For anyone familiar with Ben Shapiro’s style and perspectives, the lecture he gave at the University of Utah was nothing unexpected. Shapiro addressed a variety of heated topics in today’s political climate. He mainly used statistics to promote his ideas, and emphasized that he tries to cite liberal-leaning sources for his statistics in order to avoid any criticisms of “cherry picking.”
However, the attention given to Shapiro’s lecture was intensified by Ian Decker’s open letter, which Shapiro read in its entirety on stage. Decker’s letter clearly identifies the intent of three groups to “shut down” Shapiro’s event, pointing to the possible consequences of his “hate speech” for vulnerable minorities in Utah.