Last week, the Wall Street Journal published a feature on the ideological divide in a southeastern Pennsylvania borough — where I happen to live. The article featured a photo of Elizabethtown High School, about half a mile from my home, with a group of teenagers and an adult organizer outside, calling for greater recognition of transgender identities. According to the report, the borough is “tearing itself apart” over “preferred pronouns.”
One protester held a sign mocking churches that opposed the left’s political agenda, a message that borough residents would recognize as part of the broader culture war. Pastor Doug Lamb of LifeGate Church, located nearby, has been outspoken against allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Evangelical Protestants have been at the forefront of this battle.
The right should not wait for leftist aggression to make its presence known. Instead of retreating into silence, the local right must match the left’s level of commitment.
Their activism played a key role in the local school board’s recent 8-1 vote to ban transgender athletes from contact sports. The board has a history of taking conservative stances, including a 1990s resolution praising “the traditional family.” At the time, board members also condemned unionized teachers for promoting “pro-homosexual propaganda against parents’ wishes.”
For years, I have written about the culture war in the northwestern corner of Lancaster County, an area known for its large Amish population. This is not a battle between evenly matched sides. Most of my neighbors are conservative Protestants, and the town votes overwhelmingly Republican. Donald Trump won handily in last November’s election, and our Republican congressman, Lloyd Smucker — who takes pride in his Amish ancestry — wins bigly in these parts.
The cultural conflict in Elizabethtown would not be happening if conservatives were in the minority. If this were Waltham, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, the right would have little influence. Leftists excel at making their opponents uncomfortable and forcing them to conceal their beliefs. They are also far more relentless in shoving their views in everyone’s face.
Around here, traditionalists have been only intermittently engaged in the cultural battles waged by the left. While progressives remain in a constant state of mobilization, the right tends to focus on other aspects of life — attending church socials, maintaining their lawns, and going to Little League games. The Wall Street Journal reports that those on the local right are energized by having a president who supports them, but they should not rely on help from Washington.
Even before last year’s election, the left — despite being vastly outnumbered — put up at least as many Kamala Harris signs as there were signs for Trump. Trump signs routinely disappeared overnight, but Democrat signs remained untouched.
I’ve noticed something else over the years about this asymmetrical confrontation. The social progressives show far more pugnacity than their adversaries, even when their adversaries enjoy a numerical edge. Left-wing militants at our college, among the unionized teachers in the local schools, and among the embattled feminists in my neighborhood never hide where they’re coming from. In fact, these militants want everyone to know where they stand, even if you don’t want to listen.
My conservative neighbors take a different approach. Many hesitate to share their political views, fearing they might lose friends or customers if they speak openly. The boldest statement they make is often a bland lawn sign indicating “We Support the Police.”
At the Turkey Hill store down the block, however, no one hides their MAGA loyalty. The same is true for some high school dropouts and others who fall slightly below our concept of social respectability. Fundamentalists will also admit to supporting Trump, though their endorsement often comes with a reminder that we are living in the end times.
The right should not wait for leftist aggression to make its presence known. Instead of retreating into silence, conservatives should provide clear, reasoned arguments against progressive ideology — not just biblical references, however much we may respect their moral authority.
More importantly, the local right must match the left’s level of commitment. Don’t hide your views! There is a middle ground between bullying neighbors and behaving like scaredy-cats. Rather than responding only when forced to defend traditional family values, conservatives should be as outspoken about their beliefs as leftists are about their own.
Above all, the right must make clear to the other side that we deserve our own “safe space.” The woke left already controls and in some cases plainly tyrannizes over most of the densely populated regions of this country. It doesn’t need our borough as an extra trophy.
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