Conservative speaker and economist Daniel Di Martino responds to a student’s question at the Student Union stage for the “Socialism is Evil” event on Tuesday.
Lola Fontanez
UCF students clamored around a small stage outside the Student Union Tuesday afternoon to have their questions answered by conservative activist Daniel Di Martino at UCF Young Americans for Freedom’s “Socialism is Evil” event.
The organization held a two-hour Q&A that allowed students to voice their concerns or questions regarding socialist policies. Di Martino also joined the YAF at UCF chapter for a lecture in the L3Harris Corporation Engineering Center that evening.
Di Martino, a fellow with the Manhattan Institute and a Columbia PhD candidate in economics, has grown his online following since moving to the U.S., creating content based on his experiences living under Venezuelan socialism.
President of the YAF at UCF chapter, Jake Suggs, opened the forum with a simple question.
“Is America the greatest country in the world?” Suggs asked.
The answer was not as simple, but it kick-started over two hours of conversation from both YAF members and passersby alike.
Students engaged in and observed the discussions as Di Martino relayed advice and anecdotes about his life under socialism.
“It’s a very dangerous thing that I think is poisoning people’s minds,” Di Martino said. “It’s the envy, it’s people lacking understanding of what this country was founded on.”
The crowd was filled with varying perspectives, but the longest conversation of the event was between Di Martino and freshman physics major, Pablo Valenzuela. The two held a heated exchange regarding socialist policy in Cuba, where Valenzuela’s family is from.
“Tomorrow the United Nations will hold a historic vote once more for the embargo,” Valenzuela said, following his debate. “So I came out here to speak against that and highlight some things about the Cuban Revolution that aren’t true.”
At the later lecture, Di Martino praised Valenzuela for the conversation. He made clear in his closing remarks at the Q&A that he felt conversation was the best way to deal with polarization.
“Everything comes at a price, nothing is free,” Di Martino said. “So the question is not ‘Do we want everyone to have great access to healthcare?’ or ‘Do we want everybody to have access to education?’ — the question is how to get there.”
Suggs elaborated on this point following Di Martino’s presentation and conversations with other students at the Q&A and lecture events.
“As students I think our job is to facilitate conversations, we want to exchange a wide variety of ideas,” Suggs said. “That’s what a university is for.”
The nature of the event warranted a heightened law enforcement presence around campus and in the surrounding area of the debates.
Two snipers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team were perched on top of the building, one on the far right and one in the center. UCF Police Department also worked in tandem with other Orange County Sheriff’s Officers, alongside the YAF’s private security around the perimeter.
Security was also present at the evening lecture, with a mandatory metal detector prior to entering the event.
Conservative speaker and economist Daniel Di Martino engages in conversation with UCF Young Americans for Freedom during the “Socialism is Evil” lecture at the L3Harris Engineering Center on Tuesday.
Lola Fontanez
The lecture provided a more intimate setting for Di Martino’s presentation, as YAF members filled the classroom.
One of these students, freshman electrical engineering major, Kevin Cornieles, felt drawn to the event in an effort to broaden his perspective.
“Whenever a speaker comes, whatever political affiliation they are, I try to expand my worldview,” Cornieles said. “I felt like this was a good place to learn about someone’s personal experience.”
Cornieles also felt a personal connection to Di Martino’s background and lived experiences through his own upbringing.
“My dad is Venezuelan as well, so I’ve always grown up hearing the socialist stories,” said Cornieles. “But this guy is more involved and into the political sphere than my dad is, so I get to learn more about socialism as a whole– not just personal anecdotes from Venezuela.”
Di Martino gave a demonstration detailing his journey from Venezuela to America and the reasons he felt socialism had contributed to the economic struggles of his home country.
“I think the most important thing is that people should be grateful to live in America,” Di Martino said. “They need to understand why America is so prosperous– it is because we are free to do things with the least government intervention possible, and we need to restore that so the ‘American Dream’ stays alive.”