Fireside Chat with Dennis Prager! Ep. 33 | Fireside Chat

hello everybody i'm dennis prager and welcome to my home this is actually my house it's not a set believe me if we turn the camera around you would know it's my home it's not have to set the books do not have enough place to go I think I own about 6,000 books and I you know I love books not just the content I actually love a book and I have since I was in high school it's like a repository of hopefully wisdom anyway just thinking out loud which is pretty much what I do for these fireside chats this is a chance just to have completely unrehearsed and spontaneous interaction and to give you an idea some of well some of the thoughts I have on the whole host of subjects hopefully holding your interest I'm here with my trusty cigar which I alternate social smoke a pipe I have my dad who passed away at 96 I know I don't think I ever mentioned this do you know what I took a lot a lot of people like to have their their dad's watch you know where their their mother's jewelry or whatever the whatever it is totally understandable and you know what I took I took my dad's last five cigars and I really I treasure them because I so identify him with cigar smoking he he he smoked the few a day you know and I wouldn't be surprised if under cause of death they might have written secondhand smoke which I hope you understand how hilarious and absurd that would be he was 96 the cause of death was being 96 and smoked by the way they asked the guys was the Dallas Morning News I don't remember if I mentioned this to you and if I did forgive me and I even tweeted it out I was so impressed by it this one of the oldest if not the oldest man in America is a hundred 111 I believe it is he's in Texas he's a veteran of think was he a veteran of World War one I think so is that possible 100 yeah it's possible but anyway they asked him as everybody does you know so what's your secret to longevity and he said I always give the same answer God and cigars and that's why I tweeted it out because if he's right I'm gonna be here for a long time and I am into God as you know and into cigars anyway welcome to my home no I tried to open up with something on my mind and since there's always something on my mind that's not hard but I promised I would talk about this Carina reminded me bless her soul even though she's working on a coup d'etat Prager you nevertheless I I still take her word for it anyway she said that I would tell you some of my thoughts on in college not that colleges have too often in fact most of the time changed from places of learning to plague places of indoctrination that I've spoken about I want to talk about something else how important is college and there are two issues how important is college and how important is which college those are two separate issues so I'll deal with the first one first how important is college and the answer is it's as important as you make it in other words if you really learn if you can really learn things that and not get indoctrinated but really learned then it's a wonderful thing learning is a great thing there's no question about it but a lot of people don't learn at college they spend four years alternating between being indoctrinated like Gender Studies and Gender Studies has become a really an anti-intellectual a field of study if I hear somebody has a BA let alone a PhD in Gender Studies I assume they don't think clearly I'm obviously willing to go on record saying that I'm sure that there are a few people who do is always exceptions in life there are always exceptions but it's it's it's not it's it's not a serious field I mean anybody who tells you there's more than two genders is not a serious person okay it's just it's phony it's a fraud it's nonsense it's drivel I know that some people can identify as the opposite sex it's called gender dysphoria it's a tragic condition we have to hug these people love these people that's a separate issue but that doesn't deny that there are just two sexes or two genders either either word you want to use anyway so should you go to college some people should some people shouldn't but I'll tell you this if somebody applies to work for me I don't care if they went to college or not it has no impact and I beg all of you who employ stop this nonsense that you have to have a college degree to work for you now obviously if you are in the Natural Sciences or in law they you you have to ascertain if they have a body of knowledge I understand that clearly but for most jobs what what is the use of a college education what no no not what is the use what is the necessity of a college education employers are a big part of the problem in a male college educate college degree required why I want you have to explain why would you require that what if the person is industrious honest hard-working isn't that what you want in somebody who works for you they have a BA in theater and and and you run a beer company well what good is that I'm not against BA in theatre I just don't know what that has to do with you running to be your bottling company and or soda bottling company and you say college degree required what for so that's a big part of that problem in fact I really do believe what I'm about to tell you is is probably going to sound odd at first but I mean it sincerely many most young Americans or young young Germans or or young Paraguayans if they watched all of the over how many do we now have I know over 300 how many Praeger you videos are we approaching 400 are we at 350 does anybody know all right let's say 350 if somebody watched all 350 videos watch them a few times they're very dense they're fascinating and fun and entertaining but they're dense they have a lot of things in 750 words which is the average length and did the readings that accompany those those people will have more wisdom and in many cases more knowledge than if they got a BA at college all right just I just want you to understand how I approach that now the second part is more important because it's more that's not more important it's equally important but a lot of people have not thought this through and that is how important is which college you go to I know young people who are raised from kindergarten may be preschool to think of the following what Elementary School will I go to what high school will I go to what college will I go to what graduate school will I go to this becomes the meaning and the goals of their lives it is a terrible mistake on the part of parents it's a mistake for a number of reasons reason number one is what happens after you graduate your final either be a masters or PhD if your meaning in life has always been get good grades in order to get into a pristine is college high school graduate school what is your meaning in life afterwards it's almost as if you you look around it okay now what okay I'm 21 or 25 28 now what it's a terrible way to raise a child but the great goal of your life is to get into a prestigious high school college graduate school because that's not what the meaning of life is about you're supposed to be a good person make a good family work hard contribute to society have friends touch people's lives those are goals not I got to get into and then and then you name the place the second reason it's its it shouldn't be that important which college you go to is ultimately it's not that important let me I have to address this okay so let me give you an example from my own life I have been doing a radio show for almost 35 years it's been national for 20 and was in Los Angeles the first 15 it's a very large market obviously it's the second largest they call market listenership in the country New York areas first and I have been doing talk shows like that whole time so people have been able to always call in I have been asked you can't imagine I've been asked just about everything as you can imagine and in my emails and I have literally over a million emails I have never been asked one question you know what it is what college did I go to that amazing 35 years millions of listeners million emails 10,000 people I guess have called into the show and and by the way I have hours where people called in on anything but nobody ever asked me you know why they don't ask they don't care it doesn't mean a damn thing now remember I am offering opinions on everything from North and South Korea to the Middle East to health care in America too you name whatever the issue is I have a show on men and women every an hour every week the male-female hour I I've written a book on happiness I have a happiness hour so you'd think somebody said well I don't know if I want to listen to him where did he go to college or graduate school but it doesn't happen I either earn people's respect or I don't earn people's respect either they care to know my opinion or they don't care to know my opinion but it's never rooted in oh well he went to or he didn't go to now I don't deny that if you want to go to if you want to a job with the prestigious law firm and make a lot of money right out of Law School it's better to go to Harvard Law than an unknown law school I live in the real world I know that I also know though that unless that's your great goal in life make a lot of money immediately after college it doesn't matter in the long run the quality lawyer who went to an unknown law school is going to be a quality lawyer and make as much money as he or she wants quality generally rises to the top not always generally it'll take longer I agree with you you have a hit you have it you have a head start if you went to Harvard Law Yale Law Stanford Law I understand that okay so what so if that's what you're gonna devote your life to or you parents that's how you are going to assess the worth of your parenthood oh my child went to or is going to that's that this that doesn't move me I want to know your kids values not your kids college okay so I just wanted to say that because it's wildly over some of the best kids I know are at Community College's period honest terrific hard-working they're not filled with themselves they're not arrogant they'll do great okay we good guys are we ready to take questions here yeah everybody happy all right oh why away I didn't even mention where I went to die even now people aren't curious should it's not important to say okay uh here we go all right begin with Holden nineteen years old in San Diego I'm in the Navy thank you sir do you think more young people should consider the military's an option after high school oh my god how do I say yes more emphatically da came again see we numb I think that exhausts my yeses let me say yes in Korean yes Nick Nick you have to move the head when you do that I thought so Nick okay it's terrific of course it's great what are you kidding let me ask you something who doesn't think that all things being equal four years at college four years military both went and from high school directly either at the college or the military who's gonna come out more mature who's it to come out with with more leadership skills okay it's it's a rhetorical question next m-matt 37 Murrieta California where's Murrieta huh down south near San Diego on the opening page of your excellent book the rational Bible you talk about honor can you please enlighten me on the difference between honor and respect I was raised with the understanding that respect was for the position that one held while honor was for the person themselves thank you I don't know if there's a big difference I when I when I use honor I'm talking about honor your parents for example and I open up my book and I cannot urge you strongly enough to read it it just came out it's now a month it's been a national bestseller I can't believe it is frankly and I have high regard for what I write but I never thought that a commentary on a 500 page commentary on one book of the Bible would would be a national bestseller I think there's a yearning in America to add to have to get in touch with the the eternal with wisdom and there's nothing nothing that approaches the wisdom of the Bible it's the foundational book of Western civilization so I try to explain why because a lot of even religious people they open it up and again and their eyes glaze over but I explain its relevance it's called the rationale Bible and it's the first volume of my five volume work the first five volumes of the Bible known as the Torah this is the Exodus and I speak I open up my introduction saying the following when I was in my early 20s late teens I had my issues with I had issues with my parents I mean most young people do and I never ever ever acted in a disrespectful way not to my parents and there was a reason and the reason was not love it was because I believed that God himself had instructed honor your father and your mother one of the Ten Commandments and that was that's pretty big if you believe God instructs you that's heavy duty stuff it's a perfect example of where God makes a difference I an eye I was constantly in touch with my parents I didn't call them every week of my life because I want to call them every week of my life there was times when I certainly did I called them every week of my life because of the commandment honor your father and mother and I knew how important it was for them to hear from me and I did that from the day I left my parents home when I was 21 years of age so my parents died at 89 and 96 respectively so that's where the honor honor issue comes in the rationale Bible's the name of the book and thank you for reading it okay next Morgan in now it has a last name don't like do I give last name though right 21 Boca Raton Florida I know Boca real well in the preggers forest Morgan thank you for your force Praeger forces to Prager University people who are have a special role on college and high school campuses how many do we have now about 1500 it's is that about right now that's that's great that's great and I meet these people and I you give me optimism for America I'm graduating in two days okay I'm graduating not in two days I'm graduating in today I'm graduating in Todd I'm graduating with this keeps changing your question keeps changing Morgan but I'm just giving Carina or time I'm graduating with my bachelor's degree what is the one piece of advice you wish you had been given after you graduated college well that's a I've never been it's never been asked to me that way a lot of times like take a look by the way folks I get I spoke at the University of wisconsin-madison last week and I every young person should watch this it's it's it's what I would like you to know about life and it's it's up on the internet it's the universe Dennis Prager University of Wisconsin and so I could tell you what I'd like you to know what advice what advice should I have gotten that's a good one I got a lot of good advice because I there were wise people in my life and I I was Bible centered then too I thought it was the greatest book so I don't know the answer exactly what should have been told to me I I was a very free spirit and I believed the world was opened if I would if I would grab it I knew how lucky I was to be an American I knew that from a very young age and so I knew that this this these opportunities of Liberty to travel anywhere I wanted for and so cheap I had no money but I would make some money teaching and then I'd spend it traveling and I have ultimately gone abroad every year since I was 21 and since I was 20 and I've been to 130 countries I had a big goal in my life and a lot of goals and I've been able to live most of them I'm very very lucky and one of them was I wanted to see every place but I hadn't been a very specific formula in my brain I didn't want to hear the name of a country and have no picture of what life was like there you know like in a news story well will following happen in England or the following happened in Uruguay but and there obviously still countries haven't been through but it's it's a wonderful feeling to have that so I don't I don't know I don't know what should have been told to me that was not was not told to me at that age I'm not saying I knew everything at 21 in fact I knew I didn't that's why I was against though I was very opposed to lowering the voting age to 18 I told my girlfriend at the time why are they giving me the vote I don't know anything there was about 20 at the time all right Ethan I'll tell you this but if I change your question to what I would tell you you have to fight your nature not fight America big difference in religious education and secular education in a religious school you learn that you have to fight yourself everywhere else you talk more or less you have to fight America America is not perfect but we're really imperfect you have to spend your life fighting your nature then you'll be a good person I don't know how many people want to be a good person you talk about that more for that time do people really want to be good I know they want to be successful they want to be happy I don't know if they want to be good they'd like to be better how important it is Ethan nineteen San Luis Obispo California last question do you believe that 18 year olds should receive all the perks benefits and responsibilities of being an adult we are expected to act like adults and have all the burdens of adulthood such as the draft jury duty trial as an adult however we do not receive many of the benefits of being an adult buying alcohol or handguns well first of all in my tradition Judaism you're supposed to act like an adult from 13 forget 18 at 13 it's called the Bar Mitzvah you are as for all intents and purposes the community regards you as much as an adult in terms of your personal responsibilities as if you were 50 say it's a it's a it's important we have deferred the age of personal responsibility I actually however I don't think that I would like to make a trade I've mentioned this I think on one of these broadcasts I would make a trade with the with those who want more restrictions on guns let's let's up the age of ownership to 21 and up the age of voting to 21 if you can't responsibly hold a gun you can't responsibly vote I don't know why they they're not similar if you don't know not to shoot innocent people why the hell should you be allowed to vote I've never heard a good answer to that one so that's the DL I would make let's up the voting age to 21 and let's up the gun buying age to 21 but you should regard yourself whether or not you're allowed to buy alcohol or guns you have to regard yourself as a responsible adults from the young age III don't think eight-year-olds should think that they're irresponsible but they can be irresponsible all right everybody so I'll see you next week by the way I talk about a lot of different things on these fireside chats so you might want to look up old ones and they're not really time bound even if I talk about something in the news I try to make it relevant for a long time thanks for watching I'm Dennis Prager see you next week you