Boys State Parent Guide

It’s 2018 and the Texas State House is once again swarmed by 17-year-old boys, ready for a hands-on lesson in American politics. The program they’re involved in, Boys State (and its female equivalent, Girl’s State), are put on by the American Legion. The week-long camp will divide 1200 young men into two parties, elect a host of political offices from within their own ranks, form a party platform, and then elect the Governor – the highest office in Boys State.

Unsurprisingly, 1200 teenage boys latch on pretty quickly to some of the more odious aspects of party politics. They have a natural talent for weaseling around complex issues, bullying others, and playing stupid to appeal to a rowdy crowd – a talent which doesn’t seem to disappear with age, if current politics are any indication. What could be a fun and formative experience rapidly degenerates into wildly divisive pseudo-political high school drama.

There are exceptions – Steven Garza, for example, seems determined to win by doing what he feels is right, and by knowing and understanding his voters. He appeals to their better nature, rather than pandering to their teenage desires for chaos. Garza quickly emerges as the hero of the piece, that rarest of creatures: an honest political animal. He’s a remarkable young man, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him win a real political office someday soon. I wish him the best.

Tragically, I have a sneaking suspicion that Garza would not be the fan-favorite with a lot of teenagers. The only thing worse than a political junkie is a teenage political junkie, combining the need for attention with an inability for self-reflection, resulting in an unholy gestalt (something far worse than the sum of its parts).

This documentary is almost completely suitable for all audiences. Compared to most productions involving teens, a movie with four swear words (including two sexual expletives) and brief sexual innuendo feels squeaky clean. The movie might not be too interesting for a lot of kids, but it is worth watching all the same. If nothing else, watching these teens embrace the uglier side of party politics highlights what George Washington said about political parties: “They are likely…to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”