Being the “Token” Conservative
My whole life, I’ve always been the “go-to” person when people want to know how conservatives feel about issues. I was always called upon in high school to demonstrate the conservative ideology – more like defend what I believe. In college, my school’s newspaper advisor begged me to write the counterpoints to the ever-popular progressive views. I guess you could say I’m a rare breed, especially in the Golden State.
I grew up listening to conservative talk radio and watching Fox News. I grew up talking politics with my mom and dad. By the time I was 10, I chose to watch the news over cartoons. What was happening in our world – and particularly in our nation – intrigued me.
At 11, I helped my dad flier cars against Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Don’t ask me what the fliers were about. I was just happy to be able to do a “big kid” job. (This was also the first time I almost got arrested – and it probably won’t be the last.)
At 12, I was outside protesting the California Department of Corrections’ placement of a high-profile sex offender near an elementary school. My dad and I went out there almost every weekend for a few months. At the time, John and Ken, popular talk radio hosts on KFI AM640, were hosting their show out across the street from the half-way house. I was stoked to meet them and be apart of the protest.
At 16, I was the only kid in my school with a McCain t-shirt. I broke my own rule as the yearbook Editor-In-Chief. I included my picture on the 2008 election spread we did. In a school of 3,500+ students, how could I not? I was the only one supporting the dude!
At 19, I almost got kicked out of college for standing up for my First Amendment rights by challenging my campus Administration. I also attended my very first CPAC. I remember calling my mom, almost in tears when I met presidential hopefuls. In a lot of ways, this was my idea of a celebrity event. Or as I like to call it, the celebrity event of conservative politics.
Why do I bring all of this up? Because it paints a very clear picture of my generation and the future of our great nation. My generation is SO focused on writing every wrong in the world, of helping every single person that we forget to help ourselves. My generation is so focused on today’s satisfactions and tomorrow’s gratification, not the long-term impact of their decisions.
I’ve always held my head up high, defending what I believe in and why I believe it. I have never been ashamed to be a conservative. I have never allowed anyone to define me but me.
To those who ask me what it’s like to be the only one in the room who is conservative, this is what I have to say: I am a conservative. I want limited government and free markets. I want people to have the ability to choose, to be their own person and to have responsibility for their actions. I am a conservative who sees the future of our nation slowly dwindling. So many have their hands out but very few are reaching into their pockets to give.
We’re a nation on the verge of destruction. We’re going broke. Our children are no longer number one in the education system. Unemployment is at an all time high. Kids are graduating college and moving right back into their parents house. Our military has their hands in conflicts all over the world. We lack the proper medical care and treatment for our veterans.
We’re a nation on the verge of losing who we are and what we believe me. We need more people to stand up, to be proud to be conservative. We need conservatives who aren’t afraid of being the “Token” conservative like I am. If more people stand up and speak out, we can and will change the direction of our nation.
This is something that needs to be done today. It’s something that needs to be done right now.
Stand up and fight, my fellow patriots!
