Once upon a time, there lived people who thought politics was just for grownups. But young people have a clear worldview of their own – and their moral clarity could be just what we need to shake up stagnant political systems.
In New Zealand, the Tooth Fairy is officially an essential worker, and, as such, could fly around freely during the Covid-19 lockdown. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, announced that the Easter Bunny was also free to deliver eggs to children. Just before that, Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández assured a mother on Twitter that the country’s most famous mouse – Ratón Pérez – was also exempted from lockdown.
Ardern didn’t tweet her decision. She held an actual press conference for New Zealand’s youngest inhabitants. As did Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg and Finland’s Sanna Marin.
All of these events were covered widely as a “cute” break from the devastating toll of the coronavirus.
The overarching narrative went something lik…