I speak from experience when I say that growing up a conservative in a majority liberal town is challenging for teenagers. We face incredible animosity from our peers and even sometimes our teachers. As young conservatives, teenagers lose friends due to their beliefs and have insults like racist, homophobe, sexist, and bigot hurled at them daily.
I know this because I am one of those teenagers. I have lost friends. I have been called names. I have seen my grade suffer when I wrote a persuasive essay on why we should not raise the minimum wage and my teacher did not like my stance on the topic. I have seen the liberal indoctrination on our high school campuses firsthand, and I know others who have experienced these things too.
The left claims they are for free speech, but that only applies if you think the way they do. The minute you voice an opinion that is different from theirs, they will start using hateful rhetoric to try to immediately shut you down. The second you reveal you are a conservative, you are no longer worthy of their friendship, and they put on that “holier than thou” act that they love so much. Conservative teens do not speak up for themselves or their beliefs in school for fear of being ostracized by their peers. The teachers do not realize it, but they encourage this kind of behavior. They preach their liberal beliefs in the classroom and tear apart high-level conservatives, and their students follow suit.
Students have been coddled in public school for so long that they no longer know how to have a civil discussion with someone with a differing viewpoint, and that leads to the animosity towards their conservative peers that we see so often today.
I recently heard a story from a friend of mine in Florida in which a history teacher at her school said he wanted to punch one of his students in the face for saying that he believes people should be able to buy a handgun at 18 instead of 21. Along with that, a friend of mine got a 'C' on a paper for saying that students are too coddled in the classroom nowadays. That paper was heavily criticized by our English teacher, not for the writing, but for the content.
But hope is not completely lost. If you speak up, you may receive some hostility, but you may also find allies. I know I did. I found about 25 allies.
As a conservative teenager, I encourage others to get involved with groups like Turning Point USA, Young Americas Foundation, and Young Republicans. Those groups allow you to network with other conservatives across the country and learn from some of the greatest thought leaders of the conservative movement. They can also help you find other conservatives in your school. Starting a chapter and taking a stand for what you believe may inspire others to join and do the same.
The antagonism of the left on high school campuses has silenced young conservatives for far too long. They remain quiet when now, more than ever, we need them to speak up.
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