In his piece entitled "How Young Conservatives Can Topple Woke Ideology" at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Avi Wolf demonstrates that he has a fine grasp on what conservatism is really all about. He frames the predicament - the wholesale takeover of our culture by those obsessed with identity politics and redistribution, while a largely non-ideological public feels vaguely disturbed, but unsure how to deal with it and then points out the arrow righties have in their quiver that would be just the ticket:
And let’s get real here: most Americans are not going to solve the deeper questions of existence or governance that conservative thinkers tend to fret about. For that, a small, highly talented elite―perhaps in communication with a broader educated, lay public―is more than sufficient. Nor will many be all that ideologically minded. If the last few years have been any indication, sentiment and disposition (feelings) drive most people more than direct argumentation from first principles.
What we need is a conservative message not for the high intellectual but the ordinary citizen. What is it?
In one word: tradition.
Wow. You don't hear that term brought up too much anymore, do you? It is, in fact, the essence of what distinguishes conservatives, though.
Tradition binds a person to a long chain of generations in both directions―it was there before him, and it is his to hand down to those who succeed him.
To be part of a tradition and to engage in it is to be bound to something greater than yourself. The question is no longer just “How shall I live?” as an individual, but “What shall I preserve and hand down?”
This in itself changes perspectives. It forms emotional and personal attachments and commitments in a way raw analysis of economic data can’t.
A tradition, broadly and properly understood, should be binding on your behavior―traditions that contain real ethical precepts are preferable here. There are things you do and do not do, simply because of your traditional commitments. Anyone can be an ideologue and demand the government force everyone to their will. To be a traditional person—not a “trad,” that ugly historical cosplay often seen on social media—is to realize you are not an outsider but an active partner in whatever endeavor you have chosen.
Most important, traditions are an anchor, the sort of thing my professor assumed we had but many didn’t. They provide you with a starting point, a place from which to set out to explore the world and a solid home to return to. Study the great wisdom of the world in the abstract and you may have great insights that are as important to you as the fact that the earth revolves around the sun is to Sherlock Holmes. Study them as one belonging to a tradition, and it becomes a personal but fruitful struggle—do these challenge my traditions? Do they force me to adopt another or adapt my own?
The Seattle City Council’s move to slash the police budget flies in the face of a recent Gallup poll that found that 81 percent of black citizens want the police presence in their neighborhoods to remain the same or be increased.
A federal lab reportedly hosted a three-day mandatory training for its white male executives where they were instructed to apologize for their privilege, along with other tasks such as acknowledging the connection between “white male culture” and mass killings, per leaked documents reported by Christopher Rufo.
Sandia National Laboratories, which assesses the United States’ nuclear weapons and is a government contractor, hosted the training in 2019 at the La Posada luxury resort. It was here that the laboratory required its white male executives to participate in the “White Men’s Caucus on Eliminating Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in Organizations” training, Rufo reported on his website after receiving the documents.
The “caucus” was instructed by the organization White Men as Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP), according to the leaked documents. WMFDP claims it “transforms mindsets and behaviors to help organizations sustain truly inclusive cultures” in its Twitter bio.
From the your-children's-minds-belong-to-us file:
A Philadelphia public school teacher is curious about how educators will cope with “conservative parents" listening in on virtual classes, according to a thread captured on Twitter.
“So, this fall, virtual class discussion will have many potential spectators — parents, siblings, etc. — in the same room. We’ll never be quite sure who is overhearing the discourse. What does this do for our equity/inclusion work?” Kay tweeted. “How much have students depended on the (somewhat) secure barriers of our physical classrooms to encourage vulnerability? How many of us have installed some version of ‘what happens here stays here’ to help this?”
While Kay acknowledged that "damage can come from the left too," he noted that "conservative parents" are his chief concern when teachers are engaging “in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia.”
“While conversations about race are in my wheelhouse, and remain a concern in this no-walls environment — I am most intrigued by the damage that ‘helicopter/snowplow’ parents can do in the host conversations about gender/sexuality," he tweeted. "And while ‘conservative’ parents are my chief concern — I know that the damage can come from the left too. If we are engaged in the messy work of destabilizing a kid’s racism or homophobia or transphobia — how much do we want their classmates’ parents piling on?”
The Very Stable Genius has a track record of making contributions to the political campaigns of - Kamala Harris. As recently as 2013.
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