On Monday, Nikki Haley rightfully rebuked the social media phrase to take down liberals, known as “own the libs,” as frivolous, saying that “this kind of speech isn’t leadership.”
Although the majority of the crowd at Turning Point USA’s High School Leadership Summit cheered when Haley mentioned the phrase, Haley did anything but endorse the lingo.
“I know that it’s fun and that it can feel good, but step back and think about what you’re accomplishing when you do this — are you persuading anyone? Who are you persuading?” Haley asked. “We’ve all been guilty of it at some point or another, but this kind of speech isn’t leadership — it’s the exact opposite.”
“Real leadership is about persuasion, it’s about movement, it’s bringing people around to your point of view,” Haley added. “Not by shouting them down, but by showing them how it is in their best interest to see things the way you do.”
“Owning the libs” is a way to sound like a jerk. Tone matters in making a message appealing, and that includes the case for conservatism. Not everyone will agree with someone and that’s okay. If conservatism is going to appeal to millennials, which has been a struggle, language like “own the libs” only hurts the cause.
Additionally, “own the libs” exemplifies the current abysmal state of political discourse nationwide. Since the beginning of time, robust and substantive debate has been crucial in addressing issues. Without this paradigm, problems cannot be solved.
To quote Gandhi, “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”
American democracy evokes appreciation of the power of healthy debate. Not only is it permissible, it’s encouraged. Intellectually disagreeing and challenging one another better informs us, contingent on doing so constructively and respectfully.
Instead of “owning the libs,” we can solve our ever-growing national debt and deficit. Instead of “owning the libs,” we can solve an opioid crisis which has killed more people than the Vietnam War and has shown no signs of slowing down. Instead of “owning the libs,” we can find a middle ground on abortion. Instead of “owning the libs,” we can advocate for America’s relationship with Israel and other allies and jeer America’s adversaries like Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia.
One reason Donald Trump was elected was that Americans were understandably fed up by the arrogance of left-wing institutions like the mainstream media, Hollywood, and academia. By employing a mantra like “own the libs,” the roles of agitator and agitated are reversed. Just as bullying can’t be solved by stooping to the level of a bully, so too is needlessly provoking the opposing side only because it triggers them. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Moreover, people should be judged personally, not by their background, including their ideological or partisan affiliation, but rather by their character.
In life, there are jerks in any group whether Democrat, Republican, liberal, or conservative. But, to quote my mother’s greatest advice, “You can’t control others. The only control you have is how you react.”
