming new ideas, and building a strong community through the acceptance of all people, regardless of what labels the world may press on them. We all want to see a world where we can grow to become who we want to be, to see a day where all can truly reach their goals with commitment and work, and a place where we can learn from our differences, instead of attack because of them. I know that regardless of what I write, I will always find flaws in my writing, and the messages I portray. This was a challenge I placed upon myself; whether or not I have succeeded in producing work that professionally and convincingly showcases the humanity, or lack thereof, in conservatism is up to you. I believe that, regardless of what we believe, one of the most important pieces of producing a society which can thrive together is the education of the beliefs you do not agree with. Individuals are becoming increasingly emotionally attached to politics, and for good reason. It is difficult sometimes to see that we are all human when values are varied between individuals. The political world is highly complex, and vastly difficult to navigate, but I believe that if we work together, and learn to practice concurrence, we can build a society that values and respects all people. Thank you for reading my book. Speak on what you believe, and speak strongly, even if I do not agree with you. The world needs more proper argumentation. Go get ‘em.
- LD
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Works Cited
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Knapp, Graham. “Political Discussion -Graham.” Personal interview. 19 Mar. 2018. Knapp, Graham. “Political Discussion -Graham.” Personal interview. 08 Mar. 2018. Thomas, Katie. “Political Discussion -Katie.” Personal interview. 30 Mar. 2018. Sapoji, Enzo. “Political Discussion -Enzo.” Personal interview. 17 Mar. 2018. “Gun Control Poll Results.” ISideWith. ISideWith, 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2018. Maniam, Shiva. “Party Affiliation among Voters: 1992-2016.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Pew Research Center, 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2018. Jones/Gallup, Inc, Jeffrey M. “In U.S., New Record 43% Are Political Independents.” Gallup.com. N.p., 07 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2018. Yiannopoulos, Milo. Dangerous. Dangerous Books, 2017. Taylor, Paul. “The Demographic Trends Shaping American Politics in 2016 and beyond.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 03 Mar. 2018.
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luke davies
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Luke Davies is currently a junior at mountain view high school and freestyle academy of communication arts and technology. His favorite colors are navy blue and, in his own words, “That one green...Like a pine tree at 5 am�. He listens to all sorts of music, but Vaporwave is his top choice (For now, anyway). His favorite planet is Saturn, and his favorite animal is the saiga antelope. He hopes to make a career mixing and producing audio (and explore deep space, time permitting).
concurrence A documentation of young conservatives in the Bay Area
Written and designed by Luke Davies 2018