My parents, like many in their community then, had lost some faith in institutions. They had concerns about a prescription-happy medical establishment and about the ways a materialistic culture might harm children. As a product of a MAHA childhood before MAHA even existed, I share my experience of what worked and what did not.
Alternative medicine
Our “doctor” went by the name Janet and — I seem to recall — wore a cape. She prescribed tiny sugar pills that I was happy to swallow, and a disgusting brown liquid that served as an unspecified health tonic and haunts me to this day. The advantage of alternative health care is that most of the time, it really doesn’t hurt you, which is related to its downsides: It doesn’t always work.
Still, I have survived thus far. The discovery, late in life, of magical potions like decongestants for runny noses and Icy Hot for aches has inclined me toward the outputs of double-blind research studies over various witch’s brews. I do, however, enjoy the occasional holistic spa-day menu of massage and acupuncture.
Verdict: neutral
Anti-vax outlooks
My parents were “standing in the question” on vaccines, as my dad puts it. That lasted a few years, until I got whooping cough. Then they switched to acceptance of the benefits of modern medicine.
Verdict: negative
Homeschool
When my parents wanted to homeschool me, I begged and pleaded to stay in my small public school until they relented, and I am glad they did. I know many individuals who are products of a homeschool education, and the percentage of them I would describe as well-adjusted is negligible. Are children so fragile and corruptible that exposure to a divergent idea or opinion will set them on the wrong path out of the nest? I find this premise perplexing. I am aware of many subjects and concepts that have not tempted me in the slightest, like deep-sea exploration. In this vein I find some of the anxious-parent urge to shelter children from the world ill-advised. If information is a bicycle, children need the training wheels of age-appropriate guidance. Hiding them away from perceived negative influences for 18 years and then setting them free for a two-wheeled Rumspringa is not a system for success. Let your children experience exposure to different outlooks and the drudgery of group projects with people with whom they share nothing in common. It’s good practice for life in a democracy, which will hopefully remain a relevant skill set by the time they attain adulthood.
Verdict: negative
Limited screen time
My parents did their best to limit our exposure to television and adult themes like sexiness, which is perhaps why I can recall so clearly the day I saw the music video for Britney Spears’s “I‘m a Slave 4 U” at my friend’s house. Watching the heavily tanned and pornographically oiled Spears gyrate in low-rise pants and barely-there tops, I prayed for the same for me. I grew up to become, by any Christian measure, an unrepentant heathen, and I am to this day inclined to view adult prudishness as a moral failing akin to picky eating. Now, did that happen because my friend had MTV on one day in fourth grade, or was I always destined for this path? Hard to know.
Verdict: undetermined
Traditional values
My parents exposed me to plenty that provided little appeal, like the period of time in which we attended Roman Catholic Church, an institution long overdue for a brand refresh if it’s hoping to compete for my attention against X. However, I did gain an understanding of how to sit still for an agonizing 1.5 hours by dissociating, an essential skill for the corporate workforce.
Verdict: positive
Overall
Witnessing a surge in distrust of institutions and seeing debunked ideas about health care gain a foothold can feel depressing for those who disagree, but the path of ideas and movements is circular, not linear.
My parents changed many of their youthful perspectives. My father, who used to put duct tape over brand logos on his clothing, now outshines me in the wardrobe department. My mother, who carefully curated our media diets, now has a TikTok habit herself.
As the child of a crunchy upbringing, I found my pathways to rebellion limited: I took a job at Goldman Sachs. Individual perspectives shift. Trends evolve. A group that found a home under one political tent may scuttle to another. Today’s MAHA youth may become tomorrow’s science-defenders.
I am the product of both my parents’ influences and the world beyond. Their choices shaped me (I still prefer whole foods cooking and reading over TV) but so did my own nature (I will never feel at home at a parade or in church). A movement is not a monolith. For those who might despair over this unscientific drift, take comfort: MAHA may not be the healthiest movement — but that doesn’t mean it’s terminal.
Verdict? TBD