An Interview with Dave Rubin: We Need to Listen to One Another

Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report discusses the left’s opposition to free speech, polarization, third party candidates, and finding common ground in an interview with Merion West.

Dave Rubin joined us at Merion West for an interview on May 24th to discuss how he sees the current political climate, how young people fit into it, and the possibility of softening polarization through engaging openly with a wide range of ideas.

You gained a lot of notice not long ago for a video in which you described walking away a bit from the Left in response to the movement’s crackdown on free speech. Our publication focuses on providing commentary from across the political spectrum and reaching a younger audience. So, to what degree do you think this move away from free speech is a phenomenon specific to this new generation?

It’s interesting because the Left as a whole has just become this whole hysterical, shrieking, screaming monster. You’re getting it from older people, professors at colleges and from the younger people they influence. There is this endless desire to have the highest rate of victimhood and therefore be the most virtuous. I actually pity the students falling for this because it is being spoon-fed to them by the academics.

It’s a very easy ideology. The reason it attracts so many people is because it’s so appealing. If you’re lazy, it’s easy to believe the whole system is rigged. You can just say “I’m oppressed I’m oppressed I’m oppressed,” figure out what your oppression is, and then claim that your oppression is worse than anyone else’s. It’s like putting your hands up and not taking responsibility for your own life, which is the reverse of what an individual should do. It’s your life, go figure out how to make the most of it. So this victimhood situation is coming, in part, from the older generation that is teaching these ideas. Then it’s also partially coming from the younger generation that, unfortunately, has been brought up in it. They’re afraid of hearing ideas that counter their own, and they are protesting people instead of having debates. It’s just a terrible mix.