It’s hard to overestimate the role the old hippie-loathing, and the anti-ideal of youth rebellion in general, still play in the social thought of the modern intellectual Right. (In a recent review of The Wackness, for example, John Podhoretz described The Catcher in the Rye as a “pernicious book,” pernicious because it enshrined the pose of disaffection as the model for thoughtful youth.)That's from Matt Feeney at The American Scene.
The loathing of certain aspects of youth culture is what creates, in my opinion, the vast majority of teenage conservatives* - particularly the nerdier ones. These kids are generally so frustrated by what they see as the sheer stupidity of the people around them - Don't they know smoking (cigarettes or weed) is bad for them? Don't they see that their anti-intellectualism (expressed by not doing basic homework assignments) will doom them?
Of course, other people simply have a boundless hatred of hippies, which causes them to become conservatives (generally with a libertarian streak). Their philosophy is best summed up by Matt Stone:
I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals.At this point, I feel like it's important to note that the "South Park Republican/Conservative" label was retarded if only because the people who embrace it (along with Matt and Trey) just seem to hate anyone who is actually trying to make a positive change in the world.
*The one other thing that might create a lot is religion. But I think recent polling has shown a lot of religiously devout teenagers are liberal or apolitical.
