Young men swung toward Trump in 2024. Now they're getting "blackpilled," or disillusioned with politics, and may sit out the midterms.
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THE PROMPT: offa’ the pills
“Blackpilling” crossed into mainstream discourse at least since Elle Reeve published her book on the subject in July 2024, Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, And Capture American Politics. On October 21st, 2026, Bloomberg News released a video segment titled “Young Male Trump Voters Get Blackpilled Out of Politics.” In it, a handful of young-ish, poorly lit men explain to journalist Jeff Green why they may not vote in the midterms and perhaps, may never vote again.
It’s a testament to the staying power of The Matrix (1999) that we’re still talking about silly red pills, blue pills, and now this neo-noir pill du jour, the black pill. That movie came out last century. The end of last century, to be clear, but last century nevertheless. Dank memes aside, though certainly not to be overlooked, perhaps the whole pill metaphor trope, collectively, is a bit stale. Stale also is the NEET, incel, grifter, lurker class grab-bag of failure-to-launch American dudes, a mass of socio-political whipping boys, un-served daily for the anthropological, apocalyptic, click-baiting pleasure of academics, journalists, editors and politicians, to be pointed at from a concerned, safe removal; the way humans generally relate to the great Pacific plastic garbage patch, which is to say, every couple of years with feigned interest while recognizing its growth in size and mass, with seemingly few viable solutions.
We at Good Standing put ourselves forth as one of these solutions, or at least a humble party that can offer an alternative mindset to start, or rather, start again, from a place of true empowerment, the individual human level. And these are human beings. Fellow Americans. But the Opt Out cannot avoid the accusation of Cop Out. Showing up and making difficult but informed decisions at the ballot is the point. Still, what can we as citizens do to solve our problems, rather than completely deflecting on our ability to show agency in this regard? How can any political pillpopper be empowered, liberated even, beyond the party line and ballot? What mechanisms are in place for black-pillers especially to collectively organize and connect with one another in a way that isn’t toxic, further alienating (and alienated), cynical and defeatist? Are most Americans, meaning everyone outside the famously wealthy and politically powerful, conditioned, brainwashed even, to believe the ballot box is where our civic responsibilities begin and end?
We at Good Standing are not entirely in disagreement with the notion, this deep feeling, that placing one’s future prospects, success, and overall happiness in the hands of politicians, wherever they may fall on the political spectrum, is a potentially losing proposition. Politicians cannot and should not solve all of our problems. They should absolutely operate as problem solvers, big or small. We strongly believe politicians should not go out of their way to cause problems. We should absolutely pay more attention and take greater care to elect political leaders that are efficient, honest, and fair. But are we even fair to each other? Why are we afraid to mobilize collectively, beyond protest signaling, and build engines of economic resiliency, renewal, and rebirth? Is empowering singular politicians sufficient in granting citizens sustainable leverage in society? Can tech and social media evolve beyond the soap box?
Good Standing invites humans in America and globally to ask themselves how they can bring their collective bodies and minds into a place of balance, contentment, and eventually, radiical (our spelling) happiness. One can’t help but extrapolate outward from the language and energy around political blackpilling, into these other dimensions of human existence, and the negative ramifications of this cultural direction for so many. Good Standing invites you to defiantly Opt In.
We believe doing good work in your community and helping other human beings near you, however you can, is a way to block out the dissonant noise and connect to an energy that transcends politics, institutional religion, doomscrolling, and endless culture-war fodder. Americans who feel marginalized have every right to vote for candidates that, one could hope, have their safety, inclusion, and best interests in mind. We support different political and cultural experiences. It remains possible that the most promising politicians out there are truly interested in everyone’s best interests.
So we must vote. It shows responsible citizenship. But trust that responsibility does not terminate on November 3rd. What comes after the vote? What happens the day after tomorrow?
If you self-identify as a black-piller we want to hear from you. We want to help you get more involved in your community, in touch with individuals seeking a different outlook and approach, one which we believe can help to overcome the general sense of malaise, cynicism, and fear permeating our culture.
Join the conversation.
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