Despite Trump’s Success, a Brewing Storm that Awaits

On the surface, given the unprecedented economic strength that is the hallmark of the Trump presidency, and that his reelection is all but certain, a vicious and potentially dangerous storm lurks on the far horizon of the next decades.

The signs of this storm are all around us. We see evidence of it each and every day, coming in small measures but nevertheless constantly taking us to a place where we will have lost the very traits that are uniquely American and set us apart from the rest of the world.

In essence, while we can look toward a Trump victory in 2020, the cultural war that has been waged over the last few decades is a war that is being lost before our very eyes. Just consider, for a moment, the following harbingers:

Surveys amongst those under thirty years of age increasingly show that socialism is preferred to capitalism as the favored means of production and that the pursuit of “economic justice” is more important than economic prosperity…so much for the concepts of hard work and upward mobility that have made the United States the most prosperous nation in human history;

For the first time ever in the history of the United States, those under thirty believe that certain forms of speech should not be tolerated under any circumstances- specifically, those which offend the sensibilities and norms of political correctness which have been established and fostered by the political left…so goes the idea of free speech and freedom of the press;

Regular attendance at religious services, which has been waning for decades, is particularly lowest among those under thirty and, in the next decade, will constitute a substantial minority of the populace;

Abortion, which was once preferred by Democrats to be “safe, legal and rare” has taken on a whole new and ghoulish aspect with regards to an increasing number of states which allow the procedure right up to and following the full-term birth of a child;

In pursuit of LGBTQ rights, an increasing number of young people favor lowering the age of consent for sexual activity- some advocating that it be lowered to the age of twelve for young boys;

An alarming and increasingly insidious trend among those under the age of thirty consider patriotism and the concept of American exceptionalism mere relics of past generations “who just don’t get it” anymore;

Commodities such as food, housing, education, healthcare and even access to cellular services are deemed by those under thirty “human rights” which should be guaranteed for all persons living in the United States, regardless of whether or not such persons are citizens of this country. California has in fact become a sanctuary state and only yesterday has now guaranteed health care for all people in that state, including illegal aliens. The first-year projected cost of this initiative is slated to cost upwards of $100 million;

As the result of the high cost of living, young people are increasingly opting to remain at home, living with their parents and are delaying marriage and childbirth until their thirties. While their parents clamored to have drivers’ licenses issued at sixteen, an increasing number of young people simply have no interest in getting these permits, ever;

An increasing trend among those under thirty consider themselves to be “citizens of the world” as opposed to citizens of the United States, and the concept of national identity is starting to fade in the pursuit of global and international identity.

One can look at these trends and easily point their finger at a host of culprits- the news media, the entertainment industry, education (or, should we say, the lack of education), the reluctance of parents to teach their children about God, national pride and what constitutes good citizenship, just to name a few.

Worse, bad personal behavior by celebrities of all stripes- professional athletes, musicians, actors, etc., is being tolerated to a degree not seen before and it is the trend towards acceptance of such behavior that results in the lowering of standards of what is deemed to be acceptable or even admired. Where are the role models?

These observations are not merely the pinings of an old curmudgeon bemoaning a perceived downfall of civilization but rather a recognition of a downward slope that is rooted in the radicalization of college campuses which began in the 1960s. The professors of that era, who increasingly embraced atheism and even communism, became department heads and administrators in the decades which followed, and spread their influence among the students who, in turn, became the schoolteachers and university professors holding sway over millennials and gen-Xers. When prayer in public schools ended in the mid-1960s, that was just the first step in the cultural wars that have now taken umbrage with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem.

Looking back on the developments of the last six decades, we can recall the very stark warnings that older and wiser people made at the time, while the “young enlightened” generation laughed at such warnings…now, six decades later, it is that “young enlightened” generation who is beginning to see the ramifications that have thus resulted.

Just think about what this country will be like in ten years, when those under thirty today become the movers and shakers and power brokers of tomorrow. While the generation of baby boomers, (those born between 1946 and 1964), move into retirement, who will be a position to stave off the trends toward socialism increasingly finding favor with their progeny? Who will speak out for the freedom of speech once speech codes imposed by political correctness actually lessen diversity of thought and usher in the dastardly dictatorship of groupthink?

These are questions that must be answered now, for our cultural fabric and our national identity- the very things which set America apart for two and a half centuries- teeter on the precipice of oblivion by a generation of those who have been indoctrinated to hold such concepts in utter contempt. While the rest of the world drools at the prospect of American demise, they too cannot see the forest of darkness for the sake of the trees which stand before them…

…and then, what?

-Drew Nickell, 22 July 2019

author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”

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