Dan Flynn, author of \Why the Left Hates America"" spoke at Memorial Union last night to promote his latest release ""Intellectual Morons.""
Speaking to a mixture of liberals and conservatives, Flynn discussed a few individuals he mentions in his new book and the concept of idealism.
""My book is about left ideology or right ideology that sort of dictates one's response to ideas and issues and how dangerous that is,"" Flynn said.
Flynn began his lecture intending to speak about how idealism can act as a ""mental straightjacket"" on reality, but spent the majority of the time bashing people he had written about.
When discussing Alfred Kinsey, famous for the Kinsey Reports researching sexual behavior, Flynn emphasized the researcher's many sexual flaws. While commenting on Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, he focused not on her accomplishments, but rather her personal thoughts on eugenics.
""Sanger was the original femi-Nazi ... she wanted the reinstitution of slavery in the United States. She's calling for a massive system of concentration camps in the United States,"" Flynn said.
When commenting about Noam Chomsky, Flynn called him ""Michael Moore with his brain on steroids.""
He added, quoting Nietzsche, ""'There's no need to muddy the waters when things aren't that deep,' and let's face it, a lot of the left in this country are not very deep.""
Flynn then addressed UW-Madison students, advising them not to follow the idealistic teachings of their professors.
""If you want the truth, get off the road of ideology that so many of your professors are leading you on, and get on the road of facts, of reason, of logic, experience and especially of thinking,"" Flynn said.
Among most students who came to hear Flynn, reactions were mixed. However. those who read the book found it informative.
UW-Madison freshman Dan Powell received Flynn's new book as a Christmas present and found the lecture an expansion of what he wrote. Powell was impressed with how objective Flynn could be.
""I respect that he has the ability to assert his ideas and at the same time be a realist and still think that realism can change the world,"" Maggie King, UW-Madison freshman, said.
Flynn closed with a sentiment he hoped to leave listeners thinking about: ""Idealism is a good thing if you have realistic goals.\
