Talking About My Generation

I’m a Catholic conservative, a Millennial, and I’ve had just about enough. I used to think my generation—Gen Y, Millennials—was supposed to be the bridge between tradition and progress. But somewhere along the way, we handed the baton to a mob of confused, self-righteous, ungrateful agitators. And if you’re scrolling TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve seen it too.

These aren’t just fringe kids shouting into the void. They’re part of a loud, growing mob of Gen Y and Gen Z influencers, campus activists, and self-declared revolutionaries who seem determined to cancel America—starting with the 4th of July.

Yes, really. “Cancel the 4th” is trending again. Their reason? America is “imperialistic,” “racist,” and “oppressive.” They rant about open borders, bash capitalism while livestreaming on iPhones, and proudly claim that Israel is a “colonial settler state.” They talk like they’ve read Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, but I doubt they could point to Poland or Israel on a map, let alone name a single clause in the Marshall Plan.

What’s the matter with my generation? What happened to common sense, gratitude, or even basic historical literacy?

Let’s start with this nonsense about “imperialism.” The same people posting #CancelAmerica conveniently ignore that it was America—not the Soviets, not the Chinese, not even the Europeans—who demanded the dismantling of empires after WWII. The Marshall Plan, that wildly generous postwar aid package, came with a stipulation: you want American money? Then you give up your colonies. That’s how the sun set on European imperialism—not because of leftist hashtags, but because of American pressure.

They don’t teach that in your woke “Global Studies” class, do they?

These TikTok warriors forget—or were never taught—that it was the United States who led the Berlin Airlift in 1948, flying food and supplies around the clock into West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. It was Americans who rebuilt Europe, fed India during famine in the 1950s, and stood with the people of Poland’s Solidarity movement in the ’80s. It was America that supported Czechoslovakia during the Prague Spring of ’68. It was American tax dollars and soldiers that have consistently responded to global disasters with food, water, and aid. Even today, Americans donate more to international causes than any other people on Earth.

But all of that vanishes when you live in a social media bubble that rewards ignorance over insight.

These kids act like they invented morality—like no one before 2015 ever cared about human rights. They sit in college lecture halls, puffed up with the belief that their moral compass is the first to point north. Then they hop into BMWs, Mercedes, or Range Rovers—symbols of capitalism they claim to despise—and head off to protest “colonialism” while sipping Starbucks and typing on MacBooks.

And don’t get me started on the anti-Israel bigotry that’s exploded on campuses and online. Under the guise of “anti-Zionism,” we’re seeing plain old anti-Semitism, recycled and repackaged for the influencer era. Some of these kids parrot propaganda so warped, they make Ahmadinejad look like a moderate. They’ll claim Israel is the aggressor while ignoring Hamas rockets. They talk about “occupation” without understanding the region’s borders, history, or security concerns. It’s not criticism—it’s blind hatred.

Look, I get it. Young people want to stand for something. I remember what that felt like. But if your moral compass is pointing you away from the very nation that abolished slavery, defeated fascism and communism, invented modern democracy, and still welcomes immigrants by the millions—then your compass is broken.

And one more thing: it’s not “the 4th of July.” That’s just the date. It’s Independence Day. It’s the celebration of a nation that broke free from tyranny and gave the world a radical idea—that rights come from God, not government. That individuals matter more than monarchs. That freedom is worth fighting for.

I won’t apologize for loving that. I won’t apologize for being proud to be American. And I sure as heck won’t let a bunch of TikTok philosophers and soy latte revolutionaries shame me into silence.

It’s time my fellow Millennials and the Gen Z crowd had a long, hard look in the mirror. If we want to be the “change,” maybe we should try learning a little more about what came before us. Maybe we’d find out that America, for all her flaws, is still the greatest force for good the world has ever known.

And if that’s controversial to say in 2025—then maybe the problem isn’t America. Maybe the problem is you.

Endnotes:

1. Marshall Plan and Decolonization:
   The European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan), enacted in 1948, offered aid to Western European nations under the condition that they liberalize trade and move away from colonial systems. The U.S. used its leverage to encourage European powers—particularly Britain and France—to dismantle their colonial empires. See: Hogan, Michael J. The Marshall Plan: America, Britain, and the Reconstruction of Western Europe, 1947-1952. Cambridge University Press, 1987.
2. Berlin Airlift:
   The U.S.-led Berlin Airlift (1948–1949) responded to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin. Over 2.3 million tons of supplies were delivered to Berliners by U.S. and Allied aircraft. See: Miller, Roger G. To Save a City: The Berlin Airlift, 1948–1949. Texas A&M University Press, 2000.
3. U.S. Famine Relief in India:
   In the early 1950s, the United States provided significant wheat shipments and other food aid to India through programs like PL-480 (Food for Peace), especially during times of severe drought and food shortages. See: Cullather, Nick. The Hungry World: America’s Cold War Battle against Poverty in Asia. Harvard University Press, 2010.
4. Support for Solidarity in Poland:
   The U.S., particularly under the Reagan administration, provided both public and covert support to the Solidarity movement in Poland during the 1980s, including funds, communication equipment, and media assistance. See: Kramer, Mark. “U.S. Support for Solidarity and the Collapse of the Communist Regime in Poland.” Cold War International History Project.
5. Prague Spring and U.S. Reaction:
   Although the U.S. could not intervene militarily, it expressed strong moral and diplomatic support for the Czechoslovak reform movement during the 1968 Prague Spring. See: Navrátil, Jaromír. The Prague Spring 1968: A National Security Archive Documents Reader. Central European University Press, 1998.
6. American Humanitarianism:
   The United States remains the largest source of international humanitarian aid, both through governmental channels and private donations. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. consistently tops the list of total foreign aid donors. See: OECD Development Co-operation Profiles, 2023.
7. Anti-Semitism Masquerading as Anti-Zionism:
   The conflation of anti-Zionist rhetoric with antisemitic tropes has been widely documented. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) defines antisemitism to include denying Israel’s right to exist or holding Israel to double standards not expected of any other democratic nation. See: IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, 2016.
8. U.S. Global Philanthropy:
   U.S. citizens donate more to international charities than citizens of any other country. According to the Charity Aid Foundation World Giving Index 2022, Americans rank first globally in charitable giving.
9. Social Media and Misinformation Among Gen Z:
   Multiple studies, including Pew Research Center surveys, have shown that social media is a primary source of news for Gen Z, but it is also one of the most common sources of misinformation. See: Pew Research Center, “Teens, Social Media & Technology,” 2022.
10. Independence Day vs. “4th of July”:
    While “Fourth of July” is commonly used, the official name of the holiday is Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The distinction underscores the holiday’s historical and ideological significance.

David Lee is a contributor to Direct Line News. he can be reached at David.Lee@mcgopclub.com

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David Lee

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