Dinesh D’Souza speaks in the UC River Room. The Young Americans for Freedom sold copies of his book, "The Big Lie" outside of the River Room.
A conservative commentator fired his opinions on the political left off at the University of Memphis in the University Center Tuesday. Some cheered him on enthusiastically. Others just listened.Â
Young Americans for Freedom organized a stop on “Unchained Lecture Series†by Dinesh D’Souza, an author and political commentator who was arrested and indicted on charges of campaign finance fraud in 2014. He reached out to the River Room to discuss left-wing ideas through his conservative views.
Audience members listen to Dinesh D’Souza’s speech. The Young Americans for Freedom hosted this event.
Jake Kolar, chairman for the Young Americans for Freedom Memphis chapter, said the group and their events exist to establish a voice for conservatives on campus.
Jake Kolar stands outside the UC River Room before D'Souza's speech. Kolar is the chairman of the Memphis chapter for the Young Americans for Freedom.
D’Souza said the progressive view, in a nutshell, believes they are fighting against oppression and white supremacy, but he said their narrative does not define some conservatives’ views of themselves.
“There is, to make things worse, one Donald J. Trump, who is not only, in the progressive view, kind of a racist, but he’s also a fascist,†D’Souza said. “The conservatives who support him are sort of the modern version of the neo-Nazi.â€
D’Souza, who in separate lectures has used laels such as “the blacks†and “the whites†to describe different ethnicities, said he wanted to provide information on why the progressives as a whole “are the root of violence in American and European history, including the holocaust.â€
“Notice that the confederate statues are statues of Democrats, and now they’re being pulled down by other Democrats,†D’Souza said.
An audience member, who did not provide his name, asked D’Souza about how to “convert liberals to a conservative view,†and D’Souza answered with clarification.
“I think we should recognize that a lot of young people, who are drawn to these ideas, are actually drawn to them out of idealism,†D’Souza said. “Their motives are not bad.â€
Univeristy of Memphis sophomore Chelsea Landis (19, Biology) and Christian Brothers University sophomore Austin Brewer (19, Business Administration) read Dinesh D’Souza’s book, "The Big Lie." D’Souza’s book is a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Chelsea Landis, a sophomore at the U of M, said she was leaning towards his view of conservatism, but she decided on what side she believed after the lecture.
“I was already kind of on his side,†Landis said. “Now I agree even more so now because he knows what he’s talking about. He would just spout facts.â€
Audience members listen to Dinesh D’Souza’s speech. The Young Americans for Freedom hosted the event.
Austin Brewer, a sophomore at Christian Brothers University, said he felt the lecture was informative and eye opening for people who argue D’Souza’s views.
“When it’s backed on facts, you can’t really argue with it,†Brewer said. “I’ve done research on the same topic, and he definitely knows what he’s talking about.â€
Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) member Sydney Kessler presents an argument to Dinesh D’Souza.
Sonal Purohit, secretary of Young Americans for Freedom, said the turnout was great, and the crowd seemed to agree with D’Souza for the most part.
“He touched on a lot of points that people think about, but they don’t really speak about,†Purohit said. “The points are overshadowed by a lot of the majority opinions out there.â€
Andy Hannaford, a sophomore history major at the U of M, said the lecture was what he hoped for, and it was “refreshing.â€
“I thought it was great to hear somebody teaching conservative values on a college campus,†Hannaford said. “It’s not something we hear every day.â€
