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Conservatives Are Stunting This Child's Growth

CPAC-types should nurture intellect instead of keeping him simple

By Gabriel Winant,  Newser User

Posted Mar 11, 2009 10:34 AM CDT

(Newser) – If you watched the gathering of the tribes at the Conservative Political Action Conference last week, you might’ve caught 14-year-old Jonathan Krohn’s speech. It seems odd, blogs Ta-Nehisi Coates for the Atlantic, to flaunt the idea that conservative talking points are simple enough for an adolescent to master. Worse, though, conservatives are revealing their preference for exploiting teenage self-assurance, instead of helping Krohn mature into a serious conservative intellectual.

“If you’re a conservative and you care about this kid, you don’t give him a public forum. You give him your card, and you take his emails. You give him a list of books that he needs to read. Then when you see him, you quiz him,” Coates writes. “Of course if you did all that, you’d risk turning him into liberal.”

Jonathan Krohn poses with his book at 2009's CPAC conference.
Jonathan Krohn poses with his book at 2009's CPAC conference.   (defineconservatism.com)
Jonathan Krohn poses with Brit Hume at 2009's CPAC conference.
Jonathan Krohn poses with Brit Hume at 2009's CPAC conference.   (defineconservatism.com)
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Jonathan Krohn at CPAC.   (firedoglake)
Fox & Friends.   (pundital)

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And then there is this: When you're young, and you come into some political consciousness, self-assurance, intellectual arrogance, and prejudice come easy.
- Ta-Nehisi Coates

If you're a conservative and you care about this kid, you don't give him a public forum. You give him your card, and you take his e-mails. You give him a list of books that he needs to read. Then when you see him, you quiz him on those books.
- Ta-Nehisi Coates

Of course if you did all that, you'd risk turning him into liberal. But that's the chance you take, and that's what a person confident in their ideas does. - Ta-Nehisi Coates

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
Riffran
Mar 13, 2009 3:26 AM CDT
I bet the comments would probably be as hatefull as they are now, just from a different crowd
Riffran
Mar 13, 2009 3:25 AM CDT
great point Robn...I couldn't agree more
Doctor-Zaius
Mar 12, 2009 5:57 AM CDT
Exactly. I can only imagine the comments from the right wingers had this kid been a left wing idealogue instead. Either way it's creepy to me.
 

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