Victor Davis Hanson: "We Did That"—Baby Boomer's ‘Generational Betrayal’

Podcast: Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words
Host: Victor Davis Hanson, with Jack Fowler
Release Date: November 20, 2025
Main Theme:
An in-depth reflection on the Baby Boomer generation’s self-examination and the accusations of “generational betrayal”—with Hanson arguing both sides of the inter-generational divide. The episode also delves into foreign influence in America (especially from Qatar), the realities and perceptions of U.S. international aid, and the legacy of William F. Buckley Jr. in shaping the modern conservative movement.

Episode Overview

Victor Davis Hanson unpacks the mounting critique that Baby Boomers, after benefiting from America’s greatest growth and opportunity, failed to pass on key values while over-regulating and altering institutions to the detriment of younger generations. Through historical and personal anecdotes, he addresses both the truth and the hyperbole of "boomer-blaming." The hosts also discuss foreign money’s impact on U.S. universities, shifting American attitudes towards global aid, and mark the centennial of conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Baby Boomer "Generational Betrayal" Debate

Timestamp: [06:17] – [19:26]

• Social Media Critique: Jack Fowler reads a viral post and a pointed article charging Boomers with hoarding opportunity—especially homeownership—and leaving younger generations less fit, less likely to start families, and burdened by debt and political alienation.

  • Notable Quote (Jack Fowler, 06:17):

    “…a generation voting and regulating themselves, lavish riches and closing the door on the way out.”

• Hanson’s Nuanced Response:

  • Agreement: Boomers inherited a can-do, economically dynamic America, benefited from affordable education (“$900” for UC Santa Cruz, no tuition), and later contributed to suffocating bureaucracy.
    • Quote (Hanson, 08:59):

      “We changed the structure of America to the detriment of these young generations, and …did not pass on the Depression era, World War II ordeal that our parents did.”

  • But:
    • Boomers faced their own struggles—shared bedrooms, manual chores, unreliable cars, and limited comforts.
    • Each generation "softens" from the sacrifices of the last (citing family and classical history: “Athens had the Marathon men, who created the Periclean class, and then the Periclean destroyed Athens by producing the third generation...” [13:11]).
  • Younger Generations: Pointed call for personal responsibility and resilience:
    Notable Quote (Hanson, 14:44):

    “…how many hours have you spent on video games? …What if you had not spent that time on video games… maybe you could have taken an online course in electricity, maybe in roofing…”

• On Education:

  • Hanson reminisces on rigorous college days compared to today’s "poetics of masculinity" courses and grade inflation:
    Quote (Hanson, 18:16):

    “Eighty percent of the courses are A’s... Our generation destroyed that [rigorous] curriculum.”

  • He critiques the "elite" for letting the next generation down by allowing ideological capture of institutions, but praises the working class for their mettle—sharing a story of a fearless 18-year-old soldier in Iraq.

2. Foreign Money and Influence in U.S. Universities

Timestamp: [27:19] – [34:59]

• Qatar and Middle Eastern Funding:
  • Discussion on how countries like Qatar strategically pour billions into America, especially elite universities, to shape future leaders and influence U.S. policy, often to the detriment of Western and pro-Israel perspectives.
  • Quote (Hanson, 28:11):

    “You will give as much money as you can… and you will set up Middle East studies programs… and start to very insidiously, carefully start to give a message about America. And it will be pretty much pro-Arab, pro-Muslim, anti-Western and especially anti-Israel…”

• University Motivation:
  • Universities, overloaded with administrators and special centers, are incentivized to take foreign cash to fund non-teaching, ideological operations.
  • Quote (Hanson, 32:45):

    “We’ll appeal to Chinese Communist people, we’ll appeal to Middle East… They’ll give us money to perpetuate these particular studies… And we can change the nature of the United States.”

3. U.S. Foreign Aid: Polls, Principle, and Politics

Timestamp: [40:03] – [50:45]

• Poll on U.S. Aid:

  • Fowler summarizes a poll showing broad support (including among Trump voters) for international assistance—when framed as using U.S.-made products and strengthening alliances.
  • Hanson cautions:
    • Support depends on how questions are asked—Americans favor aid for "saving lives" or strengthening Western allies, and resent funds spent on ideological programs abroad (e.g., gender studies in Kabul).
    • Aid to Israel is exceptional: U.S. gets real intelligence and technological returns, and it’s defensible as supporting Western, democratic values in a hostile region.
    • Contrasts little criticism of problematic "allies" like Turkey, who are less reliable, with disproportionate scrutiny toward Israel—a sign of anti-Semitic bias when objections aren’t applied evenhandedly.
    • Quote (Hanson, 44:05):

      “Let’s just be honest about it... most Americans feel giving [Israel] enough money to make sure they’re the dominant military power in the region ensures that if we ever have to deal with the Iranian nuclear facilities, the IDF has already cleared the skies for us.”

• Double Standards & Selective Outrage:

  • Hanson insists: Apply principles consistently—not just to Israel, but to other nations (e.g., Turkey’s occupation of Cyprus, Armenian ethnic cleansing, or Boko Haram’s victims).

4. Reflections on Bill Buckley and Conservative Legacy

Timestamp: [66:58] – [75:20]

• Centennial and Critique:

  • Bill Buckley Jr. is being attacked by some on the right as “patrician” and irrelevant; Hanson and Fowler reject this, affirming Buckley’s foundational role in respectable, principled conservatism that explicitly rejected racism, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy thinking.
  • Buckley’s Legacy:
    • Quote (Hanson, 67:31):

      “He created the conservative movement… [by] saying, ‘Stop. No more…’ and doing it without incorporating the other strands … like racism, anti-Semitism, conspiracies…”

• Mandate to Conservatives:

  • Fowler recounts Buckley’s last message: “The one thing we have to fight is Islamo-fascism.”
  • Both stress the obligation for conservative leaders—echoing Firing Line’s tough interviews—to challenge and confront problematic views, not simply give platforms to extremists.

5. Contemporary Conservative Concerns and Anecdotes

Timestamp: [75:31] – [80:24]

• Modern Conservative Nightmares: Fowler mentions an intent to discuss what keeps conservatives up at night—massive, long-term cultural and political problems—but this is saved for a future episode.
• Victor’s Reflections:
  • Shares personal experience of living in California amidst cultural change—emphasizes not being a victim, remaining resilient, and holding to Christian decency, even in encounters with illegal immigrants.
  • Quote (Hanson, 78:59):

    “You want to always have the Christian point of view… and it’s not all bad experiences is what I’m saying.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Both sides have it. We’re culpable for not passing on the values that our parents taught us… and we altered the rules of the economy and… school system especially.” —Victor Davis Hanson [17:10]
• “Our generation destroyed that curriculum… They go to college now and it’s the poetics of masculinity or the racial colonial settler development of the Oregon Trail…” —Hanson [17:23]
• “If you look at Harvard, who was coming out of Harvard in 1970 versus today, it’s a very different type of student.” —Hanson [34:15]
• “You can be against Israel and not be anti-Semitic. But… apply that principle to other places too... It’s when you only single out Israel…” —Hanson [46:27]
• “He [Buckley] did it… without incorporating the other strands… that had made it impossible to be mainstream… racism, anti-Semitism, conspiracies…” —Hanson [67:31]

Timestamps by Topic

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |:--------------|:--------------------------------------------------------| | 06:17 – 19:26 | Baby Boomer “Generational Betrayal”—debate and context | | 19:26 – 27:15 | Ideological capture of higher ed, changes in culture | | 27:19 – 34:59 | Foreign influence (esp. Qatar) in U.S. universities | | 40:03 – 50:45 | U.S. foreign aid—polling, Israel, and double standards | | 66:58 – 75:20 | Bill Buckley’s legacy, right-wing infighting | | 75:31 – 80:24 | Modern anxieties, personal reflections & closing |

Tone & Style

• Reflective, candid, and challenging: Hanson moves between scholarship, personal anecdote, and pointed critique.
• Conversational and anecdotal: Fowler brings humor and a sense of history, while both hosts remain direct and sometimes self-deprecating.
• No-nonsense, principled: Repeated insistence on intellectual honesty, personal responsibility, and historical perspective.

Summary Conclusion

This episode is a thoughtful, incisive exploration of America’s generational divide, the responsibility and self-criticism of the Baby Boomers, the foreign ideological pressures on U.S. institutions, the complexities of American foreign aid, and the vital legacy of principled conservatism founded by Buckley. Hanson and Fowler urge their audience not to wallow in self-pity or victimhood, but to recognize where generational, cultural, or policy failings occurred—and to apply principled standards evenly at home and abroad.