Find more stories of people doing amazing things on the ground
Adam Mordecai curates awesome things for Upworthy and has long been fascinated by the power of the internet to do good in the world. Like many Netroots attendees, Adam wants his gay friends to be able to get married, his undocumented friends to gain citizenship, and his non-white friends to be treated equally. He was at the very first Convention, and has brought laughter to fellow attendees over the years. Adam shares some of the important lessons he’s learned from the Netroots community.
What’s your funniest Netroots Nation story?
One time I had the opportunity to meet with Elizabeth Warren. I sat with her for a few minutes and asked her a few mildly substantive questions. Every answer she gave me was thoughtful and nuanced. I have a rule about not being hypnotized by politicians. So I decided to see if I could throw her off by asking an absurd question. I asked her if she’d mind photobombing a picture of me. Without a second thought, she said: “No one has ever asked me that before! Absolutely!” And then she proceeded to nail the shot.
What’s one lesson or skill you learned at Netroots Nation?
How to be a less crappy ally. I learned how to accept that my opinions weren’t always that special and that I didn’t need to share all of them all the time. I learned that I if I stepped back and listened to people who experience things that I don’t experience every day, I could learn a lot about how the world really works and maybe wake up more people who look like me to the issues they don’t struggle with daily. Netroots taught me how to not get defensive about my privilege, and to ask questions instead of trying to dictate a single solution to every problem. And it taught me how to be accepting of my screw-ups and learn from them.
Also, it taught me valuable lessons about my tolerance for alcohol — every year, on repeat.
Tell us about your most meaningful Netroots moment.
Every year, almost without fail, a major political figure would show up and a liberal activist group would protest the event and demand answers. I had always dismissed protest as an ineffective form of action, until one year both the DREAMers and Lt. Dan Choi got up at different points while Sen. Harry Reid was being interviewed, disrupted the event, and demanded action on the injustices they were fighting to address. They humanized the struggles of LGBTQ and undocumented people in a very savvy and thoughtful way and put pressure on Sen. Reid to take action. He was forced to respond and actually handled it fairly well. Since that time, other groups like Black Lives Matter have also forced hard conversations at Netroots. And every time I see it push the conversation in a much-needed direction, I remember how dumb I was to presume that there’s only one way to get shit done.
Tell us about a connection or friendship you made at Netroots Nation.
I have made a ton of connections and friendships at Netroots. I try to seek out new people to learn from every year. Last time I went, I was at a party and I met this kid (I’m 40; I judge) whom I had only internet talked to named Ben O’Keefe. He seemed mildly fancy at the time. Now he’s kind of a big deal.
What’s your best Netroots Nation survival tip?
Go to sessions that challenge you. Talk to people who do things you don’t know enough about. If you are an introvert, be OK with taking a timeout and hiding. Write down details of the people you meet on the back of their business card so you don’t forget why they are awesome. Know your tolerance for partying and be OK with stopping. And if you like to talk a lot at other people’s panels, ask yourself if what you have to say is really that important or unique, and if it is, keep it brief. Also know your tolerance for partying and be OK with stopping.
What are you looking forward to the most about NN16 in St. Louis?
Learning more things about things I don’t know enough about and getting to find more stories of people doing amazing things on the ground to help find solutions to the problems we have to address. Also I’m super looking forward to hearing this Rick Moranis impersonator explain how to maybe make some things go viral sometimes if you are lucky. Also, the parties? (In moderation.)
Join us in St. Louis, MO for the 11th annual Netroots Nation convention, July 14–17, 2016!
