Connor Boyack How to Inspire the Next Generation
Connor Boyack was a web developer in 2007 when he watched law enforcement raid a fundamentalist compound in Texas and remove 400 kids from their parents on a false tip. He started an online petition. That decision became a career. Now he's the author of 36 books, founder of a free-market think tank that's changed over 100 laws, and the creator of the Tuttle Twins — a children's series that's sold 5 million copies by teaching economic and civic principles most schools actively suppress.
This conversation moves through the intentional design of the modern school system (Horace Mann called children 'wax' to be molded), the functional freeze that hit in 2020, Edward Bernays and psychological warfare, the hero's journey as educational model, and why Connor has zero faith in the political system. The solve isn't at the Capitol. It's at the family dinner table — where kids are still learning who they actually are before the state tells them who to be.
- The 2007 catalyst Connor was a web developer watching TV when law enforcement raided a fundamentalist compound in Texas, removing 400+ kids from their parents on a false tip. He started an online petition — got 1,000 signatures, landed on the news, and realized he could use his technical skills to serve marginalized people being persecuted by the state. That gratitude became the spark.
- Tuttle Twins as trojan horse Parents won't read *Atlas Shrugged*. But they'll read a storybook with their kids about personal responsibility and entrepreneurship. The books lower the barriers — over half of parents report learning things for the first time alongside their children. The target is the family dinner table, not the Capitol.
- Functional freeze in 2020 2020 wasn't just lockdowns — it was mass homeschooling overnight, parents red-pilled to authoritarianism, and the realization that freedom was more fragile than they'd believed. Tuttle Twins sales doubled in a single year (750k cumulative → 1.3M in 2020 alone). The word *expert* lost its power. Connor exploited the timing with a 'lockdown learning sale.'
- School as state religion The modern school system isn't broken — it's functioning exactly as Horace Mann and John Dewey designed it. Mann: 'Men are cast iron, children are wax.' Dewey called teachers 'prophets of the one true God' (government). The goal was never critical thinking — it was cultivating subservient citizens who follow orders. 13% of eighth graders are proficient in American history. Connor sees that as intentional.
- The mind war Connor's next book (*Mind Wars*) is about psychological warfare — how children's minds are ground zero. Edward Bernays, double nephew of Freud, worked on federal WWI propaganda and wrote *Propaganda*. He said the true ruling power in society is invisible, pulling strings most people never see. If your child is sent to a battlefield without armor or knowledge of the enemy, they become a casualty. Same applies to ideological warfare.
- Despotism as calm Thomas Jefferson: 'Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.' Freedom is shaky ground — constant pivoting, adaptation, vigilance. Despotism is a prison cell with a schedule, predictable meals, and false safety. The masses are wired to seek safety within the herd. Social proof dominates. The question: would that wiring exist without top-down propaganda, or is it inherent?
- Acton Academy & the hero's journey Acton Academy models school after Joseph Campbell's hero's journey. Students are 'heroes,' teachers are 'guides.' At the start of each term, the student identifies their call to adventure, obstacles, team, and transformation. No curriculum committee. No coddling. Connor's goal as a father: help his kids find their path as soon as possible — not after college like he did.
- Band-aids on gangrenous wounds Connor has zero faith in the political system. Changing laws is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. His role: wake people up, get them to the lifeboats, help them prepare their families and finances. Politics is a vehicle to reach and educate, not a solution. The solve is at the family dinner table, not the Capitol.
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