"In a single moment all the triviality of this world was pushed aside," began Dinesh D'Souza.
D'Souza, a well-known public speaker and the author of four best-selling books including "The Virtue of Prosperity" addressed nearly 400 students, faculty members and administrators in Gilmer Hall Auditorium last night as he discussed "Why They Hate Us: America and Its Enemies."
Several organizations, including the Jefferson Leadership Foundation and the College Republicans, sponsored D'Souza's visit.
"If we want to find the source of the hostility that is driving this kind of attack, we must examine how America itself became the dominant power in the world," D'Souza said in reference to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
He spoke about how Americanization in the world goes beyond the spread of technology.
"People want the American life. The assumption that we have the right to script our own lives is incredibly appealing to people around the world and it is uniquely American," he said.
D'Souza argued that there are three uniquely Western ideas that account for America's worldwide success. These ideals are science, democracy and capitalism.
"In every country people trade," Dinesh said. "But the idea of private property, contracts and courts to enforce these contracts, these are Western ideas." He attributed a lot of the success of some third-world countries directly to America's capitalist tradition.
He added, however, that the ability to direct one's own life is an ideal that some fundamentalist countries and people around the world do not agree with.
"We as Americans must decide what are the principles and ideas we are willing to defend and fight for," he said.
"My goal is to get to the roots of American values, to develop a stronger patriotism in a time of great peril," he added.
Many University students responded positively to D'Souza's message.
"I came to hear him speak tonight because I was interested in the topic and I wanted to learn more," second-year College student Barrett Cambell said. "I was really impressed with what he said."
In a question-and-answer session that followed the lecture, D'Souza was asked by one audience member, "If this whole lecture is on why they hate us, then shouldn't we talk more about 'them'? Shouldn't we probe deeper into the issue and try to see things from their point of view?"
After the applause that ensued, D'Souza responded by saying that "We are not trying to foster a dialogue with bin Laden. We need to foster an intelligent patriotism based on who we are."
D'Souza's "views are strong and we thought it'd be great for the University community to hear him," said Benjamin Beliles, president of the Jefferson Leadership Foundation. "The values that have made America are exactly the reason why America is so great, and Dinesh D'Souza has spoken on that tonight"
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