As The Wilmington Conservative comes up to its 3 month milestone, one constant critic on social media constantly accuses us of promulgating a “culture war.”  Our criticisms of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), our conversations with political and cultural leaders and our concerns about the leadership of the Board of Education are all used as evidence that we want to start a war that will wipe out those we oppose.

Ms. Critic – yes – this is a cultural war.  No, we did not start it.

Mutually Exclusive Worldviews

Clashes and conflicts between cultures comes down to the incompatibility of Worldviews.  A culture’s worldview is defined by an agreed upon set of ethics, laws, languages and customs. For example, the traditional American Worldview is based upon a Christian ethic as defined by Christian Scripture, laws that revolve around the Constitution and limited government, English language, and customs and mannerisms that serve to remind us that we are a civilized society and must treat each other accordingly.

Up against this still dominant worldview are cultures that claim a different ethos basis (Islam, Eastern thought, Humanism), a different view of laws (Marxism, Communisim, Anarchism), multiple languages, and mannerisms that center around individual expressions.  These worldviews are not just different from each other – they are completely incompatible.

The traditional American worldview – to its joint credit – has tried to keep the cultural peace by promoting tolerance and individual freedom.  “Believe what you want to believe, just don’t tread on my beliefs” has been the motto of Americanism for over two centuries.  The absolute right to swing one’s fist ends at the point where another’s nose begins.  The converse of freedom is responsibility, which takes away from the idea that freedom means licentiousness.  That has been the American ethos.

It has worked – until now. American culture is under attack as to whether its thinking and values will continue to be dominant.  Unfortunately, there is no middle ground in this attack.  One worldview will and must be dominant.

Gender As A Worldview  Flashpoint

Perhaps no where is this clash of worldviews more evident than in the discussion over sex and identity.  A seemingly simple distinction has become a major flashpoint. 

From the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE):

The most common concepts of gender are based on the long-perpetuated notion that gender is a binary matter, and that it always aligns with a binary designation of sex (male/female). Yet contemporary understandings of gender clarify that gender identity and expression occur along a broad spectrum that is not limited to two binary alternatives, such as woman/man or girl/boy… that gender is a cultural construct that is not limited to binary categories, recommends usage that moves beyond the gender binary in order to include individuals whose identities might otherwise be unacknowledged or devalued. (https://ncte.org/statement/genderfairuseoflang/)

The World Health Organization puts it more succinctly – gender is a social construct and changes:

Gender refers to the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.  This includes norms, behaviours and roles associated with being a woman, man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other. As a social construct, gender varies from society to society and can change over time. (https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1)

This idea of gender fluidity stands in stark contrast to the Christian Scriptures that proclaim for humanity there are only two sexes and genders, and both are created by and in the image of God:

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Gen 1:27 – NASB)

And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female…” (Matt 19:4 -NASB)

Don’t believe the Bible?  Well, here is the answer from science:

The simplest thing DNA can tell you is whether someone is male or female. Apart from some very rare cases, that doesn't even involve looking at their DNA sequence - all you need to know is whether they have X and Y chromosomes (making them male) or a pair of Xs (which makes them female). A foetus will, by default, develop as female unless the SRY gene on the Y chromosome is turned on.( https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/apr/27/genetics.cancer#:~:text=Sex,(which%20makes%20them%20female).)

America’s cultural view of only two sexes – which are inextricably linked to gender -comes from the belief that it is God who created us this way.  We are male or female -not as a result of gender assigned at birth but as the result of a sex created in us at conception.  To say otherwise is to deny the power and planning of the Devine.

These two worldviews are by their very nature incompatible.  While traditional America for years has tried to tolerate “gender fluidity,” it is finally waking up to the fact that tolerance is no longer accepted.  It is no longer a question of live-and-let-live that traditional American culture faces. It is a question of whether its views on  a God-created sex will be completely replaced by the new idea of humanity’s complete control over personal identification, including gender identity.

In other words, we are most definitely at a culture war over sex and gender in our country.  Conservatives did not pick this fight, but we sure as shootin’ need to win it.  The problem we are facing is that the Liberal Left – the tacticians of the culture war to change sexuality – are using the most vulnerable among us as warriors in this fight – children.

Children As Tools of Physical War

During the Vietnam war, American soldiers were often horrified that the people they had to fight often included children:

Against this background, children as young as 13 and 14 were involved in the armed struggle, learning guerrilla warfare tactics and killing both American and South Vietnamese soldiers. Some were trained to be informants.  Many of them were decorated with awards and “glorious titles” such as “Iron Fort Children” or “Valiant Destroyer of the Yanks” (https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2016/02/the-vietnam-war-children-at-war.html#:~:text=Against%20this%20background%2C%20children%20as,were%20trained%20to%20be%20informants.)

Using children as weapons of war does not end in Asia.  From a 2004 Chicago Tribune article:

A Palestinian teenager approached a crowded West Bank checkpoint wearing a suicide bomb vest Wednesday in what Israel said was a failed attempt to kill soldiers there. In a tense scene, soldiers jumped behind concrete barricades and sent a yellow robot to hand scissors to the 16-year-old boy so he could cut off the vest…The teenager’s family in Nablus identified him as Hussam Abdo, and his brother, Hosni, said, “He has the intelligence of a 12-year-old.” (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/03/25/israelis-stop-teen-wearing-bomb-vest/)

Even the United Nations has finally noticed:

Targeted by Terrorists was launched on 22 February 2024 in Brussels. This research study was carried out in Indonesia, Iraq and Nigeria with the aim of  increasing knowledge regarding children associated with groups designated "terrorist". Children's association with such groups and their abduction, recruitment, use and exploitation by them has gained greater visibility in recent years, with reports indicating that thousands of children are affected worldwide. The groups groom and indoctrinate them, use them as servants, sexually abuse and exploit them, and directly involve them in fighting and various auxiliary activities including serving as spies and informants. (https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/strive/targeted-by-terrorists_-child-recruitment--exploitation-and-reintegration-in-indonesia--iraq-and-nigeria.html)

Corrupt governments and terrorist groups have never shied away from using children to get under the radar of those they want to destroy.  Those who seek to change the dominate culture have no problem using the same tactics. 

The Liberal Left Also Uses Children

Children are now the cultural suicide-vest carriers of today:

The most alarming resource provided to teachers, however, is “Schools in Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools,” co-produced by the NEA in collaboration with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Gender Spectrum, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Written in 2015 to, in NEA’s words, provide a “roadmap for educators and parents to provide safe and supportive environments for all transgender students,” the guidebook reveals the stunning groundwork laid by the NEA in the gender ideology movement long before the recent push for transgender youth gained widespread attention.       

According to former NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia, the guidebook is an “extremely valuable resource for the 3 million NEA members” that serves as a “lifesaver for the increasing number of transgender students who are living as their authentic selves.” (https://www.freedomfoundation.com/teachers-unions/neas-schools-in-transition-guide-instructs-teachers-to-encourage-transgenderism-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=Denying%20a%20child's%20transgender%20identity%20leads%20to%20negative%20consequences%2C%20including%20suicide.&text=Parents%20don't%20need%20to%20know%20about%20their%20child's%20transition.&text=Regardless%20of%20the%20feelings%20of,matches%20their%20new%20gender%20identity.)

The Congressional Equity Caucus has no problem putting children under the knife to further their cause:

More than 160 House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday called on the Supreme Court to protect access to gender-affirming health care for transgender minors by striking down a Tennessee law that bans treatment for youths younger than 18 when the justices review the law this fall.  (https://equality.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/democrats-urge-supreme-court-strike-down-tennessee-gender-affirming-care#:~:text=More%20than%20160%20House%20and,review%20the%20law%20this%20fall.)

In sports, biological boys SHOULD be allowed to play against girls.  To not allow it – according to the National Women’s Law Center –  perpetuates inequity and sex-based discrimination:

“If lawmakers actually want to help achieve gender equity in sports, then they must let transgender and intersex athletes play. Banning transgender and intersex athletes from competing only perpetuates inequity and sex-based discrimination in violation of Title IX by targeting transgender and intersex students, who already face horrific amounts of hatred, violence, and discrimination simply for being who they are.” (https://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/media/press-releases/what-people-are-actually-saying-about-transgender-athletes-right-to-participate-in-sports)

The Consequences Do Not Matter

The left does not care about the consequences their child-warriors face.  Want to bring in pole dancing and transgender men to swing their genitals in front of children?  Go ahead, regardless of the long term problems that early exposure to sexual content bring to children:

Research shows that early exposure to adult content can have a wide range of adverse effects, from low self-esteem to prematurely engaging in sexual activity. (https://cosmotogether.com/blogs/news/9-ways-adult-content-can-damage-a-childs-mind?srsltid=AfmBOopItCWpNsilRXskzxlVmMUggv5NiWpr6oG43HWzxmex6CL7gln8)

Your child unsure of his or her body type?  Are you being told your kid has gender dysphoria and needs to go under the knife or take drugs.  The left sees it as a cultural victory.  Your child though will have long term consequences:

Each of these procedures has serious negative side effects—up to and including permanent sterilization. Despite claims to the contrary, these procedures are often not reversible, and they are not evidence-based. Research has not shown that these procedures are effective in accomplishing their purpose, which is to improve the patient’s mental health. They violate the most fundamental principle of medical ethics: “First, do no harm.” (https://www.frc.org/issueanalysis/do-not-sterilize-children-why-physiological-gender-transition-procedures-for-minors-should-be-prohibited#gsc.tab=0)

Are you a man who cannot possibly compete against other male world class athletes?  Are you a high school or middle school boy whose identity comes from the number of trophies on the wall?  Are you only affirmed through being told how good of a person you are?  In its cultural war, the Liberal Left and its allies will gladly allow you to go into girl’s locker rooms, put on their uniform, and then go out and beat out the brains of your female opponents:

Due to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association policy allowing biological males to compete against biological females my life has forever been changed," Payton McNabb, now a senior atHiwassee Dam High School in Murphy, North Carolina, said during a Thursday committee hearing of the North Carolina state legislature.

McNabb indicated that, to this day, she is still recovering from her injuries, and continues to face other health struggles as a result of what happened, such as impaired vision, partial paralysis on the right side of her body, constant headaches, anxiety and depression. (https://wlos.com/news/local/volleyball-player-injured-after-transgender-opponent-spiked-ball-at-her-speaks-out)

These are all children – at various ages – who have life long injuries, trauma, and psychological issues.  The left does not care.  They are pawns in their culture war.  And like chess pawns, they are only useful for certain moves, and then discarded.

Yes, Ms. Critic – This Is A Culture War

Gender issues are just one part of the larger conflict.  From DEI to humanism as our central ethos to increased government control over every aspect of our lives, the traditional American ethos is under attack from multiple fronts.  While preaching tolerance and inclusiveness, the purveyors of the new culture want no such thing.  In fact, they want the utter destruction of the old, a cancellation of those who hold to it, and the instillment of the new culture in every heart and mind.  There is no room for discussion.  There is no room for compromise. 

So yes, Ms. Critic – this is a culture war.  We at the Wilmington Conservative will continue to point out the hypocrisies and dangerous policies of politicians and leaders on both sides of the aisle.  While we will always encourage healthy debate, in the end we are not afraid to say your way is wrong, misleading, and frankly dangerous. We will strive to always make our side better, we will also not be afraid to say we are right.  We will not be afraid to say that your positions and policies have no place in a civilized society.  We will tell you to keep your hands off the children.  We will tell you that your ideas have been tried time and time again and have never worked and will never work.  We will oppose you at every election, in every meeting, in every policy, with every ballot – because if you are allowed to gain dominance in our society, if your culture is allowed to win this battle – then we as a society, our children, and our children’s children will face  terrible and irrecoverable consequences.

Ms. Critic, the lines have been drawn.  The Culture War was declared a long time ago.  The only question is this one:

Which side will you be on?