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September 25, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – On this week’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Jonathon Van Maren speaks with Douglas Murray, British journalist, author, and political commentator. Murray has written numerous books, including the international bestseller The Strange Death of Europe. This book is one of the “most insightful things written on the migrant crisis, on the identity crisis gripping Europe,” Van Maren says.  
 
Murray has been a contributor to The Spectator since 2000 and has been Associate Editor at the magazine since 2012. He has also written regularly for numerous other outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Evening Standard, and The New Criterion. He is a regular contributor to National Review and has been a columnist for Standpoint magazine since its founding. 

Today, Van Maren and Murray discuss Murray’s newest book, The Madness of Crowds. They discuss what Murray calls the four biggest hot-button issues in politics today: “gays, women, race, and trans.”  

Murray points out that people are currently being forced to say things with which they they don’t agree. “One of the hallmarks of the totalitarian society is that you make people say things that are not true and that they know not to be true and that you know not to be true because it demoralizes them and allows them to pass other lies.” 

A big issue with the social justice movement, Murray argues, is that people aren’t fully thinking through and analyzing the causes they are supporting. “I think that we become incapable of thinking about issues we need to think about.” 

Van Maren and Murray agree these issues are being imposed from the top down, despite being sold as a growing ground-up movement. The imposition of “diversity” is seen in corporations, governments, universities – almost everywhere. Murray challenges everyone to seriously consider these hot button issues, where they come from, truly think them through, and then “do something better with their lives.”  

Murray hopes that his book will touch young people who are being told to weaponize identity issues and politicize every aspect of their lives. The politicization of race and gender is a zero sum game” that will end up in nothing but unhappiness.” Murray instead encourages listeners to seek out the source of meaning in their lives.  

Murray argues a large reason the social justice movement took off was because people had a great gap in their lives, allowing the social justice movement to become the new religion” of many.  

Overall, Murray sees the social justice movement in its current state as a waste of time and a detriment to society. Rather than focusing on breaking each other down, Murray encourages people, especially the young, to do great things.  

You can purchase Murray’s book, The Madness of Crowds, at Amazon and other booksellers.  

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