Over the past few years, the mainstream media has over-polarized our perception of liberals and conservatives, discouraging dialogue and making it seem impossible to understand each other.
But Candace Owens’ talk in the Union Theater on Tuesday, a stop on Turning Point USA’s Live Free Tour, demonstrated that engaging in respectful conversation with those of opposing views is possible and even advantageous.
Hearing those with different beliefs can enable us to become more open-minded and understand others’ perspectives. By engaging in sincere and tolerant conversation, we gain a deeper understanding of our beliefs and how they compare to others.
After the talk, audience members had the opportunity to ask Owens questions. Attendees lined up to ask about topics such as critical race theory, feminism, the education system, and vaccines.
She related all these topics to her chief talking point: traditional family values were under threat in the United States.
Starting with critical race theory, Owens said, “It is an entire theory based upon the idea that the color of your skin determines your outcome, and it is causing friction in our society.”
Owens, who is a Black woman, was outspoken in saying many of the contemporary problems Black Americans face stem from the absence of fathers in Black families, not necessarily racism. Even in the Jim Crow era, she said, there were fewer absent fathers than now.
“If you come from a strong family, you are way better positioned to become more successful,” Owens said.
Throughout her talk, Owens spoke about the irrelevance of feminism today. Asking Owens about this, an attendee argued that feminism is fighting for equality, not necessarily legally, but socially and culturally.
“What is it socially that we don’t have and men do?” Owens replied. “What are the real-world implications that somehow suggest to you that you are unequal to men?”
The attendee brought up sexual assault as something feminists fight against, and Owens and, “You don’t have to be a feminist to fight to end sexual assault.”
Owens, who used to consider herself an adamant liberal, related modern feminism as a threat to traditional masculinity, again a problem challenging traditional familial values.
Another attendee asked about Owen’s opinion on the federal government’s role in the education system. She replied, saying she lacked faith in the system and encouraged people to homeschool their children.
She also said she believes in school choice, which would allow parents to choose which school their kids get to attend and not be restricted to a particular school based on their tax bracket or the area they live in.
Owens shared personal experiences to connect with her audience and convey her message by pointing out statistics and facts.
It is not statistics, citations or numbers that genuinely influence our beliefs, but rather the experiences we live through and their impact on us.
Does this mean our worldview is limited to our experiences and conditions in our own life? On the contrary, our outlook on life can be broadened by exposure to others’ experiences and beliefs.
Hearing people share their opinions can resonate more than hearing a list of statistics and facts. It can enable us to understand where they come from and why they hold particular views while, at the same time, leading us to reflect on our own opinions and analyze how we came to those stances.
“When you really spend time with yourself, and you realize who you are, then the next step is to take a chance on yourself,” Owens stressed.
In America, she said, anyone has the ability to succeed, no matter the circumstances.
“You have to disbelieve the system that tells you, ‘you can’t unless you do it this way.’ You have to take a chance; that’s what America is about.”, Owens said, “Getting it wrong is okay; failure is okay. It’s about getting back up and trying again, so believe in yourself.”
Isabella Albertini is a 23-year-old mass communication sophomore from Lima, Peru.
