For the past couple of months there have been various opinions published on the state of American colleges and the rise of “snowflakes.”
Each article is essentially the same: a full-throated attack on the thin-skinned nature of these college students and their inability to cope with anything perceived as being offensive. The critiques are accurate; the current political climate on college campuses is embarrassing. However, these past articles fail to do more than address the symptom of an underlying illness in American society.
The propagation of progressive ideas on college campuses is often blamed. It is routinely argued that the authority figures on campus brainwash students into following radical leftist ideologies.
As a college student I have witnessed this in an overwhelming majority of my classes. Yet when I observe the growth of these radical ideas, and the scale at which they are spreading, I cannot help but feel that putting the blame on the colleges alone is not a sufficient enough explanation.
Others in the paper have blamed the “everybody gets a trophy” groups as the culprit, or perhaps a combination of the two. Still, this seems drastically insufficient. Both surely contribute or exacerbate the problem; but there seems to be, at least to me, a better answer that explains why college-age Americans are susceptible to these ideas.
There is a systemic failure in the family unit, the churches, and conservatism as whole in being able to provide a value system that is firmly grounded in the hearts and minds of young Americans.
These young people simply did not have the moral and philosophical foundation needed to resist the temptations of leftist professors and ideologies. Their house had been built upon the sand and, when the storm came, they were swept away. They had not truly found a higher purpose or meaning that they could strive for until a leftist professor gave them one.
To further understand the case I am attempting to make, the question must be asked, what is the appeal in these ideologies? To understand what draws them in can also answer what can be done to counter this phenomenon.
Since 2010 college campuses have become increasingly radical and often openly hostile to any viewpoint that doesn’t toe the progressive line. Safe spaces and micro-aggressions are now well-known concepts that are taken seriously on campus and increasingly accepted in leftist circles and even in major American corporations.
The ideology of the leftist professors filled a hole that existed in the lives of young people across America. They gave them what was sold as purpose, the ability to leave a mark on the world and contribute to the future.
Leftist ideologues began preaching intersectionality, a system of ranking people in society based on perceived injustices or privilege that is further rooted in biological traits (race, gender, etc.) or gender identity. This was built upon the foundations of post modernism, which challenges the ideas of the Enlightenment and places emphasis on ideas like cultural relativism.
They preached their gospel in a way that gave the youth a calling: to protect marginalized communities that had suffered under the patriarchal, racist structure of society today. Young people could now rally to protect minority groups from the evil discrimination of the conservatives and Christians, both fulfilling their need to rebel against their parents as well as finding a purpose that they believe will change the world for the better.
This is, of course, all wrong for a myriad of reasons, but that is not my point. The point I truly want to drive home is that the families, churches, and the political conservatives need to find a way to give meaning and purpose to a generation that it has so far been unable to reach.
We can all write articles that deconstruct and disprove various aspects of the progressive agenda, but we cannot seem to find a message that resonates with young people and call them to action in a way that is beneficial to themselves and to society as a whole.
I myself am a college student, I attend Clayton State and I witness this phenomenon all the time. I listen to the arguments, the rationalities of those preaching the leftist gospel, and I watch the eyes of young people brighten as they are told how they can change the world and protect those being forgotten by society.
Unfortunately, they are used most often as political pawns and will not be fulfilled once the colleges and leftist professors are finished with them. They will, for the most part, move into the labor force and be forced to attempt to adjust to a world that is nothing like their campus. They will struggle unnecessarily because we cannot adapt our approach to this generation.
I know this article will surely offend, but my point is not inherently offensive. It’s actually simple: young people crave purpose and meaning in their lives, and when traditional societal structures failed to provide it, the youth turned to leftist philosophy and activism to fill the void.
Until the churches, families, and conservatives in general find a way to reach the youth, this trend won’t stop.
This is not to say that your particular church or family has failed, although it could be the case, but that it is a trend in the United States and in our own community.
I only ask that you evaluate what you may be able to influence in a positive way. If you see missed opportunities in your church, talk to your pastor, offer help or at least offer ideas if you have them.
If there is a breakdown in family communication, be the first to extend the olive branch, even if you are not wrong. A strong, unified family is statistically indicative of greater success in the future for children.
Lastly, if you disagree, please respond with your ideas; I would much rather be proved wrong in public and have progress made than to simply restate what has been written by countless others and have everyone agree with me.
Josh Rigsby
Fayetteville, Ga.
