Things sure seem to not be going our way lately. First the bad “Trade” deal, then the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to uphold the ObamaCare subsidies; Then the same-sex marriage decision, which I believe is more about opening the way for more legal challenges to Christian institutions than it is about allowing gay people to tie the knot. Everywhere we look, the things we love are under siege by progressives. 

They outlaw our religious symbols, they try to outlaw our guns, they apply laws unequally a la Jim Crow, they leave our borders wide open, they call us racists, they complicate our professional lives with useless regulation, and they force our children to eat nasty food in quantities barely fit for hummingbirds. Then they add insult to injury by teaching our children the virtues of doing all these things. That’s a whole lot of stuff to tolerate. One might ask if there is anything else the left can possibly do to put American dreams and traditions further and further out of reach. 

Does it really sink in when children are bombarded with false messages, though?

Indoctrination only seems to have a lasting effect when it involves issues that do not directly affect the people being indoctrinated. Same-sex marriage is a perfect example. Polls show that younger generations support gay marriage in greater numbers than did previous ones, which stands to reason. Gays and lesbians make up less than 2% of the U.S. population. Can a number that small have any significant impact on the lives of most Millennials?

Race relations would seem to fit the same mold. Overwhelming majorities of white Millennials say they believe in racial equality, which was not the case with previous generations. Their youthful zeal for this issue has largely shielded them from the predictable bogus accusations of racism and white privilege.  But, as a group, they are starting to focus on careers and family. It won’t take five minutes for newly-minted Generation Z activists with Ethnic Studies degrees to tell them that their children only made the honor roll because society is tailor-made for them. What happens then? Well, when the initial shock wears off, these young parents feel betrayed by the very people they thought they were helping. It dawns on them that they were dupes for the race industry when they joined the chorus of voices telling white people that their success is ill-gotten and unfair. Resentment builds when they have to tell their child to ignore people who claim he or she didn’t work hard. And, the left not only finds itself without two disciples, but may very well have given birth to two conservatives.

Ideologies that fly in the face of human nature will inevitably lead to a circular firing squad. Progressives can only sell their ideology to the young and inexperienced, but they demonize those same people later for trying to live normal adult lives. At that point, most people will quietly withdraw, becoming more mindful of their vote later on. No one wants to live in a world with arbitrary rules.

Fiscal issues (debt, taxes, healthcare, redistribution) affect everyone, making lasting progressive indoctrination even less likely. Millennials have been told over and over again that the rich will pay for everything.  Then they hear the Obama administration openly talking about how people their age need to enroll in massive numbers to cover health insurance for older, sicker people? It won’t take them long to realize they’ve been duped again. I think they are already catching on, but you won’t hear that from the mainstream media.

The Democrats will try to quell Millennials’ anger by forgiving school loans and the like, but the effect will probably be temporary. As parents, they still have to contend with questionable Social Security and Medicare commitments, ballooning healthcare premiums, and poor job prospects to top it all off. We can forgive them for asking why their children are less important than the left’s favorite victim groups as they write an oversized check on April 15th.

The point here is that it does not matter how many hours progressive activists pour into indoctrination. They always turn around and kick the very people they indoctrinated in the teeth. As soon as someone reaches adulthood, he or she joins the left’s bogeymen in the suburbs. The kicking action may be subtle.  It may not always be intentional. Liberal policies alone might do the kicking. But the betrayal will be there and will open peoples’ eyes to possibilities that were not presented to them on their campus or at “Hope and Change” rallies. We as conservatives have to stay focused and exercise patience as this is a generational fight. Gently remind Millennials whenever possible and remember that the Democrats only have a message, not the harsh truth of a huge premium or disappointing net pay. We have both.