“How can I say I care about what I’m doing if I’m not willing to put myself in situations that might make me uncomfortable?”
On September 5th, Merion West’s Henri Mattila was joined by Will Witt to discuss the concept of conservatism and what it means for young people today to be conservative. Will Witt is a presenter and contributor at PragerU, a non-profit organization founded by Dennis Prager and Allen Estrin dedicated to informing young people about conservative views through the sharing of video content. Witt joined the now-popular platform in 2015 after dropping out of college due to concerns about political bias on campus. In the time since, Witt has become an indispensable member of PragerU and has gained a large social media following. He shares with his followers conservative perspectives he believes they may not be exposed to on campus.
“The paramount principle of my videos has always been to change minds,” Witt explains, in response to critics who have accused him of “trolling.”
“Them saying trolling is a way for them to undermine the power of what I’m doing,” says Witt, adding that cancel culture is evident of the “total shift from moderate to far-left” in the United States.
“Conservatives have to fight against the mob, even if it’s uncomfortable,” argues Witt, because “…when you apologize to the mob or you give in to these people, you are only making things worse.”
Witt strongly believes that conservatism must evolve in order for young people who are “hundreds of thousands in [college] debt” to find the perspective more accessible.
“The Republican party needs a clear vision for America,” says Witt, in trying to appeal to the younger generation and women and minority electorates.
In attempting to combat the Left, Witt hopes that the Republican Party can formulate a clear plan that “young people can hold on to” because “…right now, conservatives are driving people away.”.
Watch the full conversation below:
Henri Mattila
Henri Mattila is the publisher at Merion West. He was born in Helsinki, Finland and is an army reservist there. His professional experience is in pharmaceuticals and finance. After growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, Henri attended Cornell University where he studied applied economics. Contact Henri at henri@merionwest.com.
