In this episode, Victor Davis Hanson and cohost Jack Fowler analyze the news: breaking critics of Left policy, hunting down and terrorizing over pronouns, 90-year-old fired for pronoun confusion, the spectacle of a transexual funeral at Catholic diocese, remembering the nuclear family, interfering in Israel’s politics, and squatters taking over homes in the US.
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Thank You Professor for the insights to history and similies to our world. Someone said, “if we forget history, we will make the same mistakes”. The problem is, I don’t remember who said it.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana,, the life of reason volume one, 1905
The story about the National MS Society dismissing that volunteer for asking, “What’s a pronoun?” is disturbing. I ride every year in a bicycle fundraising tour for the National MS Society. It’s a worthy cause, and I know people living with MS. That the society has a DEI policy-and probably a DEI administrator-wasn’t too surprising, but to dismiss this lady over this, and knowing that the Society has a DEI policy, and is spending money on implementing it, and paying the salary of administrators, is troubling. Those of us who volunteer, participate, and raise funds, and are conservatives, are left with a choice. Do we continue, and help those with MS? Do we stop, to protest? Do we protest but continue?
Since the story broke and this podcast was recorded, the Society has reversed itself, according to an announcement on its website yesterday (21. February), and taken Mrs. Itkoff back. But it won’t drop its DEI policy. An excerpt:
“While we acted at the time with the best intentions, we did not have clear protocols in place. We should have spent more time with Fran to help her understand why, as an organization, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive movement where everyone has equitable access to the care, connections, and support they need to live their best lives.”
Note the usual falsehood underlying this statement. It implies that not everyone has equitable access to the “care, connections, and support”. Who doesn’t have access?
It’s disturbing.
Thanks for the personal insight and additional information.
“Access to the care, connections, and support…to live their best lives” should mean that people who misgender their pronouns need to be told that their sex is determined by their chromosomes and to think otherwise fails to achieve the goal of living their best life.
Many in our nation have the lost the ability to reason properly. God is giving man over to his sin. This is sometimes called the wrath of abandonment. See Romans 1:18-32.
Victor, the people who list their pronouns in signatures and other places are either signalling their virtue, to show how progressive they are compared to us clingers who don’t believe we should reorder society to accommodate delusional people. Or they are afraid not to show them and catch hell from the progressives around them. And it’s tough to resist; I can’t fault those who want to avoid conflict. I wish they would take a stand, but I can understand if they don’t.
There is often an element of self-sacrifice in doing what is best for another person.
True compassion and care may require something costly from the giver.
If we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, then we will tell them the truth in order to help them.
I like listening to you, but I’m becoming frustrated because you never if ever call out our republican representatives, including Donald Trump.
The Republicans do nothing and am continually shocked you expect that they’ll do something.
If we want to see results we all need to call out in the worst manner the Republicans.
Dear Victor,
I am in awe of your mastery of history and your ability to tell interesting stories about history. I am always happy when I see a notification of a new article or podcast. I know it’s going to be a great day and I’m going to learn something I didn’t know. However, did you misspeak when you were discussing the senate aide who posted a video of himself being sodomized in the hallowed chamber? You mentioned the two armed guards and stated you didn’t know why they had weapons and that they would never use them. I feel confident that you and most of your listeners, like myself, wish that Michael Byrd hadn’t used his weapon when he fired his gun into an unarmed crowd and murdered USAF veteran Ashli Babbit. Why is it that everyone knows the name of the officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, but so few know who murdered Ms Babbit?
Thank you for your podcasts, I enjoy them very much. Sami and Jack do a great job too.
Why is property important? In addition to what Dr. Hanson said, the founders understood its source. When I do work for a client or employer, I consume finite segments of my precious life. Those irretrievable, finite segments are gone. For good. So, what do I get in return for my precious life? The client or employer gives me money, or its equivalent. i can use that money to buy a hot dog. Or shirt. Or put it towards a mortgage or vacation. Any number of legal goods and/or services for which I traded portions of my precious life.
I’m an old white man. Whenever I am asked about my preferred pronouns, “Sir” is my reply. “I wish to be referred to as ‘Sir’,” I tell them. They don’t like it very much, most especially white women sporting cropped neon hair, tattoos, and fishing tackle “jewelry” that is twisted into their cheeks.