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Anthony Leonardi's Exclusive Interview with Candace Owens on The Washington Examiner
Last week, Anthony Leonardi had an exclusive interview with Turning Point USA Communications Director Candace Owens. Part of the interview was published on The Washington Examiner.
Check out the excerpt below and stay tuned for the full interview coming soon:
Turning Point USA Communications Director Candace Owens recently appeared on Russell Brand’s “Under the Skin” podcast. The two discussed a variety of issues, including Owen’s upbringing, views on government and economics, and other philosophical topics.
During the interview, Owens expressed some controversial thoughts about the current state of the public education system.“You don’t learn anything in school,” said Owens. “You learn propaganda. You learn how to function in society in the way that government and society want you to function”.
Speaking with me last week during an interview at Turning Point's Student Action Summit, Owens said she feels that many students are indoctrinated in public schools. She challenged students to evaluate why specifically they want to go to college and what they hope to achieve in their academic career.
"There is virtue in getting an education, but our current education system doesn’t do that. They’re not challenging students to think critically. They’re not challenging students to have their own ideas. It’s almost a fear-based system, if you really think about it. ” said Owens. “Most people take on all these loans. Do they ever really have to? Do you really need to go to college unless you’re pursuing something like being a doctor or lawyer, obviously, or something that actually requires you having that? It’s sort’ve a way to, in many ways, indoctrinate children and to marry us to the government before we even get out into society.“
Owens notes that if students intend to earn professional doctorates or J.D.s, they should go to college. However, she also said that, because she believes the public education system did “nothing” but force her to memorize leftist banalities, if she ever had children she would be hesitant to send them to college.
“I think education is very important, but I don’t really know that I would put, especially for me if I have children someday, if I would put them through the public education system. Because for me it did nothing, they wanted me to memorize what they thought was important for me to memorize, without ever challenging me to think.”
Owens also had some words of advice for conservative students currently in college who are hesitant to write their principles on paper.
“I think they should write their principles, and expose people and fight when [professors] don’t give them the grades they deserve. That’s certainly what I did. I took it all the way to the top,” said Owens. “What you’ll figure out really soon is that many of these teachers are cowards. They don’t want the drama. They don’t want you posting, we live in the age of social media, exposing them is not something that’s good for them. And that’s the greatest tool our students can use today.”