Pete Buttigieg visited Santa Barbara Tuesday to offer insight on both the United States’ current political state and how he believes the country should move forward in the next few years.
The former U.S. Secretary of Transportation spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Arlington Theatre for UC Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures series.
Buttigieg began by addressing the UCSB students in the audience, opening his speech with what he referred to as “the bad news.”
He noted that the Trump Administration has more control over universities than he has ever seen before. He cited restrictions in university research as well as recent limitations on freedom of speech on campuses nationwide.
Buttigieg offered a call-to-action for college students, urging them to get offline.
“Let (social media and the internet) give you sports scores, White Lotus memes, and cat pictures, but do not let it dominate how you relate to the world around you.”
He also spoke on the risk artificial intelligence poses to jobs.
“We could experience the total disintegration of some of the most important patterns and assumptions about what human beings can, must, and should do,” Buttigieg said.
He reminded his audience that what is currently happening under the Trump Administration has happened before, citing the Civil War and the civil rights movement as examples.
“For everybody who is alive today, we have no risk of living in an unimportant time, and with that comes the prospect of shaping a better future.”
Buttigieg spoke on how he believes Democrats can more effectively push their political stances and the need for Democrats to get into different spaces where their political beliefs will most likely be met with a negative reception.
“How can you blame someone for not agreeing with your message if they’ve never even heard it?” he questioned. Buttigieg also presented a point that the government has a “freedom enhancing role” and should revolve around making Americans’ everyday lives better overall.
Buttigieg wrapped up his speech by talking about how his relatively new role as a father has influenced his view on policy. He emphasized the importance of parental leave and supporting women’s issues at a time when the federal government is assessing ways to increase birth rates.
The talk was immediately followed by a Q&A with questions from the audience.
Doors to the event opened at 7:30 p.m. and the line was wrapped around the block.
In line for admission, UCSB student Chris Hyder expressed his motivation for attending the talk. “I feel like it has been pretty bleak keeping up with the news in recent days. He is going to make me feel uplifted and give me some hope in the future of American politics.”
Another UCSB student, Ella Heidman-Pinkner, also shared her hopes for the event. “This brings together a lot of people who have the same ideas and lets them know that there’s other people out there who are thinking the same things they are and that there is hope. There are good people out there that want the best for America.”