South by Southwest (SXSW) isn’t exactly a hotbed of progressive politics: Though the music, film, and media festival has become a major cultural event in American life, one wouldn’t expect members of the US Congress to draw larger crowds than Silicon Valley executives. Yet, on a day when several high-profile politicians such as Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke took the stage, the star was freshman congresswoman and instant Democratic Party phenomenon Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, otherwise known as AOC. Attendees tweeted of long lines and a full house, with some leaving the venue without being able to squeeze in. On stage, Ocasio-Cortez talked today about the hot topics of her political agenda, touching upon identity politics, the Green New Deal, the promise of automation, and the obstacles faced by minorities. On the last point, she advised, “Stop trying to navigate systems that weren’t built for you. We need to build new systems.” Ocasio-Cortez also got to discuss an historically thorny topic in American politics: socialism. Addressing the rising popularity of socialism, and the fearmongering that it will mean an end of individual rights, she used simple semantics to explain why she doesn’t believe in unmitigated capitalism (at the 33:50 mark in the video below), saying in part: Capitalism, to me, is an ideology of capital. The most important thing is the concentration of capital, and it means that we seek and prioritize profit and the accumulation of money above all else, and we seek it at any human and environmental cost… But when we talk about ideas for example like democratic socialism, it means putting democracy and society first, instead of capital first. Like much of her interview, her explanation drew applause and support from the audience—the kind of reaction that, in many previous editions of SXSW, might have been reserved for startup founders or movie stars.<doc-sep>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke about her self-described socialist values at the SXSW festival and called moderate politics "an attitude towards life, of, like, 'meh.'" She also critiqued capitalism, saying " capitalism is irredeemable." Her remarks follow a tweet last week aimed at Ivanka Trump, who she said was against the idea of a minimum wage. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's controversial views on capitalism have made her a target of both Republicans and Democrats, who have also balked at her disagreement with moderate politics. During a talk at SXSW on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez called the moderate perspective "an attitude towards life of, like, 'meh,", according to NBC News. "We've become so cynical, that we view 'meh,' or 'eh' — we view cynicism as an intellectually superior attitude," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We view ambition as youthful naivete when ... the greatest things we have ever accomplished as a society have been ambitious acts of visions." She added, "The 'meh' is worshipped now. For what?" The remarks follow a tweet from Ocasio-Cortez last week criticizing guaranteed minimum wages, that Business Insider's Jim Edwards argued traces Marx's Labour Theory of Value. "Workers are often paid far less than the value they create," she tweeted, suggesting that there's an economic problem when workers can't afford to buy the products that they make and are underpaid for what they're worth. Read more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's tweet about workers being paid 'less than the value they create' is essentially a restatement of Marx's Labour Theory of Value — here's why that's interesting Ocasio-Cortez is among a handful of politicians and 2020 presidential candidates who have descended upon SXSW this year. Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, and Beto O'Rourke also stopped by the annual music, film and tech festival. While he hasn't officially announced a presidential run, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz spoke on Saturday about why President Trump will win the 2020 election against Democrats with ideals like Ocasio-Cortez or Elizabeth Warren. "The vast majority of Americans are not going to embrace socialism," Schultz said. "I have a right to disagree with what they're [The Democrats] proposing. A free enterprise system is core to our democracy." Ocasio-Cortez defended her self-described socialist values, including the idea that the corporations are inching in on government. According to Ocasio-Cortez, "corporations have already taken over our government." Capitalism, she said, is an "irredeemable" system" because of the "concentration of capital and to seek and maximize profit," according to Bloomberg. She also spoke about the unequal spread of wealth in America. "It doesn't feel good to live in a society like that."<doc-sep>U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed political moderates at the South by Southwest Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas, calling their views “misplaced” as she defended her progressive politics in a room full of supporters. “Moderate is not a stance. It's just an attitude towards life of, like, ‘meh,’” the New York Democrat said Saturday during an interview with Briahna Gray, senior politics editor for the Intercept. “We’ve become so cynical, that we view ‘meh,’ or ‘eh’ — we view cynicism as an intellectually superior attitude, and we view ambition as youthful naivete when ... the greatest things we have ever accomplished as a society have been ambitious acts of visions, and the ‘meh’ is just worshipped now, for what?” The self-declared Democratic socialist also criticized the treatment of minorities throughout American history, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, which she claimed was racist, to Ronald Reagan's policies, which she said "pitted" white working class people against minorities in order "to screw over all working-class Americans,” particularly African-Americans and Hispanics. REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ SLAMS FELLOW DEMOCRATS AGAIN OVER 'RACIST AND FALSE' IMMIGRATION TROPES "So you think about this image of welfare queens and what he was really trying to talk about was ... this like really resentful vision of essentially black women who were doing nothing, that were 'sucks' on our country," she said. "So you think about this image of welfare queens and what [Reagan] was really trying to talk about was ... this like really resentful vision of essentially black women who were doing nothing, that were 'sucks' on our country." — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "And it's this whole tragedy of the commons type of thinking where it's like because ... this one specific group of people, that you are already kind of subconsciously primed to resent, you give them a different reason that's not explicit racism but still rooted in a racist caricature," Ocasio-Cortez continued. "It gives people a logical reason, a 'logical' reason to say, 'Oh yeah, no, toss out the whole social safety net.'" CAPITOL GRAPPLES WITH COMPLICATED HISTORY ON RACE Other topics Ocasio-Cortez discussed included the Green New Deal and capitalism, which she said could not be redeemed because it puts profit “above everything else.” “The most important thing is the concentration of capital, and it means that we prioritize profit and the accumulation of money above all else, and we seek it at any human and environmental cost… But when we talk about ideas like democratic socialism, it means putting democracy and society first, instead of capital first; it doesn’t mean that the actual concept of capitalistic society should be abolished,” she said. "When we talk about ideas like democratic socialism, it means putting democracy and society first, instead of capital first; it doesn’t mean that the actual concept of capitalistic society should be abolished." — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. During a Q&A session with the audience, television host and author Bill Nye the Science Guy stepped up to the microphone. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I’m a white guy,” Nye said. “I think the problem on both sides is fear. People of my ancestry are afraid to pay for everything as immigrants come into this country. People who work at the diner in Alabama are afraid to ask for what is reasonable. So do you have a plan to work with people in Congress that are afraid? That’s what’s going on with many conservatives especially when it comes to climate change. People are afraid of what happens when we try to make these big changes.” “One of the keys to dismantling fear is dismantling a zero-sum mentality,” Ocasio-Cortez replied. “It means the rejection outright of the logic that says someone else’s gain necessitates my loss and that my gain must necessitate someone’s loss. We can give without a take. We’re viewing progress as a loss instead of as an investment. When we choose to invest in our system, we are choosing to create wealth. When we all invest in them, then the wealth is for all of us too.” "When we choose to invest in our system, we are choosing to create wealth. When we all invest ... then the wealth is for all of us." — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The nine-day music and media festival has attracted many political figures this year. Several 2020 presidential candidates made appearances Saturday, including Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is also considering a presidential bid, also made the pilgrimage. Ohio's former Republican Gov. John Kasich -- a potential GOP challenger to President Trump -- also spoke at the festival Saturday.<doc-sep>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s packed talk at South by Southwest in Austin had a surprise appearance at the then when William Sanford Nye, popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, made a surprise appearance and asked the last question. When she saw him, Ocasio-Cortez seemingly couldn’t contain her excitement and gave the television personality and climate activist her own standing ovation. “I’m a white guy,” he started. “I think the problem on both sides is fear. People of my ancestry are afraid to pay for everything as immigrants come into this country. People who work at the diner in Alabama are afraid to try to ask for what is reasonable. So, do you have a plan to work with people in Congress that are afraid? I think that’s what’s going on with many of the conservatives, especially when it comes to climate change. People are just afraid of what will happen if we try to make these big changes.” Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement “One of the keys to dismantling fear is dismantling a zero-sum mentality,” Ocasio-Cortez answered. “It means the rejection outright of the logic that says someone else’s gain necessitates my loss and that my gain must necessitate someone else’s loss … We can give without a take.” She went on to address the complaints that her plan to address climate change costs too much: “We’re viewing progress as a cost instead of as an investment … When we choose to invest in our system, we are choosing to create wealth.” Advertisement Advertisement The freshman lawmaker ended by saying that taking bold moves can become contagious. “Courage begets courage,” she said. “The first person who stands up has to encounter the most amount of fear and discomfort, but once that one person stands up, it becomes immensely easier for the second person and the third.” Nye posted a selfie with Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter making clear he is a fan of the freshman lawmaker. “AOC gets it. She sees that fear is dividing us. We can address income inequality. We can address climate change, if we get together and get to work. #SXSW @AOC,” Nye wrote. AOC gets it. She sees that fear is dividing us. We can address income inequality. We can address climate change, if we get together and get to work. #SXSW @AOC pic.twitter.com/I8tSbAc97u — Bill Nye (@BillNye) March 10, 2019<doc-sep>
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at SXSW on Saturday night, covering topics ranging from capitalism to automation and political moderates. The breakout star of the incoming freshman class of Democrats spoke with moderator Briahna Gray, senior politics editor at The Intercept, at the “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the New Left” event, where she criticized capitalism as “irredeemable.” When asked about political moderates and incrementalism, Ocasio-Cortez didn’t hold back, saying “baby steps” are not the way to solve the problems our nation faces. “We’ve become so cynical, that we view ‘meh,’ or ‘eh’—we view cynicism as an intellectually superior attitude,” she said. “And we view ambition as youthful naiveté when… the greatest things we have ever accomplished as a society have been ambitious acts of visions. The ‘meh’ is worshipped now. For what? Like, for what?” . @AOC’s critique of “moderates” is spot on. Moderates are more naive than the visionaries if they think tinkering around the edges will solve systemic problems in our democracy and economy. It’s time to rewrite the social contract, not manage decline.pic.twitter.com/3Xhd3R1WYK — Waleed Shahid (@_waleedshahid) March 9, 2019 When addressing the scourge of racism in America, Ocasio-Cortez pointed to Ronald Reagan as an example of drumming up racial fears, saying, “[Reagan] pitted white working-class Americans against brown and black working-class Americans to screw over all working-class Americans…when he started talking about ‘welfare queens,’” she said. Talking about the Green New Deal, proposed legislation to address climate change as well as the shifting economy, she said it prioritizes those most in need of assistance. “We fix the pipes in Flint first. We fix the electrical grid in Puerto Rico first. And we fully fund the pensions of coal miners in West Virginia,” she said, causing the crowd to break out into cheers. Ocasio-Cortez also spoke about our economy’s shift toward automation and robots, saying workers shouldn’t be fearful of this kind of future and instead should embrace it. She brought up an idea proposed by Bill Gates called a “robot tax,” that would tax companies who automate processes at a rate of 90 percent. The government would then reinvest that money in retraining workers for new jobs. “What [Gates is] really talking about is taxing corporations. But it’s easier to say: ‘tax a robot,’” she said. Ocasio-Cortez then added, “We should be excited about automation, because what it could potentially mean is more time educating ourselves, more time creating art, more time investing in and investigating the sciences, more time focused on invention, more time going to space, more time enjoying the world that we live in. Because not all creativity needs to be bonded by wage.” Later during the discussion, Bill Nye made a surprise appearance to raise a question about older generations being afraid of sweeping changes like Ocasio-Cortez has proposed: “I’m a white guy,” Nye said. “I think the problem on both sides is fear. People of my ancestry are afraid to pay for everything as immigrants come into this country. People who work at the diner in Alabama are afraid to ask for what is reasonable. So do you have a plan to work with people in Congress that are afraid? That’s what’s going on with many conservatives especially when it comes to climate change. People are afraid of what happens when we try to make these big changes.” After the applause for Nye’s question died down, Ocasio-Cortez answered, “One of the keys to dismantling fear is dismantling a zero-sum mentality… It means the rejection outright of the logic that says someone else’s gain necessitates my loss and that my gain MUST necessitate someone’s loss. We can give without a take. We’re viewing progress as a loss instead of as an investment. When we choose to invest in our system, we are choosing to create wealth. When we all invest in them, then the wealth is for all of us too.” And, of course, after the event, Ocasio-Cortez and Nye took time to pose for a selfie.