STAMFORD, Conn. —Republican Mayoral Candidate Arthur Augustyn today announced his platform of “Future Conservatism” values to push back on cultural nihilism. Augustyn defines “nihilism” as the belief “nothing can be trusted.”
“Stamford’s culture is drowning in fear and nihilism,” said Augustyn. “These values integrate what we’ve learned about the world through new technology, but maintains an optimistic worldview to build the trust necessary for a healthy community.”
Augustyn’s Future Conservatism is built on the research of Jonathan Haidt — author of The Anxious Generation and the After Babel Substack. Haidt’s research shows the rates of anxiety and depression increased dramatically starting in 2012. This trend coincides with the mass proliferation of smartphones and social media just as Generation Z was entering adolescence. Since 2012 the prevalence of anxiety in ages 18-25 has increased 92 percent, the percentage of teen girls reporting “major depression” has increased 145 percent, and the suicide rate for ages below 18 has doubled.
While Haidt’s research is focused on social media in general, Augustyn’s platform is focused on the content consumed through social media. In his longform policy video released today, Augustyn identifies 6 values for Future Conservatism. These values acknowledge and integrate the information people are now exposed to through social media, but provides a positive understanding for how to interpret this new information. These values include:
- People are individuals. Stamford’s culture is concerned with reducing racism, but that has become the nihilistic belief “everyone is against each other.” In Stamford, this was most prevalent in the 2024 election when one Democrat claimed another Democrat could not represent the public because he is Jewish. This event is the natural endpoint of the City of Stamford implementing bias training which teaches people they are innately (sometimes unconsciously) against everyone from a different identity group than their own. This bias training has been proven to not work. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief, because viral videos allow people to target private individuals with selective evidence in service to reducing individuals to their identity group.
Augustyn promises to shut down all governmental institutions that teach bias training and pursue anti-doxxing ordinances that protect private individuals from internet-based witch hunts. - Success is rewarded. Stamford’s culture is concerned with economic fairness, but it has become the nihilistic belief “all success is theft.” This belief drives distrust of Stamford’s most successful projects including Mill River Park, Harbor Point, and school programs rewarding high performing students. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief, because social media rewards outrage which incentivizes content creators to monetize anger and misunderstanding.
Augustyn promises to restore Stamford’s commitment to excellence by advocating for programs and policies that reward success in the city. - Trust but verify. Stamford’s culture is concerned with transparency, but that has become the nihilistic belief “every system is corrupt.” This belief drives distrust of city institutions but it is not supported by evidence, it is supported by ignorance. Stamford’s Board of Representatives believe the law department is corrupt because the board doesn’t have a single lawyer and they frequently misunderstand legal text. Residents believe the zoning board is bought by developers because they don’t understand the zoning board doesn’t make the zoning laws, they just apply them. The public has increased its skepticism of the Stamford Police Department even as body cameras have become more prevalent. Technology has allowed for greater transparency, but our culture of nihilism has weaponized this transparency.
Augustyn promises to continue Stamford’s efforts to be transparent with the public through an annual city report. The report will standardize data points to measure the city’s success and enable public understanding of our system. He will also invest in tools to hold local politicians accountable by enabling their public comments to be searchable on the board website. - Rules create the structure for fairness. Stamford’s culture is concerned about prejudice in law enforcement, but that has become the nihilistic belief “all rules are unfair.” In Stamford, public bus stops — such as Old Town Hall — once had seating and enclosures to protect residents from the weather while waiting for the bus. These spaces were inevitably taken over by anti-social behavior such as public drinking and drug use. Rather than enforce the law, Mayor Caroline Simmons ripped out the seating of these enclosures. Distrust for rules comes from historical examples of politically motivated policies such as gerrymandering or nonviolent drug offenses. Technology spreads this nihilistic belief because content creators cherry pick historical examples to create a dishonest portrayal of our country’s past. This results in a distrust of rules and a lack of faith any rule will be enforced fairly.
Augustyn promises to direct enforcement of all Stamford laws and attach an enforcement agency to all ordinances. He will also defend any city worker is who accused of prejudice just for doing their job. - The planet is a resource for our success. Stamford’s culture is concerned about protecting the planet, but that has become the nihilistic belief “people are ruining the planet.” Environmental policies in Stamford are guided by the desire to make human life more annoying or difficult — such as the plastic bag ban or the proposed single-use plastics ban. These policies come with an implicit distrust of people to act responsibly, rather than trusting the public to be stewards of our shared environment. Technology spreads this belief because every environmental failure around the globe is presented to Stamford residents as if it was happening in their backyard.
Augustyn promises to enable environmental stewardship in Stamford through services such as bulk trash pick-up and city-owned trash cans in high litter areas. He also promises to pursue energy solutions that prioritize providing energy rather than limiting human activity. - Responsibility is everything. Stamford’s culture is concerned other people can’t be trusted and that has resulted in more and more government control. The city bans plastic bags because the public doesn’t trust people to recycle them. The city rips out seats for public transit because the public doesn’t trust law enforcement to protect our spaces. The city seeks punishment of the successful because the public doesn’t trust their wealth. The government continues to intervene into the public’s life to reduce a person’s ability to control their own business, property, or identity. Technology spreads this distrust, because the public has 24/7 access to a device that tells us every way things might go wrong.
Augustyn promises to restore the belief people are our greatest resource. He promises if Stamford adopts future conservatism, the future will be brighter.
This is Augustyn’s final video in this three-part series of longform videos detailing his policy priorities as Stamford’s next mayor. The other videos include:
- Break Down the Board of Representatives
- Pro-Social: Housing & Infrastructure
- Future Conservatism
More information about Augustyn can be found on his campaign website www.thefutureisbrighter.com.
###
