Why We Invited Ben Shapiro

This Thursday, we will host Ben Shapiro in Memorial Auditorium at 7PM (remember, students do not need tickets to attend: just show up). The lecture is poised to be the single biggest conservative event in Stanford’s history.

Ben Shapiro is a preeminent conservative public intellectual. Shapiro has been a nationally syndicated columnist since age 17, and as founder of the conservative news site Daily Wire, he offers millions access to principled conservative commentary and journalism. A prolific author, he has written eight best-selling books, including his most recent #1 New York Times best-seller, The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great. Through Young America’s Foundation’s exclusive Fred Allen Lecture Series, Shapiro has brought conservative ideas to hundreds of thousands of students on hundreds of campuses across the nation.

Shapiro’s next lecture will be at Stanford this Thursday, and the theme will be “No; leftist idiots don’t get to raise my kids.” As Stanford students know too well, the left’s indoctrination agenda only intensifies in college. Every year, during New Student Orientation, new freshmen at Stanford are forced to attend the “Faces of the Community” and “Beyond Sex Ed” sessions. “Faces” presents ideas such as “white privilege” and transgenderism as realities to never be debated, while the crude and graphic material presented in “Beyond Sex Ed” offends the moral sensibilities of many students.

These events and the fallacies they promulgate set the tone for one’s Stanford experience, and thus, should be countered by a conservative event. Ben Shapiro will take a sledgehammer to the farcical assumptions undergirding the left’s ideology while making an airtight case for conservatism.

We admire Shapiro's intellectual consistency, honesty, and adherence to principle. He always delivers what he believes to be the unvarnished truth, even when it might be unpopular among other right-of-center commentators. Furthermore, Shapiro is courageous. Whether it means taking a pro-second amendment message to a hostile audience on CNN in the wake of a mass shooting or braving an angry mob seeking to shut down his lecture at Cal State LA, Ben Shapiro never shies away from boldly presenting his principles.

Most importantly, this event will provide an opportunity for students to engage with and challenge conservative ideas. The second half of the event will be Q&A, and we encourage any student who disagrees with Shapiro to take advantage of the chance to ask a question.

By bringing conservative ideas to Stanford’s leftist campus, SCR, with the vital support of Young America’s Foundation, has worked over the last three years to bring turn Stanford into a true marketplace of ideas. Every time, leftist activists work tirelessly to sabotage these events, ripping down our flyers, and harassing and intimidating our members. Our events have been the target of walkouts, stink bombs, and even an attempt to chain, lock, and barricade the doors to the venue.

However, our membership only grows and is increasingly emboldened. Our resolve to promote conservatism at Stanford is stronger than ever, and we hope that you will join us for a real discussion of ideas this Thursday!