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Ben Shapiro Q&A - Big Tech Censorship, Jordan Peterson, Radical Islam — Transcript

by Ben Shapiro · 8,048 words · 1,149 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00oh boy how's it going I'm a huge fan of
0:03yours um and I what I really wanted to
0:05say was I find it really hard to have a
0:07civil discussion with people from the
0:10opposite side because I want to learn
0:11more about their point of view and
0:12sometimes they learn more of my point of
0:13view what do you think the best way
0:15about going about kind of you know
0:17having the groundwork like alright you
0:19know let's present each other's side and
0:21actually discuss it and not let's
0:23devolve into a screaming match I mean
0:24the first thing you have to do is you
0:25actually have to do a little bit of
0:26assessment as to whether the person
0:28you're talking to wants to have a
0:29conversation with you they're only a few
0:31reasons to have a conversation with
0:32somebody on the left one is to actually
0:34have a discussion you might find
0:36somebody on the Left who actually wants
0:37to exchange ideas kind of rare but it
0:40happens you could also have a situation
0:42where you just want to hone your own
0:43ideas so you're arguing for your own
0:44purposes or you're debating somebody on
0:46a stage in which case your goal is
0:47basically to accumulate that person as
0:49badly as possible but you have to decide
0:52which conversation is which and also you
0:54know this I mean everybody knows this
0:55but they don't apply it they get into
0:57Facebook fight and then five posts in
0:59and an hour later they're like oh I wish
1:00I hadn't done that thing with the first
1:02post is this the thing that's going to
1:04help me or this the thing that's just a
1:05waste of time and I don't know if it's
1:08if I can ask after work a picture with
1:09you after the conversation I'll try to
1:12stick around as long as I can yeah thank
1:13you
1:14[Applause]
1:23hey Ben I'm 14 years old
1:26I'm a huge fan I'm from Rochester and
1:29I'm a conservative and the New York
1:32public school like education system
1:34makes it really hard for me to spread my
1:35like conservative viewpoints like my
1:38friends my community and as you can see
1:41my shirt says bench biro 20 and I was
1:45just wondering if at any point in the
1:46future could we possibly see you running
1:48for office of any kind so a few years
1:51ago I probably would have said yes
1:52because it was something I was
1:54interested in watching as public figures
1:56get absolutely destroyed personally it
1:58makes me less likely to do it I think
1:59our politics is such right now the
2:01decent people and I try to consider
2:03myself decent decent people are sort of
2:05being driven out of the public square
2:06people who have no shame or honor I
2:08think are being encouraged to to run for
2:10office on every side of the aisle you
2:12know I could see a possibility sometime
2:14in the future it won't be in 2020 but it
2:17but I appreciate the sentiment all right
2:19thank you
2:20[Applause]
2:29I've been I'm a freshman at UB from
2:34Dutchess County you talked about divorce
2:37rates and how divorce rates have been
2:38increasing this country country since
2:40the 1970s and just kind of alluded to
2:43that as evidence of the failure of
2:44radical it sort of leveled off since
2:46like the the 2000s like the early 2000s
2:49but yes they're still higher than they
2:50were in the 50s and for right couldn't
2:52that also simply because of the fact
2:54that women are now more
2:55socioeconomically able to be independent
2:57than men like how can you say that
2:59radical feminism cause divorces and also
3:03ignore the fact that possibly it was
3:05just that women became able to be
3:07independent the airport they started
3:08divorce more because they would be
3:10becoming an economic and economically
3:13independent in the same period as they
3:15were getting divorced is they were
3:17getting married meaning that these
3:18aren't twenty-year marriages that are
3:19breaking up these are like five-year
3:20marriages that are breaking up which
3:22suggests to me a mental shift that's
3:24taking place in the nature of how we
3:25think about marriage rather than
3:27socioeconomic status being the indicator
3:29but learning that I suppose that
3:31economics could tie into this except for
3:33the fact that people who are higher
3:35income tend to stay married more often
3:36than people who are lower income right
3:39so that sort of undercuts the argument a
3:41little bit meaning that if you're if
3:43you're richer you tend to be married
3:44longer on average people who are poorer
3:45tend to get divorce where did you get
3:47that statistical Census Bureau
3:53[Applause]
4:01hi Ben I just want to say I'm a huge fan
4:04of the show I got the mug I'm a
4:05subscriber awesome I'm overflowing this
4:07week they left us tears how dreadful
4:08tell me they never have to fill it up
4:09the question I wanted to ask is after
4:12the whole I guess there's no better way
4:14to put it with debacle involving the the
4:17appointment of Justice Kavanagh to the
4:19bench do you think this is a moment
4:21where Americans is like as a society are
4:23going to start to maybe come back
4:24together and try to establish norms or
4:27or is this just a moment where our
4:29politics are just gonna further polarize
4:30and we're just going to start to tear a
4:32part even harder at the seams number one
4:34I love your optimism I'm by nature a
4:37pessimist which means I'm always right
4:39eventually so it's so my feeling is that
4:44when you see people who are screaming
4:46and trying to pry open 13 done ton
4:48bronze doors in front of the Supreme
4:50Court as Brett Kavanaugh is being sworn
4:53in inside and then you have full
4:54editorials in the New York Times saying
4:56that white women are racist because they
4:58supported Brett Kavanaugh which I just
5:00don't even understand no I don't think
5:03this this rift is gonna be healed any
5:05time soon in fact I think that the book
5:08that I'm right that I have coming out
5:09next year is largely about why this
5:11giant rift has opened up in America at a
5:13time when we are historically wealthy
5:14what we really don't have any major
5:15foreign crises on our hands
5:17we don't have a lot in common anymore as
5:19the sad truth a nation is defined by a
5:22common history a common culture a common
5:24set of goals common institutions all of
5:26those things are being torn asunder by
5:28serious divides that we have about how
5:29we view our own central principles and
5:32we used to be unified by a belief in God
5:34given rights and limited government
5:35obviously that doesn't unify us we used
5:37to be unified and by belief in
5:38judeo-christian virtue that no longer
5:39unifies us we used to be unified by a
5:41belief that America was essentially a
5:43good place even though we never lived up
5:44to our full promise even that I think is
5:47no longer a unifying principle which is
5:49why we now have people who see American
5:51history is in Howard Zinn fashion it's a
5:53long history of suffering and pain and
5:56patriarchal institution institutional
5:59discrimination if those bridges don't if
6:02those gaps don't get bridged I think
6:04that we're headed toward a schism that
6:06is gonna grow larger and larger over
6:08time I don't see how the only thing I
6:09could see is that eventually just
6:11disgust with the way this works
6:13means that forget politics somebody
6:16who's felt to be fundamentally decent
6:18ends up running for office and you get a
6:20spate of those people running for office
6:22and then it's about voting for the
6:23decency of the people as opposed to a
6:24particular political agenda thank you so
6:27much for coming
6:28[Applause]
6:36hello Ben how are you doing tonight
6:38doing okay how are you so I'm a liberal
6:40and well thank you for coming I
6:42appreciate it yeah
6:43but at the same time on the topic of
6:50free speech I consider myself a
6:52libertarian it's why you're a liberal
6:54and not a leftist you see whenever
6:55whenever I do my speeches right it's
6:57always liberal versus leftist liberals
6:58are people who disagree with me on
6:59politics but aren't trying to attack me
7:01with machetes and leftists are people
7:04who disagree with me on politics and are
7:06trying to shut down my speech all right
7:07so what I want to ask you about so me
7:09personally I disagree with many social
7:13networks move to ban Alex Jones from
7:15their platforms and I think it's a
7:17violation of the spirit of the First
7:19Amendment but in comparison with that I
7:22was asking would you agree with me that
7:25by the NFL stopping Kaepernick from
7:29kneeling is that also a violation of the
7:32First Amendment the spirit of it in some
7:34sense and do you believe that a
7:37corporation has the right to do what it
7:39wants knowing about that so there are
7:42several actual questions number one do
7:43corporations have the right to do what
7:45they want yes Facebook and the NFL that
7:46the rights do what they want right
7:47they're private corporations they do now
7:49the more important question is the first
7:51one you asked about sort of the spirit
7:52of the First Amendment I think that the
7:54real question is what these corporations
7:56are designed to do so social networks
7:58were originally designed to facilitate
8:00discourse between various political
8:02sides that's what they're designed to do
8:04the NFL was not really designed to do
8:06that the NFL presents a product right
8:08the NFL's product is what is on the
8:09field if the NFL were to find people for
8:12stuff that they said on Twitter then I
8:14would suggest that the NFL was was doing
8:16something wrong for the NFL to say
8:18you're affecting our viewership and the
8:20product that we present that's a
8:23different thing just as if Alex Jones
8:24worked for CNN and he and he went on air
8:28and he started talking about Satan get
8:31behind me I'm unbuttoning my shirt now
8:33look at this underneath I got another
8:35shirt right if he started doing that
8:37routine
8:39and CNN
8:40[Applause]
8:44I think at that point CNN has every
8:46right to do whatever they want with him
8:48so the for the corporate question the
8:50question is what is the corporation
8:52designed to do and and the the lie of
8:54Facebook and Twitter was that they were
8:56basically going to be essentially free
8:58open networks for discourse and then it
9:00turns out that there are more publishers
9:02they're more like my site or CNN right
9:04trying to add editorial guidance what I
9:07think is that a Facebook and Twitter if
9:08they want to ban people they should do
9:09so based on threats of violence slightly
9:11you know actual legal slander like that
9:13that's where they should drive me why
9:14not add stuff we don't like because Alex
9:16Jones is it nutball so I have a quick
9:19follow-up you don't mind just sure so
9:22then would you disagree with perhaps Tim
9:25Tebow's right to kneel in prayer on the
9:27field yeah if they'd find him for his
9:29for kneeling in prayer on the field then
9:30they would have every right to do that
9:32do
9:34[Applause]
9:43- I want to start off and say I'm a huge
9:46fan of yours and we love the possibility
9:48to get a picture with you and I'm truly
9:51hoping you run for presidency in 2024
9:53although if you wanted to secure my vote
9:55during your campaign and buy some
9:57absolute miracle I'd have to see you
9:58defeat Ocasio Cortez in the debate
10:02calling your dude that brings me my
10:10question with college campuses becoming
10:12increasingly overwhelmed by professors
10:14with leftist teachings and rhetoric I
10:16like many other young conservatives feel
10:18my back against the wall and I wanting
10:19to share my conservative views
10:20especially on sensitive subjects for
10:22running the risk of being ostracized by
10:25a mob and my classmates what sort of
10:27advice me gives this so my advice has
10:30always been to be practical meaning that
10:32you have to decide what the risk benefit
10:34analysis looks like exactly the
10:37cost-benefit analysis so when I was in
10:40law school there were certain professors
10:41who were really great about debate and
10:43people on the Left who really enjoyed
10:44the fact that we go back and forth and
10:46that was wonderful I enjoy and then
10:47there are certain professors who weren't
10:48and those were the professors where I
10:50basically keep quiet because my grade
10:51was more important to me than making a
10:53point everyone was gonna forget 20
10:54seconds later if I wanted to talk to
10:56students outside of class I would do it
10:58then I that's always been my view I've
11:00never felt like you need to sacrifice
11:02your grade or sacrifice your future to
11:03make a point in class that everyone is
11:05gonna forget 15 seconds later except for
11:07the professor who's going to grade you
11:08down the best path is to speak truth
11:12whenever possible and when not possible
11:14don't get good grades make lots of money
11:16threaten to withhold alumni funding and
11:19then because discrimination in the
11:21classroom obviously shouldn't be
11:22approved by the administration thanks
11:24man thanks
11:26[Applause]
11:26[Music]
11:33hey Ben I'm a big fan during the
11:36meet-and-greet when you came here
11:38earlier and you touched on the issue of
11:40abortion and I'll just says like to ask
11:42that question because I did a debate on
11:44abortion in high school even though I
11:45don't necessarily agree with that was on
11:47the pro side and I took it as an
11:49opportunity to learn from the other side
11:51and although I can say that one of their
11:53main talking points was how if abortion
11:56was made it legal that people would just
11:57get illegal abortions and then twice the
11:59amount of people would die in the
12:01instance of that but then I also said
12:03well that's not my issue my issue is
12:04with how it's almost weaponized like to
12:07say like the left kind of weaponized it
12:10where it's like if you don't agree with
12:11the borscht like abortion is amazing
12:12thing and amazing right and amazing
12:15power but then I'm like it's actually a
12:16really tough decision it's not something
12:18I'm going to go celebrate and say I'm
12:20really like it's awesome it's a
12:21beautiful thing and like why how do you
12:23think the left did that way I think the
12:25left actually came to a logical
12:27realization which is that safe legal and
12:29rare is an untenable political position
12:30so that was the Clintonian position in
12:32the 90s they said abortion should be
12:34safe legal and rare well when you say
12:36that it should be rare you're
12:37undercutting safe and legal actually or
12:40at least legal right because the problem
12:42is if you say it's rare you're
12:43acknowledging that there is moral
12:44content to the action you are taking
12:46which raises the question as to why it
12:48should be legal right so in other words
12:49if it's what the left says and it's just
12:51removal of a polyp why should it be rare
12:53I don't think polyp removal should be
12:54rare I think anyone else believes that
12:56either but when the left acknowledges
12:58there's a moral content to what it is
12:59that they're doing they get themselves
13:00into a rhetorical trap so instead it
13:02turns into shout your abortion be proud
13:04of your abortion I'd be proud that it
13:06was like I it was like a step into
13:08womanhood to get an abortion and anybody
13:10I think with any moral sense can see how
13:12terrible that is but the left is made
13:15you know people who are left on abortion
13:17have made a crusade and a sacrament out
13:19of abortion in a way that they hadn't
13:21even when I was you know in in high
13:24school so it's it's pretty incredible
13:26and pretty pretty horrifying and that's
13:28why I've always thought I mean on Fox I
13:30did my election special on Sunday and on
13:33Fox I did a monologue
13:35at the very end of the show about
13:36abortion and in the end the monologue on
13:39abortion I think the best way to fight
13:40against the pro-choice position the
13:42pro-abortion position is to actually
13:44just show
13:45of what it is that this baby is okay
13:48because there's not a single Democrat in
13:51the in the Senate or in the House of
13:52Representatives that I know of who would
13:54vote to save a baby at the at the
13:56twelfth week or fourteenth week that's
13:59not that's not so you can feel the baby
14:01kicking
14:01I know I've had to him yeah this is this
14:04is this is crazy town a crazy talk and
14:06the facts and the science happen to be
14:07on our side one of my pet peeves on this
14:09issue is when people say oh you only say
14:10that cuz you're religious you only say
14:12that because of the Bible
14:13I have never invoked the Bible or God in
14:15any argument about abortion yeah I got
14:18that a lot too it's idiotic consider
14:20yeah it's just it's a way for them to
14:21avoid the necessary scientific
14:23conclusion from the fact that human life
14:25begins in fertilization they don't want
14:26to talk science they accuse you being a
14:28religious bigot even though you're
14:29actually not invoking God I do hate that
14:30word they just say it's a clump of cells
14:32it's just what I say is you are
14:34technically a clump of cells as well
14:35just a walking because they are you see
14:38you're you're slightly more develops
14:39clump of cells but that doesn't mean
14:41that you're the like none of none of the
14:43other arguments hold the viability
14:44argument doesn't hold there plenty of
14:45human beings who are not viable outside
14:47of outside support from machines or a
14:49pacemaker we don't we don't suggest that
14:50they can now be terminated there are
14:52lots of people who don't have proper
14:54brain function and babies in orbits and
14:57or fetuses or embryos which are going to
14:59develop proper brain function to suggest
15:00that those babies are somehow lesser
15:05because of the improper brain function
15:07for a temporary period not even for
15:08permanent period that is obviously
15:11casting aspersions and people who don't
15:13necessarily have full brain function
15:14it's very difficult to make an
15:16intellectually consistent case for why
15:17abortion ought to be treated as as
15:20morally ambiguous I have a tough time
15:22with it thank you man
15:24[Applause]
15:32so I'm Robert I'm one of the coastal
15:34liberals as you say um I mean I've been
15:36watching you for years now and I'm like
15:38I read your book on the arguments to
15:40fight against people like me and I feel
15:42bad is like for the most part the people
15:43have been arguing against your and
15:44nearly as elegant or eloquent as they
15:47should be but I'd like to ask so one of
15:50your points you very strongly make is
15:51that it's unfair for you know people
15:54like me to label you as like a racist or
15:55a bigot um just as like a smear tactic
15:57but if you ever acknowledge that like
15:59maybe it's not a smear tactic but it's
16:00based on things you've said so like for
16:02example like on the israel-palestine
16:04conflict you know you called the Arabs
16:06yeah you already know I'm going to say
16:08you know yeah so well you say written
16:14several full columns about it yeah I'm
16:16sorry about how you people don't read
16:17the follow up tweets right I've read
16:20some of the tweets and the tweets were
16:21just as bad I mean you say a lot of
16:23things that are just like races right
16:25but then if I call you're racist then
16:26you defend it by saying like I didn't
16:28read enough right so that's what I was
16:30gonna say forgive me okay fine so give
16:31me give me give me my racist tweets in
16:33context okay well yeah you came prepared
16:37right go go do it um so you said um the
16:40Arabs like to bomb crap and live in open
16:42sewage there's not a difficulty oh you
16:44oh you before that said Israel's
16:45Israelis like to build did you did you
16:46like Gigi okay now the file was because
16:48you said the follow-ups didn't make any
16:49better well this is separate of things
16:52that you said no no I want to follow up
16:53to that one now Thomas if you have them
16:56sure um do you mind if I what you do
16:58that what is that you mind if I continue
17:00while you do that um well I'd like to
17:01take him one by one so why don't why we
17:03do this why we delay that one until the
17:05end well I look up from the podium in
17:07front of 600 people you've also said
17:11[Applause]
17:15so on that particular issue he also said
17:18that the Arab Palestine populace is by
17:20and large by and large density
17:21constitutes the most evil population in
17:22the face of the planet before you said
17:24that you've never brought up religion
17:25when it comes to abortion but I don't
17:27think that you've avoided religion when
17:28it comes to the Israeli conflict and I
17:30don't know that you can be completely
17:31unbiased in the issue given that you
17:33know well I can be unbiased on the
17:34subject that Palestinians have elected
17:36three terrorist governments to form a
17:37unity government with the stated goal of
17:39the destruction of the State of Israel
17:40and the murder of all Jews in the area
17:42so that I can be relatively unbiased on
17:43as far as the idea that the Palestinian
17:45population
17:50as far as the idea of the palestinian
17:52population is more evil than other
17:54populations they certainly hold more
17:55evil views than other populations by
17:57poll statistics by how many you buy how
17:59many palestinians approve of terrorist
18:00acts by how many palestinians voted for
18:02an actual terror group hamas and another
18:04actual terror group is Palestinian
18:05Authority and another actual terror
18:07group the Islamic Jihad okay so I don't
18:09think that all people all views are
18:11equal and I don't think that people who
18:12hold the evil views are necessarily good
18:15I mean I'm sorry if the polls don't
18:17support the idea that everyone is
18:19equally wonderful but everyone is not
18:21equally wonderful okay I'm looking up
18:23these statements you know so um like to
18:25give me a second you've continued you
18:26deny secular Zionism and you okay so
18:30here I'll finish that one then okay
18:32ready there are many many Christian and
18:34Muslim Arabs who are wonderful people
18:35just not the ones who oppose it Israeli
18:37Israel Arab conflict that would be the
18:40response within the same Twitter thread
18:42okay in the post re Israelis versus
18:45Arabs I wrote about Arabs who take part
18:47in the israeli-arab conflict is anyone
18:48who can read knows hashtag dumbasses
18:53okay quote I think it has much more to
18:55do with the fact that the Palestinian
18:57leadership supported by the Palestinian
18:58population uses millions for terror I
19:00should have been more specific Arabs who
19:02actively seek Israel's destruction those
19:05would be the follow-up tweets does that
19:06sound like a genocide Albania to you or
19:08does it tell Mike I'm specifically
19:09labeling a group of people who have
19:10called for Israel's destruction I like
19:12to point out that you're not a racist
19:13but they're dumbasses and those you're
19:16allowed to insult them yes because
19:17someone called it races without evidence
19:18they are definitionally a dumber what is
19:20genocide
19:21[Applause]
19:29what is genocide like the after when a
19:33so you said that you you want to be like
19:34Churchill right and after the Allies
19:36when they moved the german-speaking
19:37polish out of Poland so now you're
19:39talking about a column I wrote when I
19:40was nineteen years old that I that I
19:42actually thought that I'd morally
19:45abhorrent denounce myself I think six
19:49years ago you and have repeatedly and
19:51have repeatedly said was a bad column
19:53that I wrote when I was nineteen years
19:54old okay okay so more time like do you
19:59want to only get a drink sometime like a
20:01well is that saying what we're gonna get
20:03it like a non-alcoholic drink sometime
20:04because I really I know that I got a
20:07poster but let me just say this for
20:10everything that you're going to say I've
20:11addressed literally every one of those
20:13points I have a column that I put out
20:14probably only a few months ago and the
20:16literal title of it is so here's a giant
20:19list of all the dumb stuff I've ever
20:20done don't worry I'll keep updating it I
20:22didn't get that one my research I
20:23apologize but if I've missed represent
20:25like I did my research wasn't it would
20:27be so thorough because I was pretty uh
20:28last-minute decision to start like
20:30really going in China ask you a question
20:31and again that's totally fine and I
20:33appreciate you coming and I appreciate
20:35you asking me the questions but if the
20:36notion is that I'm a racist before you
20:38actually read all my response in the
20:40racism from part I also like the
20:42transgender like you don't believe in
20:43transgenders in life that's not I don't
20:45know that means I don't believe in
20:46transgenders I mean a transgender people
20:49exist yeah you've seen their gender and
20:54sex are the same thing I said the gender
20:57and sex are linked I've said that
20:59femininity and masculinity are linked to
21:01male anymore just before you so they're
21:02right there are two genders I don't
21:04believe there are 1000 genders and if I
21:05think that if you're defining gender as
21:07just a random series of societal
21:09constructs and there aren't two genders
21:10there are infinite numbers of genders
21:12because everybody is a mix of feminine
21:14and masculine
21:15so while restricted to 70 genders make
21:16it six billion genders since we all have
21:19our unique mix of what male and female
21:20constitute and I don't ban by I and yes
21:23I don't think that there can be such a
21:24thing as a male in a female's body I
21:27don't think there is a female in a
21:29male's body and I find the logic to
21:30support that and the science to support
21:32that utterly lacking yeah so you know
21:35again I'd be happy to get a
21:37non-alcoholic beverage with you and
21:38discussion more forward
21:39thank you for coming thank you
21:43[Applause]
21:53hi my name is John and I am a senior
21:57doing a political science major and I
22:02would like to ask the question in
22:05regards to this is my first time ever
22:11doing it so everything okay okay you
22:14stated that you didn't care about
22:16people's concern about the Browning of
22:18America which in my opinion is
22:21essentially not caring about the issue
22:22of illegal immigration
22:23no and sorry go ahead and yet you
22:28support Israel's ethnos state by stating
22:31that Judaism must be preserved since
22:34elements like this uphold Jewish
22:36national identity and culture which I
22:38don't mind but the fact that you know
22:41you don't care about the demographic
22:43change in America is kind of concerning
22:46because you know we're all Americans
22:47here right and you know I the question
22:50is do you want our nation to end up like
22:52a third world country such as Brazil or
22:54a disaster like Germany and Sweden right
22:57now okay so Brazil is a second world
22:59country
23:00technically it's a developing country
23:01it's not like a fully underdeveloped
23:02country or a failed state and why why is
23:05there a far-right candidate winning at
23:07the moment I mean if you want to argue
23:09Brazilian politics I agree that
23:11Brazilian policies have been dominated
23:13by the far left but I'm not sure that
23:15that's of tremendous interest let's talk
23:17about the first question okay when I say
23:18I don't care about the Browning of
23:19America what I mean is I don't care
23:21about ethnicity it doesn't make any
23:22difference to me the only thing that
23:24makes a difference to me is the ideals
23:26of the people who are coming across the
23:27border now when people say I am Pro
23:29illegal immigration I do not know where
23:31in the hell they would possibly get that
23:33this seems to when people repeat when
23:35people repeatedly say stuff like this
23:36like and I see this meme all the time oh
23:39superhero cares about a Jewish ethnos
23:40day but he but he doesn't care about it
23:41legal immigration I was further right
23:44than Donald Trump was in the last
23:46election cycle on illegal immigration I
23:48opposed the 2006 amnesty deal I opposed
23:50the 2000 2010 amnesty deal I have I've
23:53consistently been anti-illegal
23:54immigration I supported the wall this is
23:56just a lie the idea that I'm probably
23:58legal immigration is not true in the
23:59slightest what I have said is that we
24:01ought to
24:02deal with how to stop the influx of
24:05illegal immigration and then deal with
24:06the people who are here and separate off
24:08the two issues and when it comes to the
24:09folks who are here illegally what we
24:11should do is we should assess those
24:12folks in the same way we assess
24:13everybody else coming into the country
24:14are they going to ad economically to the
24:16country and culturally to the country
24:18are they gonna make the country a better
24:19place are they gonna make a country a
24:20worse place and that involves
24:22assimilation now as far as the idea of
24:24the Jewish ethnos state I don't care
24:26very much about at all actually about
24:28Jewish ethnicity Jewish ethnicity makes
24:30no difference to me what does make a
24:32difference to me is Jewish ideals
24:34because I care about judeo-christian
24:35ideals in the United States and I care
24:37about Jewish ideals in Israel which is
24:38why I don't care and I'm very happy that
24:40thousands tens of thousands of Ethiopian
24:43Jews who are black were flown to Israel
24:45to become Israelis I'm very happy that
24:47tens of thousands of Russian Jews who
24:49were Russian were flown from Russia to
24:51become Israelis my wife is Moroccan
24:53right she's Moroccan Israeli so this
24:56idea that that it's it's about ethnicity
24:58as opposed to ideology or ideas is just
25:01not true
25:01then the amazing thing about Judaism
25:03just like most other religions is you
25:04can become one okay I can't become a
25:06black man there's no way for me to do it
25:08right I can become a Christian you could
25:10become a Jew right this means that there
25:12are ideological systems that you can buy
25:13into that allow you entry and I believe
25:15that the United States should operate
25:16the same way you can become an American
25:18if you buy into Central American ideals
25:20but I'm not going to pretend that I care
25:22whether a whether a bunch of people who
25:25are Pro America and pro-american ideals
25:27come from Cuba versus coming from
25:29Britain I understand
25:37I respect your beliefs and your white to
25:41hold them then I just think that person
25:44I have a question tree why are you ik
25:45waiting white or race with culture why
25:49are you saying usually the same thing
25:50well because most you know you know Jew
25:53Jews mostly practice Judaism and just
25:55like you know
25:57actually most Jews actually don't
25:58practice Judaism technically speaking
26:00but is it mostly most of them are part
26:03of that so it's only a like a minority
26:06of people that want to convert to
26:08Judaism which I don't mind okay and it's
26:09only minority of people who want to
26:10become Americans or sure or we should
26:12let in if they want to become Americans
26:14enough I'm asking not about Israel I'm
26:15asking you about America okay I'm asking
26:17about America so you're saying that you
26:18object the so-called Browning of America
26:20why no I I'm just saying I got ejected
26:23illegal immigration which so do i but
26:25your original question was about the
26:26Browning of America yeah why you know
26:28basically you know it's basically like
26:30the open borders you know I agree with
26:33you about going on right now I agree
26:35with you about illegal immigration I
26:36asked you about not about that I'm
26:38asking you about the Browning of America
26:39phrase cuz that's what you objected to I
26:41said I don't care about the ground whole
26:42entire culture is changing at the moment
26:44just so you know I understand that
26:46culture is changing at the moment but I
26:47do not think that culture and race are
26:49inseparable I don't think that brown
26:51people are less capable of becoming
26:52American or black people are less
26:54capable will become in America
27:03and I agree that you know when people
27:05come to this country including you know
27:07myself and my family who immigrated here
27:09illegally in the in the 80s and I think
27:13that you know that people that do it if
27:16they follow the law and they assimilate
27:18they should do that right I mean let's
27:20put this way can we agree on this I care
27:22about the liberalizing of America and
27:24the destruction of American values I
27:25don't care about what the nature of the
27:28people who look like is who believe in
27:30American values those people are my
27:31family
27:31everybody who doesn't believe in those
27:33American ideals is not alright thank you
27:42it's been the last pledge from ladies
27:43rolling let's be the last question
27:54big man what's up with you has gone dude
28:01okay so my question is well first I'm
28:04gonna kind of need to give you this
28:05hammer your enormous dude you can build
28:08this much better than I can I look like
28:09one of the one of the dwarves from seven
28:11from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves my
28:13go mining or something appreciate that
28:15um so first of all kind of paraphrase
28:18another speaker who kind of operates
28:20along the same tone in America Jordan
28:23Peterson dr. Jordan Peterson
28:25[Applause]
28:30so one of the things that he often talks
28:32about is at the basis or the premise of
28:35the ongoing debate between conservatism
28:39versus liberalism is that at the basis
28:42of each conservative the conservatism is
28:45like the the protection of the hierarchy
28:50whereas on the liberal side is more so
28:52the protection and promotion of
28:54egalitarianism and so my question to you
28:57is one thing that he makes clear is that
29:00both sides are necessary for our ideal
29:04in a country that moves forward at a
29:06fast pace as the United States has has
29:09done and so my question to you is it
29:11seems as though you have a more hostile
29:13you have such a hostility towards
29:16liberals and and left this whereas I
29:20don't often hear you at all say that
29:23there's anything that you can learn from
29:24their side in his book twelve rooms
29:26alive when the chapters is assumed that
29:28the person in which you're speaking with
29:30has something to offer you as far as
29:32intellectually that you may learn from
29:34them so my question to you is I guess
29:36what is your position like do you feel
29:40as though a liberal obviously a liberal
29:42but liberals in general or less in
29:44general have anything to bring to the
29:46table from an ideology standpoint or
29:48intellectually I mean passion for
29:49changes obviously it can be a good thing
29:51when directed in the proper channel
29:53the as you say the the left's focus on
29:56egalitarianism is good so long as it is
29:58focused on the equal application of
30:01Rights not on the false attempts to
30:04override biology and natural hierarchy
30:06so I think Jordan would agree with me on
30:08the idea that if you run up if you butt
30:10up against a natural hierarchy or if you
30:12butt up against natural differences
30:13because I don't think every difference
30:15is a hierarchy if you brought up against
30:16natural differences but up against
30:18reality trying to override reality with
30:20artificial equality is going to be a
30:21giant failure and can as Jordan would
30:24say murder millions in the in the
30:25process right that's what Jordan thinks
30:26communism was it was basically there are
30:28differences between human beings failure
30:30of respect those differences is what we
30:32in the name of equality is what leads to
30:33the gulags so while Jordan is you know
30:36Jordan I think he's he's a little bit
30:38less robust in the language that he uses
30:41with regard to left he's he's just as
30:43anti left with regard to the focus on
30:46hardcore egalitarianism where the left
30:48so I I do think and I do make a
30:51distinction between as I've said
30:52liberals and the left is a far more
30:56since aureus force and they want to
30:58censor a lot more they're a lot more
30:59traumatically I want to control a lot
31:01more from the top
31:02people who are liberals who are arguing
31:04over the proper scope of government
31:05particularly is there I think there's
31:06plenty to learn and I think you can have
31:08fulsome exchanges about the nature of
31:10what sort of social welfare state can be
31:13supported or is appropriate and you can
31:15have a data exchange on that sort of
31:17thing
31:18where you can't really have an exchange
31:20is when you're running up against is
31:22when people are falsifying the fact as
31:24they only may say that men and women are
31:25exactly the same for example so so I
31:27appreciate the critique and I'll try to
31:28take that to heart and I think that and
31:31I will acknowledge also that I think
31:32that folks had a lot more to learn from
31:34the left in the 1960s than they do now
31:36because the country has moved in a lot
31:38of very good ways since the 1960s and in
31:40some bad ways since the 1960s fair
31:42enough thank you thanks a lot
31:46can ask another question
31:49we have another one okay and this more
31:51this has to do with the whole you know
31:55national anthem in players kneeling
31:57during games in the NFL and so my
31:58question is this is I feel that
32:00regardless of whether you agree with the
32:02Act or not someone taking a knee during
32:04the national anthem at the beginning of
32:06a football game I believe that if you if
32:08you don't say okay I disagree with the
32:11Act I don't think it's the right place I
32:12don't think it's the right whatever the
32:14case may be however I agree with it in
32:18so much as I would like to protect that
32:20into votes individuals freedom of speech
32:22and my question is I don't hear what you
32:25certainly are a lot of anyone on the
32:27conservative side or right side as you
32:29would call it as someone may call it
32:31defending sin okay look I don't agree
32:33with it but I agree with that person's
32:35freedom of speech in that moment or it
32:39depends on the forum so this is a public
32:40university I have a right to speak here
32:42right there's a difference between that
32:43and for example DePaul University so
32:45DePaul University is a private
32:46university last year I think is last
32:49year I had to Paul invited me to speak
32:50really some of the students did the
32:52administration said I couldn't and when
32:53I showed up on campus they threatened to
32:54arrest me
32:55I didn't sue the university because they
32:58have a right to do that I think they're
32:59wrong I think they're foolish but they
33:01have a right to do that so colin
33:03kaepernick does not have the right to
33:04kneel on the sidelines of in private NFL
33:07event if he wants to kneel in a park
33:09welcome according to WHO well he doesn't
33:12he doesn't have the legal right he can't
33:13sue the NFL to force them all so he
33:15can't sue the NFL sir so so that that's
33:17the distinction that I'm making when a
33:18comment like if Colin Kaepernick were to
33:20come here like right here
33:21you know and like after the event that
33:23we haven't organized wants to kneel on
33:24the stage all day long that's totally
33:25fine it's a public university can do
33:26what he wants you know I so time place
33:28and manner restrictions are a thing and
33:31so is private versus public so I'll
33:33defend Colin Kaepernick's right to say
33:35whatever the hell he wants in any public
33:37area so long as he's not violating the
33:39rights of private property owners to
33:40control their property because they do
33:41have rights at like he couldn't come
33:43into my living room and just kneel on
33:44the floor do you think they did the
33:46conversation is based around the fact
33:48that the NFL is a private organization
33:49or is based a found based around the
33:51fact that they feel that that action
33:52disrespects our military in that moment
33:54because the national anthem is so so
33:56slightly NFL I think the NFL handled
33:58this in the worst way possible which is
33:59the certain message
34:00and not other messages there were on the
34:02same page right so like a few years ago
34:03there were a bunch of guys in Missouri
34:05who did the hands up don't shoot symbol
34:06coming at the Senate the st. Louis Rams
34:08they came out of the tunnel doing that
34:09hands up don't shoot
34:10they weren't fine nothing happened if
34:11the NFL wants to set a standard that
34:13you're not allowed to make political
34:14statements during the games or in the
34:15warm-ups or something totally cool but
34:18if they're going to be inconsistent in
34:19the application of those standards then
34:21I've got a bit of a problem
34:22with them and I think that Roger Goodell
34:24has done a terrible job with that it's
34:26and you know how you know this because
34:28David Stern actually banned people from
34:29sitting for the national anthem in 1996
34:32with my fluid abdul rove and nothing
34:33happened he set the standard that was
34:35the end of it if you want to go protest
34:36don't protest here go protest somewhere
34:38else and nobody cared but that's really
34:41not even a lot I look the larger issue
34:42about Kaepernick is you know whether it
34:44is appropriate generally for people to
34:46know for the national anthem or whether
34:47we should be insulted by that you know
34:49my feeling is that it's generally not
34:50appropriate but you have having a right
34:53to do something does not make it the
34:54appropriate or right thing to do I don't
34:56think that kneeling for the national
34:57anthem is either smart politics or the
34:59right thing to do cuz there are certain
35:00things that still have to unify us like
35:02the idea the country is based on good
35:04foundations and if he wanted to kneel
35:07for the national anthem outside a police
35:08station I think that would be a lot more
35:10useful for his for his supposed cause
35:12then you know taking millions and
35:15millions of dollars of contracts from
35:16Nike to pretend to be a social justice
35:18warrior I'm very skeptical of Colin
35:20Kaepernick I think there are a lot of
35:21people who actually care about these
35:23issues and have studied the issues and
35:24don't wear socks with pictures of cops
35:26as pigs on them just want to say thank
35:30you and I I agree that if that was going
35:33to happen Colin Kaepernick may not have
35:35been the best proponent the best
35:37individual to make that stand in that
35:39situation I appreciate thank you so much
35:40for coming
35:55hey how's it going
35:57good evening mr. Shapiro my name is
35:59chanel Powell nice to meet you you too
36:01so I'm a liberal in view those are my
36:03views and well again thank you for
36:05coming I appreciate people who disagree
36:06are you coming to our campus and
36:08speaking with us so I came here
36:10essentially out of support for yeah and
36:12I also came here to listen and learn
36:14from you from what you're saying I think
36:16it's important to see opposite sides and
36:18discuss right but my question to you is
36:21how do we essentially bridge the gap
36:23from two different points of view how
36:26are we able to meet in the middle
36:27by listening I mean essentially you want
36:29the same thing we want better for a
36:30country and better for our people
36:32everyone in this room is our people how
36:34do we take care of them how do we meet
36:36in the middle and take care of them well
36:37I mean I think that we actually have to
36:38determine to be completely Frank whether
36:40we do want the same thing because I
36:41think that sometimes people on left and
36:43right think they want the same thing in
36:45vague terms like better country but we
36:47actually determine what better country
36:48looks like so do we want a country where
36:50there's more freedom to rise and fall
36:52economically or we want a country with
36:54more enforced rigidity of income for
36:56example that's an actual difference in
36:58goal do we want a country where men and
37:01women are free to pursue whatever lives
37:04that they want encouraged to pursue
37:07pursue pursue virtue at the same time or
37:09do we see that encouragement by social
37:12groups to virtue as a sort of block and
37:16check on freedom you know there are
37:18certain there are certain areas where we
37:19have to clarify exactly what we think an
37:21ideal America looks like my ideal
37:23America is basically John Stuart Mill's
37:25America you get to do whatever you want
37:26you wave your hand around as much as you
37:28want and so you hit somebody in the face
37:29but that is also contingent on all of us
37:31trying to act virtuously toward our
37:33neighbors so I think that the great
37:34genius of the founders that they were
37:35balancing the the sort of European
37:38enlightenment view of Liberty with a
37:39more traditional list view of what
37:41private citizenry looked like which was
37:42a duty based private citizenry of duty
37:44to your neighbor not based on what
37:46government tells you to do I'm not sure
37:47that that's what the ideal America looks
37:49like necessarily for a lot of folks on
37:50the Left who feel perhaps that
37:52individual rights need to take a
37:54backseat to collective solutions right
37:56so for example my deal America is not in
37:59America where the government forces
38:02doctors to provide care
38:04price because I think that a free market
38:06a free market solution is not just
38:08better for healthcare I think it's more
38:09moral I think that a consent based
38:11society is in more moral society and
38:13economics a lot of folks on the left
38:14hand well consent based society won't
38:15get us to universal healthcare right so
38:18these are these are serious
38:19conversations and serious discussions I
38:21think the way that we can have a
38:22conversation is actually by sitting in
38:23defining terms so very few conversations
38:25begin with the defining of the terms
38:27they sort of start with second-order
38:28conversations so instead of saying what
38:30do you want healthcare to look like in
38:31America what are your competing rights
38:33and values instead we start with we all
38:35want the same thing and therefore
38:37nationalized healthcare or we all want
38:39the same thing and therefore complete
38:40privatization we might not actually want
38:43the same thing so you might want to
38:44start with that discussion first what do
38:46you want to see so what I would like to
38:48see in some of these areas is more
38:50individual freedom and then social
38:52social networks outside of government
38:54picked up the slack that's what my ideal
38:55America looks like for a lot of folks on
38:56the Left they don't trust the social
38:57networks they think that the government
38:58has to come in and and take care from
39:00the top down these are fundamentally
39:03different views of the country and I'm
39:05not sure that they are completely
39:06bridgeable we can have conversations
39:07about them but in the end I think the
39:09clarity is sometimes preferable to to
39:12agreement in ambiguity I appreciate your
39:15time thank you thanks so much thank you
39:20so much I really appreciate it
39:28[Music]
39:33[Applause]

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