In this monologue from The Dennis Prager Show, Dennis Prager reflects on the emotional and moral difficulty of witnessing voters elect leaders he deems "scummy," using the biblical story of Abraham bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah as a framework for discussing collective guilt. He argues that Chicago residents share responsibility for electing Mayor Brandon Johnson, linking that responsibility to the influence of the Chicago Teachers Union, which he accuses of exacerbating youth depression through pandemic lockdown demands. Prager cites a Wall Street Journal editorial that claims voters get what they deserve, but he disputes its application to the mayor while affirming its relevance to the children affected by the policies. The segment ends with a promotional plug for Pragertopia, urging listeners to become members for the full episode.
Chapters
I don't know. I don't know how to react emotionally. I know how to react morally. I know how to react intellectually. I don't know how to react emotionally when people elect scummy leaders and then suffer for it. Do I say you deserve it? Well, what about the people who didn't vote for him? So that's the old question about Abraham's argument with God. And it's about Sodom and Gomorrah, which if you went to an American college, you know nothing about. But it's a very famous story among those who know the most important work of Western history, the Bible. So God wants to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because they're evil cities. And Abraham, the first believer in the God of the universe, which is the God introduced by the Hebrew Bible, says, you know what, well, God, let me ask you, what if there are 50 righteous men, will you destroy the city? And God says, no, if there are 50 righteous men or humans in Sodom and Gomorrah, I won't. What about 40? What about 30? What about 20? What about 10? Then he stops at 10. So I understand that there are certainly that percentage equivalent of decent people in Chicago. But you know what? There is such a thing as collective guilt. And it's a painful thing, but it is true. What does collective guilt, at least in this context, mean? Chicago is responsible for whom it elects as mayor. And if you, if you loathe your mayor and you live in Chicago, you are partially responsible. You were not effective in getting more people in Chicago to vote differently. If you sent your kid to a public school in Chicago and you loathe The mayor of Chicago, you are partially responsible because you're supporting the Chicago Teachers Union, one of the most loathsome groups in America. Remember when they threatened to go on strike if they didn't keep the schools locked down more? And now, by the way, there's now a new report, yet another report, about the amount of depression that the lockdowns caused young people. No group hurts young people in America like teachers unions. No one comes close as a group. So the Wall Street Journal has an editorial. They say voters deserve what they get in a democracy. That's how they begin. But no one deserves Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and certainly not Chicago schoolchildren. But that's not true. It's true about the children. It's not true. No one deserves Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Every fool who voted for him deserves him. But by the way, the teachers are not fools for voting for him because they knew they're voting to get a raise. That's so— they're not fools. They're vile, but they're not fools. For the full episode of The Dennis Prager Show, go to pragertopia.com, sign up, and become a full member.
