350. The Risks of a Deteriorating Democracy feat. Victor Davis Hanson

Is democracy and the idea of citizenship deteriorating because of the state of our country’s education system?
Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He’s written more than 25 books in the realm of classics, military history, and the American political system. His latest book, The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America, explores what it means to be an American.
Victor and Greg discuss the modern threats to citizenship, the disappearing middle class, and how America’s education system may be exacerbating the problem.
unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.

[@ironbridge2451]

Can't listen enough to Victor and Thomas Sowell!

[@francesnance9110]

I could listen to VDH all day. He is brilliant. I wish that more people would pay attention to his genius account of history, and the trajectory that we are on now...to our demise...

[@Politicallyhomeless957]

I bought like seven of VDH’s books so I can lol 😂 totally agree. Cheers 🍻

[@dale1956ties]

Me too. Have binge watched more than once so I could, and have. 😉

[@hectorgarcia-ul1fs]

Loaremosrreprodusirsecomoelajoasicomoelarreprodusidolamaldademlascarseles

[@hectorgarcia-ul1fs]

Ueremoslibertadcomjusticiasocialnodictadores

[@charlesbyrd6055]

He is very bright, and I do like him, but he far too quickly throes by southern ancestry under the bus, and he falls into the trap of slavery and racism, propagated by whites as the original sin of Western civilization, which is a rabbit hole

[@bobhsohi704]

It sure is a pleasure to be able to tune in to Victor David Hanson want to learn as much about many things he's a brilliant man

[@RobertSherefkin]

😅😅😅😅

[@drglh66]

Terrific, VDH. THANK YOU

[@budpitsch1]

Thank you VDH for speaking with courage and clarity to the American public!

[@TTFN55]

Stellar information! Thanks Greg.

[@clairelivefreeordie2551]

​@@TTFN55...yes, I love the way you just let Victor speak. Great interview 👍

[@TTFN55]

@@clairelivefreeordie2551 - The New Hampshire state motto is the best in the U.S.! Live Free or Die!!

[@uhtredlundar8394]

Prof. Hanson's story of teaching Classics at Fresno was simply amazing - great interview, great questions!

[@99gypsies]

Yes, that was the part I liked best -- I could just listen to stories about that for 3 more hours.

[@milo8425]

The last powerful voice of the Classics. How did we let our foundation rot so completely?

[@sharonkowaleski1267]

It's evolving badly by WE THE PEOPLE-- pay attention to the REAL SCHOLARS LIKE VDH-' A COLLEGE DEGREE DOESN'T GIVE YOU A BRAIN! WHAT GIVES YOU SUCCESS is what you choose to apply your INTELLIGENCE TO,JUST KIKE ANY MAMMAL!!

[@anhumblemessengerofthelawo3858]

The left took over universities and institutions. And they teach that the right doesn't have the right to be heard. Very sinister indeed.

[@suntowers1178]

greed

[@robgrey6183]

Mexicans.

[@jgalt308]

Slowly at first and then all at once.

[@susanmaurillo8369]

Victor Davis Hanson is America’s National Treasure🇺🇸

[@tonyclifton2230]

He is far from it, a foolish warhalk.

[@kzoo4053]

Dr. Victor Davis Hanson’s comments are all true. I’m afraid the America as we know it will not survive the onslaught of the current “culture”.

[@suzannewilliams868]

VDH is a bright light. I appreciate his knowledge and wisdom.

[@stevehumphrey8626]

Thank you for such a thoughtful and deep discussion of these important issues. I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to hear these discussions! They are important. Just wonderful!!!

[@silentb2084]

And we don’t have to sink ourselves into 6-figure debt to learn in this format. 😊❤️🥹 I love it!!

[@oliveoil7642]

Have been following VDH for years . Such a treat to listen to a calm, intelligent and well researched individual!

[@user-wo6xk9kn5l]

God bless professor Hanson I just love him, grateful and respected him so much You going to laugh but I love to bring some good food 😊for him

[@johnbargiel9358]

VDH is a national treasure! God Bless him and his family!

[@jeremyfrechette6]

VDH is a true patriot.

[@tommythompsonsurfer]

godbless america..........good..bad...ulgy. the spirit is in america............run my life jesus!

[@shanedinapoli2240]

Brilliant analysis of what’s happening. A friend of mine in a senior surgical role in a major hospital is experiencing this as prime candidates are excluded because they’re white males. It’s also true in my profession as all of the focus is on marginalized groups, but in reality they are visible minorities and there’s an absence of discrimination on meritocracy or even acknowledgement of merit.

[@jobirbatti6713]

On your own turf, discriminated. This can only happen in Western democracy. They are taking their freedom and values for granted. That came with blood and hard work. They are giving it away for free, and they are passing a lot of trouble for the next generation.

[@drbobby111]

Few people possess the wisdom and insight of Victor Davis Hanson. If anyone belongs on the US Supreme Court Professor Hanson fits the bill!

[@jacobbuttrey5871]

Thank you so much for sharing. I'm so great full that we live in a time where discussions like this can be recorded and shared so easily. I look forward to my 7 year old son being able to listen and learn from men like yourselves. Victor is one of my greatest role models. I am one the middle class he so passionately talks abouts. Please keep sharing your thoughts and insights. They are so important to the success and healing of our nation. A simple thank you from this middle class 38 year old Montanian.

[@bill6511]

I am 68 yrs old. I am a US citizen. I have watched our democratic democracy function for many years. it wasnt perfect, but the 3 parts, executive-congress-judicial seemed balanced and worked more fairly than other forms of governments. Until. There was a senator named Bird. and as you might know he had the right to stop senate actions, by standing and keeping the floor. as long as he talked. nothing could be voted on. it was aa close to a veto power the senate had. but. one day. the other Senators felt sorry for Mr. Bird because he was old and sickly and could not stand for long times anymore. so. they changed the rules. the Bird rule. now. any senator wishing to hold up any action could simply write on a paper saying they were vetoing/stopping the action. it would require 60 votes to over-run that veto. suddenly. every senator had the same veto power as the president. we went from 1 president with executive veto power. to 101 presidents with veto powers. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHEN THIS COUNTRY WENT TO HELL. THIS IS IT.

[@jameshennighan8193]

You're spot on Bill with your observation. Only now they've decided to tinker with the 60 vote rule..... What The Founding Fathers put in place as protection for everyone no longer matters... Madness and corruption beyond belief....! James Hennighan Yorkshire, England

[@terry4137]

Great guest!

[@haldorasgirson9463]

I got my engineering degree in the 90's. I was in the last cohort at my college who took humanities and liberal arts classes. Every one after me took multi-cultural studies instead. I recall being grateful that I was able to take the classical studies that were focused on what was the best of our culture.

[@drclarifaerman8052]

It’s such a pleasure to experience the thinking and vocabulary of an American educated intellectual reflect on the era we are living in and how the past has influenced our present will affect our future! This is what hard work and a good education can accomplish.🌸 Thank you Professor Hanson!

[@keahilumho8914]

I love to listen and be enlightened by VDH. He is my favorite classicist and scholar. Sober knowledge and

[@gozimusable1]

I listen to his podcast like I eat my breakfast. Every morning

[@lindathomas2350]

This was more truth common sense and intelligence than I've heard in a very long time! Thank you so much!

[@Smiff1066]

A real American Victor David Hanson, thank you.

[@unitedstatesdale]

Why can't we have presidents like Victor ? Our country is a corpse

[@TTFN55]

Not quite a corpse but definitely on life support.

[@lorigearhardt2371]

John Kerry has focused on eliminating small farms. He has stated that small farms are THE biggest contributor to CO2, which is absurd apart from the whole premise. Small farms use far fewer chemical fertilizers per acre than Big Corporate Ag. Kerry's patent aggression as he expresses this sentiment lights up his eyes, it is very alarming.

[@orsoncart802]

I could listen to the excellent VDH for hours, days! More power to him! 👍👍👍 P.S. And I’m English, not American, with purely a maths/physics background, but I did have unhappy years of forced Latin at school six decades ago. 😁

[@thomasbradley2225]

vae victus veritas.

[@orsoncart802]

@@thomasbradley2225I hope not! 😁

[@justindominic2083]

F'n Awesome! ❤❤❤VDH 4 PREZ

[@brilliantblue4366]

Amen! You used great descriptions. So incredibly true. Thank you for your post. God bless you and God bless President Trump!

[@ceciliaeguilos5748]

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ITS PATRIOTIC CITIZENS. MOST ESPECALLY PRES. TRUMP AND HIS FAMILY FOR MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN AND SPREAD LOVE NOT WAR IN THIS PLANET.

[@richardscathouse]

The way he blessed Gaza

[@jaysphilosophy1951]

I just watched The Odyssey last night. It was amazing. It's a picture that can be remade better with todays technology but doesn't seem to be on the minds of most people these days. In fact, most people don't even know what the Odyssey is.

[@sharonmiller1845]

I love this. ❤ I’m an elementary Latin teacher, and I often tell my students they think they’re taking Latin, but their parents really signed them up for a second English grammar class.

[@danf7568]

VDH effectively reflects the value of his intelligence and his political thoughts and opinions regarding the USA and our citizenship.

[@sylviajamison2919]

We don't have a democracy we have a REPUBLIC!

[@peppolobuondelmonte]

You want it to be one way: but it's the other way. "Among those who have earned special praise by devising a constitution of this nature, was Lycurgus, who so framed the laws of Sparta as to assign their proper functions to kings, nobles, and commons; and in this way established a government, which, to his great glory and to the peace and tranquility of his country, lasted for more than eight hundred years. The contrary, however, happened in the case of Solon; who by the turn he gave to the institutions of Athens, created there a purely democratic government, of such brief duration, that he himself lived to witness the beginning of the despotism of Pisistratus. And although, forty years later, the heirs of Pisistratus were driven out, and Athens recovered her freedom, nevertheless because she reverted to the same form government as had been established by Solon, she could maintain it for only a hundred years more; for though to preserve it, many ordinances were passed for repressing the ambition of the great and the turbulence of the people, against which Solon had not provided, still, since neither the monarchic nor the aristocratic element was given a place in her constitution, Athens, as compared with Sparta, had but a short life." -Machiavelli, Niccolo "Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius"* Chapter. II-Of the various types of Government; and to which the Roman Commonwealth belonged *aka "The Prince" unabridged

[@loudawg25]

If i had a cabinet VDH and Douglas Murray would be in it.

[@robertpraegitzer4362]

Outstanding

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

Love VDH. Our farmer scholar

[@11spiritwarrior]

That was a very fair assessment of Trump given by VDH. In fact, the best most accurate description I’ve heard.

[@patiencefalters9024]

God bless him.

[@Princessmmviii]

Those who do not KNOW HISTORY ARE DOOMED.

[@agiantpear7744]

I'm dying for someone to have a conversation with VDH about his cap. I'm already fascinated by the idea. I hope it happens one day.

[@Pops2]

GAR Bennett does work that is very important for water conservation in California. VDH is probably their most famous billboard.😅

[@jimsjacob]

VDH speaks, I listen. Dem's da rules!

[@cherylnagy126]

the application of History to contemporary affairs. Go! Professor Hanson! right 👍 on

[@issiahbernaiche6897]

Loved this interview. I own the dying the Citizen and today finished a Hillsdale Course with Hanson on the American citizen. I will state only one thing, and not to be in annoyance. In your title you state the "Deteriorating Democracy." Yet our founders such as John Adams, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton does clearly state that our nation is a Constitutional Republic. As it is written in our Federalist papers and the differences between a Republic and Democracy.

[@Charlie-uz6sk]

Refreshing intelligent perspectives on our current society. I would like him to author a book, his 25th?, on free speech here in America and how journalism v. far left, liberal media bias for ratings entertainment is brainwashing all of us, in fact, replacing university education.

[@genege6301]

I can listen to him none stop

[@avi8terrfwg317]

Love VDH. Always enjoy his discussions.

[@brucemcleod6300]

I bet if Victor were to be asked what his most significant accomplishment in life was, he would say saving the homestead and house his grandfather built.

[@angusorvid8840]

At 19:00 VDH mentions how white parents complain about their children being denied entry into Princeton, Stanford, Harvard and other top institutions despite having an excellent SAT score because of affirmative action policies practiced by these institutions. It reminds me of my foolish liberal uncle and his wife complaining that their son was also denied entry from top tier schools despite his high grades because he did not check the right "diversity" boxes. Keep in mind my uncle and his wife are good knee-jerk liberals who would always vocally support affirmative action and "diversity" and every leftwing cause du jour under the sun. On one hand I wanted to say "Told ya so" but I felt so bad for them learning the truth the hard way that I kept my mouth shut. They already knew where I stood. I was on the outs with them for years just for being a Republican. I felt bad for my cousin who ended up at a second-rate college which limited his options for grad school. He's now a history professor but keeps his politics away from his coworkers, but he votes GOP now.

[@ghostlyimageoffear6210]

I would have opened my mouth. One of the problems of the right is that we're too nice, too polite.

[@user-wm7bv9ev3d]

Unity is when everybody thinks together. Uniformity everybody thinks alike(which is bad) What we want is Unity.

[@williambiniak9090]

I wanted to say i really enjoyed your current program you a victor clearly layed out the state of affaires in education i know this was done couple months ago i can only hope that you see my input and relize i an my friends an club brothers find you very objective and with your show it was totally comprehended by your average adult that compleated 10th grade thank you

[@scottclemens9245]

More Americans need to hear this.

[@tonyclifton2230]

Best to listen to this guy on mute.

[@FredCarver]

Love to hear this gentleman speak on the far left Canadian politics

[@darbyohara]

It would be nice if VDH would outline some solutions or ideas on how to create a citizen based framework in todays American experience. Then contrast it to successful citizen based republics of the past and the risk associated with too liberal of the application of citizenship

[@johnhale3210]

We all know the solution. VDH can’t voice it publicly any more than you or I can.

[@jacobbuttrey5871]

He did in his book. The dieing citizen.

[@TTFN55]

Return to the precepts of the U.S. Constitution. He has said and written it over and over again.

[@charlesbyrd6055]

That last ten minutes was unseemly snobbery Shamey on you both but especially on LeBlanc

[@kathiefleming2830]

How did our prime universities become so anti American?

[@skeletor9121]

Socialism at its finest.

[@scottclemens9245]

I think its elite preservation.. Were broke so collapse the system instead of fixing it..watch a congressional hearing..it will answer your question..where there's a need there's a right..its elitist globalist sociolism.thing is, it will only work until the money at runs out. Oops too late.

[@dvg4104]

Egalitarian liberalism is cultural poison.

[@fatbottombracket]

Silicon Valley is the new Oligarchs and with their money they get what they want from the weak politicians that are protected by armed guards.

[@skinpalette]

VDH is the man

[@colinumphryes6699]

Thank You Victor

[@markhamburger5587]

Cool hat, Victor!

[@richardsheehan6983]

Very good.. True and vital.

[@user-wm7bv9ev3d]

A Large Middle Class needs to be maintained for Democracy to work properly.

[@bobsturgess1796]

Great commentary

[@shannonelam4994]

Lord God Almighty please forgive our nation for allowing our schools to be taken over to teach evil hatred.

[@stevenhanson6057]

Don’t blame our nation. What about the pinko commies?

[@johnsteinman5496]

Big difference between a ..RESIDENT ..& …a CITIZEN😡😡😡‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@michaela.abbott222]

Arrived here via the algorithm. Subbed. Never viewed an interview with VDH that was disappointing. We’ll see…

[@jimparker7778]

The notion that centralized government can handle all challenges was thoroughly trashed by the covid19 disaster. Millions of American families were stripped of considerable wealth and well being as a direct result of forced closures. Public employees continued to receive pay and benefits, while the self-employed and those employed in small business were ignored.

[@nuk-my6fo]

This guy is so cool. The hat is awesome!

[@DavidMccallister65]

I'm shocked to hear Victor say that he would have no problem with John Kerry going after and shutting down generational farms as long as he goes after the new coal plants in China as well... smh I don't give a rip what he does in China or anywhere else; leave farmers alone! He has no right whatsoever to go after family farms.

[@loudawg25]

Well I guess that settles it.

[@darbyohara]

Remove all the special treatment and subsidies. For everyone. Stop bailing out failure or picking winners/losers

[@ceecee6679]

His use of sarcasm is brilliantly subtle.

[@DavidMccallister65]

@@ceecee6679 yes I understand it but I don't think half of the audience or more does and I hate the way he leaves it laying that way.

[@donjeep1937]

Dr Hanson really does have a sense of humor.

[@michaelbisceglia9154]

Humans do not learn from mistakes over time

[@falcon5467]

"The End of Everything". Wow, what a title for a final (?) book.

[@CertifiedTruthTV]

Salute VDH ❤

[@tommythompsonsurfer]

godbless america and all good p eople!!!!

[@GrimsBar]

Amazing

[@sscalercourtney5486]

Chicken Little was going along quite nicely. It was a sunny warm day and other chickens were being nice to him and he had plenty to eat. But something fell on his head. He looked up and saw nothing but the pain in his head was real. He began screaming over and over, "The Sky is falling. The Sky is falling. Soon most of the chickens in the coop were running in circles with Chicken Little screaming the sky is falling. But one wise Professor chicken said, "Well this is the possible end of all chickenkind Look how everyone is running in circles." And soon all the chickens had heart attacks from running so much and suffering so much stress from knowing the Sky was falling, they all died from bumping into each other hard. And the wise Professor Chicken said, "I told you so."

[@epwlod777]

Vdh is incredible

[@craigmiller-randle8921]

Maturity on multiple levels comes from learning through suffering & experience. The more a culture, through advancement, reduces suffering the less mature & wise in the context of that society, its citizens become. Its the sad irony and inherent contradiction of successful cultures and explains the curve of zenith to nadir experienced by numerous societies throughout history.

[@F4R4D4Y]

My grandfather was in favor of FDR's (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) policies. My grandfather wasn't concerned about FDR's class. When I was in college, the curriculum still included class. That was 20 years ago. Things are rapidly changing. Perhaps we're headed for societal collapse in America. Interesting conversation.

[@yanah.965]

The people who buy into woke, critical theory are very tricky, because I’ve heard a few of them talk about “civics classes”, but they aren’t talking about traditional, civics, citizenship and government classes like we would normally and traditionally consider them. No they’re talking about pure indoctrination into woke ideology and tribalism ideology when they start to describe what their notion of “civics” is.

[@6663000]

VDH is the wisest man in the world.

[@Ruouiji]

Our system requires citizenship of our citizenry! Our freedoms and liberties are not here for the picking,. So why is this not being enforced !?

[@onlyweknow2]

I like that VDH give me some idea of what's comming.

[@user-wm7bv9ev3d]

There was a clear distinction between good and bad, in the western frontier movies.

[@user-wm7bv9ev3d]

Trivium: Grammer, Logic and Rethoric.

[@JothamTheYoungest]

Victor is elite amongst his constituents. I admire his analysis capabilities. I wonder if Victor is disappointed that Trump has, and is, battling the dark forces in society at a level he may wish he could.

[@bradbarnes1839]

It's rational for spiteful mutants to band together to extract resources from the productive and successful.

[@ramblinrog2767]

Victor for President please.

[@theresalee108]

Interesting. How one can focus 100% on one topic yet explain it so clearly to understand. I remember Ellis Island and the melting pot. That part of Americas history is interesting.

[@user-wm7bv9ev3d]

Perhaps IT guys could use more Classics books and Education.

[@user-uu2dz2ze7i]

Dr Hansen, you opined that one cannot know what a nominative or an accusative is in Greek, without first knowing what a subject and direct object is in English. And while I may have had a tacit knowledge of both of the English equivalents, I did not understand English until I learned Greek; for there I had to not only know but understand the cases and verb structures in the Greek, e.g., in order to translate Greek into English, whereby I learned English, as well. And so, I am not disagreeing with you as much as wondering your thoughts on this.

[@devonharrison7124]

"Self appointed utopians" VDH nails "it" again...

[@Ottorockz]

Love the larger than life bill on that hat... 😂

[@wwindwwalker3536]

They should be made to become a Legal Citizen BEFORE they can get benefits, vote or hold any type of political position on Any level.

[@kevinng1702]

I concur…or they should serve in military or public service at least 24 months…before they can get US citizen…like me, I served 9 years in US Navy, deployed to Afghanistan…and did work 4 years in Naval Hospital….I can now say I am American…period….

[@counselorscouch1013]

Love VDH - a necessary voice for America. Thanks for posting this interview!

[@richardscathouse]

You can have him

[@escapefelicity2913]

I'm glad Trump talked about bringing troops home & securing our borders. Too bad he didn't do it.

[@paulrupp9321]

Why do we see 2 or more American flags behind a speaker instead of 1? What does this say?

[@scottclemens9245]

Read “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It’s four pages. The idea is: “As long as it’s not me.”

[@artworkbyjeff]

Someone screwed up the sound

[@cybertase2054]

Can a government assess or regulate human emotion? or does that fall in the domain of citizen responsibility?

[@michaels33]

I am always chagrined to hear someone refer to President Trump as uneducated in liberal thought, without explaining to me the contrast to the deep understanding and rich liberal education of Biden, Hillary, Pelosi, Schumer, Bush, McCain, etc. At best the latter are ignorant fools who went to a trade school to learn law or business. Biden, Bush and McCain were very low ranked in even those courses. So why do you (interviewer) insist Trump is somehow unique in that regard among any political leader since at least Gingrich?

[@kennethbrown6553]

Our model: Constitutional Republic