The Problem of Inflexibility
by Tyler G. Grant

The defection of Jonathan Krohn — the young conservative who wowed the conservative nation – – from the conservative right wing towards a more moderate or left wing political stance may have little effect on the current U.S. political climate, but the reaction to his positions from evangelical Christians and right wingers teaches us something about the current course of American politics.

Twitter, Facebook, and Fox News abounded with comments about Mr. Krohn’s political flip flop using often degrading terms and seemingly harsh criticism for a kid that has never even held public office. Certainly right wing activists are not solely guilty for this type of angry, winner-take-all style politic rhetoric. Rhetorical attacks on Michelle Bachmann and Senator Joe Lieberman over the past year from the left have echoed similar hateful sentiments. The real problem is that party politics chastise and even crucify those that change their minds.

In 2004, John Kerry was considered a flip-flopper for his changed stance on Iraq among other issues. Similarly, Romney has been criticized for the same type of change on healthcare. These changes or flip-flops occurred over a relatively short period of time, however, when put in proper focus, political positions ought to be more refined later in life than earlier. Returning to Mr. Krohn, he had not completed his high school studies before he was a published author and acclaimed a new leading thinker for the younger conservative movement. He was 13. How absurd is it then for the media to write these things then criticize him when he reads another book at 15, 16, and 17 and changes his mind? We all recall how formidable and impressionable new books, professors, and new friends have on our adolescent education.

Are liberals going to call him a traitor when Mr. Krohn reads Mills, Aquinas, and Chesterton and changes his mind? They shouldn’t.

The fact remains that new information, new experiences, paint our perception of politics and the world around us. While it may be proper to hold politicians accountable for changing positions after years of professing a certain view, more appropriate however would be to ask them why the change and evaluate the why versus the change. Locking someone into a viewpoint at age 31 or 32 when they get into politics and getting angry and aggressive when they change their mind at 40 or 50 dooms us to old ideas and intellectual stalemate.

I hope that Mr. Krohn continues to change his mind, evaluate his ideas, criticize and be criticized, mull over, discard, strengthen, and grow for this is the way that we become the type of critical thinkers we aspire to be.

Tyler Grant is a Washington and Lee University alumnus and a 2012-2013 Fulbright Scholar who will be teaching English and conducting international law research in Yilan, Taiwan. Tyler currently works for the Executive Counsel’s office for Governor Nathan Deal. You can follow him on twitter at twitter.com/@tylergrant15