I will be the first to admit that I don’t know everything. But I do have a voice when it comes to certain issues. Today, that issue is the fact that it is so hard to be a young conservative in America. I know that I am not the only one who struggles with this, especially because I am a “millennial” in society. I have many people in my life that I love and care for, who don’t share the same point of view as me and that’s not an issue by any means. I don’t care what your political views are quite honestly. If you were to ask me what mine were just a year ago, I’d tell you that I have no idea. I’m still learning today, believe it or not. But the fact is that I, along with many other young conservatives, can’t speak my mind without the fear of potential backlash from our liberal peers.
To those who aren’t afraid of being outspoken in their political views, whatever they may be, props to you. I wish I could have that kind of confidence when it comes to these things… But I don’t. The liberal point of view is so dominant in culture today that its almost frowned upon to think anything otherwise. I find myself easily intimidated when it comes to my political views because young people are told every day that we know nothing or that we don’t understand what we’re talking about.
Conservatives are often portrayed at narrow-minded and backwards but that isn’t the case. For many students, our political beliefs weren’t something that really meant anything until now. It’s our luck that for many of us this finally came into play during an election year. When I turned 18 I was so excited to exercise my right to vote but as election day came closer, feelings of uneasiness and shame started to present itself. I wasn’t going along with what so many others believed and that wasn’t what I signed up for. I now see that was just a secular mindset that I acquired during my first few months of college life.
I attend a university located in the heart of Kentucky. There are plenty of churches right around the corner and it’s not uncommon for students to attend on faith based groups on campus. But even with that environment surrounding me, I still find it hard to speak my mind. Because I’ve also had professors shove liberal propaganda down our throats while at the same time speaking ill of anything conservative because “it’s just old fashioned”. That may sound harsh but it’s true. I mean it, it literally happened last week.
In a survey published by the Chicago Tribune, it is reported that nearly half of college students are afraid to speak up when their peers disagree with them. I can personally attest that this statement is true. Most students don’t have a problem discussing their differences in a calm and fair manner. Things can tricky when hostility from either party takes place. It’s at that point where those who are usually conservative stand down and that needs to stop. At the same time, it does go both ways. We need to find some sort of common ground instead of always fighting.
Comedians like Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert and even those on Saturday Night Live have no problem with expressing their stance on subject matters. While these people can make important things seem “funny”, they’re also placing a level of intimidation within their dialogue. The following that these people have truly do outweigh those who support people like Ben Shapiro or Tomi Lahren. By no means am I saying that either of these people are perfect but they do have one thing in common. They are NOT afraid to speak their mind. They’ve become figures that young conservatives look up to in hopes that one day we can all have the same opportunities to voice our opinions.
It’s on this note that I am encouraging students like me to speak their mind. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others tell you that what you have to say doesn’t matter. It’s up to this generation, liberal or not, to come together and shape our country into what it’s meant to be.
