"We view cynicism as an intellectually superior attitude."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez drew a huge crowd to South by Southwest, as her interest in the first-year legislator's speech far exceeded that of any Democratic presidential candidate who took part in the annual festival. Ocasio-Cortez spoke in a huge ballroom that did not even satisfy everyone who wanted a glimpse of the star legislator.

During his speech, Ocasio-Cortez strongly opposed the moderates, expressing his disbelief at the idea that it is often referred to as a desirable quality among politicians. "Moderate is not a position. It's just an attitude to life, like "meh," she said with a shrug and the audience applauded. "We have become so cynical that we consider" meh "or" eh ". We regard cynicism as a superior intellectual attitude and we consider ambition as a childish naivety when we think of the greatest achievements of our society. ambitious visions, "she said. Ocasio-Cortez continued: "And the" meh "is as if we loved it now for what? As for what? The audience applauds again.

In another part of the conversation, Ocasio-Cortez was asked about machines replacing humans at work, and the legislator said that the prospect should excite people, but that larger political forces make this impossible. "We should not be haunted by the specter of being automated without work," she said. "We should not worry that the toll collector no longer has to collect tolls. We should be excited by that. But the reason we are not excited about this is that we live in a society where, if you do not have a job, you are left for dead. "

During the Q & A session, two young women wearing Girl Scouts of America vests who presented themselves as part of Radical Monarchs of Austin, an organization designed to help girls of color get opportunities, asked Ocasio-Cortez for his entry into politics. "Stop trying to navigate the power systems and start building your own power," she says. "There are so many subconscious forces that push us to act like someone else … but when you are a woman of color, there are so many things that do not fit in with you," she said. she added.