Turning "Right"-Kids today are thinking different.

[igloo]

January 21, 2004, 9:30 a.m.

Turning Right

Kids today are thinking different.

By Holiday Dmitri

In my adolescence, I used to consider myself a devoted lover of the Left. At 17, I presided over my high-school chapter of NOW, joined the rank-and-file of Greenpeace, and annoyed my loving parents by turning vegetarian. I was so hip, so against the grain, I was bona fide "cutting edge."

Like many teenagers who grew up in the age of Nirvana, I sported a hairdo of defiance and clung to my generation's badge of conformity — beat-up flannel shirts and Doc Martens. Anything GOP was bad news. My friends and I didn't follow politics, but we listened to punk rock, poked holes in our bodies, and branded ourselves with tattoos, which, naturally, meant we were progressive in our politics. Counterculture meant rebelling against the Establishment — the rich, stodgy men in Brooks Brothers suits, the cigar-smoking conservatives, the geriatric gentle class. As a matter of self-preservation, you conformed to nonconformity.

Then something funny happened: Conservatism became "cool." Kids today are turning right and voting Republican. Members of the cool-cognoscenti like Gavin McInnes, cofounder of the New York hipster magazine Vice, are proclaiming it fashionable to think like Reagan. "It seems impossible that a generation reared on free-love television and rap music, a generation far more tolerant of ethnic diversity and homosexuality than its elders, could support the GOP, whose base is anchored in the religious right," writes Mort Kondracke in the current Roll Call.

But believe it. On college campuses, "young Hipublicans" are taking strides in fighting the (liberal) status quo. These new conservatives inject a healthy dose of popular culture into their politics: They can defend liberty and champion individual freedom just as well as they quote Homer Simpson.

Coined by Rolling Stone contributing editor John Colapinto, "young Hipublicans" describes a new demographic of young right-wingers that includes a slew of women and draws some of its fiercest ideologues from the middle class. No longer the WASP, the country-club golfer, or the Bible thumper, the new conservative doesn't belong to your daddy's Grand Old — "boring" — Party, but a bold new party for a bold new generation.

Let the stats speak for themselves. In a recent poll by the Institute of Politics at Harvard, 31 percent of college students across the country now identify themselves as Republicans (27 percent of the students say they are Democrats, and 38 percent consider themselves independent or unaffiliated). The poll also reported that 61 percent of college students approve of President Bush's job performance — a number about eight-percentage-points higher than the general public. Two other studies, one done by the Gallup Organization and another by the University of California at Berkeley, found that teens now hold more conservative viewpoints than older generations on issues like abortion and prayer in school. Not since the 1980s, when Reagan triggered a youthquake of conservative campus activism, have so many kids rocked the GOP vote. Could it once again be hip to be square?

My epiphany came during freshman year in college. I took a "test" in my American-government class, one of those 60-question computerized exams created to help the ideologically challenged pinpoint where they belong on the political landscape. To my surprise, I was hailed a classical liberal — which I was told was someone who disliked government interference and loved the free market. (This later became my excuse to my Marxist friends when I would run away — as soon as possible and as fast as I could — from the socialist meetings they dragged me to. I was allergic, I'd say, to big government.)

While attending the University of Chicago for grad school, I wrote for The Criterion, a too-cool-for-school conservative journal published by a group of Allan Bloom-adoring prep-school dandies. The Criterion boys (the board was made up of all guys, at least at that time) were hardly your run-of-the-mill, button-down cohort. These fashion-conscious provocateurs injected dirty humor and an in-your-face attitude into the pages of their publication, covering issues from the types of sexual relationships to avoid to an editorial urging the sending of campus protesters off to war. ("This [move] is good," the piece read, "for it injects energy into our self-absorbed community.")

PC campuses beware: The "under-30 generation" is rebelling against rebellion itself. Across the country, College Republicans are mobilizing. Since 1999, the College Republican National Committee has tripled its membership and now holds claim to 1,150 chapters, with more than 1,000 student coordinators on campuses nationwide. At the University of Chicago, the College Republicans have more than 30 deputy registrars conducting voter registration, and are currently running students as candidates for several local offices. Additionally, for the 2002-2003 school year, the U of C College Republicans were allocated more than $9,000 for annual expenses, not including their speaker honoraria. In comparison (in a reverse of typical campus trends), the U of C Democrats got a measly $92.

These facts scare some. In 60 years, no Democrat has ever won the presidency without carrying the youth vote. Imagine what would result if conservative thought seeped into the Ivory Tower! Colapinto calls it an "assault" on liberal teaching. He believes that campus conservatives — those misled souls! — are being exploited by rapacious right-wing think tanks and leadership organizations, serving as mouthpieces for their political agenda. In fact, Colapinto gives the kids no credit. According to him, a young Hipublican's "idea" of wearing recognizably "hip" clothes is the brainchild of off-campus conservative groups. Come on now, can you really see a bunch of suit-and-tie geezers legitimating street cred? I don't think so.

There are some things that change, yet stay the same. What kids want today hasn't changed much since the New Left movement in the '60s. They crave authenticity and are wary of tradition. They want to "keep it real," and they want to "keep it fresh." While conservatism may be by definition traditional, on campuses nationwide, conservative thought is often unconventional thinking.

Today professors don't think twice about openly denouncing the government or the current war. And holidays like Columbus Day are hardly celebrated anymore. (If anything, the day is mourned for lauding a "mass murderer.") But as academia turns more liberal, the student population sways the other way. One reason that College Republican membership is rising is because students are sick of being spoon-fed leftist political ideology and having to adapt to pious political correctness.

As the liberal herd mentality swells on campuses, students become more wary of groupthink and seek insurgent vision. And let's face it, it becomes cooler to break from the pack and revel as an outcast amongst the academic elites. Facilitating nonconformity, conservative concepts become emblems of revolt. The new youth movement is bound to bring energy and momentum to the Right. It's time to welcome the new face of conservatism: the rebel with a cause.

— Holiday Dmitri is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.

[igloo]

One reason that College Republican membership is rising is because students are sick of being spoon-fed leftist political ideology and having to adapt to pious political correctness.

[pattbateman]

that couldnt be any more true all i hear is my used to be left friends bitch about thats all their teachers talk about

[mr mahs]

Originally posted by pattbateman

that couldnt be any more true all i hear is my used to be left friends bitch about thats all their teachers talk about

I dropped my English class last semester because of it.

First class this deuchbag starts barking about Bush this Bush that...

Just teach me english you tool, noone needs or wants your political input....

[igloo]

Originally posted by mr mahs

I dropped my English class last semester because of it.

First class this deuchbag starts barking about Bush this Bush that...

Just teach me english you tool, noone needs or wants your political input....

It is even worse when this bullshit taps into elementary and high schools

[pattbateman]

i read a story and this guy was like yeah my little girl came home and said bush was a mean man and he was like how do know that and she was like me teacher told me. swear to god read it the other day in my local paper op ed.

[marksimons]

shocking stuff indeed.

I mean kids hearing different points of view at school. what is the world coming to.

perhaps politics should be kept out of english class, but, why not. perhaps if the teacher had some nouse and made a class look at language in the local media, mass media and foriegn media and see how language changes depending on location and publication, then perhaps look into the forces that, historically have influenced newspapers, perhaps throwing in a bit of history, look at newspapers in the run up to other wars, perhaps say british newspapers from before the first world war, and then look at the power the publishers had and what their political opinions were.

then perhaps the teacher could do some broader stuff, the history of journalism and the newspaper in particular to politics and modern society as a whole. perhaps compare geography, does for instance the size of the us, as say compared to most european nations who have numerous national daily newspapers, affect the influence of certain papers, does it affect the reporting of national/international news on a local level. does this force a reliance to other mediums, say television and the internet for sources of national daily news. where do most people get their information from, how would that affect their political opinions.

perhaps the teacher could look at the way politicians manipulate language, look at some great orators, look at some good on tv, look at the history of political campaigning, again, compare countries.

I'm sure there are legit ways of working everyday politics into the classroom.

if we don't encorage political debate, or at the least thinking, at school where will we encourage it?

or do we not want thought, just acceptance and justification.

[igloo]

Originally posted by marksimons

shocking stuff indeed.

I mean kids hearing different points of view at school. what is the world coming to.

perhaps politics should be kept out of english class, but, why not. perhaps if the teacher had some nouse and made a class look at language in the local media, mass media and foriegn media and see how language changes depending on location and publication, then perhaps look into the forces that, historically have influenced newspapers, perhaps throwing in a bit of history, look at newspapers in the run up to other wars, perhaps say british newspapers from before the first world war, and then look at the power the publishers had and what their political opinions were.

then perhaps the teacher could do some broader stuff, the history of journalism and the newspaper in particular to politics and modern society as a whole. perhaps compare geography, does for instance the size of the us, as say compared to most european nations who have numerous national daily newspapers, affect the influence of certain papers, does it affect the reporting of national/international news on a local level. does this force a reliance to other mediums, say television and the internet for sources of national daily news. where do most people get their information from, how would that affect their political opinions.

perhaps the teacher could look at the way politicians manipulate language, look at some great orators, look at some good on tv, look at the history of political campaigning, again, compare countries.

I'm sure there are legit ways of working everyday politics into the classroom.

if we don't encorage political debate, or at the least thinking, at school where will we encourage it?

or do we not want thought, just acceptance and justification.

As usual dickhead, you miss the point

[marksimons]

"Let the stats speak for themselves. In a recent poll by the Institute of Politics at Harvard, 31 percent of college students across the country now identify themselves as Republicans (27 percent of the students say they are Democrats, and 38 percent consider themselves independent or unaffiliated)"

31 Rep

27 Dem

38 Ind

pretty close there, still a lot of people who could float left or riiiiight...

70s baby you're the 80s child...

"Like many teenagers who grew up in the age of Nirvana, I sported a hairdo of defiance and clung to my generation's badge of conformity ? beat-up flannel shirts and Doc Martens. Anything GOP was bad news. My friends and I didn't follow politics, but we listened to punk rock, poked holes in our bodies, and branded ourselves with tattoos, which, naturally, meant we were progressive in our politics. Counterculture meant rebelling against the Establishment ? the rich, stodgy men in Brooks Brothers suits, the cigar-smoking conservatives, the geriatric gentle class. As a matter of self-preservation, you conformed to nonconformity."

doc martins are made near where I live...

erm this guy: "My friends and I didn't follow politics" if you don't study politics how can you know as part of the "Counterculture ... rebelling against the Establishment" what you're actually attacking? or was this another case of this writer conforming to fit in. Not now conforming with nonconformity (whatever that is) and conforming with the establishment, that you never bothered to research when you rebelled.

yeah. I trust this guy. let's read more:

"To my surprise, I was hailed a classical liberal ? which I was told was someone who disliked government interference and loved the free market."

surprised 'cause of the hatchet job that was done on the word liberal in the mainstream media? and your own lack of intellectual curiosity...

perhaps.

"(This later became my excuse to my Marxist friends when I would run away ? as soon as possible and as fast as I could ? from the socialist meetings they dragged me to. I was allergic, I'd say, to big government.)"

so later in his uni course he failed to grasp the basics of Marxist ideology, big government is not actually an inherent feature of marxism, it's all about the Community...

open minded to debating other view points it seems...

anyway...

"Today professors don't think twice about openly denouncing the government or the current war. And holidays like Columbus Day are hardly celebrated anymore. (If anything, the day is mourned for lauding a "mass murderer.") But as academia turns more liberal, the student population sways the other way. One reason that College Republican membership is rising is because students are sick of being spoon-fed leftist political ideology and having to adapt to pious political correctness."

is this true? or is it just the students who are able to speak out, do.

is this the spoonfeeding of rightist ideology by the mass media? by parents? by high school history? by what? who is rebelling against this. are there no students on anti bush marches?

so republican membership is rising... is it the attitude of professors? who is joining, what are their backgrounds, is it a diverse cross section of the community? perhaps it's because the republicans, as the article admits, seem to have vastly better funding.

"It's time to welcome the new face of conservatism: the rebel with a cause."

what cause? The Federal Republic of America?

[igloo]

Originally posted by marksimons

[b

what cause? The Federal Republic of America?

:blah:

You still miss the point.....your ramblings and google infested "intelligence" is not impressive ......

You miss the point...you miss the point...you miss the point........should I say it again to penetrate?...you miss the point....

kill yourself blowhard

[marksimons]

ah that was a little something for you igloo...

federal republic, united states, same difference...

errrrm...

did I miss the point igloo?

the point was.

more republicans or right wingers in young people or on campus?

do I trust the author of that article? do I think it's a good article? does that freelance writer sound like someone I should base my views around?

the survey shows that colleges are divided like the rest of America, large swathes of the population unconvinced by the two major parties and not really knowing what they can do or how to do it.

republicans are well funded at uni level and are doing well recruiting.

'left wing' professors apparently partly responsible for this - but the writer offers nothing beyond anecdotal evidence and their own amazingly interesting college life.

isn't that the point?

[pattbateman]

the problem is the little spouts of political stuff in non political classes

my first year in english i was taught by a lesbian jewish lady

it was horrible she disliked me from the beginning

now this was the year of the 2000 elections she handed out papers of all the fuck up george bush made during speeches i mean come on as she handed them out we went over the whole class on it messed up the syllabus it was rediculous now knowing then what i know now (i wasnt big at all into anything political) i would of flipped out. she was imposing on our impresionable minds her bullshit cause she was pissed he won.

now i dont like it when conservative teachers do it either (the one i had) i feel embarrassed cause i always say i hate it when other teachers do it.

just teach me what the class is supposed to teach for the love of god

[kramadas]

yeah, I don't think politics should be involved in a class that has nothing to do with it.

[igloo]

Originally posted by marksimons

isn't that the point?

no.....retard

kill yourself

[mrmatas2277]

Originally posted by raver_mania

yeah, I don't think politics should be involved in a class that has nothing to do with it.

WERD...

[mrmatas2277]

Originally posted by marksimons

38 percent consider themselves independent or unaffiliated)

thats where i fall into...but from what i read...many of the "unaffiliated" have voted to the right

[pattbateman]

most of those 38% will vote for the frontrunner its common sense they will vote for the one the media says has the advantage or is winning in the polls

no one wants to vote for a loser

[mrmatas2277]

Originally posted by pattbateman

most of those 38% will vote for the frontrunner its common sense they will vote for the one the media says has the advantage or is winning in the polls

no one wants to vote for a loser

not true i voted for DOLE and Clinton still won...

[pattbateman]

your not the majority then

[daprofessional]

I'm young and in college. I was left wing for a while. It was the idealism and feeling of fighting for justice that excited me about some of the left wing extremists. But then I actually listened and spoke with men and women who are older and more experienced than me. I actually read the newspaper with an open mind (The Times no less) instead of have a predisposition of "Bush is Evil". I realized that Republicans may be shady and the money they have is dirty but that doesnt take away from the fact that they do want whats best for the country, they get things done and they dont pander to the masses for votes, they stick to their beliefs. It's respectable.

[pattbateman]

thats exactly how i feel especially about not pandering to the masses for votes

[mrmatas2277]

Originally posted by daprofessional

I realized that Republicans may be shady and the money they have is dirty but that doesnt take away from the fact that they do want whats best for the country, they get things done and they dont pander to the masses for votes, they stick to their beliefs. It's respectable.

damn..i dont know if ur insulting them or complimenting them...