How does one explain the following three stories as it relates to the future of our country?
Rikki Schlott, of the New York Post, wrote of the fact that six in ten Gen Zers like socialism, and that explains the popularity of Zohran Mamdani, expected to be the next mayor of New York. She writes, “Is it any wonder Gen Z has been seduced by socialism? When you don’t know the first thing about the past or how the economy actually functions, then frozen rent, free bus tickets, government run supermarkets, backbreaking corporate taxes, and a $30 minimum wage all sound like a totally cool idea.”
Schlott blames Gen Z’s fiscal anxiety, paired with economic illiteracy, as the source of their inability to reject the false promise of “free things.” (I would also place blame here with their parents, grandparents, teachers, and socialist Democrats.)
Next up, the incredibly dire statistic revealed in an article published in Evie magazine by Gino Florio: “We're told by our culture,” he writes, “that a woman who is unmarried and has no children is empowered and in charge of her own life. She has escaped the unnecessary burden of raising a family and being a slave to her husband. At least, that's what our society has convinced us. Sadly, many women have adopted the modern feminist lifestyle and have chosen to sleep around, abort their baby if they unexpectedly get pregnant, and swear off marriage. But these cultural trends are going to have a tremendous impact on the future of American society.
Morgan Stanley estimates that 45% of women in their "prime working years" (ages 25 to 44) will be single and childless by the time 2030 arrives. That begs the question, where are the men who aspire to be husbands and fathers?
Finally, we should all be aghast to hear that Senator Tim Kaine (Hillary’s running mate in 2016) compared our nation’s cornerstone belief that our rights come from God as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and outlined in our Constitution to that of Iran’s Sharia-loving dictators and terrorists. As reported by MSN and others, Kaine’s incredibly stupid and insipid comments came during a confirmation hearing for one of Trump’s appointees, Riley Barnes, who was tapped by Trump to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
God-Given Rights
Barnes quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his opening remarks, telling lawmakers on the panel that "We are a nation founded on a powerful principle, and that powerful principle is that all men are created equal, because our rights come from God our Creator — not from our laws, not from our governments. The Secretary went on to say that we will always be strong defenders of that principle, and “that’s why the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor is important. We are a nation of individuals; each made in the image of God and possessing an inherent dignity. This is a truth that our founders understood as essential to American self-government.”
The report by MSN goes on to say, “But Kaine, who is a Catholic, found Barnes’ sentiment to be ‘troubling.’ The notion that rights don't come from laws, and don't come from the government, but come from the Creator; that's what the Iranian government believes, Kaine said.”
MSN also reported Senator Ted Cruz’s retort to Kaine, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, reacted forcefully to the comments: “I almost fell out of my chair, because that 'radical and dangerous notion'—in his words—is literally the founding principle upon which the United States of America was created,” Cruz said. “The casual condemnation of America’s founding principle is exactly what is wrong with today’s Democrat Party. Government protects our God-given rights; it does not create or destroy them.”
The End of History
What do these stories portend for the future of America and Western Civilization itself?
“Family and Civilization,” a book written in the late 1940s by Carle Zimmerman (2nd edition by James R. Kurth in 2007), is an exhaustive study of family structure as it relates to the success, stagnation, or disintegration of civilizations past.
Zimmerman outlined three types of family structure which determined the relative success of civilization. The most primitive type of family structure was the tribal/clan model. In this construct, the needs, wants, desires, and aspirations of the individual are subordinated to the tribe/clan, thereby limiting the ability and initiative of the individual to succeed. This type of family structure, while still prevalent in some parts of the world, was never optimal for advancing civilization.
The next structure, the nuclear family, comprised of a husband, wife, and children who are supported by, but not controlled by, extended family, was the secret of success. This type of family formation served to create a level of personal freedom, enterprise, and a standard of living that was unparalleled in history.
Unfortunately, in former civilizations which helped to give birth to the principles and precepts of the same (e.g., Greece and Rome), the success of societies that embraced the concepts therein became so successful that they drifted away from their historical, familial moorings. They forgot who they were and how they got there. Among other things, they eschewed marriage and children. Demography being destiny, they were doomed as they were subsumed.
Family structure #3: the atomistic, is no family at all. It is the selfish, narcissistic, hedonistic, nihilistic, materialistic individual that lives for itself while demanding that society, culture, and economy cater to its needs, wants, and desires (hence, the appeal of socialism among our youth). Unfortunately, in every civilization past, the atomistic was the end of the story.
Hence, all the things in our society, economy, and culture, which serve as an off-ramp or alternative to the nuclear family and the associated values and morals associated with Western Civilization, does not constitute evolution, but devolution. That is, the content, value, and goals of our society and culture in this present day does not mean we are evolving into something greater and superior. It means the exact opposite. As our foundations and values are destroyed, we (Western Civilization and the United States) will cease to exist.
Gen Z, among others, by rejecting the values, including family values, along with the principles and precepts of our constitutional government, and the faith that made our country what it was, indicates they are inclined to throw out the family construct and the civilization it built, along with the baby and the bath water.
Andy Caldwell, Executive Director, COLAB
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Technology in genereal and, recently, the internet and most recently, artificial intelligence perhaps play a role in the deterioration of the nuclear family. Video games, pornography, social media, cell phones all serve as alternatives to human interaction. Gen Z are socially awkward, would prefer a text message to a phone call, play video games over real life experience and substitute social media to social experience. It is no wonder that marriage and family are not priorities. The interpersonal skills and individual responsibility required of a successful and fruitful bonding are absent.
Andy,
I truly appreciate the way you tied these three stories together. Each one on its own is troubling, but when viewed side by side, they paint a sobering picture of where our country could be headed if we lose sight of the values that built Western civilization. Your reference to Zimmerman’s study was especially powerful, it reminds us that family, faith, and freedom are not just abstract ideals, but the bedrock that has sustained societies across history.
Thank you for continuing to speak plainly and courageously about these issues. It’s a needed reminder that if we want a future worth passing on, we must be willing to defend the principles and institutions that made America strong in the first place.
Enough Is Enough 805