I went to college in 1961, and knew bunches of YAF & proto Goldwaterites. They were happy warriors, slashing and burning abstractions. If you paid attention to politics you could have coffee with them; they were always looking for fun foils. Their purity could be hilarious; our local YAF chapter was against those new-fangled zip codes, because zips would lead us to forget the names of our local communities. They also suported George Wallace when he ran in the state's presidential primary.
I never saw any mention of the Libertarians, founded 1972 in response to the Vietnam War and the military draft. At the time they were considered "radicals" who were for the ERA, against drug laws, against foreign interventions, pro abortion. pro free speech...they're a big part of the story. Today, in the era of DEI, "woke" and "political correctness" they're called "radicals" as well...but by a different group of "centrists."
"Teenage conservative rebel to LSD-fueled cult leader? If you squint closely, you can see that they’re the same thing."
I think that what's to be seen in this example if less a similarity of *political* trends, but more simply, the life course of a personally gifted and whimsical narcissist.
I went to college in 1961, and knew bunches of YAF & proto Goldwaterites. They were happy warriors, slashing and burning abstractions. If you paid attention to politics you could have coffee with them; they were always looking for fun foils. Their purity could be hilarious; our local YAF chapter was against those new-fangled zip codes, because zips would lead us to forget the names of our local communities. They also suported George Wallace when he ran in the state's presidential primary.
I never saw any mention of the Libertarians, founded 1972 in response to the Vietnam War and the military draft. At the time they were considered "radicals" who were for the ERA, against drug laws, against foreign interventions, pro abortion. pro free speech...they're a big part of the story. Today, in the era of DEI, "woke" and "political correctness" they're called "radicals" as well...but by a different group of "centrists."
This is what makes Trump's popularity with some young people so unusual. Trump is no conservative
"Teenage conservative rebel to LSD-fueled cult leader? If you squint closely, you can see that they’re the same thing."
I think that what's to be seen in this example if less a similarity of *political* trends, but more simply, the life course of a personally gifted and whimsical narcissist.
I don't mean that facetiously, but literally.