by Gabriella Hoffman 

Whenever I tell people I am a “traditionalist,” many look at me like I am from another planet.  I’m often met with awkward glares or sighs of disappointment. A typical response is, “You like tradition? That doesn’t surprise me. You’re a conservative. You’re backwards, hateful, bigoted, misguided, and out-of-touch with the times.” Others say, “That’s commendable. I applaud you for keeping with standards and not submitting to pressure.” 

Cultural Marxism, or political correctness, has taken our culture and society hostage. Abortion is readily acceptable in society, the hook-up culture is now seen as a rite of passage, and voting with private parts rather than voting with brains is a now sign of empowerment. To quote Monica Crowley, “What the bleep just happened?” 

However mixed the responses to traditional values, the case for making tradition relevant in today’s world has to be made.  It is time to be counter cultured.  

I’m very forthright with my views. If you follow me on Twitter, then you get to see them firsthand. I am pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and am against the hook-up culture in addition to being fiscally conservative. I prefer classic movies to MTV. I wish more people had manners. I wish male effeminacy would disappear. I wish members of my gender had more self-respect for themselves. And I love shooting guns and going fishing.  (Peculiar, right?)

Although I maintain a more traditional outlook on life, I am in tune with pop culture.  The Left, with the help of Hollywood, has been very successful tapping into pop culture and making alternative lifestyles, hook-ups, and trash TV acceptable. They have a monopoly on entertainment, and they are sadly winning. Our side must make conservatism acceptable to Americans with the help of pop culture and entertainment. (This is a subject best reserved for another article.) 

Tradition can be cool. Here’s how: 

Modest is hottest: The divide between classy and trashy couldn’t be clearer. Here at Counter Cultured, we profile outfits for women and men every Friday. You can dress well and still hold a traditional view on life. Women should look to ZARA, H&M, Arden B., and similar stores for chic outfits that bring out the best qualities in them; men should look to Art of Manliness and American Gentleman for tips to bolster their manliness. 

Articulate traditional values in a smart, intelligent fashion: Our side has to be tactful in their approach, yet equally grounded in conservative ideals.  Harvard University professor Harvey C. Mansfield best articulated this in a recent interview in the Wall Street Journal: "Of course there are conservative principles—free markets, family values, a strong national defense—but those principles must be defended with the use of good judgment. Conservatives need to be intelligent, and they shouldn't use their principles as substitutes for intelligence. Principles need to be there so judgment can be distinguished from opportunism. But just because you give ground on principle doesn't mean you're an opportunist." 

Tap into pop culture: In order to win the War on Culture, our side must create good content that will not take away from conservatism. We should be able to communicate traditional values in a way that best resonates with people, much like the Left does with Modern Family and similar shows. This is an area we need to work on. Do not neglect it. 

There is nothing wrong with standing for traditional values. It does not make you a bigot, homophobe, racist, or fascist. Our country is unique in that people can hold many beliefs and different viewpoints without fear of being ostracized. 

The Left brought America the counter-culture, so we must take back the narrative by being counter cultured. Join the fight!