1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: Can Republicans win the culture War? We've all witnessed the 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: radical left taking over America's institutions for decades now. Sometimes 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: it seems hopeless, but then other times hopeful when you 4 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: see companies like Target, Disney, and bud Light taking hits. 5 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: So where does this all stem from? What are the 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:24,240 Speaker 1: origins of this radical takeover from the left, and how 7 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: do we win the culture war as Republicans. Chris Rufo 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: is going to come on the show. He's out with 9 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: a new book about all of this. It's called America's 10 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: Cultural Revolution, How the radical Left conquered Everything. I can't 11 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: think of anyone better to fight this fight, to write 12 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: this book to guide us through this than Chris Rufo. 13 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,160 Speaker 1: He's the one that exposed Disney for trying to push 14 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: an LGBTQ agenda on children. He's exposed so many institutions, 15 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: really fought on things like critical race theory, diversity, equity, inclusion, 16 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: and all these different companies. So we're going to talk 17 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: to him about his new book, this roadmap that he's 18 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: paving for us to win and also get to the 19 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: roots of the lefts radical takeover. Here's Chris Rufo, writer, filmmaker, 20 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 1: and activist and author of the new book America's Cultural Revolution. Well, 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: Chris Rufo, it's awesome to have you back on the show. 22 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: You're out with a new book. It's already number one 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 1: best seller on Amazon, so congratulations on that. 24 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: Great to have you back on. 25 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 3: And it's great to be with you. You know. 26 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: The book's about a really important topic, America's Cultural Revolution, 27 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: which I think everyone at this point realizes that we're undergoing, 28 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: you know, something like that. Can we as conservatives win 29 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: the cultural war? 30 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think we absolutely can, But it must begin 31 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 4: by understanding the culture war, understanding its origins, and then 32 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 4: understanding how it works. And so the opening idea in 33 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 4: the book was to take this question that was really 34 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,639 Speaker 4: vexing the public after the George Floyd Summer of twenty twenty. 35 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 4: What happened to all of our institutions? How did they 36 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 4: seemingly all at the same time become captured by critical. 37 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 3: Raise theory and other ideologies. 38 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 4: And so the book answers that question, tracing back the 39 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 4: development of these ideas and these institutional changes over the 40 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 4: course of fifty years. And I think that that's really 41 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 4: the beginning point for conservatives to start winning that you 42 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 4: first have to start understanding, and I think that the 43 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 4: book really is designed to do exactly that. 44 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 2: We'll take us to the origins. 45 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,359 Speaker 4: The origins are in a single year, the year of 46 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,239 Speaker 4: nineteen sixty eight, And in nineteen sixty eight you had 47 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 4: this tremendous ferment and change and the initiation of what 48 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 4: radical left intellectuals called the cultural revolution, of course, using 49 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 4: a play on words relating it to Chairman Mao's cultural 50 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,239 Speaker 4: evolution in China. And all of the ideas and tactics 51 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 4: and esthetics that were established in nineteen sixty eight still 52 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 4: define the modern left that we see today. 53 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 3: And so you see analogs everywhere. 54 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 4: The Black Panther Party suddenly becomes Black Lives Matter, the 55 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 4: weather underground, you know, it's kind of the white intellectual 56 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 4: terrorists of the time are suddenly their ideas are suddenly 57 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 4: in the K through twelve curriculum. And then the violent 58 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 4: riots that you see exploding in nineteen sixty eight re 59 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 4: emerged in twenty twenty using a lot of the same chants, slogans, arguments, justifications. 60 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 4: And so I think in some ways we are in 61 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 4: a loop. We're looping over and over the politics of 62 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 4: nineteen sixty eight, and conservatives have not figured out how 63 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 4: to get out. 64 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 3: Of that loop. 65 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 4: And unfortunately, so many conservatives haven't quite understood that we're 66 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 4: even in the loop. And so what I think is 67 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 4: important is that once you gain an understanding of the origins, 68 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 4: you can defeat the movement intellectually, and then you can 69 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 4: start to defeat the movement institutionally. 70 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 3: And fortunately, what we're seeing around the. 71 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 4: Country is exactly that people are starting to get organized 72 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 4: for the first time and starting to decide that wait 73 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 4: a minute. In a republic and a democracy, we get 74 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 4: to decide how our institutions are run, and we want 75 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 4: to make sure that they're run according to our values. 76 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: Do you think enough people are awake to what's happening? 77 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 3: I do absolutely. I mean, if you look at the. 78 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 4: If you look at this huge rise in grassroots support 79 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 4: for the fight against critical race theory, for the fight 80 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 4: against gender ideology, for all these great classical K through 81 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 4: twelve schools that are popping up everywhere. Conservative parents especially, 82 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 4: I think, are the focal point of this movement. You 83 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 4: look at Moms for Liberty, this incredible grassroots group. There 84 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 4: is a lot happening on the political right and people 85 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 4: are starting to feel and the wake of twenty twenty, 86 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 4: that their interests were being jeopardized, that they could no 87 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 4: longer trust institutions that they had formerly trusted, such as 88 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 4: the public school system, and that they need to actually 89 00:04:55,120 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 4: build alternatives. And so we have to support people effort. 90 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 4: We have to support them through public policy, through legislation, 91 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 4: but also through intellectual and artistic work, creating literature for 92 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 4: them to read, creating curriculum for them to share with 93 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 4: their kids. And so there's so much work to be done. 94 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 4: We're just at the very beginning of this process. But 95 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 4: I for one, am optimistic because I think that people 96 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 4: ultimately have not given up hope, even though they see 97 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 4: that the forces and the odds are stacked against them. 98 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 3: They're starting to mobilize. 99 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 4: They're starting to realize if I care about, you know, 100 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 4: all the institutions that matter to me in my local community. 101 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 3: I have to step up. I have to start working 102 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 3: for it. 103 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: Is creating our own institutions enough or do we have 104 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: to recapture existing institutions. 105 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 4: We have to do really three techniques, the two that 106 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 4: you mentioned. We have to recapture public institutions such as 107 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 4: public universities. You know, we have to raise or destroy 108 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 4: certain institutions that are that are that are that are 109 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 4: antithetical to a good society, like, for example, the teachers' unions. 110 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 3: We have to abolish them. 111 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 4: And then we also have to build alternatives like parochial schools, 112 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 4: religious schools, home schools, classical K through twelve schools, our 113 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 4: own media companies, our own newspapers and other publications. I mean, 114 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 4: throughout the whole every sector of society. We have to 115 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 4: be creating alternatives. But we can't give up the fact 116 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 4: that public institutions, for example, state governments, state universities, state 117 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,559 Speaker 4: run schools, we have to also fight for those. 118 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,799 Speaker 3: Just creating, you know, alternatives is not enough. 119 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 4: We actually have to contest the institutions that have been 120 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 4: captured and corrupted, and a big part of that. 121 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 3: Is recapturing them. 122 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: And we also need Republican governors to step up. I 123 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: think there's something like twenty three states with GOP trifecta, 124 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: so there really is no excuse that governors and Republicans 125 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: in those states aren't doing everything they can to recap 126 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: sure these institutions. We've seen it in Florida, which you've 127 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: been a part of with Governor destantus, Why do you 128 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: think more governors aren't stepping up and getting involved in, 129 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: you know, demonstrating a little bit more muscular conservatism. 130 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 4: Fear I mean, I mean it really boils down to 131 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 4: fear first and foremost, because it's actually really hard to 132 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 4: recapture institutions as as as as you know, the work 133 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 4: that we've been doing in Florida demonstrates it's not an 134 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 4: easy fight. 135 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 3: People will resist at every turn. They have strategies of. 136 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 4: Subversion of lawsuits, of all these different tactics to resist 137 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 4: any change, any improvement, any transformation. The media will go 138 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 4: absolutely ballistic. You know, they'll swarm and they'll attack, and 139 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 4: they'll vilify and they'll they'll they'll distort the record. And 140 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 4: so a lot of these governors have decided that it's 141 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 4: not worth fighting for. They're not willing to take the heat, 142 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 4: they're not willing to stand up, they're not willing to 143 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 4: do what it takes to to in and therefore they 144 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 4: actually view their job. And I've learned this with some 145 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 4: There are some great governors out there that that that 146 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 4: know how to fight, of course Governor DeSantis being being 147 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 4: the best example, but a lot of these governors. For them, 148 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 4: it's about the prestige of office. Once they get into 149 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 4: the governor's mansion, for them, they've won that. That's what 150 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 4: they were setting out to do. They have the office, 151 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 4: they have the title, they have the you know, the 152 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 4: the jet and the and the motorcade, and so they're good. 153 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 4: They're just going to kind of stop there. And that's 154 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 4: that's what their idea of victory is. They view the 155 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,640 Speaker 4: office as a symbolic rather than an administrative position. But 156 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 4: but we need governors that understand that that you have 157 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 4: to actually fight, you have to be willing to get 158 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 4: into the arena, and that winning the election is just 159 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:46,319 Speaker 4: the beginning. 160 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 3: That's step one. You have to govern. 161 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 4: You have to reform, you have to to to recapture. 162 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 4: You have to make the institutions work for the people, 163 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 4: not work against the people. 164 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 3: And two many any. 165 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 4: Of them, however, don't seem to understand that, or they 166 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 4: understand it, but they're too scared to do it. 167 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: Quick commercial breaks. 168 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: Stay with us, Chris, Why do you think the left 169 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,280 Speaker 1: has been so successful in capturing America's institutions? 170 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 4: That's really one of the great questions that I addressed 171 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 4: in writing and researching this book, and I think a 172 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 4: large part of it. It's not because their ideas are better. 173 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 4: It's not because their outcomes are better. Their outcomes are 174 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 4: certainly worse. It's not because they're smarter or better looking, 175 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 4: or whatever. 176 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 3: In qualities they might have. 177 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 4: I think one of the things that it boils down to, 178 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 4: crucially is that they want it. They desire it, They're 179 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 4: willing to take risks for it. They're willing to fight 180 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,719 Speaker 4: for it, They're willing to put in the decades of 181 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 4: effort that are required. 182 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 3: Because they truly believe in what they're doing. 183 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 4: And even though I find the politics of the figures 184 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 4: that I profile in the book totally abhorrent, I'm in 185 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 4: total disagreement. 186 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 3: I developed a respect for many of the. 187 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 4: People who are leading the radical movements of the nineteen 188 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 4: sixties because their their tenacity, their passion there, they're kind 189 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 4: of risk taking capacity, their their their faith, even if 190 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 4: it's in something that turns out to be wrong. There's 191 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 4: there's an element of respect because they know how, they 192 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 4: know what politics is, they take it seriously, and they're 193 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 4: willing to put out and and take risks for their beliefs. 194 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 3: And so. 195 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 4: I think Conservatives in a lot of ways, unfortunately, have 196 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 4: developed a complacency. 197 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 3: Uh, They've retreated to the private sphere. 198 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,920 Speaker 4: Well, you know, this is my family, this is my household, 199 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 4: this is you know, kind of what's immediately around me. 200 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 4: And and and and that's enough. I protected my own interests. 201 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 4: But we have to revive a sense of public spiritedness 202 00:10:54,559 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 4: among conservatives to actually go out there and be willing 203 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 4: to fight and to and to be willing to do 204 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 4: what the founding fathers of this country did. They risked 205 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:07,679 Speaker 4: it all for for for the country, for their principles. 206 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 4: And you know, well, I don't think that we should, 207 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 4: you know, declare war against the British. 208 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,559 Speaker 3: Probably, you know, not not appropriate at this time. 209 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 4: I think that we should absolutely have some of that 210 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:21,079 Speaker 4: spirit as we as we as we look to reconquer 211 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 4: the institutions and to fight these nihilistic ideologies that have 212 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 4: captured so much of American life. 213 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 1: I mean, they are nastier than we are. I mean, 214 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:32,320 Speaker 1: they really do adopt the philosophy you know, by hook 215 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: or by Kruk, trying to get their way. 216 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's absolutely true. 217 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 3: And and I don't think we should do that. 218 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 4: I think that you know, I think that that actually 219 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 4: compromises the principles that we have that are better than theirs. 220 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 4: But even if you look at the early Christians as 221 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 4: they were, as they were, you know, in a sense, 222 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 4: peacefully conquering the Roman Empire, what was really attractive about 223 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,679 Speaker 4: the early Christians is that they were They lived differently, 224 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 4: They gave a different energy, They radiated a kind of 225 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 4: happiness and other worldliness that was very attractive. And I've 226 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 4: been thinking of that in the context of conservative activism, 227 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 4: and what I would counsel people against is having an 228 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 4: angry tone, having a menacing tone, having a pessimistic tone. 229 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 3: I think that we need to actually have. 230 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 4: Kind of demonstrate to people through how we live and 231 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 4: how we act and how we speak, that we have 232 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 4: a kind of secret knowledge or kind of the keys 233 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 4: to a happier way of being. And we need to 234 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 4: have optimism and courage and all of these great virtues 235 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 4: that are conservative virtues fundamentally and demonstrate them to people. 236 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 4: And I think where I see that just incredibly is 237 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 4: in these classical schools. 238 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:54,440 Speaker 3: That are popping up everywhere. 239 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 4: I mean, the people who run them, the people who 240 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 4: teach it them, and the students who attend them are 241 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 4: just different in a way that I think is so 242 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 4: attractive when you compare it then to the kind of 243 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 4: you know, kind of genderless, nihilistic uh teachings and cultural 244 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 4: expressions that you find in many public schools. I think 245 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 4: it's just, you know, there's a sense of despair and 246 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 4: ugliness that that that we can create contrasts with that 247 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 4: I think. 248 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 3: Would be a powerful tactic and technique for us. 249 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: Chris, I'm not gonna lie when when you're talking about 250 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: people not being angry on TV, I was like guilty, 251 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: especially during Kavanaugh and COVID. I uh, probably lost my 252 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: temper a timers. 253 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 2: I'm not gonna like I'm not perfect over here, you know, no. 254 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 4: None of none of us are. None of us are perfect. 255 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,719 Speaker 4: Certainly I'm not. But but you should clarify too. Though 256 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 4: anger is important, you shouldn't resist or or or you 257 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 4: shouldn't you know always squash anger can be actually extremely motivating. 258 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 4: But there's a different tone of anger, and I think 259 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 4: you do this actually really well. 260 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 3: Even if you're. 261 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 4: Angry, even if you're you're you're you're in a critical mode, 262 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 4: you don't seem consumed by the anger. You seem to 263 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 4: be angry at whatever's happening the object of it. But 264 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 4: there are some people and on our side and in 265 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 4: our movement that seem to let the anger actually seep 266 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 4: into themselves and starts to change their character. And I 267 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 4: think that that's something that we have to be on 268 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 4: guard for, because there's a lot of things to be 269 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 4: angry about, and we should be. 270 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 3: Angry about many things. 271 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 4: It's a it's a powerful emotion and tool and rally 272 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 4: and cry, but we have to be very careful, those 273 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 4: of us in public life, to not let that anger 274 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 4: consume us, or warp us, or or start to contaminate 275 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:49,280 Speaker 4: how we how we think and how we how we 276 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 4: feel as we're doing what we're doing. 277 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 2: That's a good point. I appreciate that. 278 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: I mean, COVID was definitely a challenge for me and 279 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: not you know, trying to control my frustration and anger 280 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: at the way government was treating us. But I appreciate 281 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: that kind comic. I was on TV the other day 282 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: and while I was waiting, I heard someone else I'm 283 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: not going to name names because I'm not a jerk, 284 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: but they're talking about bud Light and saying, hey, look, 285 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: message sent. We got to let up. You know, there's 286 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: people impacted by it. But I was thinking to myself, 287 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: I just think that's so wrong. I think that bud 288 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: Light needs to be crushed, and they have to be crushed, 289 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: not because I want anyone's job to be impacted by it, 290 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,520 Speaker 1: but we have to send a message, right one hundred percent. 291 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 3: Yeah. 292 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 4: I mean it's like we're on the verge of victory. 293 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 4: Let's give up now. I mean it's like, wait or what. 294 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 4: You know that that can't possibly be the right strategy. 295 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 4: And I agree that you cannot live let up. You 296 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 4: have to make an example, and you have to have 297 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 4: a strict and in some cases a severe set of 298 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 4: consequences in the interest of some notion of justice. And 299 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 4: so I think that bud Light should become a symbol 300 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 4: of what not to do and therefore become a disincentive 301 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 4: for companies to do it in the future. 302 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:11,560 Speaker 3: And if you let up and the consequence. 303 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 4: Ease, you're you're You're not you're not winning, you're not 304 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 4: changing anything, you're not actually succeeding. And so I think 305 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:25,480 Speaker 4: that there's a time for mercy, of course, but there's 306 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 4: also a time for justice. And I think bud Light 307 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 4: needs to be put through a swift and relentless UH 308 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 4: process of of of of of justice. And I think 309 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 4: that it's a really exciting example of conservatives finally coming together, 310 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 4: rallying in a decentralized way, making their economic power. 311 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 3: UH an actual political force. 312 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 4: And and I think if the numbers continue the way 313 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 4: they're they're that that they're going, we'll make every CEO 314 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:06,119 Speaker 4: in the country, I think twice before reflexively regurgitating the 315 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,040 Speaker 4: most kind of gross, nihilistic and destructive elements of left 316 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:11,120 Speaker 4: wing culture war. 317 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: Well, and you've really been at the forefront of exposing 318 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: institutions like Disney, which is why you know you're the 319 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: perfect messager for this book. You know, to your point 320 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: what we were just talking about, do you think companies 321 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 1: are looking at Disney and the hits they've taken, the 322 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,640 Speaker 1: hits the bud Light take. Do you think they are 323 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: on notice or do they just not care at this point? 324 00:17:30,359 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 1: What's your assessment? 325 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 4: They're absolutely on notice, you know, and you know you 326 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:36,120 Speaker 4: don't have to take my word for it. The Wall 327 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 4: Street Journal did a really great story where they talked 328 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 4: on off the record, or rather anonymously, to Fortune one 329 00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:48,399 Speaker 4: hundred CEOs and in the aftermath of Disney, basically all 330 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:50,720 Speaker 4: the CEOs in America are talking to one another and 331 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:56,200 Speaker 4: strategizing and adjusting their their kind of risk profiles, adjusting. 332 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 3: Their their their. 333 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 4: Policies in order to avoid becoming the next Disney. And 334 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 4: so that fight was significant. I think it changed a 335 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,720 Speaker 4: lot of minds in C suites. But the problem for 336 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,679 Speaker 4: those CEOs, but also the problem for us in some ways, 337 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:16,959 Speaker 4: is that, of course a corporate executive doesn't make all 338 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:17,719 Speaker 4: the decisions. 339 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 3: Those decisions are decentralized. 340 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 4: Those decisions are in the hands of people that are 341 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 4: our age, you know, that are in their thirties. 342 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 3: That that love it. 343 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 4: I mean, you know, the brand manager in charge of 344 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 4: influencer marketing for bud Light is like, you know, some 345 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 4: thirty something, you know, elite college graduate with a marketing degree. 346 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 4: Probably that is like, oh yeah, we got to step 347 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 4: on trend with Dylan mulvaney. 348 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 3: And so. 349 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,119 Speaker 4: The people making the decisions at the at the execution 350 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 4: level are are probably not as attuned to the risks 351 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 4: as the executives, and so I think that it will 352 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 4: require some good management in order to change the culture 353 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:08,680 Speaker 4: in a more deep way within these companies. But certainly 354 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 4: the leadership of these companies is already thinking about this, 355 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,679 Speaker 4: and I think we've already changed the culture to an 356 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,399 Speaker 4: extraordinary degree with really a limited number of test cases. 357 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 4: It's Disney, Target, and bud Light, right, those are the 358 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 4: big three, And so I think that this is a 359 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:31,879 Speaker 4: promising avenue for conservative activism, and conservative activists can hopefully 360 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 4: build up a more sophisticated infrastructure for punishing companies that 361 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 4: step out of line. 362 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: It's to take a quick commercial break more on America's 363 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: cultural revolution with Chris Rufo. 364 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:48,360 Speaker 2: You know, the left really uses. 365 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,159 Speaker 1: Race and gender ideology right now to accomplish their goals 366 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 1: that are seemingly probably the two big ones that they're 367 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,360 Speaker 1: using right now. Why race and why gender ideology? 368 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 4: There's a f famous formulation, a trio, a famous trio 369 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,439 Speaker 4: of race, class and gender right. I mean, this is 370 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,920 Speaker 4: the subject of Angela Davis's one of Angela Davis's books. 371 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 4: It's the subject of like kind of ad nauseum of 372 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,879 Speaker 4: all the left doing social theories and universities and class 373 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 4: has disappeared entirely because it's not effective. Working class and 374 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 4: middle class people in this country do not want what 375 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,880 Speaker 4: the left is selling. But but race and gender are 376 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 4: vulnerability spots. Race for obvious reasons. Historically the United States, gender, 377 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 4: which is of course, you know, kind of as it's 378 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:44,200 Speaker 4: related to sexuality, is obviously a place that has extremely 379 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,959 Speaker 4: strong emotions. And if you can manipulate people's emotions around 380 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 4: their sexuality, you can turn people into political objects or 381 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,640 Speaker 4: political tools to do your bidding. And so they use 382 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,240 Speaker 4: these areas that are highly emotional, highly irrational in a 383 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 4: philosophical sense. And if you can learn how to play 384 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,679 Speaker 4: the buttons, and the left plays the buttons beautifully, you 385 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 4: can really move societies on these issues to an extraordinary degree. 386 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 4: And so our opponents understand this, and really they have, 387 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 4: to their credit, some tremendous insights into these questions that. 388 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 3: They've turned into political strategies. 389 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 4: And the right, I think, you know, for a little 390 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 4: self criticism and family criticism. Here, we don't even know 391 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 4: the arguments anymore. We don't know our opponent's arguments in 392 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 4: a deep way. We don't know our arguments. You know, 393 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 4: we're just starting to maybe start to formulate them again. 394 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 4: But you know, we're thirty forty years behind on these questions, 395 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 4: and we've got to catch up quickly. 396 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 1: Well, there's also dispute over how important fighting the culture 397 00:21:56,640 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: war is on the right. It seems believe, which you know, 398 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:04,400 Speaker 1: you share the same belief, is that the cultural war 399 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,360 Speaker 1: probably is the biggest fight we're facing. I mean, obviously 400 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: the weaponization of government is up there as well. Or 401 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: culture defines who we are as a society, and if 402 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,480 Speaker 1: we lose our culture, then you know, we're essentially going 403 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,679 Speaker 1: to live in a society that looks like China, where 404 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: we're shut out of the economy, where we're shut out 405 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: of these institutions, and we're controlled by social credit scores, 406 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,119 Speaker 1: and we're not really we're not free anymore, We're not 407 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: living life. 408 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. 409 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 4: I find it astonishing that that that Republicans have an 410 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 4: aversion or a distaste for the culture war. 411 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 3: We shouldn't fight on these. 412 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 4: Questions, you know, we should We should just let everyone 413 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 4: do whatever they want. We shouldn't never contest the left 414 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,920 Speaker 4: wing institutional cap I mean, it's like these people are 415 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 4: libertarians to the point of nihilism. They believe that the 416 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:53,679 Speaker 4: only thing that's good about America is our GDP. And 417 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 4: of course I support a rising GDP, an increasing standard 418 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 4: of living, but the purpose of an economy is to 419 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 4: serve the higher ends of the society, and that includes 420 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 4: in a deep way, the culture. Culture comes from the word, 421 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 4: you know, to cultivate, meaning that culture is the soil 422 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:17,879 Speaker 4: that we all grow up in. It's the soil or 423 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 4: the formation for our kids, for example. 424 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 3: And so. 425 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:26,880 Speaker 4: By somehow saying that that's not important, I think it's 426 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 4: just a nihilistic libertarian idea that that is just so 427 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:34,160 Speaker 4: wrong headed. 428 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 3: We have to correct it. 429 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 4: We have to get everyone on our side lined up 430 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 4: on this, because the culture is everything. I mean, the 431 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,840 Speaker 4: culture is really of all the things. Is the war 432 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 4: worth fighting because it defines who we are, defines what 433 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 4: we believe, It defines which values that we transmit from 434 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 4: one generation to the next. It defines our identity, our emotions, 435 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 4: our are thinking. I mean, it's who we are in 436 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 4: the profoundest sense. And so the idea that we should 437 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 4: scoff at the culture war and look down on it, 438 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,960 Speaker 4: and and I just find it so. 439 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 3: Disqualifying for anyone on our. 440 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 4: Side, anyone who anyone who believes that should be immediately 441 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 4: reprimanded and brought into line or really just cast off 442 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 4: into the wilderness. Good luck you know, you can live 443 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 4: in you know, Galt's gulch with ain Rand or whatever. 444 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 3: You know, you know, good luck to you, you know, 445 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 3: take off. That's that's what I would say. 446 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: Well, it's also just totally blind to this moment that 447 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 1: we are in right now as a country. You know, 448 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: to the point of your book, I'd love for everyone 449 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:44,879 Speaker 1: just to be left alone and you know, we can 450 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,080 Speaker 1: live our lives and what have you. But that's not 451 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: the way it is. I mean, they're going to keep 452 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,359 Speaker 1: trying to shove this stuff down earth roads. They're going 453 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: to keep weaponizing government against us, weaponizing institutions against us. 454 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: They wanted to bank us. I mean, they're not going 455 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: to let us live our lives. So we have to 456 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,159 Speaker 1: fight back. We have new choice, of course. 457 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,040 Speaker 4: Yeah, one hundred percent agree. That's that's a really good point. 458 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 4: And you know, I did a story a week or 459 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 4: two ago where I uncovered some evidence and and video 460 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:17,399 Speaker 4: and documents that that proved and demonstrated that there is 461 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 4: a publicly run hospital in Oregon, uh in which doctors 462 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:28,200 Speaker 4: and surgeons are using robots to castrate children and turn 463 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:34,199 Speaker 4: their genitals, their male genitalia into an artificial vagina and 464 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 4: it was the I mean, the most horrifying story that 465 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 4: I could that I've ever reported on in some ways, 466 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,600 Speaker 4: and it's like, oh, well, that's just culture war nonsense. 467 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 4: It's like, no, no, no, they're using robots to castraight kids. 468 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:53,199 Speaker 4: I mean, if you can't summon up some moral feelings 469 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 4: on that, if you can't understand why that's an important 470 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:00,639 Speaker 4: thing to shut down, I mean, who are you? 471 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 3: I mean what happened to your conscience? 472 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,680 Speaker 4: And I think that you have even presidential candidates Asa 473 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 4: Hutchinson saying oh no, no, no, we can't mess with that. 474 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 3: We got to let them do it. 475 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 4: I mean, this is these are litmus test issues for people, 476 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 4: and I think we have to reawaken the moral conscience 477 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,159 Speaker 4: of people, even on our own side, in order to 478 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 4: let them know that these issues that have been that 479 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 4: are really ravaging throughout the country and really hurting in 480 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 4: particular young people and kids are worth fighting and are 481 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 4: worth standing up for. 482 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:40,439 Speaker 1: And that's really what it is is a loss of 483 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: a moral compass as a society when you know you 484 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 1: support abortions up until the moment of the birth, or 485 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: you support a child mutilating his or her body, castrating 486 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: a young man, a double mistectomy for a young girl, 487 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: puberty blockers that are going to leave a child infertile. 488 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:03,160 Speaker 1: I mean, this is deeply sickening and really evil stuff 489 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,400 Speaker 1: that is happening to kids, and it really does underscore 490 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: the point that we have seemingly, or I guess very obviously, 491 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,520 Speaker 1: we've lost any moral compass as a society. 492 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 3: Absolutely one hundred percent. 493 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 4: And and it's sad to say that even some people 494 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,199 Speaker 4: who are you probably think of themselves as you know, 495 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:24,480 Speaker 4: moral conservatives, you know, family values whatever, whatever kind of 496 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 4: terms that they that they that they think of themselves. 497 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 3: With somehow like don't don't register it, you know. 498 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 4: And I think that that is the kind of saddest 499 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 4: part of the story in some ways. 500 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 3: And on the other hand, what. 501 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 4: I would say that's optimistic, and the reason why I'm 502 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 4: ultimately optimistic is that more and more people are waking 503 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:46,879 Speaker 4: up to what's happening and waking. 504 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 3: Up to the to the to the necessity of. 505 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,199 Speaker 4: Finding a solution, and they're also waking up to the 506 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:55,800 Speaker 4: fact that they're going to require that their politicians fight 507 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 4: on their behalf on these issues. 508 00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 3: And so. 509 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,280 Speaker 4: Uh, ultimately, I think, you know, maybe it's kind of 510 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 4: a kind of corny democratic sentiment. But you know, I 511 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 4: think that most people, most average people, most you know, 512 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:15,199 Speaker 4: middle class people, most families in this country have the 513 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 4: right moral instincts. They have the right uh set of 514 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,600 Speaker 4: principles that they live by, and it's time for us 515 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 4: as intellectual leaders, and then certainly it's time for their 516 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 4: political leaders to start listening to them and to start 517 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 4: channeling those sentiments into public policy, to start making changes 518 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 4: on their behalf. 519 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 3: And so that requires leadership. 520 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,040 Speaker 4: And I think that the book and why I wrote 521 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 4: it and what I think it's why I think people 522 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 4: are responding to by sending it to the top of 523 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 4: the charts, is an outline for why we why we 524 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 4: must fight, how we must fight, what we must fight about. 525 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 4: And I think that I hope that it's a blueprint 526 00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:00,320 Speaker 4: or a guidebook for people who care about the culture 527 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 4: war to actually give them all the information and narrative 528 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 4: and argument that they need in order to be successful 529 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 4: in their own communities. And that's the vision, that's the 530 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 4: hope of the book. And I think that so far, 531 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:15,320 Speaker 4: in the first couple of days, the response. 532 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:17,160 Speaker 3: Has been just overwhelming, quite good. 533 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 1: You've been out there just fighting exposing all of this 534 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 1: and just tenations and actually really putting points on the 535 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,760 Speaker 1: board in a way that other people aren't. So you've 536 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: just been so important in bringing this all to light 537 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: and also just showing as a path forward of how 538 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: to fight. So just appreciative view and the work that 539 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: you've done. Everyone should go check out this book, America's 540 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,200 Speaker 1: Cultural Revolution. Thank you for what you do, Chris, and 541 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: I really appreciate you taking the time to come on 542 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: the show. 543 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 3: Thank you so much. 544 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: That was Chris Rufo talking about his new book, America's 545 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 1: Cultural Revolution, How the Radical Left conquered everything. Such a 546 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: smart guy. Really always enjoy talking to him. You learn 547 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 1: so much. Kim for coming on the show. I want 548 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: to thank you for listening at. 549 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 2: Home or wherever you are. It's a podcast. You could 550 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 2: be doing anything right now. 551 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: I want to thank John Cassio and my producer for 552 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 1: putting the show together every Monday and Thursday, but you 553 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: can listen throughout the week. Feel free to leave us 554 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,400 Speaker 1: a review on Apple Podcast, give us a rating. Always 555 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 1: love reading those Till next time.