Photo prank delivered message: ‘Texas deserves better than Cruz’
I would like to publicly address a Virginia airport photo I took with Sen. Ted Cruz that has been shared across social media and various websites since I posted it on Twitter almost a week ago.
I am still the same person I was before the photo was taken — just a regular Texan who is concerned about current issues and believes that elected officials should be held accountable to their constituents. I disagree with Cruz on many issues, but my most pressing concerns lately are surrounding net neutrality and data privacy.
Last year, I became alarmed by the discussions around repealing net neutrality. Like many young Americans, I repeatedly called Cruz and my other representatives. I signed petitions. I sent letters. Like many young Americans, I felt like I was shouting into a void — and I got the impression that my concerns meant nothing to those who represent me.
I grew extremely frustrated with Cruz’s voicemail system; I was never able to speak to a live person despite calling multiple times during business hours. I slowly reached my own conclusion that unless I had the means to funnel tens of thousands of dollars into campaign funds, my voice would not be heard.
So, when Cruz boarded my flight last Friday, I saw it as an opportunity to have a voice. I knew I could never forgive myself if I didn’t stage some kind of protest or take action to stand up for my values. I also knew that I would never change the mind of a career politician like Cruz during a brief, coincidental encounter.
I didn’t believe that articulating my concerns verbally would be productive. So instead, I used humor. I tore a piece of paper from my notepad, carefully wrote “TEXAS DESERVES BETTER THAN CRUZ!” and slipped it into a lanyard badge I had on hand.
After we arrived in Dallas, I asked the senator to pose with me for a photo and quietly unbuttoned my jacket to reveal the sign. I performed this silly prank to get my message out there — and to demonstrate my frustration with Cruz and others like him. And it worked.
I’ve been overwhelmed by the response I’ve seen both online and from people I know. The photo was liked thousands of times, shared and reposted on Twitter and other social media platforms and published by various news outlets. I believe this photo went viral because so many people agree that Texas deserves better.
Texas constituents deserve to have a voice. Texas — like the rest of the nation — deserves protections for a free and open internet. I believe it is our responsibility to care for those in need, and to help those who are forgotten and invisible. I believe we should protect certain rights for all people, including bodily autonomy, equity, safety at school and in public places, and access to quality, affordable education and health care. I say this with decades of taxable income ahead of me, knowing that these protections and programs come at a cost — and I am willing to do my part to build a better world for everyone.
I believe that Texas is capable of great things. I’m tired of leaving voicemails. I’m tired of intellectual dishonesty. I posed for that photo to send a message to those who supposedly represent me. I stand by that message. Thousands of us stand together.
Texas deserves better.