Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 91 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    But if the kid identifies as African-American

    Thanks, Jon.

    • #1
  2. David Sussman Member
    David Sussman
    @DaveSussman

    First, I appreciate the point about hyperbole. Hard to sift through the screaming clickbait these days.

    This young man was certainly articulate and while I disagree with his perspective and the peanut gallery chuffing at the bit behind him, it was good to see a clear and concise millennial.

    D’Souza’s reference to hypocrisy is right on, but I also think he missed an opportunity to go beyond it. The audience either accepted that one point or not, but there were deeper points regarding privilege which I would have loved to have heard Dinesh refer to:

    1. College kids today are not taught about American values. Instead they are indoctrinated that America is a flawed country (which one isn’t?) founded by white slave owners leading to generational racism, sexism and sins of capitalists. Yet America has made tremendous efforts to level the playing field, to Dinesh’s point of even bending over backwards by discriminating reversely. What of this? I would have asked the student whether he believes that his entire generation should not only foot the bill of the debt levels from his parents and grandparents, but yield personal opportunity as a hat tip to the downtrodden minorities of 3 generations ago.
    2. The students accept the professors and Leftist teachings making a persons race, gender and class the new meritocracy: Because you are/aren’t ________, you do/don’t deserve _________. There is no longer reference to worthiness based on performance and behavior (responsibility of self), but whether someone is caucasian or not, male or female, or suburban or urban. This has demonstrably changed value. For it’s no longer who you are, but what you are. If you are born white, then you must pay for the sins of your forefathers and automatically have society/government tie one hand behind your back in deference to others perceived or real limitations. In other words, in an effort to raise the level of the playing field so that all are equal, we are now witness to politically correct discrimination being targeted toward one specific group (whites). It has in effect very much lowered the level of the playing field, whereby pitting races, sexes and classes against each other like never before. How it this equal? How is this a good thing for society?

    It would have been interesting to hear this students response to both.

    Thanks Jon.

    • #2
  3. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Denesh D’Souza is a wonderful person, isn’t he? He’s fighting the good fight. I deeply admire him.

    • #3
  4. Brian McMenomy Inactive
    Brian McMenomy
    @BrianMcMenomy

    Logic, critical thinking, examination of one’s own assumptions, sacrifice.  These are clearly concepts this young man isn’t familiar with.  Had there been more time, Dinesh could (and undoubtedly would) have pointed out that the search for victims & “restorative justice” causes all manner of war & strife (the Palestinians, to name just one).  At some point, you just have to stop and say “we’re going to do it right from now going forward, and leave the past in the past”.  If you don’t, you never get out of the past and you never grow.  Social justice should be about taking people where they are and making them bigger people, not infantilizing them forever by satiating their desire for “justice” by taking other people’s stuff.

    • #4
  5. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    David Sussman:First, I appreciate the point about hyperbole. Hard to sift through the screaming clickbait these days.

    This young man was certainly articulate and while I disagree with his perspective and the peanut gallery chuffing at the bit behind him, it was good to see a clear and concise millennial.

    D’Souza’s reference to hypocrisy is right on, but I also think he missed an opportunity to go beyond it. The audience either accepted that one point or not, but there were deeper points regarding privilege which I would have loved to have heard Dinesh refer to:

    1. College kids today are not taught about American values. Instead they are indoctrinated that America is a flawed country (which one isn’t?) founded by white slave owners leading to generational racism, sexism and sins of capitalists. Yet America has made tremendous efforts to level the playing field, to Dinesh’s point of even bending over backwards by discriminating reversely. What of this? I would have asked the student whether he believes that his generation should not only foot the bill of the debt levels from his parents and grandparents, but yield personally opportunity as a hat tip to the downtrodden minorities for 3 generations ago.
    2. The students professors and Leftist teachings have made a persons race, gender and class the new meritocracy: Because you are/aren’t ________, you do/don’t deserve _________. There is no longer reference to worthiness based on performance and behavior (responsibility of self), but whether someone is caucasian or not, male or female, or suburban or urban. This has demonstrably changed value. For it’s no longer who you are, but what you are. If you are born white, then you must pay for the sins of your forefathers and automatically have society/government tie one hand behind your back in deference to others perceived or real limitations. In other words, in an effort to raise the level of the playing field so that all are equal, we are now witness to politically correct discrimination being targeted toward one specific group (whites). It has in effect, very much lowered the level of the playing field, whereby pitting races, sexes and classes against each other like never before. How it this equal? How is this a good thing for society?

    It would have been interesting to hear this students response to both.

    Thanks Jon.

    Regarding your first point, I think they might have just finished watching his film, “America.” The film makes your point perfectly and, if you haven’t seen the film, you need to see it. You will love it.

    • #5
  6. Don Tillman Member
    Don Tillman
    @DonTillman

    David Sussman: The audience either accepted that one point or not, but there were deeper points regarding privilege which I would have loved to have heard Dinesh refer to:

    And…

    3. Any system of compensation for past injustices would have a set of incentives that could be gamed something fierce, and would be rife with astounding levels of fraud, corruption, and bribery.

    • #6
  7. Manfred Arcane Inactive
    Manfred Arcane
    @ManfredArcane

    D’Souza is a treasure but the severity of his beat down of the kid is exaggerated.  If he focused more on the impossibility of settling all old wrongs, of the impossibility of the calculus involved, he would have sobered the kid up.

    The student operates in a fantasy world and someone needs to explain this to him.

    • #7
  8. Don Tillman Member
    Don Tillman
    @DonTillman

    Don Tillman:

    David Sussman: The audience either accepted that one point or not, but there were deeper points regarding privilege which I would have loved to have heard Dinesh refer to:

    And…

    3. Any system of compensation for past injustices would have a set of incentives that could be gamed something fierce, and would be rife with astounding levels of fraud, corruption, and bribery.

    And…

    4. Those who are masters of fraud, corruption, and bribery are actively exploiting the passions of folks like yourself with the very noblest of intentions.

    • #8
  9. David Sussman Member
    David Sussman
    @DaveSussman

    Don Tillman:

    Don Tillman:

    David Sussman: The audience either accepted that one point or not, but there were deeper points regarding privilege which I would have loved to have heard Dinesh refer to:

    And…

    3. Any system of compensation for past injustices would have a set of incentives that could be gamed something fierce, and would be rife with astounding levels of fraud, corruption, and bribery.

    And…

    4. Those who are masters of fraud, corruption, and bribery are actively exploiting the passions of folks like yourself with the very noblest of intentions.

    Did someone say global warming?

    • #9
  10. ToryWarWriter Coolidge
    ToryWarWriter
    @ToryWarWriter

    Wow.  That’s amazing.

    • #10
  11. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    The student learned zero lesson. He walked away from the encounter knowing – KNOWING – that conservatives will just never “get it”.

    • #11
  12. Susan the Buju Contributor
    Susan the Buju
    @SusanQuinn

    Great post, Jon, Dinesh D’Souza is so well-spoken!

    • #12
  13. Grosseteste Thatcher
    Grosseteste
    @Grosseteste

    “I’m not trying to indict everyone of hypocrisy, only you.”

    Beautiful!

    David Sussman: This young man was certainly articulate and while I disagree with his perspective and the peanut gallery chuffing at the bit behind him, it was good to see a clear and concise millennial.

    I didn’t see clear and concise (failure to recognize “clear” could possibly be my own failing, but he was nearly the opposite of concise).  I’m not always D’Souza’s biggest fan, but I think he did well to seize upon the nut of the complaint (“You say that we’re hypocrites, but this is a problem of collective historical guilt that requires a collective solution”) and responded to it in the most direct way–by pointing out that he wasn’t willing to make the personal sacrifices that a solution to the stated problem entails.

    I appreciate the higher-level arguments about what kind of society we’re building based on the kind of discourse we engage in, but I bet that student has more to think about now than if D’Souza had tried to meet him on that level.

    • #13
  14. Eugene Kriegsmann Member
    Eugene Kriegsmann
    @EugeneKriegsmann

    That was superb! Dinesh is magnificent.

    • #14
  15. Paul Erickson Inactive
    Paul Erickson
    @PaulErickson

    Kudos to Amherst for inviting D D to speak.  Good to see that at least some places in academia still allow some diversity of ideas on campus.

    • #15
  16. Kevin Creighton Contributor
    Kevin Creighton
    @KevinCreighton

    His comments about immigrants to this country are spot-on. I love this country, I’m here by choice, not by birth, and I chose not to live anywhere else but here. It amazes me that so many Americans think of the U.S. as the worst place on Earth: How they can think that, I’ll never know.

    • #16
  17. Fritz Coolidge
    Fritz
    @Fritz

    Amherst?  . . . a college audience actually listening to debated points? Wow. Did not know that was still possible at elite colleges.  Makes me  happy to hear actual engagement. I think perhaps this will not be the end of thinking about these issues for that young man.

    • #17
  18. Ray Kujawa Coolidge
    Ray Kujawa
    @RayKujawa

    Brian McMenomy: Social justice should be about taking people where they are and making them bigger people, not infantilizing them forever by satiating their desire for “justice” by taking other people’s stuff.

    I’m having a different view on Social justice. I’m seeing it, for whites at least, as the management of Christian-like guilt in a post-Christian secular world, where the person himself, to deal with his own guilt — or alternatively, to mouth the appropriate expressions that society expects — to atone for their own guilt of benefitting from being born in the very fortunate society we live in. In this way, the person makes himself a bigger person, without having to sacrifice any of their own benefits. The expressions and actions become a kind of prayer and way of life in a secular world.

    I think these people have absorbed the lessons of Christ better than they would ever choose to consciously admit.

    Manfred Arcane: The student operates in a fantasy world and someone needs to explain this to him.

    The student operates in a world where management of guilt — both self-perceived and projected — is essential for his own survival as a person.

    Misthiocracy: The student learned zero lesson. He walked away from the encounter knowing – KNOWING – that conservatives will just never “get it”.

    The lessons of Social justice have to do with emphasizing humility. Success without proper perspective gained from keeping one’s place with the Almighty is bad. The lessons from the history of the Jewish people have taught me that.

    • #18
  19. Jon Gabriel, Ed. Contributor
    Jon Gabriel, Ed.
    @jon

    My favorite part is watching a privileged white male lecturing a minority on racism. And never recognizing that he is engaged in one of the vilest sins to Social Justice Warriors: Whitesplaning.

    • #19
  20. Al Sparks Coolidge
    Al Sparks
    @AlSparks

    I enjoyed watching D’Souza engage with that college student.  I also noticed an older lady behind him encouraging him on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she were faculty and even one of his mentors.

    But I also give those students credit.  On too many campuses, D’Souza and others with similar views are shouted down, if they’re even allowed to speak on campus at all.

    • #20
  21. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Aaarrghh… the SJW rhetoric would be maddening enough, but that these young men have been completely emasculated and turned into such sanctimonious prigs is just unbearable. And then watching that boomer radical witch egg him on in his foolishness…

    Sorry, nothing D’souza says can alleviate the sense of despair I have watching this generation of pantywaists in action. We’re doomed. Have a nice day.

    • #21
  22. Franz Drumlin Inactive
    Franz Drumlin
    @FranzDrumlin

    Question: Is it true African-Americans were systematically excluded from GI Bill programs? Anyone have specifics on this?

    • #22
  23. Ed G. Member
    Ed G.
    @EdG

    Al Sparks:I enjoyed watching D’Souza engage with that college student. I also noticed an older lady behind him encouraging him on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she were faculty and even one of his mentors.

    But I also give those students credit. On too many campuses, D’Souza and others with similar views are shouted down, if they’re even allowed to speak on campus at all.

    Yay for open and honest pursuit of truth!

    • #23
  24. Basil Fawlty Member
    Basil Fawlty
    @BasilFawlty

    Al Sparks:I enjoyed watching D’Souza engage with that college student. I also noticed an older lady behind him encouraging him on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she were faculty and even one of his mentors.

    Ding dong, the witch ain’t dead.

    • #24
  25. Man With the Axe Inactive
    Man With the Axe
    @ManWiththeAxe

    Dinesh’s point reminds me of a student I knew some years ago. There was a “Constitution Day Debate” that I participated in with four other faculty and a couple of students. I was the only conservative on the panel.

    One of the topics was the government’s role in education. I argued that by funding our very own state university with taxes the government is robbing working class families to subsidize the education of the children of middle and upper class families.

    One student on the panel was so affected by this discussion that at the end of the semester he wrote a column in the student newspaper describing his conversion to conservatism, and informing us that he was transferring to a private college, because he no longer believed that it was right for him to benefit from the taxes of people less fortunate than himself.

    Here was one student of whom, more than most, I can say with certainty is an honorable man today.

    • #25
  26. Eric Wallace Inactive
    Eric Wallace
    @EricWallace

    I would put money on that kid being a debater. Unfortunately.

    • #26
  27. Eric Wallace Inactive
    Eric Wallace
    @EricWallace

    Man With the Axe:

    One student on the panel was so affected by this discussion that at the end of the semester he wrote a column in the student newspaper describing his conversion to conservatism, and informing us that he was transferring to a private college, because he no longer believed that it was right for him to benefit from the taxes of people less fortunate than himself.

    Here was one student whom, more than most, I can say with certainty is an honorable man today.

    Thanks for sharing this. In our current state of politics, it’s hard to believe this kind of thing could ever happen so this is a story that must be told.

    • #27
  28. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Western Chauvinist: And then watching that boomer radical witch egg him on in his foolishness…

    Yes, isn’t it pathetic to watch a faculty member act that way? What a poor example she is for those students. She should be teaching people how to think not what to think but we are a long way from that ideal.

    • #28
  29. Larry Koler Inactive
    Larry Koler
    @LarryKoler

    Man With the Axe:Dinesh’s point reminds me of a student I knew some years ago. There was a “Constitution Day Debate” that I participated in with four other faculty and a couple of students. I was the only conservative on the panel.

    One of the topics was the government’s role in education. I argued that by funding our very own state university with taxes the government is robbing working class families to subsidize the education of the children of middle and upper class families.

    One student on the panel was so affected by this discussion that at the end of the semester he wrote a column in the student newspaper describing his conversion to conservatism, and informing us that he was transferring to a private college, because he no longer believed that it was right for him to benefit from the taxes of people less fortunate than himself.

    Here was one student whom, more than most, I can say with certainty is an honorable man today.

    Wow! It’s one at a time, isn’t it? What a wonderful gift you gave that young man.

    • #29
  30. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Eric Wallace:

    Man With the Axe:

    One student on the panel was so affected by this discussion that at the end of the semester he wrote a column in the student newspaper describing his conversion to conservatism, and informing us that he was transferring to a private college, because he no longer believed that it was right for him to benefit from the taxes of people less fortunate than himself.

    Here was one student whom, more than most, I can say with certainty is an honorable man today.

    Thanks for sharing this. In our current state of politics, it’s hard to believe this kind of thing could ever happen so this is a story that must be told.

    Oh, I’ve tried this sort of thing before with absolutely no success. Perhaps it was because my interlocutors were older boomer types, I don’t know. But, I pointed out that the people least likely to collect on Social Security benefits were black men, due to significantly shorter lifespans for them.

    I think the SJWs took it as an argument in favor of reparations. There is simply no way to overcome such intractable, monumental moral vanity.

    • #30
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.