By Ben Hachten
As I was reading the comments (I know, never do that) of my recent article in The American Conservative, It’s Not Your Father’s GOP, several commenters opined that a socially conservative political movement will never play with the Millennial and Gen Z crowd. In essence, their argument was that young people are, and always will be, far more socially liberal than their parents, and nothing conservatives say or do can change this reality. In other words, the arc of humanity is socially progressive—abortion, marriage, and religion are out of the cards if conservatives wish to galvanize the young.
I think that this cynicism towards reaching the younger generations is probably a widely shared viewpoint among progressives and conservatives alike and is thus worth addressing from a decidedly Catholic perspective. Despite the wave of relativism that has left millions of young people with increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and factually wrong views about history (and not just this country’s), I don’t think we are helplessly destined to accept the empty promises of modernity. I think that young people, just like everyone else, crave meaning—Truth—amidst the chaos of life. Truth that only traditional Catholicism can deliver. If we wish to reclaim the culture, we can never waver on the Truth.