The Theme

Check out monorail.com, America's affordable investment app made for conservatives who want to keep their hard-earned money with companies that share their values. Download the Monorail app today. Join Monorail. Hello everybody, I'm Dennis Prager and I wish you a happy new year. Will be a struggle for many because the country is is in trouble. There we go. I found the right words. I really was, really was pursuing that. Sean, did I mention who I was? No. All right, maybe I'll just keep that a secret. I'm Dennis Prager. I couldn't keep this. I can't keep a secret. I can't keep a secret. What am I gonna tell you? So I have a thought. Sean, now we're gonna need your help here, Sean. I sent you those musical things. I'm gonna play one, and the next to the last on the list, the Dvořák. So listen, my dear friends, I have a thought and I'd like to bounce it off you. The theme of this show is with which I am obviously quite identified. The theme is from Gladiator. I don't remember which scene it is. Hmm. If I looked up the soundtrack, I could tell you which scene. At any rate, it's been terrific. Why did I adopt it? I adopted it— when they entered the arena for the first time. Yes, I know. That's it, Barbarian Horde. Thank you so much. It's in the, it's in the middle of the movie. I adopted it on right after 9/11. Sean, play the original theme of my show, of my show, the handle, if you would. Many of you will remember, many of you have never heard it. I had a a piece of music. This is, this is something I don't think I've ever— well, I haven't reported certainly since then. So 2001, uh, is 21 years ago. So we've had a 21-year run of the Gladiator theme. Do you have the handle there, Sean, or you're looking it up? There we go. Okay, so that theme— I don't remember how many years that was, but it was many years. Not, not 21 years, but it was It was years, and it was so popular. I was syndicated in 1998 or '99. I was on radio, however, from 1982 in Los Angeles, so 17 years. And that was so popular, that obscure piece of music by the non-obscure George Friedrich Handel, who wrote Handel's Messiah. He's the Handel of Handel's Messiah. But that was not a well-known piece, and it was very popular. How popular? Well, you may recall that we used to have such a thing as a bookstore, and we used to have record stores and then CD stores. Tower Records was the big one in Los Angeles, and for years the best -selling classical record was that— was the one that contained that Handel theme. I would go into Tower and I say, "As featured on Dennis Prager's show." They would have this obscure— I wish I had taken a picture of it. I remember it quite well. That's a fantastic little piece of music. Then with the 9/11 attacks, I said, look, I can't have this charming, catchy piece of music. I need a battle, right? And this really has served us well. I mean, it doesn't get much better than that. It's just perfect as an opener. Each hour. But that was 20, 21 years ago. We are in a different battle today. The battle is not with Islamic terrorists, although they still exist and they butcher people in, in places like Africa. It's horrible. Nevertheless, our battle is for Western civilization. I took a vow when I began radio that I— of course, I actually, I'm almost incapable of lying. It's my nature. I start to hesitate. I can't lie. So that I never— it was never a battle, but I didn't— I took a vow not to exaggerate. Because if you have a long time in public life, you get a reputation over time. Exaggeration works for a period of time, but among many people, those who love truth, you lose credibility over time. So when I say that we are battling for Western civilization, this is not at all an exaggeration. The left hates the West. Hey hey ho ho, Western Civ has got to go. I'll never forget that demonstration. What was it, the 1980s, 1990s? Led by Jesse Jackson, who hates Western civilization, who hates America, who hates whites, and the That was— that's become the theme. And Stanford still is in the forefront of those trying to undo Western civilization. What will they replace it with is a non-issue. The left never asks, what will we build? The left asks, other than government, ideally universal government. They never ask that. They ask, what will we destroy? It's very important. It's one of the big distinctions between conservatives, who by definition wish to conserve that which is built, and the left, which wishes to destroy that which is built. It gives their soulless, bored life meaning. So since the battle today is with— is for Western civilization. I thought, and I want your feedback— ultimately, of course, I'll decide, but I want your feedback— is it time to change the opening theme? And I have to make the decision, at least in my mind. Nobody's compelling me. But in my mind, I have to make the decision this week, because if I start a new theme, I want to start it at the beginning of the new year, 2023. So given that it's a battle for the West, I thought some great piece of Western civilization music would be appropriate. By the way, I hadn't thought of this but I just thought of it. That handle is really superb.

Yeah, but we can't go backwards.

But of course we can't go backwards.

Can't go back.

But he thinks the same thing. It does personify me, I agree. But Alan thinks we can't go back. He's adamant about that. No, it's absolutely not. All right, anyway, so here's a piece. I won't say what it is. And yes, that's right. So I want you all to hear this and call in with your instinctive response. A, to my thought about a new theme that may not be a good idea. And people hate change when I'm so identified with the Gladiator theme, and I fully acknowledge that, and it is great. But I told you my thinking. So here is a great piece of Western music. With this, I would open my show. All right, well, there you go. That's pretty powerful. Total opening. It is upbeat. I want upbeat. I want people to feel proud of the West. And it's actually— well, I'll tell you later. It fits every piece of criteria. All right, we're good. We never go that long anyway.

It's fine.

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Evan, that is correct.

How old? Uh, okay, good. It says you're 6 years old. Is that true?

No, 6-0, 60, I'm afraid to tell you.

Uh-huh. Okay, I got 6.

By the way, you're spectacular on the Exodus series with, uh, Jordan Peterson.

Oh, thank you.

Absolutely sublime.

I appreciate that. I'm going back to Florida in 2 and a half weeks to do part 2 of Exodus. Thank you.

You're welcome. As for the song, you know, it doesn't sound— I mean, I'm familiar with the piece, not intimately, um, but it sounds a little thin, uh, and I don't think it's qualitatively different than the Gladiator theme. Um, so I don't know, it doesn't really work that well for me. And it, it— I don't know if that— maybe there's a, like, a more powerful rendition of that particular song?

Well, that's— I think it's powerful. The one that I used to use prior to Gladiator was more gorgeous and uplifting than it was powerful. So do I want power? What I like about it, and I'm not certain I'll do it, but what I like about it is that it's uplifting. Gladiator is pure battle. This piece is uplifting.

It has a heroic quality.

Okay, well, that's what we need today, and thank you very much. And, you know, you didn't sound like you were 6 years old. That was funny for me. All right, let's see here. Wesley, I don't know, where is Wesley? Don't know. Wesley, wherever you are, hi. Where are you, Wesley?

St. Simon's Island, Georgia. And I say a big yes, and I say start with the brass. It sounds wonderful, Dennis. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. That was affirmative. I love the idea that it's uplifting because that's so, so needed. By the way, the piece is the last symphony of Antonín Dvořák, who was a Czech composer who was known to be a particularly kind man, which is not common in the arts, and the piece is the Symphony from the New World, the New World Symphony. He visited America and then he wrote this using Native American themes, he said, and he called it the Symphony from the New World, which is what America was known as in, in the late 19th century, in the whole 19th century for that matter. That, that happens to be a nice bonus. It's not dispositive. It's not the reason that I'm thinking about this. It's the uplifting, beautiful nature of it. But I, uh, I am somewhat ambivalent, otherwise I wouldn't be having you call in, because The other theme has been very effective, and I recognize that. All right, Charles, Irvine, California. Hello.

Hi, Dennis. Yeah, I think it's good. I don't think it sounds thin. I don't know what he was talking about. I do think it is qualitatively better than the Gladiator, which is sort of pop music. This is pop music too, but it's a higher level of pop music. How about Beethoven? He's pretty uplifting.

Well, I had a— Sean, do you have what I sent to you? I had a Beethoven thought and both Sean and Alan nixed it. And I somewhat understand it, but I would like people to hear what I was thinking of. I did have a Beethoven. Thank you. Sean, do you have that? So the problem with the Beethoven is that it doesn't run long enough. It has to hold interest and, well, for at least 60 seconds. Well, that's Beethoven, let me tell you, on steroids. Well, how long was— how long did that take, Sean? That's actually— it is long enough. It is the end. That's a problem. I know.

Sounds like the end of something.

Yeah. No, no, you happen to be right. It is the end of something. You see who said you— you both feel that way. Yeah, well, it is. You're entirely right. So it's not appropriate. Whereas the Dvořák is the opening of a movement. Yeah. No, no, I understand. I just wanted— he mentioned Beethoven. I wanted him to hear what I had thought about. Uh, let's go to, uh, Darnell. I don't know where you are. Where? Hi, Darnell.

I'm, uh, I'm out of Columbus, but I'm from Cleveland.

Okay.

Yes. Um, you are the reason why I became a conservative, uh, like 20 years ago.

Wow.

Uh, I haven't listened to the show in, in a few years. I'm somewhat of a relapsing or recovering Republican depending on how you slice it. That's where I'm at. Point is, I tune back to your show and I hear you're going to change the theme that so fits you and your position in the cultural fabric of America. Please do not get rid of that gladiator theme. You and your show and the way you, the way you and your show and your character and the way you present yourself, it so fits. It's like a quiet strength that I get from you.

Thank you. Thank you. It's a very Astute analysis. I am truly interested in the reactions. All right, we shall return momentarily. You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show. The Dennis Prager Show. All right, everybody, Dennis Prager here, publicly thinking. About a new opening theme, and you've got strong, strong opinions, as I can see here. And once again, because the more you hear it, the more it becomes either logical or illogical. So just the very opening again, started from the very opening.

D-V-O-R-A-K.

Wait, no, no, no, it doesn't. There's an actual— there's like 2 seconds that it's missing in the very opening. There you go. Huh? Yeah, that's right. What I like about it— many things, but the biggest is that it's uplifting, and that's what we need in our time. That's, that's really the most animating aspect, and that's what I looked for. Do you have the Tchaikovsky that we had thought about? There. Here's another one. That was— there were 3 in contention. I played the, uh, the Beethoven. I want Western music because Western civilization is on the line right now for the first time. All right, so that's another great one. I mean, they're, they're all great, I have to admit. That's— is that still your favorite? Yeah, it doesn't sound like the end of something. Well, neither does the Dvořák. No, Dvořák is its opening. Yeah, so okay, let's, uh And it's totally new.

No one—

And totally new. Nobody has used that or is even totally familiar with it. No, there's an argument for it now that I heard it. What do you think, Sean? You like it too? I still prefer Dvořák, but yes, I understand. Yeah, right. So this is a tough call. I had to rank them. I put them above Beethoven. I agree with you. No, no, no. It's Dvořák or Tchaikovsky right now. That is correct. All right. Louisville, Kentucky. Jeff, hello.

Hi, can you hear me?

I can.

Awesome, it's a great, great pleasure to talk to you, sir.

Thank you.

I was gonna just, uh, call and suggest, um, you know, like something from Charles Ives or, uh, uh, Gustav Hall's, you know, The Planets, or—

Right, well, but of what I— of what I played, between what I've played and keeping the current theme from Gladiator. What's your vote?

I definitely vote for the Tchaikovsky that you just played.

Okay, thank you. By the way, on the Charles Ives, I have to say, that would be— people would wonder what had happened to me. Ives is a little too much out there, but I Gustav Holz-Planets has some great stuff, but people know that very well. All right, let's go Pittsburgh and Diane. Hello, Diane of Pittsburgh.

Hi, Dennis, it's a pleasure to talk with you.

Thank you.

Listen, you, in my opinion, are at a level of talk show host very much like Rush Limbaugh was. And your song, when you come on the air, is your signature. So for us who listen, when we hear that, we know who's coming and what we're getting. I'm not for changing your music at all. And you have to understand, we are not yet out of this. We're still at war. It's just a very different kind of war. So I would ask you to please keep gladiator in place, at least for now, until we get to the next phase of this, whatever we're going through.

Just out of curiosity, it's an extremely valid argument. Did you, did you like what I played? Did putting it aside, I mean, did it, did it appeal to you?

Not really. When I— not really. It really, really did.

All right, that's what I needed to hear. I'm Thank you so much for, I want to, this is very interesting to me. Look, you did the tough thing during COVID You paid your people and pulled your business through the pandemic, or really the lockdown. And now doing the tough thing could qualify you for up to $26,000 per employee at covidtaxrelief.org. Government funds are available to reward companies with 2 or more employees who stayed open during COVID This is not a loan, and you don't have to pay it back. The program is complicated, but nobody knows more about it than the CPAs and tax experts at COVIDTaxRelief.org. You pay nothing upfront. They do all the work and share a percentage of the cash they get you. Businesses of all types, including nonprofits and churches, can qualify, including those who took PPP loans, even if you had increases in sales. You did the tough thing for your employees during COVID Let COVIDTaxRelief.org help you get up to $26,000 per employee Visit COVIDtaxrelief.org. That's COVIDtaxrelief.org. Hi everybody, Dennis Prager here, getting your input. I'm really torn on the issue, to be honest. Torn on two issues. Do I change the opening theme of the— I have good arguments. There are good arguments actually for— in both cases, there are good arguments. For keeping the gladiator theme. The battle is for the Western world. It was then, it was a straight battle with Islamic terror, and now it is with those in the West who wish to destroy Western civilization. So I want to take some uplifting piece to spur people to if you will, love and protect the West, taking some of the greatest Western music, or one piece of the greatest Western music. Play the Tchaikovsky one again, because when I heard it now, it, it, it's, it's a good competitor to the Dvořák. I like it. You know, it's growing on me. It's, uh, the producer's first choice, dude. Yeah, I, I, it's got everything. Uh, it's got everything. By the way, I even was careful about who I got as the conductor. This was, I believe, Semyon Bychkov, who is a Russian who immediately condemned the Putin invasion of Ukraine. Oh, this is the female conductor. Okay, that's a different— she's Mexican. She's a charmer. She's really, uh, I forgot her name, but she is truly a charmer. And what orchestra do you— do you have the name? Oh yeah, this is in Australia. Yeah, from Australia. So you have a Mexican— it's another nice thing about it— a Mexican woman, as it happens, conducting An Australian orchestra in Russian music. Mexico, Australia, Russia combined. So there's something, but I don't know if I would use that or the Semyon Bychkov one, which it would be fun to hear a comparison. All right, let me take some more of your calls here. Okay, so let's see. Rob in Los Angeles likes The Ride of the Valkyries. I do too. The problem is it's Wagner. And he represents as an individual the worst of Western civilization. He was an out-and-out racist. I love his music, but I'm not going to honor him with, uh, with the theme. That's, that's the thing. Jonathan Prescott, Arizona. Hello.

Oh, always an honor to talk to you and a pleasure, Dennis.

Thank you for taking my call. Yes.

Um, well, first thing, I— the Gladiator is such a powerful, uh, powerful intro. I absolutely love it.

Yeah.

But between the two, the Dvořák and the Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky. I think the Dvorak— I cannot say his name right— Dvorak.

Yeah, you said it perfectly. Yeah.

Oh, perfect. Okay, thank you. The intro sounds very similar to a Jaws.

Yes, the very, very opening moment does. Yes.

Right. So if you wanted to use that one, I would cut out that opening and jump right into after it.

Yeah, just with the trumpets. Yeah, go on.

Yeah, and I think that Tchaikovsky though is much better, and it just— I think it represents you and your show better just by the, the sound and the feel.

Yeah, I'm starting, I'm starting to lean that way Thank you, I appreciate it very much. Okay, let's go to Elliot in Wilmette, Illinois. Hello, Elliot.

Hey, Dennis, thanks for taking my call. I think that the— real quick, for uplifting, you can't beat the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

But I know the problem is I actually— that was one of my earliest nominees in my brain. But it doesn't have— Beethoven goes, it's a theme in Beethoven, that he goes powerful then soft, powerful, soft, powerful, soft. And so there isn't an extended period, even at the 9th, in the end of the 9th. And also it sounds like an ending, and this is for a show's opening. Okay, go ahead.

The Dvořák doesn't sound to me that uplifting until you get into it, and it sure doesn't sound upbeat. But the, uh, so the Tchaikovsky, I think, is your better choice here. I'd be fine with your original handle. I hadn't heard that. I haven't heard you back in there.

Yeah, it's, it's so special.

Thank you.

Thank you. Play the original handle because, uh, Alan, who is rarely adamant, is adamantly opposed to going back And obviously there's an argument not to. Well, anyway, it was great. It was difficult to drop that theme with which I was also, well, not as associated as I am with the Gladiator theme because that's 21 years. Look, there's, you know, there are arguments. Alan, you're Your original choice is now, uh, very appealing to me, uh, the, uh, and it, uh, it's catching on with, with people, the Tchaikovsky. So you want to hear something? So what I was looking on YouTube for various, uh, renditions of this, so I caught this one is with this woman. I'll get her, I'll get her name. She's a Mexican conductor. She's terrific. This was an Australian orchestra. She went to, to the first chair of each group—violins, cellos, trumpets, bassoons, clarinets, horns—and hugged them. I've never seen that in a lifetime of classical music. I fell in love with this woman. Back in a moment. The Dennis Prager Show. Well, all right, I want you to know, thanks to you, I have disqualified the Divorce Act, which I had— which I came in favoring. Your— your— the— the reaction. So Tom in Arcadia, I thank you for your vote there. Uh, and Randy in Knoxville, Tennessee, thank you for that. And Hickory— excuse me, Josh in Hickory, Pennsylvania, I thank you. These are all nixing on Dvořák. Tom in Glendora, my good friend, thank you, sir. Also a no on the Dvořák. So I'm taking more. So I want you to know, Richard Friedman, who is a California-based terrific composer And I use his theme actually for Dennis and Julie, which is— if you haven't watched that podcast, uh, it is, it is a side of me, and I'm pretty open, I'm very open, but what we have together, this chemistry, is, is unique. It's called Dennis and Julie, and we have 40 episodes up already. We do one a week. It's 90 minutes. Anyway, we use his theme. So he wrote one called The Fanfare for the Rational Man, and here, uh, here is this. We'll, we'll throw this into the hopper. It's terrific, I gotta say. So I wanted you to hear that one as well. It's sort of a, a more upbeat Gladiator, which is really good in and of itself. It's very self-recommending. So it's— this is, this is not easy, by the way. It's not easy even— do I drop what I'm, what I've been using? I do believe in general, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. But sometimes change is uplifting, and the era is that— that may be the only problem, because the Richard Friedman thing is perfect, but it's not the, you know, the great Western music, Western civilization music. That is part of my ideal in doing this. It's a great piece of music, and that, that's undeniable. Well, we have the male-female hour coming up, and I'm going to continue with this afterwards. This is obviously very important to me, and I love your input. 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Hello everybody, welcome to the Male Female Hour, the last one of the year. Unless there are recurring universes, there will never be a last Male Female Hour of the year 2022 again. For eternity. Let me do that again. Sounds like a cosmic wind. You know what my, my engineer is now thinking? That's right, there you go. That was me doing a lung contest. He's thinking, "Nobody gets away with what Prager does on the radio." That's what he's thinking. And if he's not thinking it, I am. So Male/Female Hour is a very, very, very real hour about men and women, and I am I have the qualifications to do this. This is not bragging, it's just a statement. One of my qualifications is that I have zero rooting for either sex. I am not a man fan and I'm not a woman fan. I am a good person fan. Okay, so that's, that's a biggie. I have no case to make for either sex. There are plenty of terrific men, terrific women, awful men, and awful women. Thank you. Next, I have been doing this for decades. I have a very, very life-changing introduction to male sexuality, a 3-part course at the Prager Store. It has affected many, many women because it's very rational and very clear. I'm a big fan of both reason and clarity. You can get it at the Prager Store. I think, I think you just go to pragerstore.com. I think some very prominent American, young American, I won't say who, who he is. Just, uh, just listen to it, and he is going to have his wife listen to it. To be very honest, my wife listened to it before we got married, and it had a tremendous impact on her. But she is the quintessence of rationality, so I'm not surprised. So anyway, uh, that's just a brief statement about The Male Female Hour and me. About me, right? Not about I. Okay, today's subject is a fun one, although it's not fun if it happened to you, let's put it that way. So most people in America, when they decide to get married one party proposes marriage to the other. It's usually the man. So I am very, very curious. This is really a curiosity hour. Did you ever propose and get turned down, or were you ever proposed to and you turned it down. Now, for all I know, I'll get no calls because it's so rare. I don't know. But if either of them happened to you, I really want to talk to you, and please call. I have— I figured with large enough audience, I've got to hit pay dirt with, with at least a handful of people. But most people don't propose unless they are pretty certain that the answer will be yes. 1-800-PRAGER-776, 877-243-7776. Are you even familiar with such an instance? Isn't there on the internet, Sean, maybe you know, is there Didn't some guy publicly propose, like, at some sporting event, and she, and she ran away or something? She said no. It's happened many times. Oh, people fake it. Oh, well, that doesn't count. Uh, it's, it's got to be real. It's real and fake. God, a guy proposes in front of thousands of people. I feel bad for him and I feel bad for her. 1-800-PREGGER, 776. And it would seem to me, I would assume, is that most people would feel this way. If you're going to propose, you sort of have good reason to assume the answer will be yes. But I'm obviously, I'm just as interested in hearing from you if it happened to you, if you were proposed to and you said no. This, this is a— I've never, I've never broached this subject. So I truly am curious what, what exists out there. When I proposed to my wife, it was still in the age when there were bookstores. We were in a bookstore in, in Minneapolis. That I remember well. Is there a section I know this may sound silly, and it probably is, but anyway, is there a section of, or an area around Minneapolis which has the word Buffalo in it? Maybe my wife will remember exactly. It, it's, it was a, in a, in a mall. I think it was a mall, and it was a Barnes Noble And I basically, we were looking at books, which we love to do, both big readers. And I said something to the effect, I think we should get married. And she said something to the effect, so do I. And then we continued looking at books. My mother, may she rest in peace, so loved my wife that when I said, um, I'll never forget this, on the, on my car phone, I said to, uh, I said to her, she was on speakerphone in the car, and like, she, I don't know if she even knew that, uh, Sue was, was in the car with me, and I said something to the effect, to my mother So if I marry Sue and she screams, what do you mean if? When? So my wife had a big fan in my parents. But I can't imagine proposing and being shocked with a no, not because I can't be turned down. That's not what I'm saying. I just— it would mean I think my read of reality was defective. You sort of— what is there? Is there an analogy in life where unless you're pretty certain of the answer, don't ask the question? I have to think of an analogy. Because analogies help. But this is a question I think that should be posed only when you're really, really sure of the answer. Okay, we got, got a full board, which is fascinating. I, I didn't know if we'd get any response on this, so this will truly interest me. I want to hear how it happened. From both sides. I'm just as curious if you turned down a proposal, and was that a painful moment? And were you shocked that usually he, he did that? Okay, back in a moment. 1-800-PRAGER-776.

I love it.

Perfect for our subject. Chapel of Love. That's cool. Male, female, Aww. Were you ever turned down in a marriage proposal? Or conversely, did you ever turn down a marriage proposal? I'm actually, ironically— I don't know if it's ironic, I drop ironically— I'm actually even more interested in the latter. If you turned down a proposal. But let's see here. Wow. Okay, so we have a guy who turned down. All right, Stephen, Salem, Oregon. Hello, Stephen.

Hi, hi, Dennis. How are you? Well, okay, I must have been misunderstood. I, I was turned down 3 times by the same person. Uh, first time I thought, okay, I'm just gonna still work on her. Second time I went to visit her for Christmas and it was basically, what are you doing here? And the third time was, uh, she wanted to know what my house looked like, uh, and, um, and then she took about 2 months to, uh, let me know. And so I met somebody else and got married. And then about 2 and a half years ago, that marriage fell apart. So I'm on marriage number 2 and, and got turned down 3 times.

Okay, so you, you never married the woman who turned you down 3 times? You never married, correct?

Correct. And she's not married either, right?

So let me understand something. After time 2, why didn't she report you as a stalker?

We went to college together. I know her. I know her and her family. Our families know each other. My brother-in-law actually knows, uh, his— her family longer than he's been married to my sister.

I— this is— I, I'm so somewhat speechless that You tried 3 times.

Well, she's everything I wanted, you know. It's— that's, that's it.

What was that?

I'm sorry. She's very— she's everything I, I really want. She's everything you wanted. I see. Okay. Yeah, she's musically talented. She's gifted as far as art and decoration.

When she turned you down the first time, were you surprised?

Yeah, because we had been dating for a while.

What does a while mean in this case?

Um, I'd say about I'd say about, uh, I'd say about a year and a half. It was an LDR, long distance, but it was, uh, we were talking every day and visiting each other, uh, from— I was in—

wait, so what, when she turned you down, did you continue to see each other?

Yeah, yeah. I— so, so while—

so what was the reason for that? Was there, was there in her? Why did she continue seeing you after she said no? Because she entertained the possibility that she might one day say yes? I don't understand why it continued.

I think because we were best friends aside from romantically.

Were you romantically involved? Uh, yes. Wow, that's really something. So did you— did you finally— you finally gave up after the third time? Yeah. Did she, uh, was she a little annoyed? Was she a little annoyed on the third time? Like, uh, what— let me see your name. Steven, you know, Steven, I, I'm gonna give you a, a recorded message next time.

No, she, she, she just, she just at that, at that point she said, I'm just, I'm just not interested.

So then you married somebody and that, that, how long were you married to the, to the, that person?

7, just under 7 years.

Uh, did you have a child with her?

No, we're both, uh, too old for that.

Yeah, I, I see. How old are you? I'm 52. Uh-huh. So are you dating anyone now?

I am. I just started dating a gal about a month and a half.

Well, you know what they say about people like you? You exemplify, uh, the triumph of hope over experience. Is that a fair statement, Steven? That's what you should— he should have Aside, at his house, I exemplify hope over experience. Turned down 3 times by the same woman and then divorced after 7 years. I wish you luck, my friend. I really do. Mike in Detroit, Michigan. Hello.

Oh, hi, Dennis. Great subject. Yep. And I'm honored you took my call. Thank you. I was, I was turned down by my current wife, only wife, wife for life. Anyway, we had dated in college and I think about 4 years, 3 years into our relationship after she moved to an hour and a half away from where my house was, we were at a Tigers game in Detroit, the old Tiger Stadium. And during the 7th inning stretch, I looked at her and knew she was the one. I knew when I laid eyes on her. But I had looked at her and decided, yep. And I asked her right then and there, and she looked at me and said, no, you're drunk. And she was right. So she turned me down.

What a romantic story. I, I gotta tell you, they should make a movie out of you.

I ended up getting, uh, her father's permission the next time. I decided to ask first and, uh, Wait, wait, wait.

I'm sorry. The chronology is confusing to me. She turned you down, said you were drunk, but she continued to see you.

Oh, definitely. Right. Definitely would have said yes if I— Oh, if you were sober. I see.

You mean there were no— Wait a minute. There were no limits to beer at Tiger Stadium?

I don't believe there was back in 19— 80, whatever it was. Oh, that's—

oh, this is a long time ago. Oh, it's a long time ago. How old are you? You're— what are you, 62? So— oh, you— so you were young?

I was young. I was 24.

Oh, okay, I got you. All right, so that worked out all right. I loved her response: no, you're drunk. Well, happily he did not do it on TV.

Crying so nobody sees. Yes, you want to get married, but she don't want to marry me.

Hi everybody, Male Female Hour, Dennis Prager Show, every Wednesday, second hour. Did you ever propose marriage and get turned down, or vice versa? Were you ever proposed to and turned it down. All right, let's see here. And Susan Anderson, South Carolina. Hello. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. I was proposed to 3 times by the same man and accepted on the third— on his third attempt.

Well, the guy from, uh, Oregon really needed lessons from your, your guy.

I'm trying to understand. My guy's patience is not— my guy's patience is not 2 or 3 of his virtues either. He really pursued you.

I, I, so let me— I want, I want to know your internal workings in your mind. The first time he proposed, why did you turn him down?

Because we were just friends. We were not even in a romantic relationship at that point. He was one of my best friends for 20-ish years before we crossed over to the romantic side.

Wow. I think you've given me another subject. I'm serious. That is— well, that is fascinating. No, no, real— wait a minute. So wait, wait, how old are you?

I will be 60 in April.

Okay, uh, that's very funny. It sounds like when I ask an 8-year-old, I'll be 9 in April. Normally people of your age don't say what they will be 5 months from now. Okay, how was it?

Get used to saying 6.

Oh yes, yes, I fear. Okay, so for all intents and purposes, you're 59. Okay. Correct. So let me understand something. You knew him like from when, 25 to 45? When did the—

19. They met 19 years old.

So he proposed at 39. Uh, well, why—

well, probably earlier than that. And, and he's 20 years older than I am too, so— oh, okay. Mid-20s when he proposed. And he was in his mid-40s?

Correct. Are you still together? Yes. How's his health?

Uh, the old goat is— he can keep up with just about anybody.

The old goat. Oh my God, this, this call is priceless. So I— what was in his mind If you had zero romantic— and meaning non-physical intimacy, correct— and you were platonically related for almost 20 years, didn't he realize it would shock you?

And it, it did. And I— the first one, I did not take him seriously. I thought that he was just kidding. And when I said, are you serious? He said Well, I've thought about it, you know, or something kind of generic like that. But we, we moved on. And what does moved on mean?

Did you then become romantic?

We became romantic in 2004. No, no, no. How long after proposal number 1? Uh, 92, 2000. Oh, I don't know, 15 years.

Okay, I, I must admit I'm a little lost. He asked— wait, he asked you to marry him, you turned him down, and then, and then you were not romantic for another 15 years?

Uh, yeah, give or take. We both got married. Both, both married.

Oh, oh, both married other people in the meantime? Oh, oh, is that interesting. Yes. So you then— so both your marriages were either ended or ending, and, and he proposed again? Yes. And, and again after you had not been romantically intimate? We were the second—

on the second.

Oh, you were? So why did you say no on time too?

Because I had no desire to get married.

And you mean again, you had no desire to get— wait, wait, you had no desire to get married again, or you had no desire to marry him?

To get married again. I did not see any point in getting married.

I see. Okay, how many more years? It sounds like you're 103, actually, but I'm sure I want to understand. So how many more years till the third proposal?

Uh, probably not too many years. I would say 3.

And then you said yes? Yes, this is one of the great calls of my radio career. Everybody in the right hands would make a fascinating biography. Everyone alive.

Sit down, breathe, and just listen.

All right everybody, this is truly a riveting hour. This, uh, Mr. Producer, this has been a massive success. Just fascinating stories, you have no idea. All right, let's see here. Uh, Anne in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Hello. Hello, it's an honor. Thank you. So my ex and I were dating, I don't know, maybe 9 months, and he was, uh, sitting at my dining room table, and he, I think, needed his teeth taken out or something. And, um, I knew we were going to get married.

Wait, wait, I didn't follow that.

He needed his teeth taken out, right? He had problems and he didn't have any insurance.

Oh, wait a minute, how old was he at the time?

40-ish.

He was 40-ish and needed his teeth taken out, right?

Okay, go on. So anyway, he didn't have insurance and I did, and I said, well— and my dad would have killed me if he'd have heard it because my dad taught me that the boys do the initiating, initiating. You don't even ask a guy out, right? And here I said to him, well, if we got married, you'd have insurance? And he didn't answer me. And I was devastated, so I went into the kitchen and decided to clean or do something, and he came out and he said, I heard you, I'm just not ready to answer you. And I'm thinking, okay. And the reason he didn't answer me is he was composing a poem to ask me to marry him. So a couple weeks later, he got all excited about the mail. I didn't. I didn't care if it sat in the mailbox for weeks. I just didn't want to deal with it. So he's like, you have mail, you have mail. And I'm going, yeah, big deal. And he goes, don't you want to get it? I'm like, no, it's probably a bill, then I'll have to write a check. And he's like, go get the mail, go get the mail. And he kept bugging me, and I got it, and it was a poem about marrying him. And then I knew why he didn't answer me.

Oh, that's very sweet. Did he get his teeth taken out? Yep. Did he have replacement teeth put in?

Yep, yep. And he had a lot of trouble with them. But, uh, anyway, we, uh, yeah, we got married.

But you're not still married to him?

No. I wish he would have kept the no because he was a hurricane. He couldn't stand if you had a normal life. He just had to change everything up and left me in a lot of debt. Yeah, it was not good. I should have listened to my dad.

That's right. Any— oh, you know what, I'm going to say something that I know is probably wrong, and I'm going to say it anyway. So I, I, I'm giving people a trigger warning. I'm about to emote. I haven't— I have an instinctive suspicion of men who write poems to women.

Okay.

So had you consulted me, I would have said, uh, beware.

I wish I'd have known you then. I'm sure you do.

Maybe I'll do that as a subject. The reason is I had a relative long since gone to the next world And, uh, he, he had a mistress virtually his whole marriage to a dear relative of mine, obviously much older than I. And he, uh, wooed his wife with a lot of poems. So I admit that I have no empirical data to support my suspicion, but it was not the only time I had heard about that. I know another person, a woman who was— poems were written for her and it didn't turn out well. That's it. That's an interesting, interesting theory, and it may be nonsense. We'll see. Okay, let's see. Uh, where are we here? Uh, Mary in Lake Forest, Illinois. Hello.

Hello, Dennis. Thank you for taking my call. I am a 60-year-old Black woman I turned down a marriage proposal on December 30th, 1999. It was someone that I had been involved with for years.

For how many years? It broke up for how many years? A number of years. Okay.

10 years. Yeah. And even before he had asked me to marry him, I knew that there was no way that I can marry that person. It was—

why did you keep going out with him?

Because it was very dysfunctional. I did not—

wait, wait, that's why you didn't want to marry him, but why did you keep going out with him?

Because I was dysfunctional too. Oh, good. Okay, that's a very valid reason. I just kept hoping in something that I knew in my heart of hearts that was not for me and was not working, right? Uh, he didn't have a relationship with God. And at the time when we had— since, you know, we had started in the relationship, I renewed my relationship with the Lord, and I knew that that was not the person for me. So I had to just, uh, one day I just walked away. I just said, no, I cannot marry you. Uh, this is not going to work. And to all your talk, and I appreciate and applaud you encouraging people to get married while you're young. I wish that I had taken that advice and not listened to other people or listened to the culture, all the stuff, the culture, like you should have a career, you should do this, you should do that. I know that is totally and completely wrong. And then you, you deny yourself the opportunity to pursue those things that will really make you have a rich and fulfilled life.

God bless you. That's right. Yeah, I published a column a couple of years ago of a woman calling in. I transcribed it. My entire column was her lament about not marrying earlier. We return.

I waited till I saw the sun. I don't know why I didn't come. I left you by the house of fun. I don't know You know, this turned out—

I had no idea if I'd get any calls. And so that was in vain, that worry. And then I didn't know how it would go. It was really— it's been riveting. did you ever propose and get turned down, or were you proposed to and turned it down? So much so, we're going to keep this as an evergreen because it's been— I, I wish I could do the whole show on this. I mean, it is so fascinating. Wow. All right, this is Catherine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Hello. Hello. Hi.

Hi, it's a pleasure to talk to you.

Thank you, thank you. What, what's the— it's Ann Arbor. I remember I was there once to give speeches and how freezing it was. So it's very cold right now, I'm sure. All right, go ahead.

Well, your topic, uh, intrigued me. I don't normally call radio shows, um, but I do listen to your show. I had 6 6 proposals from 6 different people. Uh, your, your screener said I must have been a babe. I don't think I was a babe, but, um, I turned 5 down and then married the 6th person.

And, uh, did that work out?

Yes, for 47 years.

Oh, and what then? What happened?

Well, my husband died.

I see. See, was he older?

He was older than you? Yeah, he was 8 years older than me. Right.

So, so you, uh, you were right in turning down 5 men?

Yes, I, I, I sort of think—

of course you were a babe. Give me a break. You know, the number of babes who don't think they're babes, that's another great subject. How many women think they're desirable and cute or attractive or pretty or babes even? Anyway, uh, was it painful to say no to all those guys?

Um, it was very painful to a couple of them.

Um, no, was it painful to you?

To me, yes, very painful, um, for a couple of them.

Um, I would think so. I, I would. I, I, I— yes, thank you for calling. Hi, Mike, Chris, Regina, Dawn, Mario, Bob, and Frank. We'll do it again another time. There's a lot of pain in the world of men and women and romance, but it's okay. The purpose of life is not to to live a painless one. It's to live a full one. And full and painless are usually mutually exclusive. We continue with The Dennis Prager Show. Dennis Prager here. Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire 3 hours of my radio show commercial-free every single day, become a member of Prager Utopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives as well as the daily show prep. Subscribe at pragertopia.com.