My Politics, Bias & The Crisis That’s Destroying America

Gen Z is flipping ‘counterculture’ on its head—and will be the generation to tackle America’s biggest challenge before it’s too late.

Dear Subscribers,

Ahhh, here we are. Talking about everyone’s favorite topic.

Politics.

Are you hyped!? 🤪

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I wanted to dive into this because, like it or not, politics is unavoidable in today’s America.

In this post, we’re going to talk about my entry into the political arena, the political landscape today specifically amongst the younger generations and the biggest problem our nation faces today. (Hint: It’s much closer to home than China)

Before we start, let’s lay some ground rules:

1. 🚫 No Division

   1. There will be absolutely no division here. Any discussions, opinions, commentaries or ideas exchanged must be approached with the best of intentions.

2. 💡 All Ideas Are Welcome

   1. This platform encourages the free exchange of ideas. You have a voice, and I want to hear it. I am in no way attempting to push an agenda. This is my way of opening the door to transparent and honest conversation on these difficult topics.

3. 🧠 You’re allowed to have an opinion even if you aren’t “an expert”

   1. A core principal of America’s founding is everyone is allowed to have an opinion. For better or worst. We’re all capable of commenting on a topic even if we aren’t thoroughly versed in it. That said, assess your own blindspots and don’t assume you have all the answers. I know I most certainly don’t.

4. 💩 No Assholes

   1. We’re all adults. Let’s have meaningful discussions about complex topics without the childish, trolling behavior we’ve so often seen in the past decade.

With that out of the way, let’s dive in.

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📈 Radically Transparent Bias Analysis

I remember the first conversation I ever had about politics.

I grew up in a middle class household in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Blessed to have two lovely parents, and an amazing sister.

Growing up, politics was never actively talked about. Not by intention but it was just never something that came up in conversation.

That changed when I was 16-years old and the now (in)famous Donald Trump entered the political scene.

I was upstairs, watching a documentary about 9/11 and the horrors that took place that day. Stunned, heartbroken and confused, I walked downstairs into my Dad’s office and asked him:

“What’s the difference between a Democrat and Republican?”

That question, sparked an hour long conversation discussing what beliefs are ascribed to each party.

I knew they both existed but had no idea what each really stood for.

My Dad’s response was as without bias as one could possibly be.

He didn’t impress his views on me, but just let me ask questions and answer what he felt confident he knew well. Encouraging me to think more about what I believed to find the answers for myself.

After our conversation, I returned to my room to do just that. I mulled over my view of the world and what label, Republican or Democrat, best fit my perspective.

Analysis

Before writing this post, I took a few of the many “political spectrum” tests online to give you a somewhat objective analysis of my political standing.

These tests vary widely in their accuracy but I included two here so you can draw your own conclusions.

This test I’ve done before and has always felt the most accurate. I 100% agree with this rating. You can try it for yourself here: Link

Pew Research has always seen me as a right-wing nut job, but I answered their 16-question quiz honestly. So I wanted to include it.

I’ll give you a description of my politics that I gave my girlfriend after 7-weeks of dating, during a conversation I initiated about our values as human beings (a story for another time):

I believe the best way to benefit society, is by bettering the individual. The more freedom the individual has, the better the society will perform.

I’m certainly a conservative, but not a Republican. And definitely not a Democrat.

I believe the division in our country is appalling (we’ll touch on this later) and that ascribing to a certain party, “choosing a side”, is only detrimental to free thinking.

In less words: a conservative foundation with a libertarian mindset.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve moved more left relative to my initial position. I’m much more middle now than I’ve ever been. Much due to the insanity of the American political landscape in the last decade.

My trust for the government is at an all time low, but I think we are making progress in a positive direction.

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🌡️ The Political Temperature - Gen Z

Today’s political landscape is vastly different than it was a decade ago, 25 years ago, 50 years ago.

Hell, it’s vastly different then it was just four years ago.

With the dawn of the information age, the average person is much more plugged in than they have ever been throughout history.

As a result, the political conversation is like an eternal flame with no signs of extinguishing.

I belong to Generation Z. We’re the generation of YouTubers, and live streamers, rejecting the notions of our elders.

Get a job, stay in it for 20 years, retire, live.

Nah.

We’re also the generation who’s first possible voting year was 2016.

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Our first presidential ticket was Celebrity Apprentice star Donald Trump vs. lifelong crooked politician Hillary Clinton…how sad is that? 😂

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It’s been fascinating to see the winds of favor swirl amongst my peers.

In 2016, my beliefs placed me in the silent minority. Not yet old enough to vote, but caught up in the conversation regardless, I was confident the best choice wasn’t Hillary Clinton OR Donald Trump. I felt it wasn’t a choice of preference, it was one of lesser evils.

However, if I stated that to many of my generational peers, my reputation would have been utterly destroyed. College only added gasoline to that fire.

Wokeness had deeply ingrained itself in the minds of many of my contemporaries. Many, without even realizing.

But, something shifted after the election of Joe Biden.

Suddenly, “counterculture” began to be associated with Conservatism rather than Liberalism.

It was becoming the “cool” thing to listen to Joe Rogan and buck at our elitist liberal overlords.

This has since continued into, and I believe had a significant impact on, the election of Donald Trump.

Those who were just kids, or young adults during the first Trump presidency, built their political beliefs from two administrations that stood on far ends of the political spectrum.

Not so sure the party of “pro-speech” was the Democrats anymore. Too many cancellations over ridiculous things. Too many exposés, like the Twitter Files, revealing gross government intervention in public discourse.

But, old enough to remember a more perceptually “presidential” leader in Barack Obama. An antithesis to the antics of Donald Trump.

I see 4 personas embodying my generation today:

1. The Never Trumpers

2. The Trump Fanboys

3. “I Hate Talking Politics”

4. “Please Give Me Better Choices”

Groups 1 and 2? They’re loud and proud.

Groups 3 and 4? They’re lost, politically homeless—craving sanity above all else. I like to think I belong there, too.

The undercurrent of my generation’s political experience is this: We’ve been so desensitized to polarization that it feels normal. We know nothing else.

And that, my friends, is a huge problem.

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🚨 America’s Greatest Problem

America stands at a crossroads, not divided by geography but by ideology.

The polarization gripping the nation has deepened to the point where civil discourse is nearly extinct, replaced by outrage, distrust, and a refusal to engage with opposing perspectives.

Social media, partisan media outlets, and political leaders on both sides have fueled this division, turning Americans against one another rather than against the real challenges we face—economic instability, government overreach, declining trust in institutions, and external threats.

More than any policy debate or economic hardship, this division is the greatest danger to the nation’s future.

A country that cannot find common ground cannot solve its problems.

We as Americans must recognize we are not each other’s enemy.

I’ll say it again for the people in the back:

WE ARE NOT EACH OTHERS ENEMY

The only people who benefit from our division, is those in power.

The path forward demands a willingness to engage, to listen, to empathize and to remember that we are one nation.

Indivisible, only if we choose to be.

Be the change you want to see in the world. Starting right here at home.

With deep love and respect,

Brady

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P.S. Discussion here is not only welcome, but encouraged. I’d love to hear your thoughts! 💭 🧠

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