From the Kitchen Table: The Duffys - Holding The Line Against Woke Politics in Schools

Episode Date: September 18, 2021

This week, Sean and Rachel invite 17-year-old Daniel Idfresne to TheKitchen Table to discuss how high school is challenging enough without having the added element of conforming to “wokeism” to deal with. Daniel later discusses his op-ed in the New York Post and how hard work and other values instilled in him have led him to denounce woke politics & cancel culture. Follow Rachel on Twitter: @RCamposDuffy Follow Sean on Twitter: @SeanDuffyWI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do Ontario dairy farmers bring to the table? A million little things. But most of all, the passion and care that goes into producing the local, high-quality milk we all love and enjoy every day. With 3,200 dairy farming families across Ontario sharing our love for milk, there's love in every glass. Dairy Farmers of Ontario. From our families to your table, everybody milk. Visit milk.org to learn more. Hey, everybody, welcome to From the Kitchen Table. I am your co-host, Sean Duffy, along with

my co-host for the podcast, but also my partner in life, Rachel Campos Duffy. Hi, everyone. Well, we're back with more conversations from our kitchen table. And today we have yet another special guest. This one's only 17 years old. He's a high school student from Brooklyn, New York. And he recently wrote a piece for the New York Post about being immunized from woke politics. I love this op-ed. We had him on Fox and Friends, Sean. And I was like, we're getting this kid back on this show. So please welcome Daniel. Hi, friends. Or E-friends. E-friends. Oh, I knew I was going to butcher your name, Daniel. Hey, Daniel.

Welcome to the kitchen table. Well, thank you for having me. I'm very honored to be on the show today. Thank you. So, Daniel, tell me why you wrote this op-ed. That's an interesting question. I would say that part of the reason why I wanted to write this op-ed, well, first, I wanted to let my fellow friends know that they're not alone. You know, in the past year, especially as COVID started to wane a bit, it's a year after, I would say, March. Or rather, not actually a year after March.

It was the summer after the March where we all locked down, where I had the opportunity to talk with some of my friends who are now, we're all seniors now. And they all noticed something weird that was going on in their social circles in our country, and they couldn't really put a finger on it. And so I thought, hey, if I can help them understand what is going on and furthermore, tell them what I went through or what I experienced that allowed me to be, as I said, immunized from old politics, then it would help my fellow classmates out. So, Daniel, a lot of, classmates and people your age know how woke culture is and the social pressure that comes to a lot of young people. But a lot of us that are

a little bit older, never grew up in the kind of experience that you guys all have. Would you just kind of lay out for us the pressure that you get to be woken? And, you know, what does it mean to be woke when you're 16 17 8 year 18 years old and maybe even like you you said they that they felt like something was changing or different and what was that okay yeah so for um just so i'm getting this correctly the first question is what are the pressures that my generation uh the pressure my generation has to face on the internet when it comes to being woke or at least going on with that? Whether it's on the internet, whether it's in school, whether it's just in your social network, in person or online, what pressure do you have to be woke? Oh, there's immense pressure because we're talking about almost saving one's honor in a way.

Equi-essing the world politics means that you wanted to save your honor or maybe your status in the social hierarchy to some extent. And as we know, as I mentioned in one of the last paragraphs in the piece, As I mentioned in one of the last paragraphs in the piece, acceptance is one of the highest values that a teenager holds. It's not their fault. It's not our fault that we hold that as a highest value. We care so much about our friends, about getting along. But a byproduct of that is you sacrificing some of the truth or at least sacrificing or you sacrifice at

least pursuing the truth uh for a few social points at school and so a lot of my friends even though they think what is going on is ridiculous they'll not mention it in class or maybe if uh there's a debate in class it would uh push the questions any further as to just to save face or save their honor or their social points, whatever you want to call it. Their reputation or their, yeah, their status in school. So what changed over the last year? Like, what did your friends see happening that maybe, as you described, they weren't able to articulate, but you were able to articulate? And what is it? Well, first, I would say one of my friends noticed the the the racist centralism that was going on last year or in the past year.

they mentioned how it was sort of weird how no matter what we were focused on race and how, you know, pretty much every interaction that we have can be boiled down to a racial oppressor and oppressed, you know, whites versus blacks. And my friends don't believe in that. They think that I get a lot of, I wish we can go back to a time where we just didn't care. Another thing I would say is there's been more of a jack up in culture along among people my age, especially on social media. And it's not really pushed by, I would say it's pushed by a small group of people, but it's definitely felt. And so I remember one of my friends telling me that, and this is unrelated, it's not necessarily, it doesn't fit neatly into war politics, but it does speak to what we are dealing with today. One of my friends were talking about the survival rates from COVID. And he said, well, it's right on the CDC website, but I can't post it on my story. So I'm trying to get canceled. Right. Right.

No, I can totally see why that would happen. And by the way, not just get canceled by friends, but probably even by big tech these days. Even posting CDC data can be controversial. So one of the things that I thought was really interesting about what you wrote in this op-ed, and by the way, congratulations, not a lot of 17 year olds get their, their thoughts in their op-ed, you know, posted in an op-ed in the, in the New York Post. So it says a lot about you. But you talked about being inoculated, that there were things that happened to you, your, you know, as a kid, you know, your family environment, um, that protected you from being, um, indoctrinated or gave you perhaps, uh, the strength to stand up

to things that you just in your heart and you weren't true. What were those things that your parents gave you or that your family gave you? Well, yeah, first I wanted to, I just wanted to say that, yeah, it is real pretty fascinating that my piece got on the New York Post. And I, I also don't want to forget to thank Barry Weiss for letting me write on her sub stack, which would, I guess, eventually let the New York Post see my writing and for them to post it on their newspaper. And so, you know, I definitely want to think Barry Weiss for that. And you should check out her newsletter. I would say that she's amazing.

She's amazing. And it is it is great. You're right. She did give you that outlet. And then the post saw it. And she's been she's been a truth teller as well. So continue. Yeah. So I would say that my parents provided discipline and they've provided lessons on life that would eventually that I would eventually understand, continue to embody on, which are, I would say, these lessons are in opposition to a lot of what I would say woke is embodies or yeah, woke is embodies, you know, being an individual, being hardworking, you know, sharing with your family, these things that I would say is overlooked by those who believe in woke politics. And I'll say this, I would say that a lot of the students, the classmates that I've had who are at least susceptible to woke politics either really respect their parents or their first generation Americans, first or second generation Americans who've seen their parents work hard in the country or have seen or their parents have seen their their grandparents work hard and work hard and make it in the country. And Brooklyn Tech has a lot of those students. And so those students, my classmates, being able to see their parents and their grandparents work

hard and make it in this country gives them more hope, more belief, and more belief in the country. They're less likely to think that America's institutions are irredeemably evil because those are the institutions that allowed their families to flourish. Yes. So Dana, you obviously have stood up to woke culture. And I think the wokefication of America has been successful because people get bullied into it. They get pressured into it.

But here you're saying, I'm standing up and pushing back against it. What blowback have you gotten from not buying into this wokefication of America? And what do you have in your past from your parents? You kind of talked about that, but they gave you the strength to go, I'm not going to buy into the lie that wokeism teaches us. Yeah, that's an interesting question. I would say that for the most part, I would say that as far as the internet goes, really what you have to do is really just not pay attention. I wasn't really a big, I'm not really a big Twitter guy or an Instagram guy. I'd rather read a book than scroll through all the comments on an Instagram post or a Twitter post and whatnot. And so, you know, as far as a blowback goes there, like my friends tell me what the responses are.

And I'm like, oh, really? Is that what happened? But when it comes to in person, I would say that a lot of my it's been interesting i i would say that the blowback hasn't hasn't been as big in person as i thought it would there's definitely a few people who i would say have lost respect for me or like wouldn't talk to me a few friends that i would have talked to in sophomore year junior year spent the whole year uh at home but you know you know there's a few friends who would have like if i didn't post that i've been in peace would have probably talked to me uh senior year but you know you just looked the other way but for the most part i would say that a few brooklyn tech is a pretty huge skill school and so a it would be hard for you to find me

if you uh had a problem uh with what said, just because we have 6000 kids. Right. Other than that, it's just been other like other kids who are too scared to speak up, seeing me at the lunchroom, seeing me in the hallway and congratulating me and thanking me. We'll have more of this conversation after this. After decades of shaky hands caused by debilitating tremors, Sunnybrook was the only hospital in Canada who could provide Andy with something special. Three neurosurgeons, two scientists, one movement disorders coordinator, 58 answered questions,

two focused ultrasound procedures, one specially developed helmet, thousands of high intensity focused ultrasound waves, zero incisions. And that very same day, two steady hands. From innovation to action, Sunnybrook is special. Learn more at sunnybrook.ca slash special. So that's interesting to me because what I think I'm hearing you say, Daniel, is that there's a lot of fear about speaking up, but sometimes it's not as bad as you think it's going to be to speak up well i mean fear is mostly the anticipation of something like if you fear uh a flu shot you know the fear is mostly from the like anticipation uh of or like a false sense of like belief that the shot is gonna you know kill you or something or like hurt you when it gets into your arm or whatever.

But after you get the shot, it's fine. And I think that's exactly what I've seen these past few days, you know, and whether no matter how big the blowback is, there are always going to be those who who are fascinated by the work that I've done. And even though it will hurt to lose a few friends, ultimately, I think the friends that is worth keeping are those who admire the work that you do, no matter what kind of positions you take in life. That's such a great point. So tell me a little bit more about your background. So you mentioned that you're first generation from, is it Haitian?

Haitian, yes. Yes. Tell me about your family. What's it like? What was it like growing up in your family? I would say that is I've learned a lot growing up just because my parents were around more often and I did not get to enjoy all the things I wanted to as a kid because I wasn't spoiled. Right. Uh, and so I, I didn't grow up in my parents already finished a journey, their journey. I grew up watching my parents continue on, uh, continue on their journey and they're continuing their journey, uh, right this moment. And so, um, I've grown up seeing times when my parents, uh, or like understanding that, oh, like my parents couldn't get me, uh me that new toy or this and that

just because they're working on getting food on the table. And so growing up like that and, you know, having my parents still be around me, despite them working hard, you know, having, or being even raised by family when both my parents weren't home is something that I actually cherish. For example, for a while, my aunt actually babysat me before I went off to first grade or kindergarten. My aunt would be the one who stayed home. And I'm a huge advocate of that. Even if both parents are working and they don't have time, instead of dropping a child off with a nanny or, you know, hiring somebody to babysit your child, have a, an uncle and an aunt, you know, grandma, grandpa, watch over your child because at least they also have a stake in seeing that child become

successful in the future. Such a great, great, great point. You also work at Panera. Yeah. I mean, so my husband's, he used to be a member of Congress and he used to hire young people all the time. And when he would hire people to work in his office, he would prefer people who didn't have fancy internships, he would prefer people who didn't have fancy internships who prefer people who worked like you as a dishwasher who worked at walmart who had real hard-working jobs um they tended to be the better employees right sean yeah yeah daniel i like people who actually had a work to get where they're at people who had nothing given to them because they have grit and it sounds like you have grit yourself yeah i would say that oh no go ahead go ahead i would say that um you know my thought process when i was applying to

to get a job and by the way i was um fun fact i was trying to look for a job way like way longer than i actually got one but with the for i yeah my birthday was on march 8th and so i immediately started applying for jobs because in new york, you're only allowed to work while in school after you're 16, I believe. So my 16th birthday happened. And then I started applying for jobs. And then literally the Sunday after, that's when I heard de Blasio talk about things shutting down, it's a very funny story. I tell my friends all the time, but I would say the thought process of me, you know, working as a dishwasher, I'm not, I would say that every single person needs to experience being at the bottom of the hierarchy and everybody's going to have to be at the bottom of the hierarchy because it's not likely or is unlikely or it will take a very long time for you to gain the skills to just jump into a position that is maybe uh you know in the

center of that mid-level in a hierarchy or even um in an advanced uh position in hierarchy and so i'm a huge proponent of starting at the bottom it It doesn't matter whether it's a McDonald's or Panera or any job that you don't need a ton of skills to do, you should be doing it immediately as soon as possible. Hey, Dan, I think a lot of people listening to this podcast who are older, who are giving you a slow clap because no one starts at the top. We all start at the bottom and we work our way up. We get skills and work ethic and we progress. But Daniel's so sensible at such a young age, Sean. You are. Let me ask you, Daniel, let's pretend, we're going to play a game here. Let's pretend we don't understand anything about what it is to be woke. So tell me, like, if I'm 17 and if I'm woke, I need to believe these things to be woke.

And if you believe some other things, what would they be to say that guy is not woke? So what makes you woke? What are your beliefs if you're woke? What do you believe if you're not woke? You understand that question? Yeah. So you're basically acting a tenant of, I would say, wokeism. And then the-

Yes, the tenants of wokeism. Okay, yeah. So it's interesting because- He's smarter than us too, Sean. Wokeism is sort of like a, it's like a branch term for different philosophies and other terms that I've heard

of successor ideology, which I like the term as well. But it's interesting. I think one of the, and these philosophies within wokeism would include, you know, gender ideology, critical race theory, you know, sort of economically wise, I mean, economically wise, I would say, economically, maybe, or I would say those who are woke are more likely to be progressive just because of the tenets of wokeism, which I would say. More likely to be socialist, more likely. Yeah, you're more likely to be socialist just because there's a tenets of wokeism.

But I would say that a huge I would say a a common something that's common between like gender ideology, critical race theory, you know, feminist studies and whatnot. I would say that a, something that's common is the social construction. I like metaph, like metaphysically there's social constructionists in a way where they don't believe in an objective reality. They believe that is, is only a power, you know, like that that is is only uh power you know like right that that

is only a power struggle and so uh what we would uh think is objective reality to critical race there is it's only an expression of power by uh white people to oppress black people and you know when it comes to gender studies although gender studies have been replaced by you know, when it comes to gender studies, although gender studies have been replaced by, you know, gender ideology, I'll say that for them, it would say they would contend that all expressions of objective truth to us is just an expression of power by males. And intersectionality sort of takes those different philosophies and then multiplies the magnitude of power being pushed down depending on the different intersections of your identity so if you're right and that's where you get the if you're a straight white male you're like the absolute worst and if you're uh you know in you know i've offered to joke if you're

like a lesbian black transgender whatever female then you're female, then you're, you know, you're, you're on the other side here. I would say the victor of like the victim Olympics. But yeah, I would say, yeah, that's, that's one common tenet among the different philosophies. So Daniel, let me tell you something that I see happening a lot. And among my friends, their moms and dads, and they're conservative, they're Christian, most of them are Republican voting, and their kids are turning out liberal, woke, judgy of them. And they're wondering, how did this happen? So you talked about being inoculated from wokeism. What would be the best advice that Daniel would give a parent? And just give me like five things as quickly as you can, four or five things that you think a parent should do to inoculate their child the way you are from wokeism.

Go. So first one would be, are you spending enough time with your kids? If your kids go to school for like six hours a day and chances are they're not, they're being taught by somebody who does not share the same values or do not share the same value as you, the same values as you. And so are you spending enough time with your kids? Second, I would say be more authoritative in your parenting, especially in the younger years. You know, it's a common thing for parents to say, oh, well, I'll let my kids be like a bit free and for them to explore themselves, explore the world themselves.

Well, no, you're supposed to tell them how the world works for them when they're younger. And then maybe when they're like teens and whatnot, you allow them, you loosen up a bit, let them explore. But under the framework that under the assumption that they'll come back to that framework that you've provided to them in the beginning, I would say the third thing is being involved in your child's school life. It sort of connects to the first one. You have to supervise who is teaching your children. You know, if you're not going to be able to spend time with your child, at least know who is spending the most time with your child

and make sure they're teaching your child the right things and make sure you admonish them if they if they do not. I mean, those three things are the main three that I can come up, come up with the top, come up off the top of my head. But, yeah, it's really about instilling values before somebody pernicious instill values into them whether it's a teacher whether it's culture um you know whether yeah whether media whatever yeah social media yeah you know i i think that you're i think that you talked about your faith i'm sure that had a big part to do with it and i i really love how hard working you are i think a good work ethic um seeing working for your paycheck seeing what's taken out of your paycheck when you cash that check.

All of those things make you more aware of what socialism and wokeism and that sort of ideology is about. I have to tell you, Daniel, you are an amazing kid. Your parents are amazing parents, and you are a testament to that. You're exactly the kind of kid that I think my husband, Sean, would have wanted to hire in his office. 100%, Daniel. I think you're fantastic. And again, I think it's great to come out of this space and share with a lot of us who don't live it and share the experience with us and actually what to look out for, maybe how to protect our own kids against this craziness that's happening in our culture. And just, I mean, I look at what

you're doing and I say this all the time, leaders who are willing to stand up and say things that no one else will say, actually give other people courage to stand up up stand up with them and to speak out and to say no and say there's this this is not right but that is right and so thank you for being a leader and having courage to stand up for the truth yeah and inspiring so many others i'll tell you what daniel you're inspiring us um and we want to thank you for for joining us at the kitchen tape i'm going to give you a chance to give uh your last here. Oh, yeah. I would say thank you for having me again. You know, I can't thank you guys enough for the opportunity. It's one thing for somebody to just stand up.

But it's another thing for those who believe in somebody who's standing up to give the infrastructure and the platform for them to continue to do the things that that will eventually help our country. And I would say to parents, don't be discouraged, especially if you have a small child, you see what's going on, make sure you spend the time with your children and make sure you instill those values because we're talking about children being taught a worldview that is in opposition to the worldview you have grown up with,

that they're purposely being taught how to be resentful because their goal is revolution. And we have to stop that, not because we have to help our country, but because these are your children we're talking about. And we want them to be healthy, grow, grow. We want them to grow to be healthy, productive members of the great society of a great nation we call the United States of America. Hey, Daniel, you are going to be one successful young man. I think you're great, but I got to say, I got to give credit and please say thank you to your mom and dad, because they have raised a fantastic young man. And it's a testament to your point. They put in a lot of work and effort and time, and it does take work, effort, and time to raise good young people. And they surely did that with you. So please thank them for us for raising a great American. Yeah, I have a feeling. I have a feeling we might be voting for Daniel

one day. I think we might be. Daniel, you're fantastic. You're a great American. You make me proud. And I hope you have a great rest of your week and keep making America proud. You're amazing. Keep speaking out too, Daniel. Keep on being a great. Thank you so much, Daniel, for joining us at The Kitchen Table. We've enjoyed this conversation. And if you did too, hey, let us know.

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