During the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, a considerable part of the youth was concentrated in political spaces as a way to make themselves heard and seen. However, from the 90s onwards, political party spaces were no longer seen as attractive. Perhaps it is because it was precisely in the 90s that we experienced the rise of neoliberal ideology, which proposes precisely this: the emptying of ideas and the cult of the individual.
Another fact that deserves to be taken into consideration is the decline of the Catholic Church, as this, through pastorals, brought together young people to debate the function of the church, love for others and the community. These spaces were normally run by priests who were linked to Liberation Theology, the most progressive line of thought in the Catholic Church. In Brazil, it became known thanks to Leonardo Boff, Frei Tito and Frei Beto, who participated in former president Lula's first term.
In addition to the bureaucratization of Left Parties and their early arrival in power, another factor that caused young people, in their majority, as even today there are thousands of young people linked to youth and political entities, is the rise of Pentecostal churches who today works with a speech based on material and individual achievements. There is no religious sense, it is pure commercialism and that is precisely where the great asset of these temples lies.
In the wake of the political discourse of the 90s, these so-called religious spaces saw a niche of the population that was/is not in politics, unemployed, young and therefore open to “new” ideas. Thus, these spaces innovated the way of worship. They put on music, some even use reggae and others rock. But the idea is the same: religious fundamentalism. With faith you achieve everything you want. That simple.
It is also symptomatic to analyze the strong sale of self-help books, which have speeches very similar to those of churches: you can, success, money, owning your own home, how to save your marriage... In short, a ready-made recipe.
The drama of the issue is that many political parties have not reformed their ideological texts. When they came to power, some prematurely, they became too bureaucratized and due to alliances around conservative parties, they gave up on progressive agendas, at least in their electoral propaganda. Namely: abortion, drug legalization, LGBT issues and media regulation.
It is difficult to attract new young people to political spaces when they are more concerned with the rush of office. Ironically, today left-wing parties, which have historically been at the forefront of countless issues, are now seen as conservative and old-fashioned by the current generation. It is necessary to return to the forefront and make part of the young people understand that the discourses of consumption transform nothing and only create a consumerist dependence, which in Pentecostal spaces worsens with the fact of added faith: social financial ascension permitted by God.
