WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.280 --> 00:00:04.400 In the battle over funding between multiple college campuses and 2 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:09.640 universities across the country and the Trump administration. Harvard University 3 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.080 seems to be the latest defendant, and our very own 4 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:15.839 Rob with two b's is going to take it away. 5 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:19.519 Rob. Thanks, it's two bees for now. On Friday, the 6 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.839 eleventh of April, the Trump administration sent a letter to 7 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.359 Harvard outlining changes that they demand Harvard make to their 8 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:31.359 policies and procedures. Because Harvard failed to comply and indeed 9 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:36.039 openly condemned the letter and the demands, Trump then froze 10 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:39.640 who two point two billion dollars of grants on Monday 11 00:00:39.759 --> 00:00:44.520 the fourteenth. The University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton, Cornell, and 12 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:47.960 Northwestern have all been targeted by the Trump administration, and 13 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:52.479 they have all similarly acquiesced to their demands. Harvard, however, 14 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:56.359 has sued the Trump administration for failing to follow the 15 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:03.000 outlying steps on changes to funds. Except Trump has already 16 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.159 openly defied court orders, so I suspect that this will 17 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:10.959 go similarly. This story is from AP News by Michael 18 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.120 Casey on April fourteen, twenty twenty five. 19 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:16.200 Thanks Rob. You know in the article there is a 20 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:22.319 very detailed. Actually the actual memo that was sent by 21 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.920 the Trump administration, and it was it was I believe 22 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.040 the I have it right here, and I want to 23 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:32.359 pull it up. It was sent to Harvard University by 24 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:38.599 the Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Services, the Acting General 25 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.519 Council for the US Department of Education, and the Acting 26 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:44.599 General Council by the US Department of Health and Human Services, 27 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:50.560 and it outlines everything that the administration expects Harvard to 28 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:52.719 do in order to maintain its funding. And while it 29 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.680 started off as two point two billion in being funded, 30 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:59.159 it is going to be potentially three point two billion 31 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:04.400 the total nine billion that Harvard could or Harvard receives 32 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:07.480 from the government. So with that, Rob, what can you 33 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:11.960 say about what the demand letter actually requires? 34 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:15.560 Yeah, so the demand letter is seven pages long, and 35 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:17.919 I was I didn't go through the whole thing with 36 00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:20.199 a fine, fine tooth comb, but I was definitely checking 37 00:02:20.240 --> 00:02:23.039 out some of the more specific demands, and just a 38 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:26.240 couple of that stuck out to me. It's it's one 39 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:30.319 of those things where someone will name something that should 40 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:33.439 be good, but it's the exact opposite, Like, for example, 41 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:35.879 the Ministry of Truth in a lot of like fiction 42 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:39.840 tends to end up being about lies. So in this case, 43 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:43.240 the letter, the demand letter says things like it requires 44 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:48.080 merit based hiring. Who would disagree with that, But it 45 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.400 has some writers, it has some things attached to it. 46 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:52.560 One of the things that's attached to this and the 47 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:55.680 other one that I noticed because there's merit based hires 48 00:02:56.039 --> 00:03:02.120 and merit based admissions, and in both cases hiring or admissions. 49 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:06.360 Let's see here it says, quote, all hiring and related 50 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.199 to data shall be shared with the federal government and 51 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:13.919 subjected to a comprehensive audit by the federal government during 52 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.479 the period in which the reforms are being implemented, which 53 00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.479 shall be at least until the end of twenty twenty eight, 54 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.879 which is conveniently you know his term length. So if 55 00:03:23.879 --> 00:03:26.479 you're hiring, they want all your data. And then if 56 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.199 you are applying to get in, and if they're trying 57 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.800 to admit you to Harvard, they want all your information 58 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.800 there as well, including your oh did I copy it? 59 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:42.080 Sex race, academic achievements in the past. They want all 60 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.240 your data. And I'm not saying this is the case, 61 00:03:45.520 --> 00:03:48.680 but it definitely made me think of McCarthyism because we 62 00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:50.240 got to fill out them dossiers. 63 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.280 Yeah, and I have so many questions about this, and Tracy, 64 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.199 I want to kick it over to you. There are 65 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:01.680 you know, Rob brings up merit based hiring, merit based admissions. 66 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:07.280 You talk a little bit about your issue with viewpoint diversity. 67 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:09.439 I'd like to ask you about that, but if you 68 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.080 can comment ahead, go ahead, Rob. 69 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:14.280 No, no, no, keep it going, because that was the other 70 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:16.160 thing in the letter was viewpoint diversity. It's like, what 71 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:17.240 does that even mean? Go for it? 72 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:17.439 Right? 73 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:20.319 And I could steel that sigh from here. 74 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:24.240 Yeah, And I think Tracy makes a you know, he 75 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.279 makes a good point about bringing that up. What the 76 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:29.800 hell is even viewpoint diversity. I've got much more than 77 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:31.360 I want to ask you, but I need to get 78 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.639 to the bottom of this, so Tracy, please. 79 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:38.560 Well, I don't really understand what they mean by viewpoint diversity. 80 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.519 They don't really elaborate. It just seems to be we 81 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:47.759 think you have too many liberals and we want more conservatives. 82 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:50.639 And I'm just sitting here like, okay, well, what are 83 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:56.399 the actual parameters of viewpoint diversity? Is the African American 84 00:04:56.519 --> 00:05:00.120 Studies Board supposed to have a klansman on the sitting there, 85 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:04.079 like what do we want? What do you actually want? 86 00:05:04.600 --> 00:05:07.920 Is the like is the art department? Do we have 87 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.560 to admit the mustache man to the art department to 88 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.040 make sure that he doesn't go off and do terrible things? 89 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:18.639 I don't know what sort of questions would even be 90 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:23.079 an ideological litmus test. That's a direct quote from that letter. 91 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.959 An ideological litmus test is that asking how old the 92 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.399 earth is? And so if they say it's six thousand 93 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:34.560 years old, maybe they shouldn't be in the geology department. Like, 94 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.439 I don't know what they want. And with the merit 95 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:42.680 based hiring, I agree Rob. Everybody thinks merit based hiring 96 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:46.000 is a good idea. The best person should have the job. 97 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.480 But you have to think about this in the macro scale. 98 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:53.600 If we only ever give the most qualified person each 99 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:57.600 job in every situation, then that is going to compound 100 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:02.439 on itself for those families that are in higher socioeconomic levels, 101 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:06.079 such that the rich keep getting richer and the poor 102 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:10.360 stay poor forever. It's gonna shrink, our middle class, grow 103 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.240 our lower class, and the upper class is gonna stay 104 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:19.199 the same size. And that's just not feasible because eventually 105 00:06:19.319 --> 00:06:22.279 people in the lower class are gonna get mad and 106 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:25.720 they're gonna take what they want. So instead of getting 107 00:06:25.720 --> 00:06:28.920 that way, let's try and build up our middle class 108 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:32.040 and upper class rather than keep people in the lower class, 109 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.519 which is what you would wind up with if we 110 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:40.000 just always pick the absolute best in each category for 111 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:40.560 these things. 112 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:42.720 Well, sometime, well, I. 113 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:46.360 Think what you're referencing, and rightfully so, is the idea 114 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:49.360 that there is some systemic oppression built. 115 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:50.600 Into This's what I'm trying to say. 116 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:55.759 Yeah, systemic racism, systemic oppression against women in LGBTQ people. 117 00:06:55.839 --> 00:06:57.920 I think that that can be supported by data. I 118 00:06:58.240 --> 00:07:03.600 certainly understand. For example, I know that countries with I 119 00:07:03.879 --> 00:07:05.360 talk about this a lot because it was kind of 120 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:07.319 an area of study for me when I was doing 121 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:12.360 my masters. But countries with low women or female participation 122 00:07:12.439 --> 00:07:15.519 in the workforce because they're orthodox countries and women are 123 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.439 relegated to the household actually have poorer economies than than 124 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:24.279 countries with UH with a large percentage of women actually 125 00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:25.000 in the workforce. 126 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.959 What's because I have less workers in general, I mean, 127 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:32.480 like more people work, letting women in the workforce, you know, 128 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:41.560 diversity is a strength every metric you check across diversity. 129 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:45.759 That's why America cleans up at the Olympics because we 130 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:52.160 have such a diverse culture and ethnic and everything. 131 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:58.279 You need to understand that the Trump administration is trying 132 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:00.879 to support a sufficiently diverse viewpoint. 133 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:04.879 Basis it is and there it is, and you know 134 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.920 what on that point, on Tracy's point, as far as 135 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:12.360 the litmus test is concerned, and you give the example, Tracy, 136 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:15.040 I have to say you said, well, if somebody thinks 137 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.639 the Earth is six thousand years old, maybe they shouldn't 138 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:20.560 be in the geology department. I'm surprised you said that. 139 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:23.120 I agree with you, but I'm surprised you said that 140 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:27.519 because if you consider the alignment with Evangelical Christians and 141 00:08:27.560 --> 00:08:30.720 the Republican Party nowadays, I would consider it the opposite. 142 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.080 I feel like the board would be like, they think 143 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:35.679 that the Earth is six thousand years old, put them 144 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.000 in charge of geology. So I could I could see 145 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.279 that going that way. But Eja, without further ado, I 146 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:45.360 would like to get to you, and I want to 147 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:50.879 ask you, so is this legitimate claim that the administration 148 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.799 has if they're going to be delving out high amounts 149 00:08:54.840 --> 00:08:57.799 of funding. Do they have a right to know where 150 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.360 their funding is going? Or do you think this is 151 00:09:00.360 --> 00:09:04.080 something else? Could this perhaps be an attempt at overreach? 152 00:09:04.159 --> 00:09:05.840 And I'd like to get your perspective there. 153 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:09.559 I think it is. Trump's famous for saying things like 154 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:12.519 I love uneducated people. And I'm sure we've all heard 155 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:16.240 the action the acronym kiss, keep it simple, stupid for 156 00:09:16.279 --> 00:09:18.840 explaining thing. I think Trump's trying to do that with 157 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:23.759 the population. He seems to do a lot generally, He oversimplifies, 158 00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:26.799 He uses a lot of catchy catchphrases that tend to 159 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:29.840 catch on in the public eye, that are that are 160 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.679 good for sound bites, and he never really says anything substantial. 161 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:37.519 You could listen A lot of politicians don't, but you 162 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:39.679 could listen to the top for a while and he 163 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:43.000 wouldn't really say anything. And I think that's in part 164 00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:46.200 uh that that same philosophy, I guess is in part 165 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:50.960 with the administration trying to be here. It's especially a 166 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:55.639 great institution like Harvard, which is world renowned for the 167 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:58.519 people it produces in the research it does. Freezing the 168 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.240 funding helps no one if you want to actually make 169 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:10.080 changes to so called uh what was the phrase viewpoint diversity, 170 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:12.799 your point diversity. Yeah, if you do want to do that, 171 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:16.320 don't freeze the funding. Try to work. Try to work 172 00:10:16.360 --> 00:10:19.039 that and somehow to the research. I mean, I don't 173 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:21.600 know how you would, since they wouldn't define it, but 174 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:24.639 point as their said goal and what they're doing to 175 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:27.519 reach it doesn't lie up. It seems there as an 176 00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:30.360 ulterior motivate play what it is, we could only speculate. 177 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:32.639 Okay, Rob, I'm going to go to you just by 178 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:34.799 the hand gesture alone. I know that you're I know 179 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:35.480 that you're ready. 180 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.600 I knew the hand you got to So I remember 181 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:40.600 in the nineties, I feel like this is just dawn 182 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:42.840 on me and everybody already knew this. I remember in 183 00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:45.519 the nineties my dad was talking about how they're trying 184 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:50.639 to put intelligent design into schools and teach that alongside evolution. 185 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:53.200 And then my dad got really upset and he was like, 186 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:56.000 this is just creationism. They're just calling it a different thing. 187 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:58.679 And like, in my heart as a little kid, I 188 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:01.519 didn't really fully understand that it's a same thing by 189 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:04.840 a different name. But it's the thing they're always preaching, right. 190 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:06.679 It was just like, oh, so you're going to say 191 00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:09.120 in this castle's say evolutions, Like, so you're going to 192 00:11:09.159 --> 00:11:11.440 say that we came about via evolution. Well, really, we 193 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:15.519 should have diverse viewpoints. Who are we to say that? 194 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.559 You're right? So I get it now, I fully understand it. 195 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:25.559 They want to have a the ability to, via the administration, 196 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:31.440 insert people for their more core belief systems, because they 197 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:35.440 do not respect that colleges, universities, and places of higher 198 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.840 academia try to teach either truth or the best understanding 199 00:11:39.879 --> 00:11:42.919 of truth as we have it. Now they want to 200 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:45.039 They want to have their thing too. 201 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:49.200 Sure, Yeah, and how how are they trying to do it? Well, 202 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:53.080 it looks like they may be using government funding to 203 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:58.159 try and align the school with the administration's political agenda. 204 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:02.000 At least that is the claim that the president of Harvard. 205 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:06.879 Harvard is making. Excuse me and the White House accusation 206 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:11.399 actually is that the government has expressly invoked the protections 207 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:15.480 against discrimination contained in Title six of the Civil Rights 208 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.879 Act of nineteen sixty four as a basis for its action. 209 00:12:18.039 --> 00:12:23.200 So the White House that the Trump administration has routinely 210 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:26.759 warned schools that if they do not do something to 211 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:30.600 quell anti Semitism on their campuses, they will pull funding, 212 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.559 and that is where Harvard finds itself today. The President 213 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.200 claims that this is an attempt to align the university 214 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:39.879 with the administration's political agenda, and says in his countersuit, 215 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:44.240 so update there that Harvard is now suing the administration 216 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:48.200 that no administration has the right to dictate what private 217 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:51.320 universities can teach. And I thought that that was interesting 218 00:12:51.919 --> 00:12:55.559 because at first I didn't see the administration saying, hey, 219 00:12:55.600 --> 00:13:00.360 you must teach this, But with the vague viewpoint diversity claim, 220 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:03.519 I can see how that can filter in, and with 221 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:08.080 the fact that the White House has named eleven different 222 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:12.279 schools and programs in this in Harvard that have to 223 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:17.480 quote unquote and I don't see it right here, Oh, 224 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:22.080 reforms make reforms with egregious records of anti semitism. Well 225 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.039 what kind of reforms? What are they talking about? What 226 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:27.879 are the specific things that have to be outlined that 227 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:30.679 these schools and programs need to do And it's really 228 00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:33.759 not defined. And all we know is that they have 229 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.840 to just turn over this data to the government. And 230 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:37.279 I think that's the concerning thing. 231 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:42.279 That's the thing is because like, who the hell's gonna say. Okay, 232 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:44.440 so they come in and say, hey, calm down the 233 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.039 anti semitism, otherwise we're going to cancel some money, and 234 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:49.480 everybody's gonna be like, that's a good idea, we shouldn't 235 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:54.080 have anti semitism. Sure, yeah, no problem, awesome. What does 236 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:56.919 merit based hiring have anything to do with anti semitism? 237 00:13:56.960 --> 00:13:59.120 That could have just been its own thing. And then 238 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:02.360 why does anything but merit based hiring have anything to 239 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.120 do with also giving all of the information to the government. 240 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:08.039 So it's like they're using exactly one thing to be like, 241 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.240 we're doing it for anti Semitism, which is good, we 242 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.279 should stop that. But it doesn't stop there. There's more. 243 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:17.039 It just keeps going on. The frankly scary amount of 244 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:19.399 information that they want to control and take. 245 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:21.879 Yeah, and with that, you know, I want to mention 246 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.759 too that the president of Harvard, Garber, says, hey, look, 247 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:27.799 we've taken steps to quell anti semitism, and he's Jewish 248 00:14:27.799 --> 00:14:30.960 by the way, and said, we've also taken steps to 249 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:34.720 quell anti Muslim behavior on campus. And I don't hear 250 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:38.159 any of that coming out in the demands from the 251 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:41.840 White House. And so I'm a little confused as as 252 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:44.240 to why the Civil Rights Act is being suited, so 253 00:14:44.279 --> 00:14:46.480 we EJ. I want to come back to you on this. 254 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:50.039 Is this an attempt to quell anti Semitism? What else 255 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:52.799 might it be? And are some of the how do 256 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:56.120 some of these arguments that we're stating regularly resonate with you? 257 00:14:56.600 --> 00:15:00.960 Well, I think lake Role was mentioning the whole oh well, 258 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:03.600 we need to stop anti semitism is a very very 259 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:09.080 good goal. The issue is, like Rob was mentioning, there's 260 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:13.799 not well, at least apparently in the course is mentioned 261 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:16.399 there isn't a lot of obvious anti semitism, And it 262 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:18.639 brings me back to what I was thinking, there might 263 00:15:18.720 --> 00:15:23.159 be an ulterior motive, and it is what it seems 264 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:26.559 to be, at least for me. It may possibly be 265 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:30.320 in reference to a current conflict, as there is a 266 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:33.080 lot of claims of anti semitism around the current world conflict, 267 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:37.919 which the administration is currently very vocal in supporting one side, 268 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.679 and I know at least Harvard has had a few 269 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:45.759 student protests supporting the side that the administration does not support, 270 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:49.519 so it may possibly be referring to that. However, aside 271 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.879 from that I wouldn't know. I don't know enough about 272 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:55.720 the administrations in our thoughts and I only have speculation. 273 00:15:56.039 --> 00:15:58.799 Well in that case, you know, I just want to 274 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:03.759 say that the nonprofits and the ACA are a five 275 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:06.679 oh one C three and we are not disparaging or 276 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:10.679 supporting any political party or member of the government. We 277 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:12.919 are just simply stating facts. And so I want to 278 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:17.279 reiterate that and with that. With that, Tracy, I know 279 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:20.480 that I owe you some airtime and I've been saving 280 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:22.879 a question for you, but I can see you swirming 281 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:25.399 in your seat to speak about other things. So why 282 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:26.759 don't you go ahead and say what you want to 283 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:29.159 say and then I can I can pitch to you 284 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:32.519 my question. Bob, I see, I see your very I 285 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:35.399 want to hear Tracy smile too. I will get back 286 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:36.240 to you. 287 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:41.480 Jimmy. I frankly, I love the Jews. I think they're 288 00:16:41.519 --> 00:16:45.840 fantastic people. And what I have heard from my Jewish 289 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:49.679 contacts is that what's been happening a lot in the 290 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:53.639 media and among people nowadays is that they're conflating anti 291 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:58.360 Zionism with anti Semitism. Those are not the same thing. 292 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:02.360 You can have ab absolutely nothing wrong with Jews think 293 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:07.000 they're fantastic people appreciate their culture, and still not think 294 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:11.599 that it's okay to bomb children. It's that it's that simple. 295 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:14.920 But in the current media, people think that if you 296 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.960 are against Israel, that you are against the Jewish people, 297 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:22.119 and that is simply not the case. Go ahead, Rob, 298 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:24.440 I heard your intake of breast. 299 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:28.119 No, I agree, But like that speaks to a much 300 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:30.960 deeper problem that I think a lot of religious people 301 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.440 are going to have. Because one of my best friends 302 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:39.319 is Jewish and he's an atheist, but and his dad 303 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:43.599 is a secular rabbi, So what ends? And I didn't 304 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:44.319 know you could do that. 305 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:49.680 So for like seventy percent of Israel is actually secular. 306 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:52.240 Yeah, which is fascinating. So, like I think, to the 307 00:17:52.319 --> 00:17:57.079 Christian mind, it is literally impossible to be the name 308 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:59.960 of your religion and not also be practicing that relig 309 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.960 because you could be Jewish without being Jewish. 310 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:04.960 That no religious group is. 311 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:10.279 Yeah, So you actually people take their religion and they 312 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:13.559 make it their whole entire identity. So then when you 313 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:16.599 have a completely separate culture of people who can't even 314 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.839 separate those two things, you're going to muddy the water 315 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:22.240 in conversation, no matter which way you go, no matter what. 316 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.079 Well, I do want to expand on what we're exactly 317 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:28.160 talking about. And I don't think any of our viewers 318 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:35.039 are stupid or uninformed. I think that I think that 319 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:37.920 it's worth noting that, of course there is a there 320 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:42.279 is a conflict between Israel and Gaza. Some might not 321 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:44.880 call it a conflict. They might use much harsher words 322 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.799 judging the the Israeli military and the Israeli government. Others 323 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:54.119 might do the same judging Hamas in Gaza. But but 324 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.200 what's really happening is that is the support for or 325 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:01.200 against either side is transpiring on college campuses, just like 326 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:03.400 it did in Vietnam, and for anybody who lived through 327 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:07.359 that should be able to understand what's happening there. The 328 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:12.480 educated classes of people, the ones that are out there 329 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:16.079 studying the world, have different opinions, and they're very energetic 330 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:19.200 and vocal about it as young people, young scholars often are. 331 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:23.240 And that is in conflict with some of the administration's 332 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:26.839 official policies. And so here we are now, Tracy, I said, 333 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:29.480 I wanted to get back to you about something, and 334 00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:32.160 I want to pivot back to a point that you made, 335 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.599 which I thought was a very good one, and expand 336 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:37.599 upon what is it that you mean when you say 337 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:43.480 economically or socially advantage the advantageous positions, because you talk 338 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:48.519 about people of a socially or advantageous position will have 339 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:54.000 better access to a better life. And what do you 340 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.880 mean by that? How does that relate to the merit 341 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:57.920 based hiring that we started this segment with. 342 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.559 So we're going to start off with a few examples 343 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:06.039 from the real world. If your father, I'm using the 344 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:09.160 Royal you, I'm not talking to you, Jimmy. If your 345 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:14.559 father works in a company and has contacts from when 346 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:18.920 he was in college, and has contacts in the college 347 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:21.880 and in other companies, then he can arrange for you 348 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:24.799 to get into a better school as well as he 349 00:20:24.880 --> 00:20:26.839 has the money to pay for you to go to 350 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:30.200 that better school, which then he can contact his buddy 351 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:34.240 to get your application actually put forward and make sure 352 00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:38.599 it's seen. So now not only is your application being seen, 353 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:42.200 you went to a good school and you are like 354 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:46.920 well connected, so you may have gotten access to an internship, 355 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:50.680 which is not a hiring, So it wouldn't be part 356 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:54.400 of merit based anything. It would, but it would elevate 357 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:59.519 your position on a merit based scale, having an internship 358 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:03.240 that you only have access to due to your parents' 359 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:08.160 previous networking, and thus ensuring for you a position that 360 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:10.799 you would not have otherwise been able to get if 361 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:13.799 you did not have access to the resources from your parents. 362 00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:18.079 And so you have this stacking effect of the richest 363 00:21:18.279 --> 00:21:22.400 children get rich, and their children get rich, and so 364 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:24.920 on and so forth because they can be standing on 365 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.960 the shoulders of their parents, Whereas if you don't have 366 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:32.079 access to those things, it is entirely on you to 367 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:35.720 make it into a good school, to pay your way in, 368 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:42.400 to secure an internship, and then even get your application 369 00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:46.599 in front of somebody. All of these things are what 370 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:51.000 works to keep a person in a lower socioeconomic tier. 371 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:53.480 I guess you could call it it works to keep 372 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:57.359 them down, because there isn't really such thing as a 373 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:02.920 self made man. Every rich person got a huge like 374 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:06.160 investment from a loved one, or is standing on the 375 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:07.440 shoulders of somebody else. 376 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:09.519 That might be a little bit of a sweeping statement. 377 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:12.319 I am, I am being hyperballic. I'll admit to that. 378 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:14.960 Yeah, you're right, though, So I think the point that 379 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.119 you're making is a valid one. And that's where we 380 00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:19.920 come into the systemic the systemic issues that we have, 381 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:24.839 uh and where where merit based doesn't always solve the problem. 382 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:27.400 You know, there, there's there. There probably does need to 383 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:30.079 be some governmental controls, and it seems like those are 384 00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:34.279 being repealed in rapid fashion. And with that, you know, 385 00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:36.440 we we are over a little bit of time. But 386 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:39.839 I don't want to go anywhere without without hearing from 387 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:43.359 EJ and Rob to close us out. So EJ, please, 388 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:44.799 the floor is yours. 389 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.079 Thank you, I think to back off what Tracy was 390 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:52.599 saying there, Yeah, merit based hiring does sound absolutely amazing 391 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.200 the lake Tracy just said. It gives an advantage to 392 00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:00.759 people who have or at least entirely Merit based hiring 393 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:05.279 and placement and skills does give a huge advantage to 394 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:08.920 people who already have networks due to their appearance. Because 395 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:12.160 as much as we'd rather not NEP it doesn't place 396 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.920 a huge part in the world. And unless we're willing 397 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:18.920 to make changes on some level, whether it be bring 398 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:21.599 this cost of schools down or have some sort of 399 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:25.680 intervention from the government and the schooling systems for things 400 00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:28.559 like hiring, then I don't exactly know how we would fix. 401 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.640