I recently ‘checked-in’ with an old friend – by way of uncommunicative social media browsing – to find him espousing the conformist, liberal drivel typical of society’s normies today. Replete with superficial whinging about the treatment of black soccer players, this was anything but an edifying experience. But the funny thing is, this person, who we’ll call “Dave” for illustrative purposes, was formally anything but liberal. When we were 17- or 18-years-old, we would discuss our support for certain extreme Rightist movements, far to the right of anything I would consider supporting even now, in my unreformed, unrepentant state.

I even recall some hilarious instances when we would be in one another’s cars together playing the Marching Song of the Waffen-SS (“Sieg Heil Viktoria”) through the loudspeakers. Juvenile? Sure, we were college students. But it was indicative of the type of politics we were attracted to. And it wasn’t a case of me ‘egging him on’, as it were; it was his idea!

I’m not sure what conclusions we might draw from this, but it’s interesting to note the distance one might travel from his own conscience in order to receive society’s acceptance. Or perhaps he grew up and I didn’t, although our trajectories certainly refute this hypothesis.