WEBVTT 1 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:06.960 Thank you. 2 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:10.400 Thank You're far too kind checking each check our faces 3 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:10.759 are bad. 4 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:14.000 I love to see you guys. 5 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.719 By the way, I bring the Latin love to the 6 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:19.079 to the podcast. I always say how much I love 7 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:21.000 you guys, how much I miss you, how much I 8 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:24.760 like you. You see, that's the Latin language speaking through me me. 9 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:26.760 I miss you every day. 10 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:27.440 You see. 11 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:31.480 That's your Chilenyan side being actually transparent with our friendship. 12 00:00:31.719 --> 00:00:32.399 That's nice. 13 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:37.320 And then I go, guy, stop being awkward. I don't 14 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:39.280 even want to know that you have feelings, let alone 15 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:39.759 what they are. 16 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:42.039 His Anglo Saxon awkwardness coming in. 17 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:46.679 Excuse me. I am neither Anglo nor Saxon. Even worse, 18 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:47.719 I am Germanic. 19 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:48.560 Germanic. 20 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.920 He's an orientalist from now Oh yeah, he's purely a 21 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.359 boot It's just one of those Odin worshippers. 22 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:55.960 Exactly. 23 00:00:56.679 --> 00:00:59.280 Well, I would love to tell you about Fabava, but 24 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.399 we're gonna pay it because we missed a lot of news, 25 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:05.680 and this is a lot. Most of the news is 26 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:09.799 just like funny, we got we got the tariffs and 27 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:14.079 the trade wars, Trump crashing the market like the worst. 28 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:17.079 Everyone knows this already, but it's just too fun it's 29 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:19.760 the it's the first time that like one person has 30 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.760 caused the crash of a market instead of like COVID 31 00:01:22.840 --> 00:01:23.560 or nine to eleven. 32 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:25.920 And I kind of find what we're going to talk 33 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:27.799 about today funny too. I don't know if you're very 34 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:30.040 implying that it's not funny. I think it's very funny. 35 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:32.920 I heard it was the biggest market downturn of the 36 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:34.079 doubts the twenties. 37 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:36.599 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yep. 38 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:40.079 Which is a typical I always feel it feel like 39 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:42.439 it's a typical thing to hear when I go on 40 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:43.400 news binges. 41 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:47.159 Great big question, it's the biggest, No, not since it's 42 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:48.239 a great depression. 43 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:50.879 The biggest COVID, I thought. 44 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:52.000 Oh, COVID, Yeah, that's true. 45 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:53.599 No, I think it's already larger than that. 46 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.560 They said, like all time it was the big doesn't matter, 47 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:57.439 We're gonna move on. 48 00:01:57.680 --> 00:01:58.280 It's agree. 49 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:01.599 The only thing that's potentially about this, like the market crashes, 50 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.040 which is you know, it just does that. That's a thing. 51 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:08.240 Line goes up, line goes down. But the the the 52 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:15.000 unthinkably damaging thing that has happened there is the treasury drop. 53 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:19.080 Because usually when the market drops, then treasury securities go up, 54 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:21.360 and this time they didn't go up. I haven't. I 55 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.599 haven't checked what they are at this week, but that 56 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.520 could be. That's like that changes the future, that changes 57 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:31.800 the hegemony of the American dollar potentially. 58 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:35.919 But hooray I mean this and this also may explain 59 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:41.199 Trump's push into crypto and to deregulate crypto just just 60 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.719 as hedging in case everyone flees the dollar as the 61 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:46.599 reserve currency into These things. 62 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.599 Are all so boring compared to what we're actually going. 63 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:51.240 To talk about. Hey, crashing the market is base. If 64 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.599 Bernie Sanders had one, he would have to do all 65 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:54.360 the same stuff. 66 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:57.800 Or yeah, aren't we all still waiting for the big one? 67 00:02:57.960 --> 00:02:58.159 Like it? 68 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.199 You know there's ups and downs two thousand and eight COVID. 69 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.199 When's the big one coming that everything goes? 70 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:06.680 I think, comrade Trump, it's going to push us into 71 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:08.080 the future unwillingly. 72 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:12.120 That's the portal to the future. Is the is the 73 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:13.680 downward the crash? 74 00:03:14.159 --> 00:03:21.360 Yeah? Right, we also never talked about, like Canada politics, 75 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:24.400 massive shift. It's completely just based on. 76 00:03:24.039 --> 00:03:26.439 The the rise of the car. 77 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.360 But let's not let's not go to into detail. But 78 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:34.319 the Conservatives we're going to have a majority government and 79 00:03:34.360 --> 00:03:37.240 now they're not. Now the Liberals are are they set 80 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:38.960 for majority or still minority government? 81 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:39.800 Majority? 82 00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:42.240 I heard they were up, but I don't know by home. 83 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:45.360 That is just the most insane one eighty And it's 84 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:48.360 just because we vote with our feelings, and our feelings 85 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:51.879 are we don't like are Alberton, Ron de Santis nerds? 86 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:53.919 So where's Canada again? 87 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:58.319 That's yeah, that's such a it's right above the United States. Yeah, 88 00:03:58.520 --> 00:04:00.800 just as a geography lesson, we share a border with them. 89 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:02.439 It's kind of big. It's hard to miss. 90 00:04:03.199 --> 00:04:06.960 Yeah, people are mostly concentrated on very very small places. 91 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:08.960 But you saw how Trump thought when he was talking 92 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:11.000 about Canada becoming the fifty first state. He looked at 93 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:12.680 He's like, look at it. It'd be a beautiful big 94 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:15.919 thing if it became a that's the reason you know 95 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:18.160 what you want. But also, like a note on Karney, 96 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:22.319 Mark Karney, the very very likely new prime minister. Totally incidentally, 97 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:24.959 someone like randomly bought me this book like years ago, 98 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:28.199 which is right here. It's his It's Mark Karney's actual book, 99 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:30.160 and I thought it'd be quite funny. Maybe we could 100 00:04:30.160 --> 00:04:32.000 cover it on the podcast. Maybe there's something funny in 101 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:35.439 here that we could read all values. It's like his philosophy. 102 00:04:35.839 --> 00:04:39.600 I love both value and values. These are important terms 103 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:39.839 to me. 104 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.519 Yeah, cool, cool terms. 105 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:45.360 Yeah, Yeah, that's intriguing. What's why is the s anyway? 106 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.959 Well, you got marks for value and Niatzure for values. 107 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:50.920 And these guys doing both. 108 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:52.079 Yeah, I bet. 109 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:53.399 There's a ton of marks in that book. 110 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:55.079 I'll bet you that was just a I'll bet you 111 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.000 that was the publisher, like his editor being like, we 112 00:04:57.040 --> 00:05:00.160 need him a clever title, Pier, let's just do with. 113 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:04.000 Let's put this s under rature exactly. 114 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:08.000 Okay, So what we're covering today is not all the 115 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:10.879 stuff that we just talked about. Maybe we will know 116 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:13.800 at some point, but we want to talk about Trump 117 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:18.000 declaring war on universities because most of us have spent 118 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.839 I think, are all of us still in a university 119 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:27.920 close enough? Ifiliating you're taking a degree right now? Right? Yeah, anyway, 120 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:32.199 we've spent a combined like fifty years in a university. 121 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:34.920 I'm still very affiliated with universities for sure. 122 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.199 Yeah, and we know what's wrong with them, having spent 123 00:05:39.240 --> 00:05:41.079 so much time there. And we're going to decide whether 124 00:05:41.120 --> 00:05:45.160 Trump knows what's wrong with them? If they are, they're 125 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.759 a sickness I think was what he said on Truth 126 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:50.279 Social And I love when people say things like sickness 127 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:53.839 because then you get all the religious metaphors in there. 128 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:59.079 And there's no doubt that universities do some annoying shit. 129 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:04.399 There's no doubt that university heats are corrupt. So I'm 130 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:07.639 not crying over here. Eric at one point on this 131 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:12.040 podcast did a deep dive into the corruption of his 132 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:16.519 university where the board had all these ties to a 133 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.600 nonprofit and then all the money was like circled through 134 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:24.439 there for building contracts on campus, building completely unnecessary buildings 135 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:27.759 on campus, just because the construction or the builder is 136 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:31.519 like the brother of on the board. So this stuff 137 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:38.079 happens all the time at universities. I'm sure they're basically corporations, 138 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:43.160 no doubt, and academics, with their pursuit of wisdom and 139 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:47.759 free inquiry, that could happen at a university, but it's 140 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:52.480 not guaranteed. But Trump hates all the university and we 141 00:06:52.600 --> 00:06:59.720 agree generally speaking as academic side, that we hate university administrations. 142 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:01.959 The academic hates them. 143 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.040 Yeah, I kind of hate both sides of this. Debate, 144 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:07.279 So it's going to be pretty cool. I agree. 145 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:08.879 I kind of hate both sides of this to too. 146 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:11.120 What are what are both the sides? 147 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:13.199 Trump and the universities? 148 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:14.439 Trump and the university? 149 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:18.240 Oh oh, in terms of that, yeah, Trump versus Trump 150 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:23.040 versus higher education and the universities that he chose as well. 151 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:24.439 Yeah, yeah, he was selective. 152 00:07:24.519 --> 00:07:27.519 Yeah yeah, maybe this is maybe gonna be a controversial 153 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:28.879 thing to put on the table. But like there were 154 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:31.040 a couple of Trump's demands that I was kind of like, yeah, 155 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:34.480 it's a good idea. Maybe which ones like one or two, 156 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.120 Like I would say. 157 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:38.759 Should be like prefaced by setting people on the mood 158 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:41.240 and like telling a little bit of the behind story. 159 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:43.759 And we read some New York Times articles here for this, 160 00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:45.240 maybe we should just give them a quick run. 161 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:48.600 I randomly choose Eric to do that, to give the 162 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:50.519 rundown of what's random selections? 163 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:52.920 Random selection deliberately chosen by Yeah. 164 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:53.759 Totally random. 165 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:57.040 It was determined by previously existing material conditions. 166 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.879 So was it a April eleventh? 167 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:02.560 Right? 168 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:09.319 These demands were sent to Harvard, which which included ending 169 00:08:09.480 --> 00:08:14.199 DEI and critical race theory, kinds of connected programs and 170 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:19.319 things that are funded overall to well reduce the autonomy 171 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:27.040 of the university governance, basically by instituting merit based hiring 172 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:31.439 practices instead of instead of I guess would you call 173 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:37.600 them like a dei quota or affirmative action type stuff. Yeah, 174 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.360 targeting international students. We've been hearing a lot about that 175 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:44.799 and the deportations and referring to protests as riots. 176 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:48.039 And I just quickly added that the stick he's using though, 177 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:50.279 is like federal funding, right, so he's going to cut 178 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:51.200 I was going to get I was. 179 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:54.279 Going to get to that. One broad thing he's done 180 00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:58.200 in all of his post Project twenty twenty five strategies, 181 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.960 including this one, is to weaponize federal funding. And those 182 00:09:01.960 --> 00:09:07.519 are the basic that's basically he sent these demands by mistakes, 183 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:12.320 some say to Harvard, and I mean, I guess that's 184 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:16.000 similar demands that were sent to Columbia and similar demands 185 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:19.519 he's putting on. But Harvard is also fighting back and 186 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:23.679 suing Trump, being like, we're a private institution, First Amendment, 187 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:26.799 freedom of speech, blah blah blah. Government overreached. So those 188 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:34.080 are the two sides Trump's demands and Harvard like retaliatory lawsuit. 189 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.440 And can I just just for context, I think this 190 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:41.120 is this is is an ongoing fight between the Republicans 191 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:44.480 and the universities versus all these critical race theories and 192 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:49.600 saying that universities are supposedly Marxist hellholes that are forming 193 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:52.440 revolutionaries and whatnot. But I think what I think it 194 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:55.840 was the event that really triggered this direct attack against 195 00:09:56.159 --> 00:10:00.759 educational institutions. What was the predominance of protest in favor 196 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.639 of the Palestinian people and against the genocide that is 197 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:05.960 going on in Israel. I think that was the main trigger, 198 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:10.519 and that detonated into like a completely a defeat in 199 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:13.600 the propaganda war because I think now the majority of 200 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:17.279 millennials and centennials in the US are pro Palestinia and 201 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:19.840 against Israel. And I think that is a little bit 202 00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:23.320 of context and backdrop to justify why Trump is attacking 203 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:24.600 the universities. 204 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:28.960 On that point. Like in our group chat, Pills assigned 205 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:30.799 a little bit of homework and you know, I want 206 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:32.600 to be the good boy who you know, the good 207 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:35.600 student who did his homework. And one of them was 208 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.559 was he said, you know, focus on like the narratives. 209 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.000 I guess I don't know. I mean I'm just kind 210 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:42.960 of kidding here. So I was just trying to think 211 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:44.840 to myself. I was like, what are the two narratives? 212 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:46.799 Maybe this isn't even what Pills meant by narratives, but 213 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:49.639 I was thinking to myself and kind of to Diego's point, 214 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:53.600 I see, like the Trump side narrative is like universities 215 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:57.799 are like bastions of left wing indoctrination, hostile to white 216 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:01.240 and Jewish students, and on a accountable to like the 217 00:11:01.559 --> 00:11:04.080 broader public and its public responsibility. And I would say 218 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:07.840 that he's trying to and he's framing himself and like 219 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:11.279 people like Christopher Ruffo and all these people as restoring 220 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:15.080 balance and freedom right, especially for conservative speech. And then 221 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:18.039 I would say that the university's narrative, like Harvard's narrative, 222 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:23.440 is institution's value autonomy, academic freedom, non partisan inquiry, and 223 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:28.759 this crackdown is an authoritarian overreach that's like trying to 224 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:32.559 use weaponizing research funding. And you know, they have this 225 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:36.200 idealized vision of the university as like stewards of an 226 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:40.279 independent inquiry. You know, they advanced knowledge through academic freedom 227 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.000 and that requires insulation, and they see this as like 228 00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:46.360 an infringement on that those are kind of like the 229 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:47.960 way that I see the two narratives. I don't know 230 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:49.840 if that's what you're looking for, pills, but that's that's 231 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:50.559 what I came up with. 232 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:55.200 Yeah, I was looking for the mythology. Part of the 233 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:58.720 mythology here doesn't it doesn't exactly make sense. I'm not 234 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:03.440 really sure why Trump would be or the closest people 235 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:05.519 to Trump are concerned about anti Semitism. 236 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:07.919 Well, this is what this is why to me, it's 237 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:10.320 clear and like not to sound conspiratorial, and it's just 238 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:12.799 so easy when this topic comes up to sound like, 239 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:18.000 you know, like someone who's into Jewish conspiracy Jewish conspiracy theories. 240 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:21.000 But it's just simply true that like the Jews, like 241 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:23.559 the Israel Lobby does have a lot of influence in 242 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:26.879 like the Trump administration and both the Democratic and Republican parties, 243 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:28.919 And I just like know if it's just like it's 244 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.000 just almost certain that like in the wake of October seventh, 245 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:35.840 like there's many people in the administration who are like, look, 246 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:38.360 the universities are like contributing to this, you need to 247 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:40.960 do something about this, And they're kind of framing it 248 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:44.360 as like an attack on Jewish students and then this 249 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:46.399 is leading to these kinds of demands. So like it's 250 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:48.759 just you know, and they're they're and they're funding a 251 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:51.840 lot of election campaigns. And sorry if that makes me 252 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.720 sound like a fucking Israel conspiracy theorist, but like that 253 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:55.840 shit just seems true. 254 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.480 I mean, since since the war between Hamas and la 255 00:12:59.559 --> 00:13:04.279 could right, it's been anti semitism on campus charges all 256 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.080 in the media. Even in Canada. We experienced it, hear, 257 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:09.759 that's why we're talking about this. We have some experience 258 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:14.320 with it, and those those kinds of things. Anti semitism 259 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:18.879 on campus was like really you know, trumped up as 260 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:20.120 after the war started. 261 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:24.360 So I don't who knows whether or not Trump himself 262 00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:28.519 cares about anti Semitism. People around him might, people around 263 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.919 him might. But also there's so much in this of 264 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:34.399 like Rufo. We read Rufo a while ago, and he's 265 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:39.360 he's the big the CEI mind virus is taking over 266 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.720 these universities and we need to cleanse and purge them. 267 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:46.720 But I think it's one of the things is funny 268 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:52.320 because they the demands were to purge your departments that 269 00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:58.919 are known for anti Semitism, including including like Middle Eastern studies, 270 00:14:00.559 --> 00:14:04.159 South Asian Studies, I believe, and Harvard Divinity School. And 271 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:08.200 by the way, the Harvard Divinity School it's probably like 272 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:11.559 two or three hundred years old, I'm sure, and Protestant, 273 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:14.919 so I'm sure they did the oldest they did some 274 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:16.960 anti Semitism, there's no doubt about that. 275 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.480 It was an endowment from the late seventeen hundreds by 276 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:25.639 some British trader or something. It's a permanent endowment, so 277 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:28.600 they can only ever use that endowment money to re 278 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:32.559 up that divinity professor position. So that's why it is 279 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.879 still there because like permanent endowments, you just have to 280 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.440 keep using them for their original purpose, even if it's 281 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:40.960 two hundred years old. 282 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.159 But let's keep going. Let's keep going into this a 283 00:14:43.159 --> 00:14:46.320 little bit because there's, first of all, this is the 284 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:49.600 administration and the university lawyers that are dealing with Trump. 285 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:53.399 These are not academics, so do they care about academic freedom. 286 00:14:53.799 --> 00:14:56.960 They kind of have to for like brand purposes. But 287 00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:02.279 if we compare now Columbia University to Harvard Columbia University 288 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.679 storied school, a lot of the the greats went there 289 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:11.440 or went through there. It's reputable, and Trump says, you 290 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:15.200 guys have to stop funding the South Asian Studies Department 291 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:20.399 and surveil your students better because anti Semitism, and Columbia, 292 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:25.320 this prestigious center of learning, just goes, yes, sir, you mean, 293 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:28.279 we'll get right on that. And now now this like 294 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:30.320 not to be too self righteous here, because this is 295 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:33.639 probably the right move. You just say to Trump, yes, 296 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:35.600 we're going to get our best people on it, sir, 297 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:37.639 and then you don't really have to do anything because 298 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:40.039 he just wants the He wants the nod. And then 299 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:45.080 you get your billions of dollars of funding continue and 300 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.519 the academics who are who are getting funded continue to 301 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:50.919 get funding. No one lose their jobs. But you look 302 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:56.679 like a dog for capitulating. And I think Harvard, whether 303 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:00.360 or not they I mean they certainly could follow follow suit, 304 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:02.600 but I think this would be this is like so 305 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:09.679 damaging to your reputation as an independent center of learning. 306 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:14.679 And then just to capitulate to a complete clown who actually, 307 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:19.360 well Trump, Trump did have a university, so maybe he uh, 308 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:22.200 maybe he actually does know what he's on about here. 309 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:24.480 When I was doing my homework on this, I wanted 310 00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:27.759 to do Marx, Lacan and the Lose on like as 311 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:30.279 a framework to address this topic, But I think, like 312 00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:32.399 the Lose, we can probably leave if we have time, 313 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:33.559 because it's the least interesting. 314 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:37.240 Wait what you we think you have time for Marx 315 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:37.879 and Lacan? 316 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:40.840 Yeah, well only have time for too. 317 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:42.559 I did. I did in my homework. 318 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:45.879 So, like the quick question that I found very interesting 319 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:50.519 when when applying the Marxist critique of even the relationship 320 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:54.080 between ideology, what's the role of academia in perpetuating the 321 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:58.120 existing ideology and Trump's movement is very interesting because now 322 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:00.440 the way I see it is that Okay, wait, so 323 00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:05.240 Harvard as a university within capitalism, it's another company. It 324 00:17:05.279 --> 00:17:07.680 behaves as another company. I think even one of you 325 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.559 guys said in the chat that the if Kara traded 326 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:13.839 in Wall Street, it would be trading like between the top. 327 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:14.799 Five hundred companies. 328 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:18.319 Is like full of money, full of endorsements, is washing 329 00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.960 money everywhere, evading taxes. 330 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:21.279 So it's a big company. 331 00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:23.839 So we know it is actually a company, but it's 332 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:26.839 supposed to be working as a as a university, as 333 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:29.960 an academic institution. But regardless, like if we take the Marxist 334 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.480 analysis the role of institutions is to perpetuate the existing ideology. 335 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.319 So what Trump is doing is weird to me because 336 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.640 in a way, it's like, okay, if capitalism has this 337 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:46.079 intrinsic characteristic of being ever expanding like this in a 338 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:51.200 globalist neoliberal trend, of tearing down whatever resistances have, it 339 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:55.960 melts everything into solid into thin air. So capital has 340 00:17:55.960 --> 00:18:00.799 this ever expanding growth strategy. It's more represented in Harvard 341 00:18:01.079 --> 00:18:04.440 than in Trump. And according to me, what Trump is doing, 342 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:06.759 it's more like, I don't know if he's been anti 343 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:10.720 capitalist by punishing the freedom of an institution that is 344 00:18:10.759 --> 00:18:15.039 perpetuating the ideology the religion of capital, because let's be honest, 345 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.799 like what Harvard does is like the supreme Church of capital, 346 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:22.039 even even if in the humanities or whatever they do 347 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:24.519 that is supposed to be left leaning, everything is like 348 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:28.319 the Church of Capital in Harvard. So Trump, by censoring them, 349 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:32.559 it's it's a weird move. So my my conclusion, and 350 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:34.279 I wanted to hear from you guys, is that, Okay, 351 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:36.960 So what is Trump doing in this in the relationship 352 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:41.240 between universities perpetuating the currently existing ideology? 353 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.680 Well, I have that's interesting. That's that's I feel like 354 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:46.640 that's almost that's so much deeper than I was going 355 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:49.680 to go, like, like I think in a way like 356 00:18:49.720 --> 00:18:53.000 to me, I guess, okay, Like so my first reaction 357 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:55.680 to that is I feel like that analysis is sort 358 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:58.720 of premised on the idea that everyone knows the material 359 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.160 conditions are what matter, and I don't think that's true. 360 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:05.039 I think many, many people, especially in this American political moment, 361 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:08.039 actually think that the culture war is what matters. More So, 362 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:10.240 you and I could agree that they're wrong about that, 363 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:12.319 but it's also just true that that's what they believe. 364 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.960 So but they think that they think the online. 365 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:16.960 It doesn't matter what they believe. 366 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:21.920 But their behavior is still gonna like I think, so 367 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:23.880 maybe that's maybe we do disagree with them because I 368 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:28.319 think like their behavior is going to be Like like 369 00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:30.880 Christopher Ruffo, I don't think that like his behavior is 370 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:33.720 necessarily like it's going to be mediated by material conditions, 371 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.000 but he really thinks that like, you know, stopping DEI 372 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:40.279 and wokeness like matters the most, right, Like that's what 373 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.720 he thinks matters the most. And I and I think 374 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:45.079 like there's also some short term thinking going on here 375 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:51.119 where like right now Trump and like the conservatives see, oh, 376 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:55.240 like we won this last election because we had advertisements 377 00:19:55.240 --> 00:19:58.960 that said, you know, she's for they them, Trump's for 378 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:02.960 you and me. Right that worked, Like, let's keep attacking 379 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.640 this because that's what's gonna win us the next election 380 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:09.119 if we can put all this wokeness stuff on the defense. So, like, 381 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:11.279 I don't think that they're thinking that long term, that 382 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:15.000 big picture. They're just like people don't like wokeness. Attacking 383 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:18.799 wokeness won us the election. Universities are seen as part 384 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:21.519 of this elite woke discourse. Let's attack the university. That's 385 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:23.480 gonna win us brownie points. Like, I think it's as 386 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:24.039 simple as that. 387 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:27.279 Yeah, But but I also think it connects back to 388 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:30.359 the way Peels was talking about religion last episode in 389 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:33.480 a way that in a way, now religion as ideology, 390 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:37.160 it's working as a stabilizing agent, and you know, and 391 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:42.640 this this recoil to previous belief systems, it's a it's 392 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:45.200 an intention for for stability. 393 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:46.359 That that was my reading. 394 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:51.079 I think you're onto something, but you're you're being a 395 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:54.039 little too simplistic with it, Like who's capital and who's 396 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:57.759 anti capital? I think this is more like capital versus capital. 397 00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:00.000 It's a yeah, I too think it's capital verse. 398 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:02.759 I was gonna say that, yeah, And I think a 399 00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:05.599 helpful concept would be like hegemony. 400 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:10.880 Right, it's too factions one. I don't know if you 401 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:14.039