You’ll probably agree with this. The political Left in America runs on one thing: outrage. It’s a perpetual motion machine of grievance, and frankly, it’s exhausting just watching it lurch from one manufactured crisis to the next. This engine requires a constant supply of passionate, energetic bodies to take to the streets, chant the slogans, and provide the dramatic footage for the evening news. Without a visible “resistance,” the entire enterprise just sputters out.

For generations, the Left has banked on a single, seemingly bottomless resource to power its movements: the fiery idealism of the young. From the anti-war protests of the 60s to the occupy movements of the new millennium, they have counted on college students to serve as the foot soldiers in their cultural revolution. But what happens when that well runs dry? What happens when the generation they took for granted simply decides to stay home?

A recent op-ed has inadvertently provided the stunning answer, revealing a deep-seated panic growing within the progressive establishment. The author, a university professor, practically admits the Left’s entire protest model is a complete and utter failure.

From ‘Fox News’:

The educator argued that a “persuasive” reason for why young people aren’t demonstrating is because they’re “demobilized and demoralized” due to many of the previous years’ mass protests getting little done. “The racial justice movement that peaked in 2020 ended in disappointment and backlash. The Gaza protests provoked intense conflict without delivering clear political or policy victories for their organizers,” Nyhan added.

You can almost hear the weeping from the Dartmouth faculty lounge. In a piece for The New York Times, Professor of Government Brendan Nyhan is genuinely distraught that America’s youth are not flooding the streets to protest President Donald Trump. He seems to believe that a lack of mass demonstrations is not a sign of a peaceful, functioning country, but a national emergency. This is the kind of galaxy-brain take that perfectly captures the liberal elite in 2025: a government professor who is upset that the people aren’t trying to overthrow the government.

An Ivory Tower Lament

This kind of thinking can only fester in the insulated bubble of an Ivy League campus. Professor Nyhan looks out at a country where people are going to work, raising families, and enjoying a renewed sense of national purpose, and he sees a disaster. He is vexed that the “No Kings” protest movement is dominated by aging liberals, noting that Americans aged 65 and older are protesting at a higher rate than those between 18 and 29.

To him, this is a “sharp reversal” from the beautiful chaos of 2020. To the rest of us, it’s a sign that the old guard of 60s radicals is still clinging to its worn-out playbook, while the younger generation has started to realize the game is rigged. The professor’s complaint is a perfect encapsulation of the academic Left’s total disconnect from the priorities of normal Americans, who value stability over street theater every single time.

The Left Admits Its Own Failures

The most revealing part of Nyhan’s screed is that he correctly identifies the reason for his movement’s failure, even if he can’t quite bring himself to connect the dots. He openly states that the racial justice protests of 2020 “ended in disappointment and backlash” and that the Gaza protests “provoked intense conflict without delivering clear political or policy victories.”

You don’t say. Conservatives have been pointing this out for years. These movements were never about justice or policy; they were about power and chaos. They burned down city blocks, tore down statues, and sowed division, all without achieving a single positive outcome for the communities they claimed to represent. Now, a liberal professor has been forced to admit it in the pages of the Grey Lady. The rage machine is burning itself out, leaving only a legacy of failure and resentment.

A Generation Waking Up?

Professor Nyhan calls young people “demobilized and demoralized.” But perhaps he should consider a different word: pragmatic. What if this generation isn’t demoralized, but is simply smarter than the Left gives them credit for? They watched the cities burn. They saw the “mostly peaceful” protests achieve nothing but destruction. And now they see a different path.

While the Left’s activists were provoking “intense conflict” over foreign wars, President Trump was brokering a historic 20-point peace plan in the Middle East that brought our hostages home. While tenured radicals demand more protests, young people are looking for jobs, worrying about the economy, and hoping to build a future for themselves. They are making a rational choice. They are opting out of the Left’s cycle of manufactured outrage and choosing to invest in their own lives and in a country that is finally putting their interests first.

The professor is asking the wrong question. The question isn’t, “Why aren’t young people protesting?” It’s, “Why on earth would they?” The empty promises of the progressive Left have been exposed, and their outrage machine has finally run out of gas. Common sense is making a comeback, and a generation is choosing the American dream over the progressive nightmare. That’s not a problem; it’s a blessing.

Key Takeaways

• Liberal elites in academia are completely disconnected from everyday Americans.
• The Left’s signature strategy of street protest is a destructive and admitted failure.
• A new generation is choosing economic opportunity over performative outrage.

Sources: Fox News