The debate was okay. We saw cheering and hissing and accusations of racism, and some folks seemed to get a feel for who they like. But we were most struck by the absence of young people in the audience. So many young people in the neighborhood doing interesting things, loving life, helping to make the Mission what it is, and none show up at this banner event? Then we started thinking about our circle of friends, many of which are recent transplants from Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania or elsewhere, and thus not yet registered to vote in SF (maybe because their vote for Obama carries more weight back home than it would here). So is that the story? Nobody shows up because you’re all registered in Indiana?
For more, SF Citizen has a gang of photos, some video and a sharp critique of the Chronicle coverage, right over here. Oh and Beth Spotswood has a sharp critique of somebody else’s coverage, located here.
Update: For a truly definitive report, see Brock’s at SFist, here.
So fun to meet you!
[...] Mission Mission weighs in, too. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “District 9 debate recap”, url: “http://www.baybigr.com/?p=1051″ }); Posted in News: SF | Read More » [...]
We were watching the rage-inducing presidential debate. There’s another D9 debate next Thursday 16.10 from 6 to 8 at the Mission Rec Center at 20th and Treat. The Mission Community Council is putting it on. http://www.micocosf.org
Yup, exactly what happened with me – not registered in CA yet because my vote carries significantly more weight in the midwest. Also, the Obama debate was at an incredibly similar time – had I not wanted to watch it so much, I probably would have shown up despite the fact that I’m not registered as a CA voter. (And as a side note, the delightful ladies at 500 Club succeeded in getting me a little toasted, so I was certainly in no position to attend yet another debate after the first was over.)
I was also drinking and watching the presidential debates. I’m just over the line into district 8, so while I’m interested in the D9 race, I have no vote on it.
Jen, debates are waaay more fun toasted, for future reference.
I’m in D8 as well.
Sorry to have missed the first one, my flight was late.
Hmmm, Benders is just three blocks away from the Mission Rec Center…
http://missionmission.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/bars-in-the-mission-series-benders-bar/
c’mon you’re killing me with the get out the transplant vote. Young people born and raised in the neighborhood , as well as immigrating youth from more exotic place other then Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania are “doing interesting things, loving life, helping to make the Mission what it is”.
Take a look around the neighborhood at organizations and campaigns involving and mobilizing young voters and non-eligible voters alike- for instance People Organizing To Demand Environmental & Economic Rights (PODER) has had dozens of homegrown and recent immigrant kids involved in the past 5 electoral cycles.
Don’t let sidewalk stencil art fool ya… folks have been making the Mission “interesting” since way back.
Hey I know, there are a hundred different groups in the neighborhood all doing interesting things, etc. That’s why I love it here. But overwhelmingly, it’s the type of transplant named in the post above that gets in touch to say, “Hey I love Mission Mission!” So I was particularly curious about those. Sorry it’s killing you.
Also, johnny0, good call. Everybody meet at Bender’s before the thing.
Just over the line into D8, too. But I did switch my vote to California from Ohio because I haven’t lived there in years.
Luchita,
Como decimos en esos lugares exóticos que tanto te interesan (igual que a todo gringo como tú), bájale dos rayas, porfis. Qué tiene de malo que un joven se vaya de su pueblito a otra ciudad que le complazca más, en su propio país? Y si vas a sacar la pendejada de PODEER (y vaya que son pésimos para la ortografía, igual que para la política) — aquí te voy a resumir lo que los escritores de este sitio no se atreven a aclararte — nos vale verga lo que digan esos farsantes, y nos reímos de sus pretenciones intelectuales y progresistas. (Cabe citar que en su pagina web hay un llamado a buscar estrategias para “retomar nuestro (sic) ciudad”.)
Also Allan,
Has it occurred to you that the odds of any young person’s vote affecting the outcome of an election are on par with the odds that the large hadron collider will suck the earth into a black hole? (“So you’re saying it could happen!”) Electoral politics are a wasteland, voting is like pressing a button on a remote control with no batteries. I can understand why some old person might devote their time to that type of symbolic gesture, but compared to other youth passtimes (having sex with other youths, sangria), it is a poor investment.
That occurs to me all the time, but I try to think positive.
Also, you just earned yourself another promotion. You’re two for two.
[...] Voting Is Like Pressing a Button on a Remote Control with No Batteries The other day I wrote a post questioning why very few young people attended the District 9 supervisor debate on Tuesday. A reader by the name of Concerned published a retort: [...]
In a race as small as D9 supervisor, every vote has a measurable impact.
HST was almost the sheriff of Aspen and lost by like 7 votes.
Sure, being a Californian in terms of the Presidential election makes voting in that race inconsequential, but there’s a lot of other stuff going on that you can affect, like Prop 2 (factory farming) and Prop 8 (banning gay marriage).