In my new book and prior columns I have described a “radical chic” in academia, faculty who thrill audiences with extremist rhetoric and calls for radical reforms, even revolution. The latest example comes from Arizona State University where professors laid out their dystopian vision of America, a vision that apparently can be avoided by “dismantl[ing] capitalism” and “elect[ing] a female president.”
At the outset, it is important to note two things. First, the program covered by the conservative site College Fix was a small event. Second, these faculty members have every right to espouse these views and it is good for students to have a wide variety of viewpoints on campus.
My objection in the past has not been the presence of far left faculty on campuses but the purging of conservative, moderate, and libertarian faculty.
It is also important to address what are becoming common and extreme arguments on our campuses, including a growing anticapitalist movement.
The event titled “Jenny Irish’s HATCH: A Speculative Future for Reproductive Rights” was held both in person and via Zoom. Jenny Irish, an ASU English professor, was joined by Angela Lober, director of the Academy of Lactation Programs at ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
Lober, who runs major programs at the school, offered some of the most extreme viewpoints, including the assertion that “the United States hates women and everything the female body does.”
It was a remarkable claim for a nation that has been a leader in the world in women’s rights for over a century and has long had major female leaders from the Vice President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to various cabinet members.
Not to be outdone, Irish expressed her fear that the United States could see “forced breeding camps” and “cannibalism.” She told the students and faculty that “so much of our reality points toward those futures.” She was less clear on what specifically is pointing to that future other than the Supreme Court’s decision to leave abortion to the states.
Lober was, however, clear about the solution in calling for the audience to help “dismantle capitalism” and “elect a female president.”
The event was co-hosted by ASU Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, which hosts events that aim to design “a future keyed to human flourishing.”
Putting the hyperbolic rhetoric to the side, the anti-capitalist calls have become ubiquitous on campuses. Socialism has become a rallying cry with polls showing that young people have a more positive view of socialism than capitalism.
There is an interesting dynamic to the push for socialism in the United States. Advocates may have a harder time convincing new migrants and citizens who fled socialist countries like Venezuela.
The draw of a “land of opportunity” has been due to not just our laws but also our economic system. The ability to sustain that growth (or support the existing social welfare systems) depends on a competitive economic system.
The irony is found in comments like those of Fidel Castro who declared that “my idea, as the whole world knows, is that the capitalist system now doesn’t work either for the United States or the world, driving it from crisis to crisis, which are each time more serious.” Cuba was (and continues to be decades later) an utter economic basket case without either liberty or prosperity.
Hugo Chavez made the same claim before driving his country into an economic tailspin.
As a student at the University of Chicago, I was fortunate enough to attend lectures by Milton Friedman and, despite being a liberal, I was convinced that there was a connection between capitalism and individual liberty. There are liberty-enhancing economic systems and those that are liberty-reducing. The freedom of economic choice in a capitalist system has historically reinforced individual liberty in my view.
The ASU event captures a rising call for dismantling an economic system that helped drive industrial innovation and massive wealth creation. It has also left great wealth disparities. We have sought to address poverty with social programs that offer greater opportunity for those who have not been able to escape cycles of poverty. We have much work to be done. However, the anti-capitalist movement often offers few specifics on the alternatives, as at the ASU event.
This is a debate that should be welcomed but not in this type of one-sided, jingoistic presentation. Imagine how much more substantive this panel would have been with an alternative viewpoint. Let’s have a discussion on the merits of capitalism and the record of alternative systems. That would offer educational and not merely emotive benefits to our academic community.
Jonathan Turley is a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” (Simon & Schuster, June 18, 2024).
Activists act, they don’t think.
These are activists, their profession, credentials, and titles leave no room for alternative conclusions.
If activists could form cogent arguments for their side and against alternatives, they would not be activists.
These clowns should and their show (do not dignify the stupidity calling it a “program”) need to be laughed at.
They are not serious, they offer nothing more than goals (platitudes) with no way to achieve the goals. See the green new deal.
Anyone stupid enough to think they are intelligent, should be laughed at.
Stupidity should not be treated or taken seriously.
@Anonymous @Upstate
No doubt, they are ludicrous of a kind that used to be parody, and not that long ago. I do not know, but for others of their same fragile generation they think they are convincing anybody of anything, even their moms and dads who control the purse strings (oh the irony. Big daddy fed, please take care of me 🙄), other than convincing us all of the fact that they are basically hyperbolic children and should not be permitted anywhere near real, adult, decisions or responsibilities, at this point, even into their 40s.
I happen to have a five year-old niece, and this is precisely the type of ‘talk’ she would give (just substitute ‘grown-ups’ for ‘capitalism’). The difference being she is a kid at home, these are supposedly ‘educated’ people that actually work in actual American universities, and your kids are ‘learning’ from them if you scrimp and save and send them there. You are paying a *very* hefty penny for this and it makes precisely zero sense. Your kids will get more truth from reading the ingredients of a cereal box.
“forced breeding camps” and “cannibalism.”
Where do they get this stuff?
And of course they do not or will not say what they base this off of. Just more hysterics and a plug for Harris.
We get the forced breeding camps from “Dawn’s Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America”, which is endorsed by Vance (and Trump by proxy). That books outlines a vision where women have no value other than having children.
I laughed hard, great entertainment.
Keep it up, this is pure gold.
Given the book referenced above is to come out Nov 12, 2024, it is not clear we have been given a fair assessment.
The fundamental difference between Capitalism and Socialism is who should control the money you earn, you or the government. That is, who would do a better job at using your money to purchase goods and services for you who would do a better job of investing your to grow the economy.
I believe that competitive private enterprise (capitalism) – and the key word is “competitive” can produce any good, perform any service more cheaply, more quickly, with better quality, and better service than government. I have no proof of this except that if Socialism could produce goods more cheaply than competitive private industry, the U. S. would have ended up on the ash heap of history long ago.
The only services that should be left to government are those that can’t be competitive. For example, police protection, fire protection, military, coining money, a judicial system for trying the accused, etc.
We have plenty examples of socialism today: the VA, Medicare, Post Office, public schools, and a host of others – You should decide whether some
or all of these should be privatized, or run as a public utility and vote accordingly
Socialism is the public controlling the means of production., the VA, Medicare, Post Office, and public schools do not produce anything, they are service organizations.
“This is a debate that should be welcomed but not in this type of one-sided, jingoistic presentation. Imagine how much more substantive this panel would have been with an alternative viewpoint. Let’s have a discussion on the merits of capitalism and the record of alternative systems. That would offer educational and not merely emotive benefits to our academic community.”
That is what would of happened in a sane and normal university.
Even if by some miracle there was a real debate, the leftist mob would shout down any alternative point of view so no one could hear them. And they call it free speech.
I note that neither one of these women faculty members are historians or economists.. That possibly explains their near total ignorance and denial of History and socialism. Women have, of course, been significantly represented in politics in all forms of government and they have neither been any better or worse than the men of the same era. You have warrior queens such as in ancient Britain, Monarchs in Spain, England, Austria, Dowager Empresses in China, Warrior Queens in Africa who contributed to slavery, Prime ministers in Israel, Uk, Pakistan, India and on and on and on.
Obviously, if they only read Wikepedia for reference matter they get a real slanted view of history. They should maybe read original source material like real academics.
They also must be blind to repeatedly see the failures of socialism on an almost daily basis.
It hardly takes any significant research to find examples because there are so many. Usually the “failures” of capitalism are when nation states try to favor a certain area or tilt the playing field. Private exploration of space is a good example. But even here the Federal Government gave a lot more billions to Boeing (2 astronauts stranded in space) than SpaceX who will bring them home.
These women in ASU also demonstrate that they can show just as much stupidity as their male counterparts .
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Unfortunately these failed persons are poisoning academics. It would certainly mean more to me if my Professors actually had experience in economics and also had a history of starting and running successful companies. We need more examples of success in fields of commerce and economics to do the real teaching.
One of the best things I have always liked about medicine was that doctors would pay attention to people who actually practice clinical medicine. If you went into administration and severed all clinical practice you lost credibility and your previous colleagues would gradually pay you less and less attention. So many of the developing physician administrators over the last 30-40 years have striven mightily to keep a part time practice going. It keeps them grounded in what they really do. Not perfect but necessary. They also made the better teachers. Every Faculty member that ever taught me in medicine in medical school, residency or fellowship both published articles and cared for their own patients. Every single one. And many were world renowned.
* 👍
These fools, in their complete ignorance, fail to understand that capitalism WAS the radical idea, and that the unprecedented peace and prosperity they grew up in that allowed them to become the selfish, entitled narcissists they are was due to the system they decry. Their inability to think critically prevents the from distinguishing between free market and cronyism, or indeed that socialism is the most egregious cronyism of all. They are so sheltered they can’t see their own extreme prejudices. They are so experientially bereft and privileged they fail to understand what the world they want to create would be like for them to live in.
This has gone beyond obnoxious into the territory of patently absurd and concerning, (‘hates’ women? Really??). And naturally the whole thing ends with what is essentially an endorsement of Kamala and our dems’ chicanery. There is no remaining solution but for all of us that know better to delegitimize their idiocy at every opportunity.
Stop sending your kids, that would be a great start. And for Pete’s sake: stop electing dems. There is no such thing as differentiation in a regime, so no, the next one will not be ‘different’. I have talked with dem voters I know who will rattle off a litany of reasons why the Kamala situation is awful yet STILL end with, ‘But I’m not voting against her.’. They are like zombies. 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
* sheltered? Is that an euphemism for —> just stupid?
@Anonymous
No, but stupidity is the end result. It really is like watching overgrown children playing a game of make believe. The problem is that another idiot has actually put their ilk in positions with a modicum of power and a fat salary instead of just rolling their eyes while they have their temper tantrum.
James,
HA! That right there!
Years ago I read a column by a forgotten author who claimed the reason most academics are Leftists is due to the fact that people not nearly as intelligent or learned as they were getting very rich off capitalism. In a communist system the mandarins of government are the the highest paid. Ergo, they want a system that rewards knowledge not the one thing they all dread which is RISK.
@doug…… – Excellent comment! Being truthful that word “risk” has hindered some good opportunities in my lifetime.
My apologies to the regulars I usually never rebutt or submit more than one comment a day. Must be the two cups of espresso this morning.
So who is engineering the chaos necessary to bring about dystopia?
They need to go live somewhere more attuned to their subversion.
Algeria would have a place for them.
obamma and his marxist mulatto army
These activists are well aware they are factually incorrect in all their claims, we know they are factually incorrect in all their claims, and they know we know they are factually incorrect in all their claims, yet they persevere. Malicious persistence.
Today Kamala Harris took to Twitter to say that Donald Trump being at Arlington cemetery for the gold star families was just a political stunt. The gold star families asked President Trump to come and wanted pictures taken to keep in remembrance of their fallen loved ones. The real political stunt can be found on Twitter written by Kamala Harris. If you want to know how the gold star families feel about it please open the following link. https://sashastone.substack.com/p/gold-star-families-clap-back-at-kamala?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=66221&post_id=148357718&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=9r1we&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
TiT,
Great response by the Gold Star families!
They totally owned Harris!
TIT: Trump can go to Arlingtion if he wanted to. What he cannot do, and what he was TOLD in advance that he could not do, is use the occasion for political purposes. Gold Star families of those killed in Afghanistan who support Trump don’t have any authority to over-ride the prohibition against political activities at Arlington, and, sadly, they must believe MAGA media lies about WHO bears responsibility for their deaths. They obviously don’t understand that it’s Trump’s stupidity and poor negotiating ability that caused the chaotic withdrawal. 1, WHY didn’t he get people out BEFORE turning loose 5,000 Taliban? Did stupid think that the Taliban would just let people go and not revert to their former ways? 2. WHY didn’t he get an agreement for an air or land base, like we have in Japan, Germany and the Phillippines, to which people could safely flee BEFORE turning loose 5,000 Taliban? 3. WHY did he draw down troop strength from 14,000 to 2,500 BEFORE turning loose 5,000 Taliban? How could that arrogant hog stand on hallowed ground of people he calls “suckers and losers” and pose for pictures of the loved ones of those who lost their lives because of his utter incompetence? In fact, visible in the photos are graves of families who didn’t want the headstones of their loved ones broadcast by Trump’s campaign.
Trump’s campaign posed the “thumbs up” photos on social media, to bolster his campaign. Not only did his campaign shove aside an ANC worker who tried to prevent them from violating the sacredness of ANC, but they defamed her afterwards, saying she had a “mental health problem”. Any Gold Star family that supports Trump must believe the delusional lies put out by MAGA media, and that just adds insult to injury. And, people like you think that, somehow, Kamala Harris was put-down over this incident. It’s bad enough that these families lost loved ones, but they’ve been duped into believing that Joe Biden is to blame.
Gigi idiot. Your anti-Trump hero John Bolton told media that Trump did NOTHING WRONG at Arlington.
Bolton only took exception to the posting of photos the next day. So have several other presidents previously, including those running for reelection, like Biden did in 2020. You and Georgie Boy pretend to know what you are talking about, but it is just anti-Trump hatred that has you all worked up into a tillie. We laugh at your game. As others have said, bless your little hearts.
Hysterical dingbats.
From Prohibition to getting Roe through SCOTUS to today, there has not been a single Federal-level enhancement caused by primarily women’s efforts.
Socialism/Marxism is a concept made fashionable by weak men from a matriarchal society and has led massive numbers of deaths and the ruination of middle classes around the globe even in patriarchal societies where it was imported.
Capitalism – not oligarchy/nepotism/corruption as we have in the US today – is a meritocracy, which is anathema for today’s left because despite all its best efforts over the past 70 years, does not create a benefit for the fashionable objects of the left. It does lead to progress, innovation, and individual freedoms at a lower societal cost as time moves on, however.
By all means, criticize Cuba and Venezuela all you want — it’s your right. But just be aware that some of us actually know the history of these countries, and the history of the US embargoes and sanctions against these countries — which greatly contributed to them being “economic basket cases.” You might also look at the former Soviet Union in the 1990s, when “shock capitalism” replaced socialism, and people actually starved to death, and lost their housing, education, healthcare and food subsidies. Personally, I’m not a fan of socialism, but I truly despise those who write about it without having a clue about what the West does to countries who resist its brand of capitalism. This is one article of yours, Turley, that is less than honest.
@GioCon says: “I’m not a fan of socialism, but I truly despise those who write about it without having a clue about what the West does to countries who resist its brand of capitalism.”
I for one like this “brand of capitalism” you alluded to and would be very pleased and appreciative if you would tell all these illegals coming here to stay put, that this “brand of capitalism” sucks. This “brand of capitalism” (for now) even allows you to criticize it without penalty. Yes this “brand of capitalism” is always a problem to those who enjoy its benefits and use those benefits to criticize and attack it freely. Nice word free-ly isn’t it, a nice benefit of that “brand of capitalism” that you dislike?
I agree with everything you wrote except the last sentence. I believe his views are honestly held.
@Anonymous – your ability to to disagree without penalty another benefit to enjoy in this “brand of capitalism”. It only gets better.
So you believe that the economic failures of Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela are the fault of the West because they have made the decision not to financially support these repressive dictatorships? So the “West” is to blame for the starvation in North Korean as well? I’d love to hear everything you think you know about the histories of these countries, that would be about five minutes of my life I would never get back. Crazy idea, but maybe if they stopped jailing and killing their own people, they might have more friends around the world?
“But just be aware that some of us actually know the history of these countries, and the history of the US embargoes and sanctions against these countries — which greatly contributed to them being “economic basket cases.””
Those practices have nothing intrinsically to do with capitalism, and everything to do with Statism and Imperialism, at the behest of individuals exercising undue influence on a federal government which had escaped the constraints of the Constitution. Never confuse capitalism with corporatism, or cronyism, those are not identical. There can be no dispute that at times US Imperialism has done serious damage to other nations (as well as to our own). Nevertheless, on balance, capitalism, even the somewhat corrupted form that has typically been practiced here, has had a far more beneficial than detrimental effect on the living standards here, as well as in many places abroad.
I’m wondering if these malcontents are all about the same age and possibly during their time of birth there was some catastrophic event that went unnoticed, because their all bats ass crazy. There’s talk that there might be aliens walking amongst us, not the ones coming from the southern or northern borders but extraterrestrial. Maybe that’s what’s going on, they’re (the extraterrestrials) are ridding themselves of their crazies and sending them to earth?
* bat’s ass crazy ? The old saying is —> bat shit crazy. Fyi
Both of these shrieking harpies come across like paranoid schizophrenics gone off their meds. Re Loper’s proposed solution to ‘”dismantle capitalism” and “elect a female president.’”, I wonder if she would consider the latter objective be satisfied if the US elected a President who was born male, retained male genitalia (and *really* liked to shower with persons who were born female), but professed to identify as a woman? I also wonder if the DNC could be cynically sponsoring events like this in hopes of gathering a few more votes from lunatics who might otherwise stay home (not a question of moral scruples – they have none – just wondering if it had occurred to them).
Sad to say, but I suspect that you may have a point. What has happened to the USA? We have created a groups of people, especially women, who hate the USA, appear delusional, with very little in the way of morals and ethics. I wish that I was 10 years older because these people are not slowing down. It appears to me that their momentum is increasing even when there are an increasing numbers of people who are saying that this is not the way that we want to go. Or maybe that is our corrupt media viewpoint. It is hard to tell.
Ragnar D- I can tell you that both of these ladies would likely require a great deal of medicine and many visits before a perfect cocktail of meds was developed but remember that the pathology will eventually work through because drug tolerance develops and then you have start all over again.
“both of these ladies would likely require a great deal of medicine and many visits before a perfect cocktail of meds was developed”
I’m confident that, even with my lack of medical training, I could recommend a cocktail to them that would effect a permanent cure for what ails them. I know that such suggestions are not popular with those here who hold out hope for the rehabilitation of such creatures as these, in this life, or in another, but I harbor no such delusions.
* shrieking harpies? Really…
Yes, really. While I did not “enjoy the privilege” of hearing them speak, I have been shrieked at by a sufficient number of unhinged harpies to recognize the patterns of speech that such creatures typically employ. Unfortunately, you did not provide a large enough sample in your comment to be classified.
What’s the matter, Ragnar? Can’t get a date? 💖 💋
” Can’t get a date? ”
I’ve been happily married (to a woman who was born as one) for over 38 years, you sub-70 IQ bozo.
Ragnar D,
Great comment!f Made me LOL!
Mommy, Mommy, I want my Mommy – 🥺😢😭
* I, also.
(OT, but . . .)
I am replying here because the OP’s original location is grossly inappropriate.
“On Thursday Musk missed a deadline to appoint a legal representative as required by Brazil’s law [. . .] Musk refused to comply and per orders from Moraes . . .”
This is a prime example of how the Left uses lies by omission to smear the opposition.
Moraes is a tyrant and censor, a policy “judge.” X’s previous attorney resigned about a month ago. She did so because Moraes threatened her with imprisonment, then froze all of her bank accounts. After that dictatorial move, good luck finding another attorney.
Brazil’s tyrannical government has now banned X — just as have the tyrants in China, Iran, North Korea, Russia.
I’m a woman. There are maybe 4 billion of us in the world. We’re not all the same. To say something like “it’s time for a woman president” implies that any of the teeming masses of identical females would do equally well. And to call abortion “reproductive rights” is simply an insult to my intelligence. I think heartbeat laws are reasonable so I’m not an anti abortion absolutist. However, ending a life, which is what abortion does in a more or less gruesome manner, is not “reproduction.” Again, I’m a woman and there’s no way to change that fact even if I wanted to which I don’t. However, Groucho Marx’s famous line comes to mind: “I wouldn’t want to be part of a club that would have me as a member.” All these women mouthing nonsensical catch phrases is simply embarrassing and counterproductive.
Whole lot of MENstruatin'” and baby killing goin’ on. What do you expect? Full-tilt PMS!
I’ve been on faculty for 46 years, and while faculty may promote socialism, they do not practice it in their own departments. The big dogs rule, and the new comers better fall in line. Often there is a ruling cabal. Even still, this trend is most often found in liberal arts departments, where the measures of excellence are often vague.
Well said. I retired from academia after nearly 30 years. What I find especially galling is that these “professors” doth profess too much. Their rather sweet appointments with good salaries ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE MONEY PRODUCED IN A CAPITALISTIC SOCIETY. I had a colleague who traveled to Russia. The professors there were making the lowest possible wages. I’d like to see this histrionic moron voluntarily accept the wages of the person who vacuums her office after she’s left to hit the wine bars. And don’t get me started on measures of excellence in the liberal arts.
“while faculty may promote socialism, they do not practice it in their own departments.”
When has anyone who has promoted socialism as a means to gain influence and power, actually practiced its principles to any significant degree once they succeeded in that endeavor? Most people with purely political ambitions will spout the rhetoric of just about any convenient philosophy to expedite grabbing the reins of power; once their hands are on those reins, they will drive events exclusively to suit their personal interests, no matter where that leads.
I’m not too surprised by the radical push on college campuses to “socialism”. I suspect that they have no idea what they are talking about, but are convinced that if they shout it through a bull horn, more people will listen. For the most part, college students are living a socialist dream. Many of them are able to be there on a combination of scholarships, student loans, and financial support from their families. They have “free” housing, meals, a car, plenty of free time. Life if great. Their days are free to attend classes a couple of hours a day and that’s about it. Most don’t work and aren’t really looking forward to the experience. Socialism can be a wonderful thing, until you run out of other peoples’ money. It would be interesting for them to see what “socialism” is really all about. China had a “one child” policy for decades, they may still have it. What about, our bodies, our choice, or how fantastic women rights have been in the dictatorships around the world.
The people who call for a female President did not support Sarah Palin when she ran for Vice-President. Nor have they supported Tulsi Gabbard. Their definition of “a woman” is wholly political.
That’s an interesting point. That treatment happens to black conservatives as well. These same people rail against Trump as a “misogynist” but have no problem with a Bill Clinton lecture. That is why having an “old white guy” like Biden in the White House wasn’t really a problem, as long as he supports the right policies, and collects his 10%, the politburo behind the scenes can take care of it all.
Of course! Palin was the “wrong” king of woman. She wasn’t a brain dead Dim.
They didn’t support Kamala Harris when she ran in 2020 either, but now she is the savior of all womenkind.
And she has taken more than several steps backwards since 2020. Oh right, she says we are not going to go back, but progress forward, whatever that means. Although Society as a whole is moving backwards, Imho.
I am waiting for the media to tell us all that her disastrous interviews are the result of a previously undisclosed childhood stuttering problem. And because its a “medical” affliction, you can’t criticize her about it
Would that stuttering problem be manifested in the oral spasms that Willie Brown was so fond of?
Edwardmahl,
They cannot define what a “woman” is in the first place.
Well said.