Let’s make one thing clear. According to the left, you don’t deserve to have an opinion. They don’t care about your input. They are not interested in finding a way to live together in peace and harmony. They see you as a Nazi, a threat, deplorable, a virus on the earth. They want you and your worldview gone. To them, you are a racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic bigot and therefore your opinion doesn’t matter. Why, then, do we on the right continue to engage in political debate as if we are too above the fray to take the gloves off? Why do our representatives talk about “taking the high ground” and maintaining a civilized political discourse? The left isn’t looking to debate the opposition; they are looking to destroy it.

The left has made their intentions clear. A recent opinion piece by Tim Kreider published in the New York Times titled, “Go Ahead Millennials, Destroy Us” sets forth in no uncertain terms a long-standing leftist theme: Destruction of Western Values and Institutions. In Kreider’s article, published March 2, 2018, he implores America’s youth, “Go get us.” He states:

My message, as an aging Gen X-er to millennials and those coming after them, is: Go get us. Take us down – all those cringing provincials who still think climate change is a hoax, that being transgender is a fad or that “socialism” means purges and re-education camps. Rid the world of all our outmoded opinions, vestigial prejudices and rotten institutions. Gender roles as disfiguring as foot-binding, the moribund and vampiric two-party system, the savage theology of capitalism – rip it all to the ground. I for one can’t wait till we’re gone. I just wish I could live to see the world without us.

Take us down? Rid the world of our outmoded opinions? Rip it all to the ground? This was not on the pages of some fringe leftist blog hidden in the depths of the Internet. This was in the New York Times. The New York Times! To be certain, destruction of western institutions and values is a cornerstone of leftism.

Yet, for years we have allowed the insurgency of “progressive” ideas to pass relatively unchallenged into our educational system, political system, media, and culture. Now, universities across America are unrecognizable, pop culture figures rally against all things America, God has been forced out of public discourse, the media has become a propaganda arm for the left. It is clearer than ever that the left has never been interested in a different set of policies, they are interested in a different set of values. The Left pushes the narrative that a faith-based worldview, pride in American historical achievements, dedication to personal responsibility, tolerance for opposing opinions, support for the freedom of speech are all radical far-right ideas. Our belief in judging individuals on the merits of their choices rather than the group they belong to is extreme. Our trust in the sanctity of liberty is dangerous. Our insistence that we adhere to the rule of law is just a manifestation of our disgusting racist and sexist attitudes toward those who break it. These are the claims they make against us, and the values we pursue. The conversation is rarely about policy or programs. It is nearly always about how evil you are and how many people you hate.

As the culture wars advance from one front to another, we on the right make like Neville Chamberlain and cede ground one issue at a time hoping that our appeasement will stop the left’s advance. We hope that by giving in we can stop the assaults on our character, win points with young voters, and quiet the left’s fiery opposition to our lifestyles existence.

The Left has not stopped its advance. It will not stop their advance. Not until all opposing opinion is, in the words of Tim Kreider, “rid from the world” and all institutions of the patriarchal, imperialist, racist America have been burned to the ground.

The American Right has played nice, acted with moral distinction and sought civil discourse. We implored our fellow conservatives to avoid “stooping to their level” and remain dignified because we are “principled” and going on the offense is somehow beneath us. Would you not lose your civility to stop harm to your child’s body? Why then do you justify holding back when they come after that which is far more precious, their minds and their souls? We’ve stood tall and kept our collars clean and our slacks pressed. We’ve looked the part of the intellectual and have patted ourselves on the back for acting like the adults in the room. Where has that left us? Where has that left the American experiment? Where has that left our children’s future?

If we are truly principled, we must be willing to fight for what we believe in. We must be willing to crawl in the muck of the trenches when necessary. We must be willing to fight them in the courtrooms and the classrooms. We must be willing to fight them on street corners and television screens. We must be willing to fight them on Facebook and Youtube. We must be willing to produce content that informs and entertains. We must reinsert ourselves into the arts and into storytelling. We must capture imaginations, not just stimulate brain cells. We must appreciate the impact of passion and culture as much as we appreciate the value of reason and policy. We must inspire as well as inform.

For the sake of clarity, I do not advocate the abandonment of adherence to principles of liberty and truth. I am not advocating that we infringe on people’s rights to free speech or slander the innocent. I am advocating the use of the tactic of direct confrontation. I advocate abruptly confronting their ideas with better ideas. I am advocating that we expand our presence in media and culture. I am advocating that we call them out for what they actually are rather than tip-toeing around it. The left has gotten a free pass because we, as conservatives, are too scared of the backlash that may result or the personal consequences of outing ourselves as conservatives. Far from restricting speech or lying, I simply want us to open the opportunities for people to hear our message in a way that is not handcuffed by our own filters. Filters created out of fear to fight back.

When we fight them we will be called names, disrespected, disavowed, disenfranchised and lied about. We may be made outcast amongst those we respect. But as said by Thomas Paine, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” If we truly are principled we must show our children that the left does not have a monopoly on passion or the tenacity to fight for their values. We must be willing to show them that our ideas are worth fighting for. We must be willing to fight for what we believe or be willing to watch it all fade away.