What should Bernie supporters do when he doesn’t win?

By now you’ve probably heard of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the democratic-socialist running for the Democratic nomination in the United States.

The Sanders campaign prides itself on being a grassroots movement, and with $27 as an average donation Bernie truly appears to be a voice of the people. By running within the Democratic Party, Bernie’s radical ideas have become accessible to the American public.

Selfie with Bernie

He has won the support of incredible numbers of young people, which will have a huge impact on the country’s political future, under a Sanders presidency or not. Citizens are now having open minded debates about the state of the nation, from single, unreasonable laws to huge problems in the way our government fundamentally works.

However, after failure to win his home state’s primary in New York, and a huge number of superdelegates undecided or pledged to his opponent, his chances of winning are fading.

So we’re asking, what should Bernie Sanders supporters do when he doesn’t win the democratic nomination?

With over 4 million likes on Facebook, Sanders is obviously hugely popular with millennials, and this is unsurprising. We young people have grown up when knowledge is constantly at our fingertips and documentaries and satirical television shows like The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight have given insight into the major political issues in a relatable style. 

Late night comedian John Oliver discusses everything from  with in a comedic style

Bernie appears to be exactly the fresh air that young people have been calling for. Research conducted at Harvard University has diminished the idea that the youth’s support for Sanders is merely a fad, or stylish. 48percent agreed that Universal Healthcare was a right for all, up from 42 percent in 2014, and there was a significant rise in those defining their views as Democratic, rather than Independent. Bernie has the highest favorability ranking out of any other presidential nominee, and even ranks higher than Hillary as someone who will do most to improve women’s lives. With so many young people agreeing with his ideas, it’s frustrating to many that he will most likely lose to Clinton, who caters to the interests of Wall Street.

Large-scale problems have become increasingly important to this generation during the Bernie campaign, so  it is hard to imagine that after a loss in June the masses will put down their picket boards and return to instagramming photos of their lunch. Or is it?

I found an article that said Bernie’s favourite breakfast is scrambled eggs

The ideas he has are certainly nothing new, however, his dramatic rise in popularity has led to a complete change in the way we think about American politics. Bernie currently stands as a figurehead of the movement for change in America. If he is to lose, many suggest that the hype will disappear. This is because Bernie’s ideas blanket many smaller independent collectives: groups calling for a higher minimum wage, medicare for all and reforming wall street, to name a few.

These organizations are finally having their voices heard loud and clear by American politicians, even if slightly different to what Sanders calls for. With the removal of Bernie, these issues will once again become separate entities and no longer have the same impact on the US government, unless they can unite under a different name.

While other grassroots movements, like Occupy Wall Street, have had results without a main figurehead, it is unlikely that the large list of issues that Sanders brings to the fore can be truly corrected without a leader. After a loss, it will be hard to continue the mass protest with such disappointment at the loss of the commander-in-chief. However given the accessibility we have to the media these days, it is improbable, but not impossible to keep this social revolution alive.  

In other cases, social media has been a hindrance. The KONY 2012 campaign was a similar grassroots movement that seemed to appear out of nowhere. At the time, it’s Youtube video became the most watched video ever. Using clever marketing tactics and celebrity endorsements, Invisible Children made over $19 million in donations, and its largest supporter demographic was young women.

Seven out of the ten most popular Twitter hashtags daily would be about KONY 2012, and thousands of articles were being published every day. Millions of people pledged to get involved in local activism on April 20th, 2012, yet, by then, the hype had already gone, and some areas noted only a few teenagers placing a couple measly posters around. The second video, KONY 2012 Part 2 received less than 1 percent of the views that the original video got, and these so-called supporters seemed to vanish almost overnight.

There are a myriad of reasons as to why Invisible Children’s seemingly extremely successful Kony campaign crashed and burned. Perhaps the most prominent is the rise of slacktivism during the campaign.

Slacktivism is the modern phenomenon of supporting a cause through only social media and not participating in any further action. Slacktivism isn’t all bad, however. There is an argument to be made that simply discussing some of these issues on a broader platform is beneficial, as it dissipates bigoted views. The problem is the major issues that have become evident during this election season require action outside of the internet to make them fully realised. There are definitely some slacktivists within the vast number of Bernie supporters, but will we discover after June that they make up the majority?

Whether you agree with all, some or none of Bernie’s policies, it is likely that want some kind of change in America. Assuming he doesn’t run as an Independent candidate, the movement will be left without a figurehead, and it is up to all individuals to make the changes that they want to see. I hope that after this election cycle people will have changed in the way they interact with politics.

We live in a time when you can arrange thousands of young people to attend simultaneous protests across the country in just a few clicks. Be inspired to run for local positions, vote during the Senate elections and be the difference you want to see in the world.

Only 41% percent of young people voted in the 2008 election, let this year be different. A defeat for Bernie Sanders is not a defeat for the people of this country.