An Angry Millenial Strikes (at Your) Back

Katie Kieffer

Looking trim and elegant on the cover of her new book, Let Me Be Clear, Katie Kieffer, asserts her generation's list of grievances against President Barack Obama, declaring his perceived lack of effort "a war on Millenials." Browsing through some books at a Barnes and Noble store I came across this and the title caught my attention. Flipping through the pages, however, I quickly noticed Ms Kieffer's belligeraet tone. As a young woman who has clearly achieved success (she has made frequent appearances on Fox New channel (although I would consider this more bad taste than success!) it is interesting to see the ire and spite that this young woman has. The more I read the pages of her book it soon dawned on me that we have someone who wants to be the next Ann Coulter. Of course, this means attacks on President Obama and any manifestation of left-leaning policy. I can see her being prepared to be the next line of conservative right-wing screamers who will say anything to get attention. She is so committed to the right-wing cause that she doesn't take time to get her facts straigtht (an Ann Coulter trait she has perfected). She regurgitates hard-line venom without even considering what she has written. Take for example, her criticism of Jay-Z and Beyoncés trip to Cuba. She writes: "Mr. and Mrs. Jay-Z Carter vacationed in Cuba for their anniversary in the spring of 2013--you know, that communist country run by a dictator whose people love him so much that they risk their lives paddling on makeshift rafts, to get here?" Who is she referring to? Fidel Castro or his brother Raúl, who took over for him several years ago? I don't think Ms Kieffer has followed the news lately. If she had, she would have known to use the term "balseros" for the people who traversed the dangerous waters to make it to the US.

There were some other misrepresentations as well, but these days, who needs to be factual? My side bias ensures that an author of any political bent will have an audience. Young Ms. Kieffer will "write" more books I am sure; there is certainly a market for her (fiction, experimental, politics, etc.). As for me, I thought seriously about buying it, after all, in Cuba we often have a shortage of toilet paper.