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Kamala Harris uses “Coconut Tree” and “Brat” memes to win the votes of cynical Generation Z
Iowa

Kamala Harris uses “Coconut Tree” and “Brat” memes to win the votes of cynical Generation Z

Young voters have traditionally been very difficult to win over. 18- to 24-year-olds have one of the lowest voter turnout rates of any age group. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign could change that.

Since Harris announced on Sunday that she will run for president after President Biden steps down, her campaign team has decided to pull out all the stops to appeal to Generation Z. They’ve turned their campaign team’s X page (formerly Twitter) into a flytrap for Generation Z, decorating it with Easter eggs that younger voters will recognize but older ones won’t understand.

“BRAT Summer”

For one, her X-banner—the large, vertical photo at the top of the page—is a simple “Kamala HQ” against a neon green background. This is a direct reference to the cover of British pop star Charli XCX’s June album “BRAT,” which evokes the chaotic, carefree exuberance of a young woman’s summer. Since the album took off, “Brat Summer” memes have taken over the internet, reaching a new peak when Charli XCX herself declared on Sunday that “Kamala IS a brat.”

The post, which had been viewed 51 million times at press time, sparked a storm of outrage among young voters who debated whether to support Harris’ progressive background or reject her because of her police past (“No, Kamala IS a cop,” one angry person responded).

David Hogg, a Gen Z gun control activist who survived the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, wrote on X: “The contribution (Charli’s) single tweet may have made to youth voter turnout is not insignificant.” He later updated his followers, confirming that “Nancy Pelosi has been briefed on the importance of Brat.”

Since Harris announced her candidacy, TikTok edits of her dancing, talking and laughing to Charli XCX’s music have exploded, with younger voters declaring their allegiance to her. “She’s the moment, come on,” posted one commenter on the TikTok account “kamalahq.” Another simply said, “She’s going to win.”

Coconut trees

Candidates have tried to reach Gen Z voters with memes in the past, often to no avail. Gen Z and millennials still cringe at the memory of Hillary Clinton’s infamous 2016 “Pokemon, get to the polls” line, referring to the viral mobile game. Even this cycle, Biden’s promotion of his campaign-created Dark Brandon meme has been widely criticized as embarrassing and even pandering to youth voters.

What’s different this time? In part, it’s because Harris’ campaign is using a comedic device that has long been popular with Generation Z: self-deprecation.

Instead of sticking to what makes her look good, Harris took a risk and started a viral meme poking fun at her. In the now infamous “coconut speech” last May, Harris talked about thinking collectively rather than individually before sharing an anecdote about her mother.

“Sometimes she would give us a hard time and say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?'” Harris laughed. “You exist in the context of everything you live in and everything that came before you.”

Many people criticized the speech and made jokes about Harris, saying she sounded “drunk” or “weird.” And after she announced her candidacy on Sunday, the term “coconut tree” resurfaced, exposing her to a new wave of attacks.

Instead, Harris took up the fight, calling the bio of “kamalahq” “providing context,” a reference to the meme. Her supporters – nicknamed “kHive” after Beyonce’s fan group “BeyHive” – ​​followed suit and declared themselves supporters of the coconut tree.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis tweeted a coconut, palm tree and American flag emoji on Sunday to show his support. North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Anderson Clayton posted excitedly: “We all fell from the coconut tree into a gym full of Democrats today!!!!”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who was considered one of Harris’s rivals for the nomination after Biden’s resignation – and could become her running mate – showed his support for Harris on Monday by asking: “Do you think I just fell out of a coconut tree?”

So will all the memory work help appeal to Generation Z? Eric Dahan, CEO and co-founder of Open Influence, an influencer marketing company, said Assets that memes could function as a “leading weapon in politics.”

“Because Americans get a significant portion of their news from social media, memes provide the perfect delivery mechanism for bite-sized chunks of information and spin,” Dahan said.

“I think (Kamala Harris) is the only one who makes sense. She’s going to get the votes that Biden couldn’t get,” said Will, a Generation Z construction worker from Portland The Guardian.Democrats need to take a bold step, and I believe she is exactly what we need.”

This story originally appeared on Fortune.com

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