The term liberal gets thrown around by celebrities and news pundits that it has honestly lost so much meaning. Whether it’s used by a source of news guilty of as many cases of Libel as the comedian Trevor Noah, or by journalists like Shaun King who can’t figure out what race they are , the word liberal just feels like a word rather than the ideology it actually is. The term liberal is supposed to mean “open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values”, yet those mentioned prior are open to silencing any form of discussion of ideas rather than bringing those ideas out to the public. Whether it’s misinterpreting author Sam Harris on purpose, being silent on corruption with Hillary Clinton, or blaming “toxic masculinity” for the actions of Omar Mateen, it seems like being a liberal isn’t so great.
Enter Dave Rubin.
A bit of context is needed for Dave Rubin. Dave grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, graduated from Binghamton University, started out as a comedian and became a talk show host for the Young Turks. Rubin spent two years with the Young Turks before leaving in 2015, citing one of the reasons was Cenk’s deliberate misinterpretation of Sam Harris. Now, he’s the host of the “Rubin Report” a show on YouTube that has had guests as liberal as Faisal Saeed Al Mutar and as conservative as Ben Shapiro. This level of open mindedness I believe is what’s necessary to truly determine what is best for America, and what I believe is necessary to saving liberalism. Is it necessary to have government a big part of our lives or a small part of our lives? Should we give food stamps for those who cannot feed their kids, or question why are they’re parents in the first place? These kind of questions are pretty reasonable to ask, and Rubin is the one to ask them.
Recently, Rubin publicly endorsed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. People may see that as a waste of a vote. But when you look at the other two candidates and the damage others have done by not discussing what should be the government’s role in our lives, it's not. Should we allow for an increase in taxes, more social programs, or should we let citizens alone and let them make decisions with their money? These questions won’t be asked on the Young Turks, The Daily Show or even asked by Shaun King. But we have someone asking these questions, and he deserves our support. Open borders or immigration reform, tax or no tax, don’t we want to know where our taxes go? Is it beyond reason to ask these questions? To so-called “liberals” it is, but not to this guy.
It is also beyond reason to question the homophobia that is shown in the religion of Islam? Well, liberals were open to condemning Christians, why not Muslims? Oh wait, Cenk was a Muslim and Islam is the religion of “peace”. A Christian bakery saying no to a lesbian couple is apparently as bad as the murder of 49 gay people. What is the fear? Rubin wants to find out and I think we all do too.
No matter what your political affiliation is, I think it’s critical in America to be open minded to all ideas that are not infringing against your human rights. Dave Rubin is the catalyst to having these conversations, one day I hope whoever is reading this becomes a catalyst to all forms of conversation, even ones you may not want to have.
