There is a stench of decay hanging over our country. It is coming from generations of young Americans who are not being taught how to live. The bedrock institutions charged with fostering the sound growth and development of our young people are failing, a serious threat to their future and ours. The widespread hero worship of cold-blooded killer Luigi Mangione, expressed all across social media after he shot 50-year-old Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare in the back, is the jolt every American needs to realize the depths of our descent.
The Nuclear Family Is Central to Who We Are
Strong families make strong communities. The nuclear family is the social organization within everyone’s sphere of influence that is most important to the development of children and, fortunately, the most within our individual control. The nuclear family has not weathered societal change well over the past 50 years. 40% of American children were born to unmarried women in 2022, an increase from 18% in 1980. Nearly 50% of first marriages end in divorce. Family meals, once the norm, eaten at a table together and a source of teaching and learning, have gone by the wayside for many.
In 2022, the Gallup organization found that 17% of Americans say they do not believe in God, the most ever measured. Young, liberal Americans are the least likely to believe. Today, many are lost in the wilderness with no solid foundation on which to build a good life. Before you can teach others how to live, you have to know what you believe.
From Sifting and Winnowing to Thought Suppression and Weakness
The class of 1910 at the University of Wisconsin, in a nod to the importance of academic freedom, dedicated a plaque to the school that remains mounted on Bascom Hall today: ”Whatever may be the limitations which trammel inquiry elsewhere, we believe the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
Today, university campuses would be unrecognizable to the class of 1910. The faculty, responsible for fostering the spirited debate of ideas and development of critical thinking, have played a prominent role in promoting the idea there is one right way to think. They wield the mighty power of the grade as they exercise their not-too-subtle suppression of free speech. Stories from students who refrain from saying what they really think for fear of retribution from professors and students alike are commonplace all across the country. Liberal ideology dominates and it is made clear to everyone that alternative views are not welcome.
On the day after the election of Donald Trump, “prestigious” universities across the country failed in their responsibility to educate and opted instead to foster weakness and childishness. Georgetown, Harvard, the University of Michigan, and many others canceled classes and created “safe spaces” for students to engage in “self-care” with cookies and milk, Legos, therapy dogs, free hugs, and coloring books. One Michigan State Professor posted, “I am cancelling class today to grieve the election results.”
Pandering to weakness is not compassion. “Safe spaces” are not preparing kids for life. Crucial to growing up are experiencing setbacks, learning to cope with adversity, and developing mental toughness. This response to an election loss was despicable and unacceptable. The people who thought this was appropriate are a threat to the well-being of the students subjected to their “teaching.”
In 2023 a survey by the American College Health Association reported that 76% of students were experiencing moderate to serious psychological stress. They were described as anxious, burnt out, and depressed.
In March of 2023, the National Education Association published an article to be used by its members to go after additional mental health resources for college campuses. It said, “A mental health crisis is blooming among college students.” It reported the rates of anxiety and depression were at historic levels with more than 60% meeting the criteria for at least one mental health problem, up 50% since 2013. 15% were said to be considering suicide and 33% reported being “so depressed they couldn’t function”.
In March 2024, the National Education Association published “The Mental Health Crisis Among Faculty and College Staff.” This article reported that faculty, staff, and students have the same rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. We are told the faculty and staff are overwhelmed.
When Luigi Mangione, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, murdered Brian Thompson, Julia Alekseyeva, an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, heralded Mangione on social media as “the icon we all need and deserve.” She went on to proclaim, “I have never been prouder to be a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.” An apology for her abhorrent behavior was all it took to reestablish her good standing with the university. The inmates are running the asylum.
It Takes More Than a Medical Degree to Be Entrusted with the Welfare of Children
A medical degree is not nearly enough to entrust a professional with a child’s welfare. Disturbing trends in pediatric care are reasons for parents to be on high alert. Many in the medical bureaucracy are deeply steeped in liberal ideology. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) takes radical, liberal positions that have the potential to irreparably harm children. They fully embrace the lie that gender can be changed, and they are committed to “ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard and valued as they are.” Many pediatricians’ office walls have a poster of the “Gender Unicorn” to begin the early indoctrination of young children with gender identity and many are informing parents that parts of their child’s visit with the doctor will exclude the parent at young ages. Puberty blockers may be used on children as young as 9 and surgical interventions are considered appropriate on a case-by-case basis. The AAP says most transgender children are aware of their “gender dysphoria” before the age of 11.
AAP guidelines for treatment of childhood obesity are also radical. They include medications and surgery for children as young as 12.
Nearly 20% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have been labeled with a mental, emotional, or developmental disorder. Nearly 10% are on medication for a mental health problem. Nearly 14% of children are being seen by a psychotherapist. Yet, in an extensive review of the available literature, published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2019 titled “Targets and Outcomes of Psychotherapies for Mental Disorders: An Overview,” the authors concluded: “It is not yet clear what mental disorders are and what are the causal pathways that lead to them. That makes it difficult to decide what the targets and outcomes of psychotherapies should be…”
Parents are increasingly being edged out of their children’s important life decisions at young ages when parental guidance is critical. Many are shocked to learn that their children as young as 12 can consent to certain sensitive treatments and deny their parents access to some of their medical records.
It’s In Our Hands
There are many wolves among the sheep. We are responsible for creating and tolerating the environment which is producing so much sickness. The failure to develop moral, physically and mentally fit, productive, resilient offspring is not only depriving them of the bright futures they should be able to create but is also a real threat to our nation’s viability.
Turning the tide on our serious decline will not be easy and it would be a mistake to think someone else will do it for us. Individually, we are powerful. We have the power to recommit to the importance of the nuclear family: a married mother and father who know the difference between right and wrong, love their children, provide for them, and teach them how to live. We have the power to demand change in our universities and local school systems through activism. We have the power to refuse to send our children to universities that have abandoned their mission of welcoming and fostering diversity of thought and become centers of liberal indoctrination. We have the power to reject the idea that the “experts” know what is best for our families, thoughtfully considering their advice while never relinquishing control. No one loves or cares about our families as much as we do. We have the power to say “no” to any attempts to separate minor children from the hands-on guidance of their parents.
It is almost inconceivable that we have allowed ourselves to arrive at this place. Recognizing the problem is the first step to correcting it. Wake up America!
