Identifying Closet Conservatives Fom a Distance
3rd February 2021
I have three college-age daughters who all view the underlying resentments and jealousies required to produce leftism as a sign of immaturity. The idea that a leftist Utopia could fix everyone’s problems if we just take enough money from rich people strikes them as the lazy thinking of the unimaginative. Besides their interest in world affairs, they also share an interest in boys. Specifically, boys who would not be wasting their time. They hope for a conservative boyfriend, or at least one who appears somewhat mature and open-minded.
Which is tricky, because no conservative college kid is out of the closet. Universities are such incredibly hostile territories for free-thinkers that they would never consider admitting what they think about anything. So my daughters engage in frequent discussions with one another, trying to figure out if a boy they like might be a closet conservative. And it’s fascinating to listen to them. The cues they pick up on are not necessarily what you might expect.