Devin Nassar-Reis
Stories (7/0)
Is Fascism An Ideal Of The Right Or The Left?
Nowadays, you can be called a fascist for just about anything that you say that is in favor of the Republican party. If you say that you voted for Donald Trump to a classmate or that you agree with stricter immigration policies to a colleague casually, chances are that you will be called a fascist. Since the 1970's, everyone from former president Richard Nixon to the late Arizona senator John McCain has been labeled a fascist because of their party affiliation. But do the people that call you that actually know what they are talking about? The answer to that is most likely a big, fat "no." So here's a history lesson. Who conceptualized this horrific ideology? "His name is Giovanni Gentile. Born in 1875, he was one of the most influential philosophers of the first half of the twentieth century. Gentile believed that there were two 'diametrically opposed' types of democracy. One is liberal democracy, such as the United States, which Gentile dismisses as individualistic-too centered on liberty and personal rights-and therefore selfish. The other, the one Gentile recommends, is 'true democracy', in which individuals willingly subordinate themselves to the state.", author Dinesh D'Souza states in a 2017 video for Prager University, titled "Is Fascism Right Or Left?". So what was Gentile's ultimate goal? D'Souza also states, "Like his philosophical mentor, Karl Marx, Gentile wanted to create a community that resembles the family, a community where we are 'all in this together.' It's easy to see the attraction to the idea. ... It was another Italian man, Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1945, who turned Gentile's words into action. In his Dottrina del Fascismo, Mussolini wrote, 'All is in the state and nothing human exists or has value outside the state.' He was merely paraphrasing Gentile." So what does this have to do with the right or the left? The answer might actually surprise you. Gentile was actually a leftist. D'Souza supports and concludes this argument with, "The Italian philosopher is now lost in obscurity, but his philosophy could not be more relevant because it closely parallels that of the modern left. Gentile’s work speaks directly to progressives who champion the centralized state. Here in America, the left has vastly expanded state control over the private sector, from healthcare to banking; from education to energy. This state-directed capitalism is precisely what German and Italian fascists implemented in the 1930's." (Source: Prager University, "Is Fascism Right Or Left?", Dinesh D'Souza, December 4, 2017, https://www.prageru.com/video/is-fascism-right-or-left/) Contrary to what the media portrays, fascism is a leftist idea. From the anti-Semitic rhetoric by leftist government officials to indoctrination on university campuses, Gentile's infamous ideas didn't go away. They evolved in ways that are not only easy to disguise, but easy to adopt by people who can't think for themselves.
By Devin Nassar-Reis4 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Mainstream Media, Conservative Women Deserve Respect Too.
It's no secret that women can do anything. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice, serving from 1981 until 2006. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was elected the president of the Republic of Croatia in 2015, and she still holds office four years later. Kersti Kaljulaid has been the Prime Minister of Estonia since 2016. Katrin Jakobsdottir became the Prime Minister of Iceland in 2017. Zuzana Capitova was elected as Slovakia's first-ever female president this past March, according to Far And Wide. Although they might be from different completely different countries, all of these women have one thing in common. They have been very public about their conservative views. All of these women have made remarkable strides in history, as they have proven that conservative women can and will achieve anything that their political counterparts can. (Source: Far and Wide, Lists, "Countries Where women Are In Charge", Katherine Gallagher, June 18, 2019, https://www.farandwide.com/s/countries-with-powerful-female-leaders-68152c4b7e6c462e) Unfortunately, it hasn't been an easy ride for American women who think that way. Conservative women are being unfairly silenced, and that is seriously not okay. Heather Higgins, chairwoman of Independent Women's Forum describes it this way in a video for Prager University: "We hear a lot about 'the year of the woman', 'the women's march', and 'the war on women.' But if the mainstream media- the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, CBS, and others-were more interested in accuracy than advocacy, it would be that they are promoting 'the year of the leftist woman' or 'the leftist women's march.'" Higgins' argument is quite accurate, because conservative women are not just ignored by the left, but unfairly smeared and disrespected. If the leftist media is truly out to smear right-leaning women, what are their tactics? The tactics used by the mainstream media are quite familiar. Higgins adds, "They use three strategies. The first is: Omission. If you don't see something, you don't have to deal with it. Open up a glossy magazine. Every liberal woman is glamorized. Stylishly dressed, beautifully photographed, their personal stories are almost always an inspirational version of Joan of Arc: they have overcome overwhelming obstacles to make the world a more compassionate and tolerant place. Glamour magazine recognized eleven Democrat women among their 2018 Women of the Year. No Republican made the cut. Every now and again, the major media will do a story about a female conservative to 'balance things out.' But, let's be honest, it's not balance – it's tokenism. The second strategy the media uses to diminish conservative women is mocking: Making fun of a woman's appearance discounts what she says. You would think the major media would resist this kind of objectification. But they don't. Not if the target is a conservative woman. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, and Kellyanne Conway, the first woman to run a winning presidential campaign, are routinely belittled for their hair, their eye makeup, or their weight. Their significant accomplishments, in contrast, are rarely acknowledged. Why? Because the media doesn't like their boss. And it treats women who work for him as traitors to their sex. The third strategy the media uses to demean conservative women is labeling: Using stereotypes precludes there being a valid reason for conservative women to hold the positions they do. The major media simply can't accept that conservatives have serious and important reasons for their beliefs. So they have to come up with answers to explain this seeming anomaly to themselves: these women must be racist or self-hating or just weak-minded. Here's how Barbra Streisand put it to the Daily Mail in England: 'A lot of women vote the way their husbands vote; they don't believe enough in their own thoughts.' Labeling, like the strategies of mocking or omission, is just another way to display contempt and demonize conservative women. Its purpose is to persuade you to not treat those being labeled with respect, to ignore their ideas, and to even avoid associating with them." This bully behavior sounds straight out of the 2004 smash-hit movie Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Liz Caplan, but it's all too real. The bullying and mistreatment of conservative women by the media has gone on long enough. What can you do to help make things right? Higgins concludes with this strategy, saying, "So if you hold conservative views, you have a particularly important role to play. You need to speak out – to your friends, your family, and your co-workers. Let them hear your thinking. And then let them make up their own minds. The media may pretend you don't exist; they may even mock or label you. They want to intimidate you into silence. That's not fair, and that's not right. Don't let them." Source: Prager University, "Who Does The Media Want To Silence?", Heather Higgins, June 10, 2019, https://www.prageru.com/video/who-does-the-media-most-want-to-silence/) Media bias is already a serious issue, and the mistreatment of conservative women just makes it more of an issue. It's hypocritical, cruel, and plan unfair. The conservative woman deserves just as much respect as the liberal.
By Devin Nassar-Reis4 years ago in The Swamp
Gun Control Sounds Good in Theory, But It's Really Not
One year and three months ago, the Marjorie Stonemann Douglas High School massacre took place in Parkland, Florida, killing seventeen people and injuring seventeen more. The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was formally charged with seventeen counts of premeditated murder. Not long afterwards, government control over the ownership of firearms has been one of the most highly debated topics through the leftist media; the idea of gun control legislation was well-received, and even demanded by the public. Like any concept, there was reasonable opposition. The truth is, control over firearm ownership would have disastrous results.
By Devin Nassar-Reis5 years ago in The Swamp
The Death Penalty Is Not Hypocrisy, It's Justice
The idea of punishment by death in cases of murder is not one of the newest forms of criminal justice. In fact, lawmakers have been sentencing people to death since the early 19th century B.C.E. in ancient Babylon, now modern-day Iraq. Death as a form of penalization for murder was even featured in the Code of Hammurabi, which is regarded as the first set of formal laws. Many other civilizations followed a suit, and many modern countries still use execution as punishment for capital crimes. Capital punishment is one of the most divisive topics, if anything. While a majority of individuals view it as justice, just as many view it as murder. Opponents of punishment by death also argue that the concept lowers the value of human life. That argument couldn't be further from the truth. In a video for PragerU, Dennis Prager states, "Of course, putting the murderer to death doesn't bring back their loved one, but it sure does provide some sense of justice" (PragerU, "Is The Death Penalty Ever Moral?", Dennis Prager, August 7, 2017). The death penalty is not hypocritical. The death penalty is just and fair. Just ask Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor who put Charles Manson behind bars.
By Devin Nassar-Reis5 years ago in The Swamp
Dear ESPN, Keep Your Politics Out of My Sports Broadcast!
As a kid, I loved playing sports. I still do as an adult. Posters of Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain covered my walls and I wanted to be just like them when I was a little girl. My sister Julia played basketball and my brother Steven played football, so athletics were quite commonplace in my household. Julia was the only girl on her team, so she was somewhat of a celebrity in our neighborhood. Everyone knew who she was by her pink Air Jordan sneakers and brightly-colored Scrunchies. Steven was a star quarterback. As a kid, I played forward when I played soccer. Once the final school bell had rung on a Friday, I couldn't wait for it to be a Saturday morning so I could release all my pent-up energy on the field. My father was a basketball and football coach, so involvement in sports was definitely a rite of passage. That was nearly 20 years ago. Nowadays, ESPN looks more like CNN or Fox News. In a video for PragerU, Outkick the Show host Clay Travis puts it this way:
By Devin Nassar-Reis5 years ago in The Swamp
The Cold, Hard Truth About the Democratic Party
When this generation thinks of racism and socioeconomic inequality, their thoughts immediately lean towards the Republican party. This actually could not be further from the truth. Historically, the Republicans have opposed racism and socioeconomic inequality. Truthfully, it was the Democrats that supported slavery, created the Ku Klux Klan, imposed Jim Crow laws, and fully backed segregation for over 100 years in the Southeastern United States. (Prager U) Technically, your history textbooks from middle and high school are full of lies when they discuss the history of the Democratic party. To add insult to injury, the media doesn't help much either. To further understand, we need to look back 46 years before the Civil War.
By Devin Nassar-Reis5 years ago in The Swamp
US Involvement in the Middle East Is a Double-Edged Sword—Here's Why
When Americans think of the Middle East in the present day, we immediately think of bloodshed and violence. The Fertile Crescent was home to various empires that spanned several nations, with Babylonia, Assyria, Persia, Canaan and Phoenicia later becoming autonomous countries that would remain enemies millennia later; the nations that are now Iraq, Syria, Iran, Israel and Lebanon will possibly remain both political, cultural, and religious rivals for centuries more. As complex as the history of the Cradle of Civilization may sound from the average point of view, it is actually quite simple to explain: one area wants the other dead or suffering. For example, countries aligned with Israel and Saudi Arabia want nations aligned with Palestine and Syria to be either nonexistent or poverty-stricken. United States involvement can have both positive and negative outcomes. Backing the deposition of a dictator can result in either prosperity and peace or rampant poverty and brutal dictatorships. Although the region has been rife with conflict for thousands of years, Western involvement is truly a double-edged sword. As stated in a recent PragerU video made by Dennis Prager, “It’s simple. One side wants the other dead.” All of the benefits have their disadvantages.
By Devin Nassar-Reis5 years ago in The Swamp