There is a question increasingly worth asking: Why do some of America's most privileged young people seem to have become among its harshest critics, not merely challenging policies but speaking as though America itself is fundamentally corrupt, oppressive or unworthy of their loyalty?

This is certainly not true of every young white American. Millions love their country, serve in the military, volunteer in their communities, build businesses, raise families and appreciate the opportunities America has afforded them. Nor is criticism inherently anti-American. Some of our greatest patriots challenged this nation precisely because they wanted it to live up to its promises.

But something deeper is happening within parts of our culture.

There is an unmistakable irony: Some of those most disillusioned with America have benefited enormously from the stability, prosperity, education, freedom and security it provides.

Perhaps privilege itself helps explain why.

When you have never lived without freedom, freedom can become invisible.

If you have never feared imprisonment for criticizing your government, free speech can seem ordinary. If you have never experienced genuine economic scarcity, capitalism's flaws can appear larger than the prosperity it has helped create. If you have never lived under authoritarianism, constitutional government can look frustratingly slow rather than remarkably protective.

We often understand the value of something only after experiencing its absence.

Education matters too.

Young Americans should learn about slavery, Jim Crow, the displacement and mistreatment of Native Americans, Japanese American internment, discrimination, political........

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