The cost of conservative hypocrisy

One-man-one-woman marriage, pro-life convictions, the importance of mothers and fathers, and sex within marriage are mainstays of social conservatism, and for good reason. If we can't conserve the iron triad of man, woman, and child, we won't be able to conserve anything else. To that end, conservative brands and personalities have built massive followings by decrying single motherhood, same-sex marriage, and broken families.

Except when their friends do it.

At least that’s how it appears. The starkest example of conservative hypocrisy followed Dave Rubin’s ultrasound reveal of two custom-ordered motherless children gestating in the wombs of paid surrogates. To the shock of hundreds of thousands of normie conservatives who clearly believed the traditional #ConInc messaging, Rubin was congratulated by official TheBlaze TV and PragerU accounts. Other prominent conservatives, including Christopher Rufo and Christina Pushaw, slapped the “expectant” fathers on the virtual back. Gov. Ron DeSantis sent the babies onesies. So what do these “conservatives” think they are conserving?

The most recent example came last week when 26 year-old conservative journalist and influencer Ashley St. Clair revealed she gave birth to Elon Musk's 13th child five months ago. She made the announcement on Valentine's Day when Musk was visiting with the Indian Prime Minister, flanked by the second mother of his children. Clearly, St. Clair and Musk will not be building a happy home together.

Even though Elon sleeps with the (now four) mothers of his children, he prefers IVF when it comes to baby making so he can ensure good genetic stock. We don't know if St. Clair’s child is a case of romance gone sour or something else. But either way, this baby is going to be raised by a single mother.

Despite that sad reality, a powerful conservative throng quickly offered their congratulations: Libs of TikTok, Mike Cernovic, James O’Keefe, Rachel Campos Duffy just to name a few.

Almost certainly, these conservatives intended to celebrate the life and birth of the babies—both Rubin’s and St. Clair’s—not necessarily the circumstances of their arrival. To be clear, we most definitely should celebrate the lives of babies. That does not mean giving a total permission slip or celebration of how all babies are conceived.

And yet, it doesn't come across as simple pro-life kiss-blowing, but as institutionalized conservative hypocrisy.

If, for example, this is just about celebrating the arrival of new babies, why was there universal conservative condemnation for Pete Buttigieg and his partner posing together with newborns in a hospital bed? Where were the conservative well-wishes then? Absent. Instead, his photo was mocked, condemned, decried, and memed.

Why the double standard? I suppose the explanation is different depending on the celebrator, but it lands as in-group duplicity. That’s a killer for the conservative witness. Especially among the next generation.

Two things are true about Gen Z.

First, they are taking a hard turn to the right. A recent survey of more than 1,000 Zoomers by The Times (U.K.) researchers found that our youngest generation is more likely to see marriage as relevant, less likely to have sex with strangers, and watching less pornography than millennials.

Bible sales are up dramatically. Trad Wife accounts attract millions of young female followers. Gen Z men in particular are embracing political conservatism and returning to church. The under 25 crowd is half as likely as their parents to identify as atheists.

Second, they hate hypocrisy.

This isn’t a Gen Z thing. It’s a human teenager thing. Developmentally at this age they are passionate and driven by a sense of justice and fairness due to rapid growth of the prefrontal cortex and its connections to the emotion-directing limbic system. As their cognitive abilities mature, adolescents hone their ability to detect inconsistencies and contradictions. This is why teens often call out “double standards” that younger children might overlook. Put simply, teens have a strong “you are lying to me” meter.

When teens see inconsistency between words and actions, it can trigger frustration, disillusionment, and, in some cases, outright rebellion against the institutions or individuals they feel have failed them.

That means the mixed messages conservatives are sending may not only damage the credibility of those speakers/platforms but sour the next generation on conservatism altogether. And that is a massive missed opportunity, especially on matters of morality.

One reason for Gen Z’s rightward lurch is they’ve tasted and seen how family breakdown has destroyed their lives. They have watched their friends try on every sexual label and still be depressed, anxious, and lonely. They have experienced firsthand the crisis of meaninglessness. They want an alternative.

But they can’t just hear the truth. They need to follow people living the truth. And like young people throughout the ages, they want to follow people with the courage to tell the truth, even if it’s personally costly. If genuine conservatives won’t do it, pseudo conservatives like Andrew Tate are happy to fill the gap.

My message to all genuine conservatives, especially those with mega platforms: Do not squander this opportunity to lead the next generation out of Babylon so you can appear selectively compassionate or circle the wagons around an ally.

Have the courage to graciously but clearly call out family-destroying choices and behaviors, regardless of whether you have shared a stage or share a political party.