The funny thing about indoctrination is that sometimes it backfires, spectacularly.
Red Alert Politics interviewed recent college graduates, including two College Fix alumni, about their journeys toward conservative views.
Going through the crucible of far-left campuses pushed these students into conservatism for the first time or made them even more “radical” conservatives, they said.
Lauren Cooley, who wrote for us at Furman University:
My college wasn’t just liberal, it was anti-conservative. … In some ways, the aggressive leftist culture on campus made me a more radical conservative because I only had two options: abandon my beliefs and conform or fight back.
Matt Lamb, who started with us at Loyola University Chicago and continued as a graduate student at the University of Nebraska:
One of my first days at Loyola, which I started as generally socially moderate, if not liberal, someone said during a discussion about abortion “if you’re a man you don’t get to talk on this issue”, thereby saying my views weren’t valid (even if I generally agreed with them. That leads me, and others, to look at who is willing to listen to them on issues, even if there’s some disagreement.
Elliott Hamilton, who started Pitzer College as a “liberal”:
I always found the social justice culture as combative and at times contradictory to classically liberal values. I believe spending enough time listening to progressive talking points that diminished American values like free speech, free press, and defending illiberal ideologies such as radical Islamism helped transform me into a conservative today.
And one graduate, Stephen Bader, credits his Nebraska high school for his conservative activism, because it tried to stop him from starting a Republican club:
What started as a group intended for discussion and education evolved into one that volunteered strongly for local campaigns, and saw tremendous notoriety and membership! It was like a magnet for more interest every time they tightened their fist. The mindset of ‘Winning is worth it, so go win!’ has stayed with me ten years later.
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