Nikki Haley Warns Conservative Students Against Posting Just To ‘Own The Libs’

I’ve briefly mentioned bits and pieces of my political past in previous posts. I really started getting into politics my junior and senior years in high school, thanks to my dual enrollment classes. It was my first taste of college, and my professors were SO activist-y. I was always annoyed, because they seemed to ALWAYS find a way to change the lessons into a leftist political stump speech.

At the time, I wasn’t even enrolled in political science classes. This was the basics– I’m talking Composition 1.

That’s what really lit a fire underneath me. There was nothing more exhilarating than winning an argument, proving my professor wrong and ticking off my liberal classmates. The more resistance I got, the more I pushed. It was the fuel to my fire.

I don’t really know how I would’ve reacted if a conservative I looked up to told me to stop. Well, actually, I did have someone tell me that once– a well-known reporter in DC. He was incredibly condescending and told me I needed to stop being so opinionated, at least until I was about George Will’s age. Otherwise, I would never get a job.

I’d like to say that I told him where to put it, but I didn’t. I stood there with my hands folded and quietly nodded my head. We were in a professional setting and there were other reporters and interns around. Of course it upset me, but when I got home, I remembered who was REALLY in charge of my path. I remembered that the Lord directs my steps and continued to do my thing, and whaddya know? So far so good. 😉

I only mention that, because people are kind of uneasy about what Nikki Haley told a group of students at the High School Leadership Summit at George Washington University.

“Raise your hand if you’ve ever posted anything online to quote-unquote ‘own the libs,’ ” Haley asked crowd of students.

A bunch of students raised their hands, and the crowd began to clap.

I think the students thought she was going in a different direction. She actually warned them against doing things online for the sole purpose of “owning the libs.”

“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,” she added. “Not by shouting them down, but by showing them how it is in their best interest to see things the way you do.”

I understand what she’s saying. I really, truly do. If you’re just posting “triggering” memes and not adding the conversation EVER, stop and think about that. OF COURSE we want to win people over. We want to show them that conservatism is cool. It’s right. It’s free and awesome and consistent with the Judeo-Christian values this country was founded on. At the same time, I get it. It’s really hard NOT to mock the crap out of some of these insane libs, because they’re so easily mockable. However, I’m of the believe that we CAN show people the light by pointing out the sheer stupidity of the left. I’m not above mockery (clearly), BUT I also think it’s really important that we check ourselves and remember why we’re posting things and why we’re doing what we do.

Go ahead and ruffle feathers. It *is* fun, but remember the mission and the purpose. Liberalism is a stain on society, and at the end of the day, we DO want to win people over. We want them to see the light.

I guess it’s all about finding that balance. Use humor. Be self-deprecating. Post a meme, but ALSO remember that this is about more than simply “owning the libs.” That’s just a side bonus.

Also, there’s this.

RT @USUN: “The United States has no moral duty to be neutral between right and wrong. On the contrary, we have a moral duty to take sides, even when that means standing alone.” pic.twitter.com/vKmclVCG34

— Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) July 24, 2018

Haley’s message is giving me #AllTheFeelings about a potential presidential run someday. That’s all I’ll say about that.