Not everyone is happy with the results of the
2016 Presidential election. Every 4 years there is approximately 50
percent of the country that wishes the result had gone the other way, but some
take it better than do others. In recent days we have seen wide-spread
rioting in the streets of major cities and a variety of protests taking place
on college campuses around the country. Perhaps strangest of all is that
professors and administrators have actually given students time off from class,
postponed exams, and grief counselors have been brought in to help students
work through their trauma! Yes this has really happened! We have seen
several celebrity rants on Facebook, talk shows, and in other forums
with disenchanted people acting in every manner from vulgar to childish.
The roots of the issue we see are much deeper than sorrow over an electoral
loss. They stem from years of grooming by several compliant parties
including parents, teachers, Hollywood, and the media. At the heart of
the issue is the fact there has arisen a generation that does not appreciate
the concept of “free speech” like others who have come before.
Liberals, of every stripe, have been allowed and even welcomed to speak on
college campuses but conservative voices have been silenced by protests and
demonstrations; consequently invitations have been revoked. This is a
generation that has not been taught to listen to all sides and evaluate the
merits of various arguments. Instead, they have largely been
brain-washed, and manipulated into believing certain things because the
alternative was either neglected or rejected by those dispatched with the
responsibility of teaching.
The overwhelming number of state universities have very non-diversified
faculty. Statistics have shown that 75, 85, even 95 percent of some
universities’ faculty are comprised of professors identifying themselves as
Democrats or liberal with only 25, 15, or perhaps 5 percent identifying as
Republican or Conservative. This ideological in-balance is also true
among the mainstream media. Persons identifying as liberal saturate news
organizations while conservatives are often edged out or not hired in the first
place. Therefore, when it comes to hearing and evaluating arguments,
young people often lack the tools by which to do so, because they have only
been taught one viewpoint/worldview.
Kids growing up in conservative homes may be heavily influenced by parents,
grandparents, teachers, etc. toward conservative ways of thinking . They are
not however, immune from liberal ideology because of their exposure to
Hollywood, the main-steam news media, and universities, if and when, they
attend.
Even beyond differences in ideology, it is the particular behaviors of some in
the wake of Trump’s victory that have left many scratching their heads.
It is all the crying, and whining, and acting like spoiled brats that is hard
to process. Many conservatives were devastated in 2012, 2008, 1996, and
1992 but we saw nothing of this sort of behavior. Where are they learning
that these types of displays are good, healthy, or reasonable?
In her 2008 book The Death of the Grown Up; How America’s Arrested Development
is Bringing Down Western Civilization, author Diana West explores how that
childhood is being extended longer and longer. One of the reasons is
because kids are not forced to become adults like they once were.
Generations ago those in their late teens were getting married, going off to
war, farming, having and raising children, and starting the pattern of adult
life that would carry them for the remainder of their lives. Now many,
well into their 20s and beyond, are still acting like children, shirking
responsibility, living for the moment, undecided about the future, unable to
maturely assess situations, and properly rationalize and analyze.
One of the hallmarks of maturity is being willing to take a little more than
your share of the blame and a little less than your share of the credit.
Another mark is to accept that which you do not like and do so with dignity,
grace, and poise. The election protesters on college campuses are angry
because they have largely been taught to be angry. In many cases,
the professors that have taught them to be angry about their government and
perceived injustices are then letting them postpone their exams and applauding
their walk-outs. These professors have effectually become enablers and
promoters of the tearing of the fabric of society. All that would have
ever needed to be done was to present both sides and let students make up their
minds with all facts on the table, but that has strangely become rare.
One of the central issues in this debate is, first of all “What is truth?” and
secondly “What place does truth hold in your worldview?” The truth is
never afraid to be examined, scrutinized, or viewed under the brightest of
lights. Truth will always stand the test. If one is to have the
confidence of “truth” on their side, they need to understand where others are
coming from and not be wooed by propaganda hand-fed by political parties or
agenda driven media. And yes, not even by tenured faculty at major
universities. Lies/falsehoods are the opposite of truth. Lies
demand tolerance. Lies fear exposure. Lies beg to be left
alone. Lies love to be shouted but hate being examined. If
university faculty, and their students believe that what they believe is the
truth, why not let others with alternate, conservative viewpoints come in and
make speeches and presentations and they pick apart their arguments. The
fact that they are largely unwilling to do this gives strong indication they
are afraid. They are, in essence, closing their minds as a form of
self-defense.
The overall delusion we are witnessing in our country is unnerving and will not
lead to a good place. Countries in Europe have been ahead of us in seeing
these things play out to their natural conclusion and it is not a pretty
picture. Just take a look at what has happened in Greece. God gave
us minds to think with and to evaluate ideas, viewpoints, and the world in
general. College should be a time that students learn diversity, tolerance,
and about worldviews different than their own. Sadly without even
realizing it, they are being indoctrinated into a strange, closed world that is
not easy to vacate.
Many educators, politicians, parents, news media, etc. have let this generation
down. I am so thankful for parents, teachers, and others who taught me
how to think and evaluate claims without merely indoctrinating me into a
particular viewpoint. That is education. That is what America has
always been about. Slowly, the American mind is being closed. It is
ironic that liberalism is alive almost everywhere except when it comes to
freedom of thought and speech. If you say the wrong thing you will be
punished. This is not the America most have known, but it is the America
we are sadly becoming.
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
