I’m a college student who is trying to make the most of the crappy political environment I was handed by generations before. Growing up in the age of social media has caused irreversible damage to the young minds of America. Being locked in a room for two years while we doomscrolled during our most formative years has rewired the philosophical structure of our minds. Luckily, I was locked in my room watching videos of Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk- not objectively incorrect fallacies of gender ideology, political culture, and hatred of the West. I am so grateful that I was learning from the side, objecting to (and demolishing) the looney of social media.
In my last piece, I wrote about the era of “human rights”- every topical issue is a human right, and by having a different opinion on that issue, you are a bigot who doesn’t support basic human rights so now you should be exiled and censored and lose everything. You are subhuman. That’s not even an extreme analysis of the ideology- because now, the extreme left has agreed that if you disagree with them, you don’t get to live.
Isn’t the right to life the most basic human right of all?
It’s been almost one month now since we lost Charlie Kirk, and life still doesn’t feel the same. Recounting on the first hours and days after the shooting, there was a grey cloud over everyone and everything. Students wore American Flag clothing, exchanging knowing, solemn glances with each other in passing. The library was quieter than usual; classes went without student chatter. I cried the next morning at my university’s daily chapel service as our pastor prayed over the Kirk family and for the end of political violence in America. I cried every night for a week. Crying in the shower, asking God how He could allow this to happen? Staying off of social media to avoid the evil in the world celebrate Charlie’s death. All of my friends looked down as I, yet again, ruined the good vibes by reminding everyone of the loss.
A friend of mine today said to me, “It feels like the older generations don’t understand the loss our generation is suffering.” This is not to say the older generations do not feel loss; we have all endured great pain. But Charlie was something special to Gen-Z. We have grown up in a world of evil, violence, chaos, and insanity. We have been taught that 2+2 does not always equal four- and if we ask questions, we are bigoted. It’s not just a talking point; it’s our reality. So to learn from a figure like Charlie- who made conservatism cool again- was really special for my generation. Literally every conservative friend of mine grew up watching his campus tour videos. Every. Single. One.
I also feel lost…still. At this point in my life, I have been ruthlessly fighting for conservative ideology since I was fifteen. Starting clubs in high schools and colleges, writing articles, appearing on the radio, getting my friends registered to vote- anything that I could think to do as a teenager, I did it. I have fought like heck. And for what? For them to kill one of us? This month, I have had moments of wondering if everything I am working for will get me killed one day. Not just that, but everyone around me felt a “fire in their belly”- a new passion for the work. Me? I never felt less motivated. I truly felt beaten down and depleted. Did anyone else feel that way? So many of us fight the good fight every day- whether it be spreading God’s word, sharing conservative values, or even just being kind to the other side…how can we fight harder? And what for, if our life is risked for the crime of speaking freely?
Since then, I have pulled myself together, as has the rest of the world. We still feel the loss heavy on our hearts, but the majority of us are ready to get back out there on the battlefield. I continue to fill my days working with students to get educated and motivated on traditional American values like the free market, freedom of speech, and traditional social values. Charlie knew the importance of lighting the fire in the future generation of America, and it’s up to us now to carry the torch.
Jenna Piwowarczyk is a student at Concordia University, former student at Liberty University, and president of the university’s Young America’s Foundation chapter.
