R: Create Parallel Institutions

We have banded together to resist the errors of our age, but the institutions and enterprises that govern our lives have certainly not done so. They have been transformed by the world’s errors. Universities teach nonsense as though it were the Truth, banks high on social “justice” block their clients from purchasing firearms, tech companies censor those who dare dissent from progressive orthodoxy, and the newspapers and the entertainment industry are guilty of even worse offenses. Fortunately for us, there is, as Roger Scruton would say, an American genius for civil associations. There is no debate as to whether or not our institutions are in bad shape, the question before us is what are we, as conservatives, to do about it?

The affirmative will hold that the way forward involves the creation of parallel institutions. The mainstream institutions are too far gone, so conservatives must create our own. After all, we don’t want to be dependent on institutions controlled by people who hate us and what we believe in. A world where Venmo prohibits its users from making donations to pro-life causes or universities flat out reject conservative applicants is not unthinkable. The Daily Wire and Strive Asset Management are examples of successful conservative parallel institutions in media and finance. It can be done elsewhere. The affirmative does not have to believe mainstream institutions are broken beyond repair. It could also be the case that competition from new, conservative enterprises will deliver a revitalizing jolt to our mainstream institutions. Through the markets and civil society, American conservatism is capable of associational innovation.

Those in the negative may find themselves there for a number of reasons. Some may argue that we shouldn’t give up on mainstream institutions because they are what really count. Yale University, The New York Times, Google, and Goldman Sachs may have lost a great deal of their virtue, but they are storied institutions that will continue to play a role in American life even if conservatives want nothing to do with them. Given this undeniable fact, we should be seeking to integrate ourselves into these institutions. Infiltration is the only way to save them, and more importantly, ourselves. Conservatives have lamented the loss of our institutions since the days of William F. Buckley, Jr. We ought to remember that some of these institutions, like Yale and the NYT, have served many conservatives well. The Federalist Party would not exist were it not for Yale and writers like Ross Douthat and David Brooks would not have the audience they do if not for the Times. Perhaps even this status quo is worth preserving?

How do we save our institutions? Are parallel institutions the solution? Who is best suited to found these new institutions? Is the corruption of parallel institutions by the culture war inevitable? Should parallel institutions be an elite endeavor?