A young man who was raised politically conservative and ended up on the left has issued a warning to Democrats.
Preston Mason, 22, grew up in North Carolina, where he and his friends were conservative, and both his parents worked in D.C., which he said allowed him to grow up in a “fairly political household”.
While he was always interested in politics, it was coming up to the 2020 election when he was first able to cast a vote that he decided to “pay attention to things outside of what my YouTube recommendations had been feeding me”.
Mason now describes himself as politically left-leaning though without subscribing to any main political party, but as he went viral for describing his political journey, he told Newsweek he had a warning for the Democratic party and those on the left.
“A lot of men feel isolated in American society and are desperately seeking community by any means necessary,” he said.
“The Republicans have gone all in on making themselves the party of men and [embracing] those feeling lonely or rejected in American society. So many young men are bullied, feel incredibly insecure with themselves, and are struggling to find their identity in their youth.”
But when it comes to the Democratic party, they “haven’t prioritized outreach to young men at all, or associated with male-adjacent communities & influencers in meaningful ways.”
Mason shared his thoughts in a recent video to his TikTok account @prestomaso, where it has been viewed over 2 million times since being posted on October 10.
He recalled being 14 years old when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election, and he and his friends immediately became excited about “making fun of the triggered people online, who were crying hysterically and thought the world was ending”.
He watched videos of right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro “owning SJW Warriors” and other right-wing mocking videos, but made an important confession: “I was being bullied a lot, I was super insecure about myself.”
Mason explained he became “increasingly intolerant” towards other people to avoid being bullied himself, and only felt accepted by the right side of the political spectrum.
“The left was seemingly calling me racist, sexist, misogynist, at every single turn,” he said, but the right was “accepting me or even embracing me for how I feel.”
Mason’s experience is reflected in trends across the United States, with exit polls from the recent election showing 49 percent of men aged between 18 and 29 had voted for Trump, compared to 47 percent for Kamala Harris.
Data from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation also found that Gen Z teens are twice as likely to identify as “more conservative” than their parents, than millennials were 20 years ago: a rise from 7 percent to 14 percent.
Mason told Newsweek his way out of the “right-wing influencer bubble” happened gradually, sparked by a novel he read in English class that involved the systemic racism of “red-lining,” but helped immensely by “mature voices from those around me who explained their beliefs well”.
“I think a big problem is that so many on the left are so quick to judge and quick to shame. But most of the beliefs I held as a teenager were just what I had been told and the worldview I had grown up in. I was a product of my environment to a large extent,” he said.
Telling people they are racist, or sexist as an “instant reaction” can make people come across as “elitist, pretentious and intolerant,” he warned, suggesting the left “be intolerant of the beliefs, but not of the person”.
“I know it is incredibly difficult, but if two of my friends with opposing beliefs didn’t have calm and logical conversations with me, I would have continued believing every liberal was intolerant and overly emotional. The change we seek on the left won’t happen with one conversation, but with prolonged meaningful discussion.”
Mason’s TikTok video had a huge response, with one commenter writing: “Your perspective also says a lot about how the left could do better and be more welcoming. Thank you for sharing.”
Another shared: “As a former conservative, this echoes my story as well,” while one said they “hope this hits the right audience”.
TikTok @prestomaso
Mason told Newsweek he hoped his video would “resonate with young men” but also help people on the leg “better understand young men and maybe approach conversation and support them in a better way”.
“I had no idea it would receive such an overwhelming amount of attention and support,” he said, and while he has received some “mean” messages from trolls, he said: “If anything I feel for them. Anyone who is that angry is incredibly hurt and insecure. I am proud of my political journey and know I believe and prioritize the right things.”
He hopes to see the Democratic party “return to its working-class roots,” concerned about corporate donors, and rather than base an election campaign on not being Donald Trump, to “convince the American people to vote for YOU”.
As for anyone questioning the political beliefs they were raised with, on either side, Mason urged: “Take time to list out your top political priorities, and determine their impact on your life and of others in your community. Will these policies help you or hurt you? Will they help your community or will they harm those around you?”
“I would encourage you to not only question others around you, but question yourself. Have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you. Have a conversation with someone who has a different background or upbringing than you. Read a book on a topic you don’t know much about.
“I’ve learned that you are not always right, no matter how convinced you may be. No one ever is,” he said.
