Fireside Chat Ep. 217 — Biological Male Swimmer Steals Women's Records | Fireside Chat

Hi everybody, or to be really risque, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that violates a lot of our airline rules and the New York subway and the London tube, who won't say ladies and gentlemen, lest they not be inclusive. Now you might add or ask if ladies and gentlemen is not inclusive, who's missing? And the answer is those who do not think of themselves as either male or female, which is a staggeringly small number of human beings. I certainly understand that some people will think they're the other or feel they're the other sex, but I don't understand and find, in fact, I'm a little suspicious of those who don't think they're either. Now it might be cultivated by the society, but anyway, I just thought I would explain why it was risque to say, ladies and gentlemen, or boys and girls, welcome to the fireside chat. I'm Dennis Prager. This is Otto, humble despite his fame. I'd like to note that because we've tried to raise our dogs with character. I don't know if that's true. How can you raise a dog with character? He is a character, but that's a separate issue. And this is a chance just to talk to you about what's on my mind. Take your questions. Nothing's rehearsed. But I did get a card from a 12-year-old viewer. We have a lot of young viewers. It means a lot to me. Tyler Smith. Hi, Tyler. A few things about this, first of all, obviously got a big kick. He drew this of Otto with the backdrop of the American flag and Snoopy on the very low side. And he has Otto again with Snoopy. And he even has their name with an arrow, just in case we didn't know. That reminds me of what I think was one of the funniest things I ever did. And I think I'm funny. Okay. Just for the record. So I have taken cruises with listeners for 25 years until COVID. I won't go on a boat now that demands masks and so on. But I have been doing this for 25 years. So one of the cruises was to West Africa. I've been to 20 African countries. I enjoy going to Africa very, very much. So one day I left the group and I went with a couple of friends on board with me to just travel into the inner parts of Togo, West African country. And I took a picture. I posed for a picture with three Africans that I was meeting with, village chiefs, as it turns out. And so I want you to picture the picture. I'm wearing shorts and sandals. And as it happens, white sweat socks, which caused a great deal of resignation. And at PragerU, people would not work at an institution named after someone who wears socks with sandals. I found that silly. But in any event, I'm only mentioning it for historical veracity. So there I am. And I am sort of white as chalk. I'm on the very white side of white. And the three people from Togo are on the very black side of black. And this is what I wrote when I sent back the picture back to America and to people who were on my mailing list. Dennis, second from left, with three people he met, or three village chiefs in Togo. I thought that was one of the funniest things I ever did, since it's hard not to know who Dennis is. And what really cracked me up was a lot of people in the comments going, you know, oh, LOL, LOL, LOL. But about a quarter of them say, right, well, why did he need to identify? It's pretty obvious. Which only proves that about a quarter of humanity doesn't have a sense of humor. It's like there are people who sort of can't keep a melody. It cracked me up. Anyway, so back to Tyler Smith, my 12-year-old correspondent. Hi, Otto, Dennis, Megan, Snoopy, and Nate the Great. A few comments on your salutation there, Tyler. First, Otto first and me second? Huh? Second, it's, let's see. Well, Megan preceded Snoopy. That's nice. Okay. By the way, that's better than usual. It's usually Megan's arm. At least he acknowledges there's an owner of that famous arm, Snoopy and Nate the Great. That it is catching on. His parents gave him this nickname. At about what age, Nate? At four or five. Did you like it? So it's been a dilemma to me why your siblings liked it, because they knew it was cute. They didn't take it seriously. We do. We think you're great. I want you to tell your parents that. Have the folks ever seen Nathan? Nathan, you want to say hello? I know it's embarrassing, but seriously, just come in front of the camera and say hello. Without Nathan, there's no video. You want to turn the thing around? You can't turn the thing around. All right. Anyway, I want you to see Nathan, because we're trying to find him a wife. Come over. Nathan, you're a handsome dude. You don't want to come on? All right. Next time. All right. Fine. Did they see your arm, at least? That's hilarious. I'm 12 years old, and he goes on, and he started watching the Fireside Chats as a way to help me understand what was going on in our world. Boy, is that ever true. That's what we do here. Anyway, listen to this. I got a big kick out of this. I want to be a botany professor who specializes in the medical properties of plants. How do you know that at 12? Who would answer when they're 12? Say, hey, toddler, what do you want to be when you grow up? Expect a fireman, a bright policeman, president, botany professor who specializes in the medical properties of plants. That's a kid who knows what he wants, I got to say. Just botany professor alone is quite remarkable. I got a big kick out of that. Anyway, it's a pleasure to know you. Thank you for that. I got a big kick out of that whole thing. So I'll share a few thoughts, as I always do, and then take questions from you around the world. I don't know if you're familiar with this, Leah Thomas, L-I-A, not L-E-A-H, L-I-A. Leah Thomas is a member of the University of Pennsylvania women's swim team. Two years ago, and for all of Leah's life, this individual was a male and swam on the men's swim team. Now Leah is on the women's swim team as Leah, I don't remember the person's male name, transitioned to female. As usual, what has happened is Leah has broken all the records, virtually all the records at the University of Pennsylvania, wins all the races, and it's cheating. If you don't recognize it as cheating, there's something wrong with your conscience. It has been blocked by propaganda. It's cheating. A male body competing against female bodies is cheating, period. Leah won one of the races by, I will tell you the number of seconds in a moment, I just want you to know most races are won by about a second or under. Because swimmers are all within a very small, compact time period of doing their freestyle stroke or whatever, backstroke, whatever it might be. Thirty-eight seconds. Leah won one of the races by thirty-eight seconds. That is unheard of. Leah is cheating. And the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most woke, meaning dishonest, universities in the country, is fine with it. They consider it a win for women's swimmers. Cornell is fine with it, another Ivy League woke institution, they all are. They're fine with it, too, even though their swimmers keep losing. It is mind-boggling that the females in the sports don't object. They shouldn't show up. It's as simple as that. Why are the Cornell women showing up? It's not a fair competition. What, do they show up just to say we showed up? Why is the Cornell coach, forget the University of Pennsylvania coach, who is obviously free of conscience. But why is the Cornell coach, that's the team that they just played, they swam against, why is he or she allowing this to happen and not protesting? It's his or her swimmers who are being defeated thanks to the University of Pennsylvania cheating. If you don't understand this is cheating, you must rethink what has happened to you. There is something wrong with people who do not recognize this is cheating. He or she is a complete narcissist. To be proud of winning as a biological male against females, you're proud of it? This is the true chaos, moral and intellectual chaos. Two Ivy League universities all telling you, oh, the emperor is clothed. Look at how beautiful the naked emperor's clothing is. You know the story of the naked emperor? I'll bet most of you don't. It's very sad. It's a great fable. The naked is emperor, but everybody is going, oh, what beautiful clothing. We're living in America in the West in the age of naked emperors that everybody is talking about how great their clothes are. New Zealand sent a biological male as a weightlifter to the Olympics as a female weightlifter because this individual defeated all the females because females can't lift as much as males. That's the way it is. That's why they have separate female and male competitions. Why have them at all? If males can compete, why have them? Nobody's denying that you say you're a female. That's fine. I don't have to go along with it, however, to deprive females of the chance at winning. One more thing about all of this. On my radio show, I did it live, real time. I Googled the name Leah Thomas to see if any mainstream newspaper or other quote unquote news source covered this. Zero. This is an incredibly important lesson. This is an example of something I have known all of my life, and especially the last 10 years. The left doesn't know what the right knows. You're a liberal, and this is a rare case where I conjoin liberals and leftists. You're a liberal or a leftist friend or a relative doesn't know about the University of Pennsylvania female team. Most conservatives do. Nothing New York Times, nothing Washington Post, nothing CNN, nothing MSNBC, nothing NPR, nothing PBS, nothing ABC, nothing CBS, or did I already say them, and NBC, and MSNBC, nothing. Zero. They don't cover the issue. So people who rely on the left-wing media know so little about what is going on, which is why we have one of the reasons we have the Gulf. We know everything that the left knows because we can't avoid it, but they know so little of what we know because it isn't reported. This was a real instructive moment. There's no doubt in my mind that your liberal or left-wing relative or friend does not know about the swimmer who stole all the records because this swimmer is a male competing against females. That's an important lesson, part of the reason, a big part of the reason for the Gulf between us. All right, it is time for your questions, and we begin. Take it away. Hi, I'm Niranjan from India, a 20-year-old law student and a Prager Force member. I wondered if you would be able to suggest me some books which delve into the philosophy of Judaism and Christianity, and I don't mind if they are big books either. Thank you. Oh, good. He's a member of Prager Force, and he's from India, and that's Naranjan. And he's in India. Hi, Naranjan. Good to... By the way, India, which I've been to, I think, four times, maybe more, I think four times, is one of my favorite countries to visit. I'm crazy about visiting India. And an interesting thing is between where I live, California, and India, the time difference is 12 hours. So when it's 6 o'clock here, it's 6 o'clock there. But the other part of the day, it's literally around the world from where I live. So anyway, I love the fact he doesn't care if it's a big book. That is awesome. So you'd like a recommendation for some books on Judaism and Christianity? Bless you. I think that's a great thing. I love studying religion, including Hinduism, I might add, and Buddhism, and Islam, and of course, Judaism and Christianity. So the best... I'm not a Christian, I'm a Jew, but I think the best... I think Christians would agree with me, the best expositor, defender, apologist, which doesn't mean make apologies, it's a good term for someone who defends something, of Christianity in the modern era has been C.S. Lewis. So read C.S. Lewis's works, and I think go forth from there. I think that will give you a really positive introduction to Christianity. Now, I have an answer on the Judaism, but I feel self-conscious, because I wrote it. But I have the... I could say my book, my first book that I ever wrote when I was in my 20s, The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism, is still in print, and I think is the best-selling introduction to Judaism in English. So you could try that. It's not a big book, as it happens. But best would be my Rational Bible, because that explains... It's not specifically explaining Judaism, but it explains the basis of Judaism, which is the Torah, which is the first five books of the Bible. It's called the Rational Bible. And there are many great books. I don't want to imply... I don't say mine are the only great ones, but I know that they're written with people like you in mind, people who are not Jewish and are curious. Okie Smokie! Wayne in Huntington Beach, California. We are heartbroken over the Salvation Army going woke. Please give us your opinion in an upcoming chat. Do you know that for years, every Christmas season, on my radio show, I raised, I think the greatest amount on radio for the Salvation Army? I think so. I'm not certain. I know they honored me at a Salvation Army dinner for raising so much money for them. I really loved that group. But like everything else the left touches, it's ruined the Salvation Army, who are now giving out manuals about white privilege and whites as racists and so on, circulating within the Salvation Army. When they were caught, they didn't apologize. They attacked the people who attacked them, all of whom were the biggest supporters of the Salvation Army. It said they had other agendas, like Greg Coco, one of the best-known modern Christian apologists. What are the other agendas? Our whole agenda was to defend the Salvation Army all these years. What other agenda do we have? Until the leadership of the Salvation Army resigns, I have asked people not to give to the Salvation Army, which breaks my heart after all the money I've raised for them. But it just proves one of the truisms of life. Everything the left touches, it ruins. Simone, 24, Pretoria, South Africa. I'm a big fan. Good day, Dennis. I'm a big fan of the Fireside Chat. Every week, I'm excited to see what your next topic is going to be. That's nice. That's Simone in Pretoria. Let me see. I've been to Cape Town and Johannesburg, but I haven't been to Pretoria. In one of the very first Fireside Chats, you explain how you taught your children to develop interests. When they said they were bored, you replied, no, you're boring. That's great that you remember that. I love it. They very rarely said they're bored after that, I must say. They were sort of vaccinated against boredom. What else did you teach them that they've thanked you for as grown-ups now? Also, have you been to South Africa? If so, I think we should also make your list of top friendliest countries. Thank you, and don't stay safe. That's good, don't stay safe. Big smiley from Simone. You're good. By the way, as to the last part, there are so many South Africas, because blacks themselves are, of course, divided to a large measure by tribal identity. I've enjoyed the Zulus particularly, but it's hard to make a generalization. Like, certainly people in Cape Town seem to me friendlier than people in Johannesburg. Anyway, I just wanted to comment on that. I've been there a few times. So now, let's see. What else did I teach my kids that they thanked me for as they became grown-ups? Let's see. Not much. How many kids thank their parents? It's like part of the human equation. Hey, Dad, I just want to thank you that you didn't crash the car when I rode with you. It's a very good question. First of all, I never even think of that. What will they thank me for? I'm not saying your question is wrong. It's not at all. It's an interesting question, how many kids thank their parents before they, you know, maybe as they're dying or something? Look, my kids respect me and love me, and I can't ask for more than that. But what specifically? Actually, I know my older son, who's very, very, is a very magnificent individual and very successful. I thank God every day for both my sons. But my older one has said the opposite. He wishes I had pushed him more to do well in school, and I have never agreed with him. He certainly allowed to wish that I did, and I never said, I agree with you, I'm sorry. I said, I am exactly proud of the way I raised you in that regard. I told him I didn't care about his grades. I cared about his character. Yeah, we started a little late, so Otto knows the union rules. You stay a half hour, and he stayed more than that now. I think he gets hungry when we do our broadcast. So the empty bed and I will continue. I told my kids that I cared infinitely more about their character than their grades. I didn't care what college they went to. I really didn't even care if they went to college. I cared what type of human being they were, and they turned out to be good human beings. They share my values, which is all I really wanted, because my values are good values. So it's interesting. If I were to ask him now, he said this years ago, so do you really wish I had pushed you more? He might still say yes. But it's okay. If that's my biggest sin, I didn't push you enough on grades. It's true. I never asked him, do you have homework? I really didn't care. Now, I did not allow him or I did not allow my kids to waste their time on nonsense. They had to do something to fill their brain if they weren't doing schoolwork. Schoolwork is brain filler, sort of like bubble wrap is box filler. All right. There we go. That was an analogy for the ages, I must say. Tom, 17 years old, Chelmsford, England. That's the famous Tom of Chelmsford. Here we go. Hello, Dennis, Otto, Snoopy, Megan's arm, and Nathan. Nate, the great to you. I have a question about confidence. I am 17 and have spent these years fairly reserved. From watching hours of your speeches, it is clear that you are a man of great confidence. I was wondering how are you able to put forward ideas, questions, and general conversation to those around you with acquaintances and strangers with confidence. I started watching PragerU at 12 years of age when I was first forming my political opinions. Over the years, you and PragerU have made an illogical world comprehensible. That's beautiful. Having watched every fireside chat, now what are we up to, 200? 17. Over the past few months, you have entirely convinced me into agnosticism, gratitude, and optimism in contrast to my prior pessimistic atheism. I am eternally thankful for the work you, your crew, staff, and company do for the world. God bless you. Well, I got to tell you, Tom, that responses like that give me tremendous strength to keep going. It means the world to me. So I'll tell you about the confidence. I'm very open, as many of you would know. I should maybe talk about once the issue of openness and why I'm not afraid about opening up in general. People are fearful. That's what keeps them from opening up. So yes, so here's a great, you will love this story on my confidence. I began lecturing at the age of 21, which is crazy. I mean, who lectures at 21? You got to have an audience. Why would any 21-year-old have an audience? But my life has been unique in so many ways. And I was sent to the Soviet Union, came back to America, began lecturing. Why I was sent to the Soviet Union is itself a story. Anyway, I began lecturing at a very young age. I was about 24 while I was still living in New York. I came to California when I was 25, 26, one of the two. And my father called me one night. My father never called me before that and never called me after that. And he lived till 96. It's his view that kids call parents. Parents don't call their kids, which is fine. I had no issue with it. He never said that, but that was his view. So he called me, and I actually, I remember saying, I remember saying, is everything okay? Is mom okay? I thought he was calling me to say mom had a heart attack. My father calling me out of nowhere? No, everything's okay. So I was quite open. I said, why are you calling me? And he said, I just want you to know, I went to your lecture yesterday. I'd given a lecture at some hotel, and I didn't even know he was there. I don't know how that's possible, because I do look at the audience. But anyway, I didn't remember that he was there. Or maybe I did remember, and we just never got to speak after, which is odd. So that's why I thought, it doesn't matter. I was at your lecture yesterday, and I have a question. I'm thinking, my father has a question? He goes, yeah. Where did you get your self-confidence? You certainly didn't get it from your mother or me. Which was one of the most honest statements my father had ever made to me. My parents did not praise me, virtually ever. And that's why he said that. You didn't get your confidence from us. Which was true. And I don't remember what I answered, but it's a very fair question, which you think you're puzzled in England? My father was puzzled. The man I grew up with, he didn't understand it. And so I have two answers. One is, I was born with it. I take little credit, I'm only grateful. I just want you to note, everybody is born with traits. Good ones and bad ones. Every one of us. I was born with bad traits. I'm intrinsically lazy. I'd rather play all day. Have a cigar, shoot the breeze with friends, check out the internet, my hobbies, anything. In other words, I want to do what I like, not what I have to do. I don't think I'm in the very tiny minority of humanity, but there are people like my producer, and the co-founder of PragerU, Alan Estrin. He is completely the opposite. He is very, very self-disciplined. He is the opposite of lazy. Now, what did I do? I conquered my laziness, not by ending my laziness, but by taking on so much work in life, I had no choice. That's what you have to do. You just have to behaviorally fight your crappy traits. But the confidence I had... Do you know, I've never said this publicly. My first lecture, I was 21. I had just gotten back from the Soviet Union. And I was invited in the synagogue that I grew up in by the rabbi to speak instead of the rabbi. It's a big honor in front of the whole congregation. I was nervous, terribly nervous. So this is really, this will move you. I'm very aware of my surroundings in terms of people, not new vases in the house. Just want to make that clear in case my wife sees this. So... Even 10-foot vases. Anyway, I remember thinking at about the 10-minute mark, they're so quiet. They were unnaturally quiet. There's always like a little din when the rabbi spoke. People whispering to each other or turning the pages of their prayer book to read because they're not interested. It was the silence of a funeral home. And I thought, wow, how did I elicit such silence? And that was the first time it occurred to me, I have this ability to draw attention, to be listened to. Anyway, and that radiated itself from a certain confidence. So can you gain confidence if you are not born with it? Absolutely. You can gain almost everything. You conquer it. That's what you do in life. Nothing succeeds like success. I don't know if that's a British saying, but it's an American saying. Take on things, conquer them, and you'll gradually get confident. I think I could even speak of Alan as an example. Alan, with his magnificent self-discipline and mind and so on, he had never been a speaker. He was a writer. He taught writing at the American Film Institute. And he is now a terrific speaker. He now has confidence as a speaker. He didn't have confidence as a speaker. There would be no reason to. He never spoke. You do it, you work at it, you get good at it, you'll get confident at it. And that's the way you do everything in life. Some things we're born with, and most things we're not. And if you work at it, you may well get it. This was good. It was a good one to end on. Well, Otto walked out, in case you're just tuning in now, and I'll speak to him about that. Maybe he has a salary issue that he'd like to raise with me. He feels free to say what's on his mind. Okay, everybody, I'm Dennis Prager, and see you next week.