Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode: "12/23/25: Ryan CONFRONTS Emily On College Campus CANCELLATION"
Date: December 23, 2025
Hosts: Ryan Grim & Emily Jaszinski

Episode Overview

This special holiday edition is the first part of an interview swap between Ryan Grim and Emily Jaszinski. Ryan takes the lead, interviewing Emily about her college origins in campus conservative politics, her brush with "cancellation," the evolution of her cultural and political views, and her career in media. The conversation weaves through key moments shaping Emily's outlook, focusing on debates around sensitivity training, being labeled a "hate group," the development of "woke" politics, and the distinctive challenges and resonance of independent media today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emily’s Origin Story: College, YAF, and Campus Controversy

• [02:58] Ryan opens by referencing Emily's "cancellation" moment at George Washington University:
  • 2015 Incident: As head of GW's YAF (Young America’s Foundation), Emily opposed mandatory sensitivity training on LGBT issues (specifically, pronouns), arguing for religious tolerance.
  • Media coverage—especially by Raw Story and The GW Hatchet—portrayed her/YAF as bigoted, with College Republicans distancing themselves.
  • Emily: "It was genuinely horrible. A lot of people on the right would love that, but for me, I hated it. And I don't have, like, literal PTSD from it, but thinking about it feels still really..." (12:36)
  • YAF gave her a job after the controversy, recognizing the volatility on campuses.

2. The Fallout and Personal Impact

• [10:24] Ryan asks how the media pile-on shaped Emily:
  • She describes being ostracized, friends confronting her, and student groups labeling YAF a "hate group."
  • She frames this as "proto-woke," an early example of social media-fueled campus cancel culture.
  • Emily: "It was an early experience with a pylon, and I've never been comfortable... It's horrible every time. I hate it." (12:38)
  • The saga occurred months before Caitlyn Jenner's transition and Trump's campaign, marking a significant cultural moment.

3. Political Evolution: Culturally Conservative, Libertarian Phase, and Populism

• [17:59] Emily's background: rural Wisconsin, churchgoing, parents with mixed politics (mom conservative, dad a union Democrat).
• She briefly identified as libertarian in college, inspired by Ron/Rand Paul.
  • Ryan (reading old quote): "She is inspired by new voices in the Republican Party that are more libertarian, like father and son Ron and Rand Paul. She called them the future of the GOP." (19:11)
  • She later realized social issues were central to the Republican base.
  • Emily: "I was wrong about...the Republican Party did need to get caught up in social issues... the culture war is the big tent." (22:47)

4. Working in Conservative Media: From YAF to The Federalist

• [23:57] Emily details her time at YAF, then the American Enterprise Institute working for Christina Hoff Sommers.
  • On Sommers: "She had leftist critiques of the feminist movement... was so misunderstood... that resonates with me: these elite distortions of well-intentioned people who are just trying to engage in conversation." (24:58)
• Christina Hoff Sommers’ Influence:
  • Critiques of mainstream feminism, emphasizing that erasing sex distinctions would harm women.
  • Early coverage of “Gamergate” and debates about feminist incursions into gaming culture.

5. Gamergate and Men’s Issues

• [27:12] Emily recounts attending a Gamergate meetup, seeing firsthand the anxious, sometimes marginalized young men drawn into online culture wars.
• On Gamergate: "It was sort of proto-woke... some channeling it in awful ways, some just, 'stop encroaching on our spaces'... In a way, it was also touching. Some of them were well-intentioned." (28:08)
• Bannon later cited Gamergate as a catalyst for alt-right mobilization.

6. The Question of Gender Roles and Work

• [30:23] Ryan highlights the "contradiction"—Emily works extremely hard in public-facing media, yet has culturally conservative values.
  • She references Mary Harrington’s argument that home/work separation is modern, not rooted in tradition.
  • Emily: "I think some of these are, like, artificial distinctions... I don't really buy into the artificial distinctions." (32:06)

7. Journalism Career Path: Washington Examiner & The Federalist

• [35:56] Emily discusses moving from reporting/blogging at the Examiner (under Tim Carney) to writing/editing for The Federalist.
  • The Federalist’s focus on publishing voices from outside the D.C. bubble was formative.

8. Meeting Sagar and the Road to Co-Hosting

• [37:07] Emily overlaps with Sagar Enjeti at GWU; they realize later they likely met at social events.
• Their professional connection grew through media appearances and mutual friend circles.
• On co-hosting: Emily says her media partnerships (especially with Ryan) felt "crucial" in making on-camera roles enjoyable.

9. Value and Challenges of Heterodox Media

• [42:34] The hosts reflect on why civil, cross-ideological conversation is so rare—even when there’s demand for it:
  • Social media “algorithms are reprogramming our brains” to shun or attack ideological opponents.
  • Dissenting, cross-partisan dialogue gets constant criticism from online partisans.
  • Emily: "The demand for this kind of show doesn't get met because algorithms...make so many people give in to those pressures... I think one of the reasons there's a demand for this type of show is we push past those pressures." (43:57)
• The format prevents "audience capture," as listeners expect differing perspectives.

10. Journalism, Uncertainty, and Learning

• [44:56] Emily reflects on the role of journalists:
  • Should ask questions more than supply prefab answers.
• Memorable closing quote:
  • Emily: "A lot of times I'm just asking questions because you don't have to have a prefab ideological conclusion for every question that comes up. And shows that are in the habit of giving you that are bad. And I think people are getting sick of them." (45:44)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Emily on student group backlash:
  • "The Allied and Pride group on campus...put out a statement...that said we had committed an act of violence against the transgender community." (11:38)
• Ryan on the campus sensitivities:
  • "The headline: Conservative club labeled 'cancer hate group' for requesting to opt out of LGBT training." (12:55)
• Emily on evolving views:
  • "I was like, oh, no, actually, the culture war is where...the big tent is." (22:47)
• On her discomfort with media notoriety:
  • "Every once in a while, something you say gets clipped...and it's horrible every time. I hate it." (12:55)
• On work/life/gender roles:
  • "The separation between home and work is actually industrial... It's a post-industrial, artificial distinction." (32:06)
• On cross-ideological dialogue:
  • "One of the reasons there's a demand for this type of show that doesn't get done is because the algorithms are like, reprogramming so many people..." (43:57)
• On journalistic humility:
  • "I think journalists should have more questions than answers... We're used to people in media who have a rock solid opinion on everything... You don't have to have a prefab ideological conclusion." (45:44)

Important Timestamps

• [04:05–13:56] – College cancellation story, media pile-on, and aftermath
• [15:42–19:07] – Political origins: family, libertarian phase, and populism
• [23:57–28:08] – Early conservative media career; mentorship by Christina Hoff Sommers and Gamergate
• [30:23–34:49] – Gender, work, and cultural conservatism re-examined
• [37:07–38:25] – Crossing paths with Sagar; path to co-hosting
• [42:34–45:44] – Reflections on independent/heterodox journalism and resisting ideological silos

Tone, Style, and Episode Signature

The episode is conversational, candid, and at times self-deprecating, marked by mutual respect despite ideological differences. Both hosts maintain a tone of earnest reflection, humility about their past miscalculations, and a strong belief in cross-cutting dialogue. Humor threads through the chat, notably in recollections of college antics, "sweaty basement dwellers" at Gamergate, and softball team stories.

Conclusion

This episode is a rich deep-dive into the personal, political, and professional evolution of conservative media personality Emily Jaszinski. By retracing her path through early campus controversies, ideological shifts, and her current role in independent media, the conversation frames the rise of cancel culture, the transformation of the conservative movement, and the enduring value of civil disagreement. For listeners interested in the human stories behind ongoing cultural battles, it’s essential listening.