Alex Stein, LSU alumnus, comedian and right-wing tour de force, hosted a talk night on-campus, encouraging students to engage in conversations on hot topic issues such as DEI, transgender rights, immigration laws and victimhood on Monday.
Stein’s “Step Up, Speak Out” college tour, hosted by Turning Point USA, kicked off Monday in Baton Rouge. The tour aims to allow Stein the opportunity to constructively spar with students who may hold less conservative beliefs and who he believes are not educated enough on these topics.
“I’m trying to talk about subjects that students don’t know are politically incorrect,” Stein said. “How are we ever going to have a dialogue if we’re afraid to talk about tough situations?”
Stein graduated from LSU and ventured to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy, later returning home to Dallas. During COVID-19, Stein attended local government meetings and spoke out against lies he said were propagated by politicians, for whom he has little respect, regardless of political party.
“Idolizing a politician is like thinking a stripper actually likes you,” Stein said to the audience of jaw-dropped students.
Stein’s confidence and whiplash-worthy remarks are an ode to the confidence he gained as a student at LSU. In a sea of 50,000 students, Stein said the key to success is learning to stand out in a crowd and make your voice heard.
As quickly as topics were introduced, they were replaced by the next pressing concern. However, the star of the show was DEI programs and the controversy surrounding their removal from the federal government. Elementary education sophomore Gabriela DeJean expressed fear that her job opportunities may be at risk without DEI initiatives.
“It’s an unjust system and sets us up for disaster,” DeJean said. “Without the guidelines of DEI initiatives, it opens the door to rampant racism.”
Stein, who encouraged students with different opinions to speak up and contradict him, had a civil, give-and-take conversation with DeJean. Though they did not agree on everything, Stein and DeJean respectfully debated, allowing both parties to speak their minds.
Turning Point USA Field Representative Caleb Hall explained this was the goal of bringing Stein to campus.
“I like how he comes and challenges people and allows them to speak what they think,” Hall said. “At Turning Point, that’s what we like to do. We like to push, make people say, ‘Why do I think this?’”
While most students enjoyed listening to him talk, some who went head-to-head with Stein were left confused by his arguments. Accounting freshman Jerimiah Glenn attempted to debate Stein about pervasive racism in America but was overwhelmed with Stein’s political jargon.
“It’s like talking to a brick wall,” Glenn said. “There’s no changing his mind, and that’s pretty clear.”