Conservative Icon Dennis Prager Tells Lifezette, ‘Free Speech in America Is Seriously Threatened’ | Eastern North Carolina Now

Publisher's note: This post appears here courtesy of the LifeZette, and written by Maureen Mackey.

    Dennis Prager is that rare conservative today who speaks up and out about his beliefs and his concerns no matter what.

    And he's going to keep doing it, too, in whatever venue and forum he can - that much is clear.

    The nationally syndicated talk radio host, best-selling author and founder of PragerU - the most watched channel for conservative videos on YouTube - now has a new film out, "No Safe Spaces," together with comedian Adam Carolla.

    The two men unabashedly reveal the ongoing fight with regard to the First Amendment on college campuses across the country.

    To make their film, Prager and Carolla traveled across the country to talk to a wide array of people about this issue - ultimately showing that many students and other young people often detest the opinions they encounter that are not their own.

    The film includes commentary on this radioactive subject from actors, scholars, academics, political figures, and others, including Alan Dershowitz, Tim Allen, and Cornel West.

    The film re-opens in 70 markets starting tomorrow - Friday, Jan. 3, 2020.

    Check out this exclusive LifeZette interview with Prager, who shared his thoughts in an email just in time for the start of the New Year of 2020.

    Question (LifeZette): Tell us why you feel it's important for Americans to see this new film.

    Answer (Dennis Prager): It is difficult to believe, but a growing number of Americans no longer believe in the most fundamental of American values, the one that made this country what it is: free speech.

    Nearly half of millennials, for example, do not believe there should be free speech for anything they deem "hate speech." And this is being played out in reality: Universities suppress speech more than any other major institution in America.

    Anyone who sees this powerful film will leave understanding that, for the first time in American history, free speech - and all of of the political freedom that flows from it - is seriously threatened.

    Q: What prompted you to make "No Safe Spaces"?

    A: We wanted to provide America with a wake-up call to perhaps the greatest crisis in modern America. Producers Mark Joseph and R.J. Moeller approached me with the idea.

    I had originally thought of making a film in which I would talk to college students throughout America so as to show Americans what young Americans think. That would have a wake-up call, too.

    But the producers of "No Safe Spaces" had a better idea. They, the director, and writer did a magnificent job.

    Q: You reference how liberties and freedom of speech are under attack on college campuses today, but clearly this goes beyond the university.

    A: Awful ideas begin in universities - and then permeate society. Just look at the suppression of conservative speech on Google, YouTube, and Facebook.

    Q: Many of those venues - Google, YouTube, and others - can dictate which voices can be heard above others or even which can be shut down. Recently, as we know, a Fox News host and American veteran, Pete Hegseth, was silenced on Twitter. What are your thoughts about what's going on here?

    A: They [these social media] outlets are controlled by leftists. And the Left - unlike liberals and conservatives - has never allowed free speech.

    As is well known, many PragerU videos have been categorized as inappropriate for children by Google and YouTube, which, in addition to the inherent smear, has resulted in their demonetization and limited their potential audience by preventing them from being seen on any device that uses Google's "restricted mode" to shield children from adult/mature content.

    Q: In your new film, you - a Jewish man - have teamed up with comedian Adam Carolla, who's an admitted atheist. Tell us about your collaboration: How does it work between you? What are the strengths?

    A: Adam and I had traveled around America appearing together in public dialogues. These evenings were so successful, and our chemistry was so special, that when it was suggested I collaborate with him, I jumped at the idea.

    The two of us have much more in common than that which divides us. We have common sense, a love of America, and shared values such as free speech.