I saw a segment about high-school debate competitions on a recent Matt Walsh show, and, people, my blood ran cold. I’m in academia, so I hear outlandishly woke stuff daily. But what I heard and saw in these high-schoolers is beyond what even I was prepared for. The far-left sense of grievance cultivated in them turns into something downright scary in conjunction with the undeveloped teenage brain and a body in the state of a hormonal transformation. This is 1920s Komsomol type of scary.
The kids will either grow up and calm down or self-destruct with “mental illness” and drugs but before nature and nurture take their course, they can be sicced successfully on all manner of “enemies of the people.”
Clarissa's Blog 
Matt Walsh is an idiot who deliberately stokes silly conservative fears of “end times”.
I participated in high school debate several decades ago and now occasionally help coach. There are very few things less ideologically driven than high school debate. Students argue one thing in one round and then are expected to argue the polar opposite ideaology in another round. And its all evidence based and every assertion requires support. It’s actually nice because it helps students see the merits and shortcomings of all sort of arguments.
So Walsh probably cherry picked students all arguing one side of a given set of topics. If the students seemed passionate, it is because they are competitive. It’s actually a bit of a Machivellian venture– personal beliefs fly out the window in service of the win. Trust me. Those kids are very very competitive and aren’t thinking ideologically at all.
The Social Justice Warrior trend is annoying. But I hardly think the fabric of our society is rending. I think we ought to keep some perspective here.
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“There are very few things less ideologically driven than high school debate. Students argue one thing in one round and then are expected to argue the polar opposite ideaology in another round”
It’s not true anymore, though. Who’s going to dare to argue the polar opposite ideology of the BLM? Or the trans dogma? Who will say the words aloud, even as an exercise in argumentation, knowing that they can be recorded and used to destroy one’s chances at ever having a career or making any real money?
“So Walsh probably cherry picked students all arguing one side of a given set of topics.”
Of course. Obviously. But what does that change? The videos show absolutely unhinged, enraged young people saying the most horrific stuff about needing to wipe out white people, etc. If “the polar opposite view” of wiping out all blacks existed, anybody who uttered it for absolutely any reason would be already pilloried in the press. In one of the videos, a debater argues that the opposing team is wrong because there is a white student among them. This is the ruling dogma these days, and let’s not pretend that we don’t know this.
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I’m a European living in Southern Europe so I won’t pretend to know how bad the situation really is in the US. Still, I’m not sure that everything is as rosy pink as you say. Things have changed even in my part of the world: social media, YouTube, the Internet, globalisation… I recently had to suffer a quite vitriolic attack from one of my students when he found out I was Jewish. This had NEVER happened to me in my 32-year-old career as a teacher, at university or high school. Not once. Now it has.
Clarissa is quite right: gone are the days when one could organise a debate in favour of the death penalty or against abortion or in defence of patriarchy: my students would not do it.
However, I have planned a short course (“Hot Issues”, two classes weekly over six weeks) next semester where I intend to stir up some trouble and strife on precisely such issues: I’ll let this blog’s readers know how it goes.
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Our university just issued a statement that we aren’t allowed to exhibit crosses and Stars of David in public spaces. Absolutely no mention of Muslim and Palestinian symbols was made. Clearly, this is aimed at prohibiting the support of Israel. Obviously, I’ll react by placing a large flag of Israel and let’s see if anybody says anything.
Please let us know how your initiative goes. We need to do what we can to resist this overwhelming groupthink.
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Torah Moshiach – the Baali T’shuva. The classic Times inspired oriented commandment. T’shuva of Moshiach – assisting the Alzheimer’s victim to maintain the human dignity of an elder citizen.
Shrek 2 – i need a hero Jennifer Saunders – YouTube
Israelis face hard and difficult times. Goyim all around us scream quit! Make a cease fire!! But the t’shuva of Israel, WE shall not quit till WE achieve the total unconditional surrender of Hamas and its allies. Just that simple.
Shrek 2 (2004) – I Need a Hero Scene (7/10) | Movieclips – YouTube
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