Skip to Content
Opinion

Let’s Talk Politics (Oh No!) on This Friday’s Open Thread

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, our readers.

Em Cassel

Here at Racket, we gently usher you into the weekend each Friday with an opportunity for small talk. Oh, but not this week, pals! This Friday, we wanna know what you believe.

Our prompt is inspired by this quote from Mira Altobell-Resendez, from this week's story on the U of M protesters:

You know, there's the stereotype that people will be super progressive in college and then become more conservative. And that's complete bullshit; you don't need to lose the passion you have for justice. 

So, what we want to know is how have your politics changed over time? And to break the ice, I'll go first.

As a kid from a blue-collar New Jersey family fortunate enough to attend schools with much wealthier peers (why didn't you marry one of 'em, dummy?), I built up a heady steam of class resentment by the time I graduated college. Left-leaning but hardly politically active, I honed my beliefs in grad school (shout out to Bruce Robbins, who expresses himself so well here, for assigning Raymond Williams's Culture and Society) while also learning just how annoying leftists could be.

My belief that capitalism, the further it expands, increasingly crushes human lives and corrodes culture is, if anything, stronger than it was 30 years ago. I've seen it happen and I've got the receipts—the margins on which my friends and I once cobbled together relatively comfortable existences have consistently shrunk. But I'm less sure of what the alternative is, and how we can reach it.

I know it's more likely that younger leftists, out of necessity, will figure out what to do than I will. I also know that it's a cop-out to slough all the work off on to them. And I'm positive that any successful movement will balance the lessons of experience from the old and the energy and commitment of the young.

So, at 54, how do I square my belief in the need for radical social change with my acceptance of the fact that severely compromised liberalism at least buys us some time to explore our options? I ask myself that every day.

OK, that's enough from me. Now let's here your political life story. Or talk about whatever else you want. This is your Open Thread, after all.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

Trump’s Shutdown Cuts Target MN Dem Districts

Plus Black women struggle with unemployment, wear your seatbelt, and Soberfish to close in today's Flyover news roundup.

October 15, 2025

No Hole, Just Glory: Smitten Kitten Turn Sexy Rumor Into Joyful Viral Moment

The Lyn-Lake sex shop is all about giving the people what they want. And what they want is glory hole cornhole.

October 15, 2025

What I Saw at This Weekend’s Minnesota MAHA Fest Scared the Hell out of Me

Over 1,000 Christian opponents of modern medicine descended on Alexandria, MN, to testify that drugs, doctors, and Satan were making us all sick at the 7th annual Freedom Summit.

October 15, 2025

THC: Target Has Cannabis

Plus celebrating the life of dwindling towns, MSP Airport rejects anti-Democrat TSA video, and a handy No Kings location list in today's Flyover news roundup.

A Finn, a Case, Geese, and No Kings—Your Complete Concert Calendar: Oct. 14-20

Pretty much all the music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

October 14, 2025

Sometimes There’s a Man for His Time and Place: Meet Jim Quire, Bryant Lake Bowl’s New Lead Mechanic

Quire has big plans for improving bowling at BLB—as soon as he catches up on 'decades of preventative maintenance and side work.'

October 14, 2025
See all posts