It’s Possible to Remain Counter Cultural in College

by: Anna Maria Hoffman

One of our readers, a young man, sent us a question about how millennials can stay counter cultural in college. His question mentions Matt Walsh’s recent article: “Monogamy is unnatural,”: which is an excellent email response to a professor who believes that monogamy is undesirable and antiquated.

Dear Anna Maria,: 

Recently I noticed an article you shared on Facebook by Matt Walsh entitled “Monogamy Is Unnatural.” It was a brilliant article and I loved it although it made me worry. I have a girlfriend who is currently a Senior in High school and will soon be off to College as well. I’ve long known about Liberal College Professors but I’ve never worried much about her like this until I read this article. She is a devout Christian as am I (though she is apolitical) and my question is, do most young students fall for liberal lies such as those professed by the Professor in “Monogamy is Unnatural” or not? What can I as a boyfriend do to help my girlfriend stay on the straight and narrow and not fall for the Liberal lies of college without seeming controlling or anything like that?
College greatly challenges counter cultural millennials, as they are immersed in an environment that is not welcoming of their values. Often, these millennials wrestle with this type of question: “Should I hold onto my values, which few people here share, or should I go along with the crowd to be well-liked and accepted?” They also might be challenged by their socially liberal peers, which could sometimes turn into ugly situations of chastisement.: It is possible to hold onto counter cultural values, like monogamy, in college. In fact, exposure to socially liberal ideas will only strengthen your counter cultural beliefs, as you learn how the other side argues and learn how to better explain your views to others. Although such an environment can be difficult at times, it will only strengthen who you are. Honestly, not many young students fall for things like “monogamy is unnatural,” because deep down inside, a typical young person wants to be with one person who values him or her. That explains why we see few people in society engaged in the type of relationships that the professor in Matt Walsh’s article praises.

After taking many socially liberal classes in college, I noticed that many young people do fall for socially liberal ideas, because they falsely assume those ideas promote true freedom and happiness. They fall into this trap, because they are only exposed to one viewpoint. They might not have parents who can provide alternative explanations to these ideas. Often times, they are not exposed to peers who could provide them with better alternatives, because few active counter cultural student groups exist on college campuses. However, that can easily change if more counter cultural millennials form and maintain student groups promoting these good alternatives.

In regards to your situation, let your girlfriend know about what happens on college campuses before she goes off to college. Explain to her that she will be exposed to professors and students who believe her Christian values are “old-fashioned” and “bigoted.” Reassure her that she should not feel pressured to change her values. Tell her there’s nothing wrong with thinking independently and not in line with what our culture promotes.

Make sure to answer any questions she has about what she’s learning in college. Approach each topic one step at a time, so she can better understand each of them and doesn’t assume you are trying to be controlling. Along the way, you will have opportunities to explain what’s wrong with the liberal worldview that dominates college classrooms. Be hopeful about how much of a great influence you can be on her.

This blog post was originally published: on: Counter Cultured’s “Ask CC”: column.

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