All are welcome to attend this discussion session with authors Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham, sponsored by the BRI chapter at SLU. Snacks and soft drinks will be provided. Please RSVP via the website link, below.
Authors Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham will discuss the topics in their book “End of Discussion: How the Left’s Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun).”
About the Guest Speakers:
Guy Benson is the political editor of Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor. He was named to Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 law & policy list in 2015. The Huffington Post included him in its 2017 roster of the 25 top millennial broadcasters in American news and politics. That same year, he received the College Republican National Committee’s biannual Lee Atwater Outstanding Young Conservative award. Guy served as a Media Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
Mary Katharine Ham is an American journalist and conservative commentator. She is editor at large of Hot Air, a contributing editor to Townhall Magazine, senior writer at The Federalist, and a CNN contributor. At CPAC 2014, she was presented with the ACU Blogger of the Year award. She was previously a Fox News contributor.
POST-EVENT SUMMARY: Twenty-five SLU students attended this event. BRI-SLU president Tony Mazzaferro began with an introduction to BRI and its goals and mission, then introduced the speakers.
Guy Benson started off by talking about why he and Ms. Ham decided to write their book, End of Discussion, and what they hoped to accomplish with it. He touched on the hyperbolic rhetoric that entrenches American politics and how we need to avoid this. Guy spoke to the importance of free speech, honest debate, and the open exploration of ideas. Too often our demonization of opposing viewpoints hinders our ability to have productive conversation. Guy is a good speaker, engaging, and entertaining. The audience seemed to be enjoying his talk.
He and Mary Katharine took questions from the audience. People seemed very engaged and eager to ask questions. It was a good time!
Guy and Mary Katharine were exactly like I hoped – they presented a case for conservative/free-market ideas but did so in a friendly, agreeable manner. No on in the room, whether liberal/conservative/libertarian, etc. was offended by them. They were likable and entertaining. I personally had three faculty members at the med school thank me for organizing the event and felt the topic was important to discuss and that the med school needs more events like this. They loved it!” ~Tony Mazzaferro, BRI-SLU chapter president and event organizer
“The talk was very informative and eye-opening. The speakers were straight forward, critical of both sides, provided good examples that supported their ideas, and kept the talk light-hearted by injecting great jokes.” – Kevin N., M1 SLUSOM
“I really enjoyed the presentation organized by the Benjamin Rush Institute. Those leading the meeting were knowledgeable and could discuss the vital issues present in our current political and healthcare environment. I will be attending future BRI activities.” – Scott S., M1 SLUSOM
“The BRI event was a great experience. The speakers were professional yet entertaining and I feel that I gained valuable, practical knowledge about policy debates.” Alan P., M1 SLUSOM