The not-so-silent generation comes of age

I recently received a marketing email from a political magazine descrbing Gen Z as “empty” and “demoralized,” along with “destitute” and “dispirited.” But the Gen Z’ers I encountered at CPAC last month were anything but. In fact, they were fired up about being a voice for the conservative and, more specifically, the MAGA movement.

They also came prepared. As if getting ready to step into an interview with Sean Hannity, the young bucks were armed with sound bites and catch phrases, at the ready to represent their generation to anyone who would listen.

These are the type of Gen Z’ers social media algorithms should be pushing — not the hysterical, blue-haired, sexually confused 20-somethings that litter TikTok.

Many of them made reference to the “globalist elites.” One even said the current Conservative Party across the pond needs to “be destroyed because that is what they deserve” and that not one person in the party can stand up and do what needs to be done. “These people are corrupt, and every single one of them deserves to lose their seats,” he said, channeling his inner Matt Gaetz. “Hopefully a new generation will take over and actually do what the English people want them to do.”

Although he declined my invitation to run for office, other young men were poised to be a voice for their generation. Justin Cleary runs an organization called Red Voices, an influencer marketing agency that connects conservative campaigns and brands with “trustworthy creators.”

“Republicans have traditionally relied upon older voters to win the elections, so they’ve just neglected outreach to young people,” the 24-year-old told me. He’s trying to change that.

Cleary is convinced that if Republicans do more outreach, conservatives can “win over young people, it’s just they’ve been neglected for a long time.” He said it’s been an uphill battle to convince clients to invest in a younger generation, but he remains optimistic. “I think we’re definitely going to win in 2024.”

A friend of Cleary’s declared that Gen Z is more conservative than the preceding Millennial generation but also more open to diverse groups joining the movement. His cohort is “more open to LGBT individuals [and] open to African-Americans” and believes that the Republican Party is “turning into a diverse party and Generation Z is leading that.”

As a gay young man, he says he’s felt more “love” and “welcomeness” from the Trump faction of the Republican party than he has from Democrats or Republicans like Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis.

There was one contingent sauntering the halls who weren’t so welcoming — a posse of young men dressed in suits who looked as if they should have been wearing flannels with rifles slung across their shoulders. I politely asked if I could ask them a few questions.

“We don’t do media,” one replied. I was baffled. They don’t do media? Who were they to do or not do anything? I pressed with more questions. “No comment,” they replied.

Unworthy of their swagger, some wore sunglasses indoors, a sure sign of insignificance. I half suspect they returned to their parents’ basements to troll people on social media while searching the internet for instructions on how to make homemade bombs.

To a more mature member of the conservative movement, these fools seem to be the ones who give us a bad name — the ones liberals love to blast all over the news and social media, the arrogant, possibly not very intelligent, instigators who should stay home.

Someone who is not giving young conservatives a bad name is Grace Reilly, an anything but “empty” or “demoralized” senior at Grove City College in Pittsburgh and one of the few young ladies I met at CPAC. Grace reminded me of what I so wanted to be when I was her age: exceptional. An articulate, put-together young woman who could clearly explain her beliefs and ideas, Grace is likely one of the few in her generation who is respected by her elders. In addition to being a student, she is already a marketing fellow at the Institute for Faith and Freedom and a contributor to the American Spectator.

She told me she believes it’s important that her generation “stands for conservative Christian values” and that she attended CPAC to “encourage [GenZ] to be interested in the things that are going on in our country and politics, but most importantly be interested in the values that [support] the politics,” such as faith and freedom.

Reilly believes many in GenZ are misled and “aren’t doing the back work of understanding politics” or looking into why certain issues are problematic. She said many of her peers get on social media to share leftist points without digging deeper or offering an underlying belief system.

She also finds being a young conservative woman “empowering,” despite a notable lack of representation at CPAC, but thinks conservatives need to do a better job “speaking up against the radical left feminist narrative.” Preach, sister.

These are the type of Gen Z’ers social media algorithms should be pushing — not the disheveled, hysterical, blue-haired, sexually confused 20-somethings that litter TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever other app I do not, nor will ever, use.

I must admit, historically, I have been underwhelmed by those two generational steps below me with their need for safe spaces and preferential pronouns. After all, I come from a generation that was all but ignored for weeks on end and left to fend for ourselves daily. We were the last cohort to know what it was like to grow up without a digital addiction, although I suspect some are currently suffering from that malady. I was eager to hear what this new generation — the one people are calling the loneliest, most depressed, and most self-absorbed generation yet — had to say, hoping they would give me reason to change my mind. They didn’t disappoint.