A Message to Young Conservatives: Get Involved

Over the past year, Gen Z has experienced an unprecedented shift to the right. In particular, Gen Z men shifted to the right by 13 percent from 2020 to 2024. More recently, the assassination of Charlie Kirk has become an inflection point for young conservatives. But where to now?

The younger generation is not shifting to the right because of low taxes or deregulation. They are not shifting to the right for any concrete policy point. It is important to understand that the reason behind Gen Z’s right swing is that this generation, more than any other, has a front row seat to the visceral decay of America. (RELATED: The Role Model Generation Z Needed — Charlie Kirk)

Gen Z’s conservative bent stems from one event more than any other: COVID. The COVID lockdowns prevented my generation from engaging in social interaction during the most crucial developmental phases in our lives. Worse still, the COVID lockdowns coincided with a period of rampant social media use among my generation. When Gen Z was not forced to interact, they shelled up online. (RELATED: Charlie Kirk’s Assassination Exposes a Generation in Crisis)

COVID spawned four years of boys in girls’ locker rooms, shameless DEI initiatives, and unprecedented illegal immigration. The culmination of 2020-2024 was an erosion of the societal basis of America, the likes of which we have never seen before. My generation was on the frontlines of America’s cultural baptism in critical theory, DEI, and the products of the Frankfurt School. More than any other, Gen Z was exposed to the most shameless of these ideologies. At the ballot box, these uniquely un-American ideas were rejected.

The zeitgeist of a Gen Z conservative is markedly different from older conservatives. We are based on one guiding principle: America is a uniquely amazing country; therefore, in every way, America and her people must be put first. For decades, this simple principle has been violated in every conceivable way. From endless foreign wars to economic policies that benefit elites who treat America as nothing more than a means to help amass their own power. The leaders of our nation have violated the sovereignty of the American people.

This has resulted in a new consensus in my generation: what we are doing is simply not working.

For many, this is a case for dismay and despair, a reason to write America off. This is fundamentally wrong; America, despite its recent flaws, has given each and every one of us a unique opportunity to succeed. The idea that the “American Experiment” has failed and should be written off should be repulsive to any American. This is because America is not simply an abstract idea or experiment, but a people, a nation, and a home.

So we must regain the things that made America special. We must return to a guiding principle that every American is uniquely endowed by our founding principles and therefore should be the unparalleled focus of our government.

While conservative energy has welled up online in my generation, the only way to accomplish our goals is to regain the reins of self-government, in modern terms: get involved. My message to my fellow young conservatives is exactly that: email your local GOP office, do the phone calls, meet your state representative, and express your viewpoint.

You cannot expect your government to reflect your views if you are not collectively and intentionally involved. Social media can be helpful, but it cannot be a substitute for personal engagement because there is no accountability for bad ideas. There are multiple emerging campus organizations attempting to remedy this. For example, American Destiny is an up-and-coming nonprofit connecting right-wing college and high school students with right-wing campaigns and causes.

More of this is needed. If Generation Z wants to seriously make a change to put America and her people first, they must have a seat at the table. Now, if you want that seat, you have to have a large amount of wealth or focused political capital. The only way to amass the second and effect change is to get involved early and often. Voicing your opinion on social media is no longer enough; it’s time to take action.

Our founders were perfect examples of this. Our nation was founded because a group of highly engaged and involved young men were ready to sacrifice anything to preserve their right to govern themselves. We must regain our right to govern ourselves.

READ MORE:

Conservatism Can Help Gen Z Conquer Its Biggest Struggle

Young Conservatives Cannot Afford to Be Neutral on Family

Liberals Aren’t Pretending Education Is Value-Neutral, and Neither Should We

Drew DiMeglio is a Freshman at Hampden-Sydney College, where he studies government. He is the President of the Hampden-Sydney College Republicans and a Fellow at the Wilson Center for Leadership. He has served as a field director on a congressional campaign and an Intern for Color Us United. His work is featured in Carolina Journal and American Habits.