CATEGORY: CULTURE (29 MIN) 

The DeSantis-Disney duel

Perhaps no conflict between a politician and a company has captured the public’s imagination like the battle between Florida governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company. It began when DeSantis passed a law stopping teachers from influencing young schoolchildren on gender identity issues. Liberals called it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and Disney, a private entity, openly condemned the legislation.  

Since then, DeSantis has sought to restrain the giant power Disney holds in the state of Florida. 

In The American Conservative, Bradley Devlin tells the story of the DeSantis-Disney war, basing much of his work on an exclusive interview with DeSantis. Devlin recounts Disney’s history, its unique relationship with the Florida state government, and DeSantis’s efforts to rein in the previously untamed company. 

But Devlin also focuses his discussion on some conservatives’ criticism of DeSantis for being not “free market” enough and creating government overreach. He asked DeSantis about these concerns, and the governor responded that too many conservatives have become corporatists in this day and age.  

Devlin also interviewed conservative scholars like Kevin Roberts, ISI board member and president of the Heritage Foundation, for their thoughts on the situation. Read Devlin’s in-depth and well-researched piece right here. 

ISI’s Annual Homecoming Weekend

June 2nd - 3rd, 2023

Hosted on ISI’s beautiful 20-acre campus in Wilmington, Delaware, this year’s Homecoming theme is “The Next Great American.” Through engaging presentations, we will explore the statesmen, titans of industry, and artists that have shaped our nation throughout its history. Special discounted rate of only $50 for ISI students and alumni under age 30! RSVP before tickets are gone here.

Join us in Wilmington, DE >>>

Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.

Dark Academia: Sociopathy Cultivated by Elite Boarding Schools via The Yale Free Press
“Others, most notably Frank Brunni of The New York Times, have highlighted how the college admissions madness detracts from the character of our nation’s best and brightest students. These students are encouraged to mislead others.”

Abolish the Student Assembly via The Cornell Review
“The Student Assembly routinely embarrasses Cornell with scandals, partisan politics, and corruption.”

CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (23 MIN) 

Careful correction

Amidst a landscape of more and more conservative sects and groups, it can be hard to remember our common foundations. How ought we to approach a new world and adjust our expectations to modern times? As the word “conservative” implies, perhaps it should be through going back to basics. 

For our Intercollegiate Review archive, Lee Edwards reminds readers of the work of Russell Kirk and of his famous emphasis on the “politics of prudence.” Edwards discusses its emphasis on personal religion, understanding of imperfection, and compromise.  

Edwards draws on Kirk to highlight the importance of personal change in Americans’ lives in order to effect societal change. He argues that society’s loss of religiousness and morality has led to much of the decline we see today. 

As Kirk said, a culture “cannot long survive the extinction of belief in a transcendent order that brought the culture into being.” 

To fix this problem, Edwards believes repairing the source of our society—this crumbling religious foundation—must accompany any other attempted changes. And it must be done with order and prudence. 

Discover many more of Kirk’s thoughts here. 

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