American society Quote by Dinesh D'Souza
““academic chair the following year. In his account of what happened, Lessing acknowledged he could do nothing to prevent being “shouted down, threatened and denigrated” by student activists. He was helpless, he said, “against the murderous bellowing of youngsters who accept no individual responsibilities but pose as spokesman for a group or an impersonal ideal, always talking in the royal ‘we’ while hurling personal insults . . . and claiming that everything is happening in the name of what’s true, good and beautiful.”11 This was fascism, German style, in the 1920s. In March 2017, the eminent political scientist Charles Murray—a former colleague of mine at the American Enterprise Institute—showed up to give a lecture on class divisions in American society at a progressive bastion, Middlebury College in Vermont. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside McCullough Student Center where Murray was scheduled to speak and engage in dialogue with Middlebury political scientist Allison Stanger. Murray is a libertarian who””
About This Quote
Source Book: The War on the West, Dinesh D'Souza, 2002
A critique of student activism that suppresses individual responsibility and uses collective rhetoric to attack dissenters.
In simple terms: Activists claim moral authority while silencing opposing views.
Recognize and protect free speech in academic settings.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- university campuses
- public debates
- policy discussions
- media analysis
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance free expression with accountability?
- What responsibilities do individuals have within groups?
The quote may overgeneralize student movements and ignore legitimate grievances.