Welcome to the new generation of Democrats. You’ve seen them. In fact, you can’t miss them. They are the ones waving Palestinian flags. They are the ones blocking streets and bridges in protest.
They voice their disdain for the United States, all the while not realizing that they did not earn any of the privileges they enjoy as a citizen, including their freedom of speech. Not only is their behavior not productive, but it approaches downright blasphemy.
Let’s call this new generation “Poligionists,” given that they are so void of faith in their lives that politics has become their religion. They worship in a social media bubble and come out to protest anything that America stands for.
It leaves us scratching our heads and wondering how we got here. At what point did we hand the microphone to this new generation of narcissistic, entitled young adults that have no reverence for the sacrifices our forefathers made for this nation? More importantly, how do we get it back? w
Although most of the media outlets primarily cover this new wave of antisemitism in Ivy League schools, they are coming out in droves all over the country. Recently, I listened to a conversation between my 21 year old daughter and a few of her friends. One of them grew up in a conservative home–going to church and pledging allegiance to the flag before the soccer games that her father coached—yet she is part of the Poligionists. She argued vehemently that the Palestinians were right in every act of terror and that Israel should be eradicated.
I was shocked and decided to dig further into how many of these Poligionists are from Alabama by looking at the forums of our universities. I discovered that this indoctrination of evil has penetrated what once felt like safe state lines. These kids are not just from Ivy League schools, they are from all walks of life, and they are a cohesive group.
At a time when Republicans are fighting amongst themselves, this group quietly joined hands across our country, and they are not letting go.
A recent poll showed that 66% of respondents in the 18-24 age group think that Hamas’s October 7 massacre constituted genocide. At the same time, 60% think that the attacks were justified by Palestinian grievances, indicating that they believe that the genocide of Israelis is justified.
They believe Israel is the oppressor to Palestine and therefore hate Jewish people. When you try to debate one of the Poligionists, they refuse to listen to your point of view, get defensive, raise their voice, turn red, and storm off to post on social media about how horribly misinformed and oppressive the Republican Party is.
The thought that the future of this country will be left in the hands of these mindless, radical miscreants is petrifying.
We need to be united and determined to get our great country on the right path again with the same patriotic spirit and sense of unity that our country was founded on. How do we do this? We stay connected with our children and talk to them about current events. If they have questions, open a history book, or better yet, the Bible! If you are caught off guard with their answers, take the time to explain the situation that is going on in the Middle East.
This war did not just start.
It has been going on for thousands of years. It is going to take parents, trusted family friends, and all hands on deck to fight against what they are being told on TikTok and other social media apps every day. Let’s get this generation back on the right path before it’s too late.
Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “We must show by our behavior that we believe in equality and justice and that our religion teaches faith and love and charity to our fellow men. Here is where each of us has a job to do that must be done at home, because we can lose the battle on the soil of the United States just as surely as we can lose it in any one of the countries of the world.”
Laura Johnston Clark is a wife, mother, and businesswoman. She grew up in the Wiregrass and now lives in Birmingham with her husband, retired Air Force Col. David Etheredge. She is a member of the Alabama Republican Party.
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