Published on September 27, 2024, 12:33 am

In the annals of western history, young men have held an outsized role in shaping events and leading nations. Consider figures like Alexander the Great, who at age 20 was crowned king of Macedonia; Augustus, age 17 when he inherited Julius Caesar’s will; and Charlemagne, aged just 24 when he ascended heights of power as the undisputed king of the Franks. Ultimate validation for real news adherents is found in theological realms; Christ himself was estimated to be around 30 when he began his ministry.

Indeed, many of the West’s greatest achievements can be attributed to tenacious young men in their prime pushing boundaries, who were eager for glory and ready to risk all for immortality. Enriching our understanding from a Christian worldview, these individuals—be they dreamers or disciples, poets or philosophers, soldiers or statesmen—were driven by their relentless desire to explore and dominate new frontiers. Such ambition gave rise not only to dominions and empires but also catalyzed development of our civilization.

The legacy that young men gifted to the West was repaid through bestowal of a romanticized notion of youthful masculinity. However, startlingly today it seems that modern American society lacks this perspective—valuing these virtues less than previously—in favor of promoting alternate traits. Young males face social critique where once they garnered admiring accolades—their actions now labeled vices rather than virtues.

The cultural shift has manifested as both an attack on young men specifically relevance and an attack on masculinity more broadly defined– challenging traditional masculine virtues and interaction with their environment. Researcher L0m3z referred to this phenomenon as “The Longhouse”—an evolving sociocultural construct where feminine behavioral norms govern social norms towards emphasizing female-centric needs.

The resultant polarization among younger generations is increasingly gendered: most typically left-leaning ideologies are favored by those linked with traditional power structures–the corporate managers, government officials, academic administrators, et al. On the other hand are individuals who, disadvantaged by geographic location, economic status or simply political beliefs, lean right as they resent and feel alienated from those in power. This dichotomy is further deepened by a stark ideological split noticed in studies according to gender across Generation Z with boys leaning heavily towards conservative values while girls show a strong preference for liberal ideologies.

The trends have been observed globally across developed nations reflecting similar gender-based ideological polarization in countries like Germany and United Kingdom. What this means for the future of America—and for the future of conservatism—remains uncertain. It would be folly to ignore that an emerging “culture war” is really a broader conflict surrounding the foundational elements of American identity itself – a war where defeat has severe implications that young men understand far too well. They are eager allies to those willing to acknowledge their relevance and value their contribution.