Stop “Owning The Libs.” Here’s What To Do Instead.

PLUS: Watch my speech for Young America's Foundation!

Stop “Owning The Libs.” Here’s What To Do Instead.

Last week, I spoke for Young America’s Foundation’s National High School Leadership Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the young people who are the future of conservatism and hear what was on their minds. Even though they are entering this increasingly woke world, they are looking forward to taking on the fight. They are passionate about their beliefs. And it was an honor to speak to them. You can watch my speech and Q&A above and read an excerpt here:

The Woke capture of mainstream institutions makes being a conservative even harder because of something called “Social Proof.” “Social Proof” is the concept that we naturally look to what others are doing to make sure we are doing the right thing. You know when you’re standing at a crosswalk in a new city and you’re not sure what the standards are for J-walking? In Los Angeles, for example, you can actually be ticketed for crossing the street when the light is red. That happened to my friend in college. In New York, though, it would be heresy NOT to cross the street if no cars were coming. So, when going to a new city, you look at the person next to you. If everyone is seemingly crossing the street when the light is red, you will probably follow suit.

The same is true nowadays with politics.

Since the Woke control Hollywood, publishing, schools, and the mainstream media, they have Social Proof on their side. The Left is able to make it look like everyone, everywhere agrees with far out Woke ideas. Everyone is doing it, so it must be so. It must be common sense to be a feminist in 2021 – even Beyoncé had the word displayed in glowing letters in the back of her live concerts. It must be correct to be pro-abortion in 2021 – everyone knows that being pro-life is cruel and inhumane (to women, of course, not the baby torn from the mother’s womb), and now there are whacky, coming-of-age road trip buddy comedies about teenage girls running off to get an abortion without telling their parents -- yes, that’s a real thing.

So what does that say about young conservatives like you? It means you very actively have chosen not to follow everyone else off a cliff. It means you have enough character and will to stand against the current and think for yourself – not merely accept what the media has fed you. That’s really impressive.

But, when standing for The Truth against increasingly deranged Woke group-think, it’s easy to simply to “own the libs.” Very often, pulling out some awesome facts and spicy rhetoric to dunk on someone’s thoughtless, cliché Leftist talking points can be exciting and fun. But it shouldn’t be your default approach to achieving our goals. That’s not to say there isn’t a time and place to get spicy and drop a “truth bomb” – I have done it on my channel, and I’ll probably do it again in the future. But if we really want to reach across the aisle to our friends who have merely followed social proof rather than thought through their own beliefs, it might be worth it to consider a more kind and persuasive approach.

Different problems require different solutions. It's important, then, to understand what approach is useful for a given scenario when advocating and discussing conservatism. When you’re speaking with friends or peers who share your conservative views but feel less motivated to take up the fight, you may need to inspire them. You may need to rouse that person by reminding them of how right it is to be conservative and how horrible and dangerous Leftist ideas are. In that circumstance, it may be useful to be more strident and spicy. But that same kind of talk could completely turn off someone who doesn’t already agree with you. The Woke use their cultural dominance to slur conservatives as dumb, bigoted, or selfish. You may be the first actual conservative that someone is talking to about politics. You may be someone’s first opportunity to hear conservative ideas as they actually are, rather than how the Left misportrays them. To make the most of the opportunity and not turn off someone who might be skeptical of your worldview but willing to learn, educating from a place of kindness and joy in your values might be the better path.

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Quote of the Week:

“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” - Elbert Hubbard

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Classic Style Inspo

classicallyabby

A post shared by @classicallyabby

Fashion doesn’t always have to be uncomfortable! This dress is a perfect example. It’s basically like wearing a nightgown - it’s so loose and flowy and breezy. Wearing a loose fitting dress, while not the most flattering thing in the world, can keep you cool on a hot day when it doesn’t cling to your skin!

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Things I’ve Been Loving: Silicon Frozen Soup Tray

Often when I make a pot of soup, I have a ton of leftovers. Jacob and I don’t necessarily want to eat the same soup every night for a week, but of course I’m not going to throw it away! I used to freeze my soup in plastic bags which was an absolute mess. I recently came across these and I love them so much! They make everything so much easier. You simply put the soup in the silicon container, freeze it, and when it’s ready to come out you have perfectly portioned servings that simply pop out of the tray!

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Welcome to Classically Abby! 

I'm your resident #ConservativeInfluencer, cultural commentator, opera singer, fashionista, makeup artist, and wife with a classic take on the modern world. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter to see how! And together, let's be classic. 

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