Youth indoctrination into leftist ideology is widely ascribed to the education system, originating at institutes of higher learning, then trickling down into the K–12 public school system. It is quite likely, however, that modern parenting practices have served as facilitators of this process.
Permissive parenting is a style characterized by parental warmth and attentiveness, with little in the imposition of demands or expectations. Permissive parents set few behavioral guidelines, and offer scant direction or discipline, fostering freedom and autonomy. They are friends to their children, not authority figures.
A less PC definition of permissive parenting is that it is the practice of allowing the id part of the human psyche to do whatever it is that makes it feel good.
Permissive parenting became prominent in the Millennial (1980–1997) years. Millennials have been characterized as the most left and Democrat of recent generations. It most likely took root as a consequence of two basic elements of the progressive movement: disrespect of authority born of the cultural revolution, and the feminist movement. Rejection of authority paves the way for permissiveness. Two working parents relying on day care and sitters paves the way for guilt and hesitancy to impose discipline on neglected offspring.
Having grown up without regard for, or disdainful of, order or structure, such children are ripe for and receptive of a school curriculum which attacks the existing social order as oppressive. They have been primed to embrace the narrative that our social structure is founded in slavery and seizure of land from indigenous peoples and remains an oppressive white supremacist system. We need DEI. A capitalistic economic structure creates income inequality, oppression, and crime. Tax the rich. Redistribute wealth. Discourage prosecution. Defund the police. “ACAB”. The family structure is patriarchal. Fight misogyny and toxic masculinity. Title IX. “MeToo”. The Judeo-Christian ethic is oppressive. Free Palestine. Gender identity needs to give way to gender fluidity. First name too defining? Try a pronoun.
The permissive parenting/indoctrination axis has provided strong young voter majorities for the Democrat party. However, chinks are appearing in the merger’s future. In the 2024 election, young males of all races broke sharply for Trump. And a new parenting style, FAFO (“f—k around and find out”), appears to be emerging. In “faff-oh”, the child’s behavior is unrestrained, but he/she is then held responsible for dealing with any adverse outcomes instead of being bailed out by the parent.
Perhaps with waning support for the left’s sole focus on race and gender issues, a change in parenting style, and a perpetuation of the Trump administration’s dealings with “academic freedom”, we may see the downfall of the left’s youth indoctrination program.
Image from Grok.