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Old Man Aaron Sorkin Tells Young Dems to Stop “Acting Like Young People” and AOC Claps Back

In which Sorkin turns into the "old man yells at cloud" meme.

sorkin

West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin appeared on CNN for an interview with Fareed Zakaria. In a clip that has now gone viral, Sorkin criticizes the newly elected young member of the Democratic party, saying “I really like the new crop of young people who were just elected to Congress. They now need to stop acting like young people.It’s time to do that, I think there’s great opportunity here, now more than ever, for Democrats to be the non-stupid party.”

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Sorkin continued, saying Democrats should not be talking about “not just about transgender bathrooms, that that’s a Republican talking point they’re trying to distract you with. But we are, that we haven’t forgotten the economic anxiety of the middle class but we’re going to be smart about this, we’re not going to be mean about it.”

There’s a lot to unpack here, starting with the inherent sexism at play in Sorkin’s comments. He clearly wouldn’t be upset if the young crop of active Dems were male, as his comments are clearly targeting women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other politicians who are active on social media.

It is also bizarre that Sorkin would refer to the Democrats as both “stupid” and “mean”, when those words literally define Trump and the Republican agenda. Last we checked, it was Trump and his ilk that enacted family separation at border and started putting children in cages. It was also Trump and company that have created a pervasive atmosphere of racist dog-whistling and appallingly offensive behavior.

Sorkin seems to take umbrage with the Democrats’ focus on social issues, like trans rights and identity politics, issues that don’t seem to register for the affluent old white man who until recently was shocked that Hollywood has a diversity problem.

I mean, how dare these young politicians care about social issues or engage with the youth vote? Luckily, Twitter was ready to clap back at Sorkin, with an assist from AOC herself:

What’s up with that indeed, AOC. More people on social media came forward to criticize Sorkin’s tone deaf and unasked for opinion.

There’s a new world order at play, and one that doesn’t want or care about the opinions of crusty old men like Sorkin. Stick to your screenplays and let the real politicians get to work.

(via The Hill, image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for AFI)

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Author
Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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