Related PagesSee All
29,832,859 Followers · Political Candidate
1,975,132 Followers · Nonprofit Organization
3,295,586 Followers · Public Figure
6,204,711 Followers · Nonprofit Organization
544,727 Followers · Political Candidate
916,781 Followers · Public Figure
624,434 Followers · Public Figure
6,629,472 Followers · News Personality
139,720 Followers · Public Figure
4,840,190 Followers · Nonprofit Organization
329,248 Followers · Public Figure
2,907,738 Followers · Comedian
Video Transcript
Hello, everybody. Welcome to my home. I'm Dennis Prager and this is indeed my home for our almost weekly Fireside chat there a couple of weeks a year where it's just not possible for whatever reason but I try to do every week No matter how much I travel cuz this is a really good way to just talk to you totally spontaneously about anything that is on your mind and whatever obviously is on my mind it's not rehearse I'm not reading from any cards and I decide what I talk about about five minutes beforehand So it's really as we would say spontaneous and fresh So welcome indeed good to be with you So I don't always take in fact most of the time on these things. I I take some really big issue in life in either purse people's personal lives or the country's life or the world's life and not really a news item but this time I'm gonna base it on the news item but the issue is much larger. So if you're watching this six months from now I do hope people watch Fireside chats from a year ago They're meant to be relevant on going It will still be relevant to you in the future, but I'm gonna take a news item even before we even know all the details because what I want to say is sort of irrespective of what details we will learn So there is this issue in Philadelphia with regard to a Starbucks we are to You know at the moment that I am now talking to you clearly more will come out is that they were two black men who were it? after the Starbucks they were there for a period of time One of the things we don't know now at least I'm speaking to you is how long they were just sitting there and then one of them apparently asked to use the facilities, use the the restroom bathroom men's room, women's room whatever terms in these days and they said Policy is that if you are not a paying customer we don't allow you to use the restroom which by the way is entirely appropriate That's that's they're they're not their Starbucks in order to provide bathrooms for the public They have provide bathrooms for those who are using or buying Starbucks I if we can agree on that and then pretty much The same will be irrelevant but I think almost everybody agrees otherwise what you would have you realized is people would just be lining up from including in urban centers A lot of homeless people would be lining up just to use the facilities and I am told by people who know more about this than I that there are people who use the facilities to take a shower in the sink and they're in there for a half hour or longer and obviously that's not fair to the people who are paying for a Starbucks coffee is that clear I mean We're talking about fairness which is supposed to be a big concern and I understand that it is It's fairness to other customers It's not just faith if it doesn't matter to Starbucks in effect, I mean it matters to Starbucks if the if the restrooms are trashed but it doesn't you know theoretically there. But Starbucks couldn't care less as long as people are buying their coffee but they want to make it available to their customers so they said The story as we know it so you can't use it and then they they stayed even longer without getting anything and they finally for whatever reason the in this obviously not the first time. This is happened whether the person is White or black or any other ethnic or racial group and the police were called in and ask to remove them as they were doing nothing there except sitting there So the police came and one might add that the police included in the video that we have there were at least two officers who are black and by the way the police Commissioner who defends the police is also black Think these these are little relevant points What I have not found out and I think is relevant though not at all decisive is what was the color of the manager and the other The the barista is at the pronounce it barista who Was working there and who asked them to buy something and that has never been told which is very odd to me because if you're gonna make the charge of racism the implication is that the barista and the and the manager or White otherwise you would have to charge that the that blacks were being racist against blacks Now you know there are people say that that's eminently Bible but if it becomes a little bizarre after a while so this the implication is their White, but we have never been told that now the police came and according to the Commissioner the police Commissioner a man by the name of Richard Ross who is black he said The police asked them three times to leave They refused each time and I heard today I heard him say I'm very much a stick For fact so this is a fact By the black chief of chief of police that they they mock the police as for example saying something to the effect who are you? You only make 40 - $5000 who are you to tell me what to do which is so disgusting when you think about it, I mean my God to mock a person based on their salary That's the that's really low life sort of behavior anyway, they they left without incident and they were let go hours later and booked and Starbucks didn't press charges but Starbucks is being charged with racism the C He has said, I wanna meet with these people and I apologize but I'm not sure Starbucks did anything wrong I say I'm not sure maybe they did but I as of now I don't know what they did. That's wrong See here's here's one point that I wanna make I divide the world between right and roll not between black and White The left divides the world based on race, gender and class but not based on right and wrong so it's it's as if a black in any confrontation with the White can't be wrong. So to speak I mean which is an absurdity and it's racist It's it's it's it's anti black treats blacks as as not real as as not If you don't make demands on this on people equally then you don't think of them as equals think about that if You lower the moral demands you make on a group whether it's religious or ethnic or racial than you think less of that group is not obvious It is obvious case he didn't know that was really a retore Cal question Okay now next forgive me Hm Gonna light it again Okay. So forgive me but here we here we go to the second point The second point is I have always believed that consumers have obligations and actress rights fact I've written about this. It's called the store keeper law You can look up look up. Dennis Prager, the store keeper law I took it from my religion. Judaism is a very interesting law in the Jewish law book called The Talmud And it goes as follows You were not allowed To ask the price of an item in a store you are not allowed out You're not allowed to ask the store keeper the price of an item If you know you won't buy it If you know you won't buy it This is an ancient Jewish law and the reason is you Cannot raise the hopes of the store keeper for no reason I consider that one of the most beautiful laws in Judaism and I believe everybody should live by it whatever their religion or no religion I give you an example A camera store told me once exactly a perfect example said some woman had taking about a half hour of his time Looking at all these various cameras and then at the end said So do you know where I can get a cheaper on the Internet I mean the the the one I can't. I can't even find the right word cuts bothe the nerve, the audacity, the the coldness It's just astonishing sky just gave her a half hour of his time shoulder. The cameras that they have there. She knew the whole time. She's not gonna buy it at the store took his time and then ask where can I get it on the Internet? Cheaper people do that without asking they just know in advance. They'll get it on the Internet but they use the store This is done in in in in a whole in clothing and electronics and household goods at immoral you are using Others and unfairly you're abusing their brick and mortar place What do I learn from that? A lot of things but the things the things that I wanna stress now is that consumers have obligations moral obligations, Not just right You know the difference between my religious upbringing and many people's religious upbringing and a non religious upbringing in today's America and today's Western World not just America I was raised with an obligations based outlook on life today. People are raised with a rights based outlook on life Let me tell you something You'll make a lot better society if people are raised with moral obligations than with rights Rights are important and rights or implied by obligations but you make a better person If you teach them you have obligations to other people not just right So when I am in a Starbucks or any other place and I wanna use the bathroom I want like I'll get a drink I mean I t makes perfect sense that that is what my obligation to that establishment is And if I, if I were waiting for somebody and that's why I said, I'd like to know I have to believe it was a long period of time They don't bother people of any color after 10 minutes so it it must have been a quite a serious period of time and nothing would have happened by the way if they didn't even ask to go to the bathroom so we don't know all the details and I'd love to know the details but if you are there you if I were there I use me I'm there and they say I say I'd like to me. I use the the men's room or the facilities for the restroom and they say well we we really only give it to customers who have bought something here I would say fine then let me buy my latte or whatever it is my ice coffee. That's my drink of preference Starbucks and and trying and that's the end of it or I'll say I promise you just Wanna go you know I don't want it to cool off or order it now. I'll pick it up after I use the bathroom or I'm getting right after I use it or or something but they didn't do any of that They acted like they are owed the bathroom That's not right They're not owed the bathroom They owe something too and that's that's the story. That's it But because because it was blacks and because there is a a dominant culture of White are almost all racist and if they're not consciously racist there unconsciously racist and I think it's a lie It's overwhelmingly a lie and it doesn't do blacks any good Why would you wanna walk around thinking you're hated what a crappy way to walk through life I pity black You were raised by black parents or who watch whites tell them your hated that school I pity them what I want a lousy way to walk through life As a Jew. I was familiar to this growing up. I was born a little after the Holocaust and I I. I remember they would use especially from Eastern Europe who thought you know the overwhelming majority of Christians hated them and my grandfather believed that when my grandfather I'll never forget my Came from Austria before the war. Wait wait before World War two and back came in the early twentieth century anyway when I would be in the car with him as a kid and he be cut off by a driver which happens to everybody he would yell Antisemite and I remember thinking papa how do you know the guy is an antisemite? He haven't seen even though you redue maybe cut you off because he's a lousy driver because you're So I I. I didn't grow up thinking oh Jews are hated and I I still don't believe I Jews are hated by the way. Choose our hated and some serious parts of the world and Israel as isolated as it is now cuz it's bad. It's one of the most wonderful country in the world but because it's a Jewish state, I fully acknowledge that fun in America in particular this is this is like been a garden of Eden for Jews There are anti Semites in America but America is not an anti Country There are racist in America but America is not a racist country So it's the whole things is very same tragic and the secret of Starbucks management is just awful that they wouldn't back up their own employees What does it feel like to work for Starbucks? Now if there's any bad publicity, they'll throw me to the lions That's why anyone anyone of you working for Starbucks should have contempt for the company right now the the Black Police Commissioner could stand On behalf of his police but the the Starbucks Ceo can't stand up on behalf of his employees Now if his employees were wrong, I don't understand I said, I divide between right and wrong but he doesn't know that they were wrong and now the I think it's a woman. The manager of that Starbucks is down left Starbucks. It's it's just sad. It's just wrong What did she do she She did she implemented Starbucks policy Looks much worse to to me now than it did a few days ago because the of the of the cowardice of its management anyway, as I have said, I said on my radio show today in America, this far more fear of left and there is fear of God That's another subject for another time So some thoughts on that subject now to your questions And I will review the name Okay. Here we go Okay Alright Mariano 20 - three. The numbers. I give her the ages in Miami. Do you have any advice for dating someone with different spiritual beliefs? Well, different spiritual beliefs is is probably a euphemism Spiritual beliefs are not the issue religious beliefs of the issue and that's what I assume. I assume you mean of a different religion. Yes, I do have thoughts on it. I think that Such people can love each other is a given but if you're thinking of marrying someone and you both have some commitment to your own religions you will have to figure out what you wanna do if you have children That and that becomes a lot of people because they're in love defer that discussion and then it becomes a source of tension or can become a real source of tension in the marriage Do we baptize the children we do we raise the children is Christian. Let's say it's a Christian, a Jew who raise the children as a jewel to raise them as a Christian We raise them as both whatever that means. It's it's old camp theologically. That's not quite possible, but I understand sociologically So my general belief is the people ideally marry someone of their own religion and now if you have no religion, this obviously often doesn't doesn't matter but you a lot of people do become religiously more motivated once they're married and they face the question. Am I gonna raise my children without religion It's not I don't think it's a great idea I think it's a beautiful thing for a child to have I actually think it's a beautiful thing for an adult to have depending Obviously I assume it's a good religion and there was good religion and bad religion just like this good and bad of anything else So it's it's a tough issue it really is and people have to seriously I think that through Melody, 20 -, two Chattanooga, Tennessee Prager Force. Thank you Melody We really are appreciative of your work. Who is your favorite figure of the American revolution? Hm. Look good on favorite figures. I it's it's a very interesting question. I've asked been asked us on the radio so often and I disappointed my listeners every time. So Dennis if you could have the cigar or dinner with Who would it be And I never have a good answer I mean there are so many in my mind. That would be there's no one name that comes to mind I mean obviously Washington was a giant but you know what it was a a generation of giants the more I know about the founders, the more I am amazed at how brilliant and wise they were to have made the at the time The one truly free country and the free is that has ever existed That's why I think I mentioned a previous time, but I made out of the French gave the American people the statue of Liberty. They didn't give it to Canada even give it to Britain. They didn't give it to any other country They don't give it to an Asian country America has embodied freedom It's not any longer by the way as the left gains ascendancy. The left has never treasured freedom treasures equality, but it does not treasure freedom Treasure is big government and big government is Is in direct in distinction to to liberty the bigger the government, the less the liberty It's definitional It's not it's not an opinion. It's just the way it works because his government expands so the laws they take over more and more of our life America has been in operation. It was founded with the belief in limited government that people We'll morally police themselves with moral religion That's how it was founded, but you don't learn that stuff anymore school so anyway, Franklin Franklin was another great one with all his flaws. Jefferson was Adams was mean they that's the point There were so many great figures from the revolution Okay, let's see also Tennessee Philip 20 Memphis What technology do we have today that you wish you had back when you were younger that's funny Well you know on corn. It's a good question Oh I know I know the answer I was gonna I was thinking about the cellphone cuz when I was a kid, there were no cell phones You have to go to a phone booth if you wanted to call somebody and you know No phone booth You couldn't call anybody on the other hand. What was wrong with that to constantly be in touch Look I use it as much as anybody else and it's a tremendous help in my life Just text somebody I'm coming or you know it's it's good people you can be in touch with whom you need to be in touch with it any moment anywhere you are on Earth So I I love that I get agree but there was something you know look I'll call you when I'm on a phone with Horrifically when I get home people were fine but anyway that's not the one the the one that I wish I had when I was a kid is the simple computer because of word processing I never learned to touch type and so I wrote much I didn't write much because I made so many errors when I type and I have to erase them. You don't even know about this but I race them on paper and or go back a space on this on a on an MS electric It was it was awful Once word processing came in like most people now use word I I went from two columns a year to 50 - two column from A from and of course written now nine or 10 books. Whatever the number is if you hear my dog in the background, this is proof that this is completely spontaneous. anyway he's agreeing he he reads my work and benefits immensely I remember when I I I got my first word processing program on a computer and I went out of my mind I'm still I still go out of my mind because I write so much better cuz I could constantly edit edit and edit edit and edit without retaking the whole page Last question from Isaac also Prager Force. Thank you 20 - One in Los Angeles. How does a consumer centric business stay true today of Christian values in a world where we see required to a peace to left us in order to The answer is to if you are privately owned if you publicly owned, it's impossible, I guess but if you're privately owned you stay true to your principles In life that's that's the way you work in life Compromising your principles in the long run is is not a meaningful life I mean some compromises necessary. I am not a utopian. I understand that and I am not a purest People should be ultimately true to what they believe in you know they tried to close down Chick fil A mayor said in the mayor of Chicago said they're not welcoming in my town because the owner of Chick fil A is a committed Christian who who does not believe in same sex marriage, for example So now is that a criteria in America. You can't have a business if you believe in male female marriage No matter how well you treat your gay employees and engage in your life that doesn't matter you have to think like the left does in order to even have a business That's totalitarian folks that's frightening but they stay true to their principles and they prevailed because most Americans still prefer freedom of conscious conscience to a compromise for the sake of the a better Relations with the media It's an important question so anyway thanks for being with me from my home to your home Take care I'm Dennis Prayer by
PagesBusinessesNonprofit OrganizationPragerUVideosFireside Chat with Dennis Prager! Episode 31