0:00 Has Norman been shut out of mainstream political debates? 7:54 Norman’s conflict with Alan Dershowitz 16:50 Is Israel an apartheid state? 19:25 Identifying with Paul Robeson 33:08 Norman’s new book, I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! 44:42 Norman: Wokeness is a “triple scam” 53:28 What’s become of Angela Davis? 1:00:05 Cornel West's chosen path 1:09:01 Obama’s self-proclaimed “neat trick” 1:24:38 The political intelligence of Carter, Clinton, and Obama 1:38:10 South Carolina 2020: a ca...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 59 min
In this week’s episode, John and I return to a familiar character: Omar. For those of you unfamiliar with “Omar,” he’s our invented surrogate for the kind of young black man whose behavior is wreaking havoc on Chicago and St. Louis. Omar is economically disadvantaged. He was more than likely raised by a single mother. He underperforms academically, and he may have dropped out of high school. He’s involved in illegal activity of one sort or another. If there is some kind of large-scale disorderly...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min
0:00 Heather’s new book, When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives 8:20 Are racial disparities in medical school the result of racism or skills gaps? 20:03 Do we really know what causes racial disparities? 32:23 Closing racial achievement gaps begins at home 40:39 Will black doctors necessarily provide better care to black patients? 50:26 Canceling Western art 1:00:37 Heather: Colonialism cannot explain the development of art 1:...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John answer questions from the Substack community.
May 04, 2023•7 min
0:00 Mark Goldblatt’s recent book, I Feel, Therefore I Am: The Triumph of Woke Subjectivism 10:55 Wokeism’s roots in postmodern thought 15:05 The “mysticism” of woke thinking 17:44 Learning from Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations 26:29 John breaks his silence on transgender issues 35:13 The political consequences of subjectivism 41:46 Why Mark thinks transgender people are mentally disordered 50:07 What does the T have to do with the LGB? 58:09 Mark: Transgender people deserve respect 1:02:39 D...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 10 min
0:00 The gigification of academia 8:26 Is education just another commodity? 18:14 What do historians do? 26:22 Daniel: The university system is an unregulated cartel 35:08 The liberalism (not the leftism) of the university 38:22 Using (and getting used by) new technology 43:19 An alternate history of global economic development 47:29 The end of the American century 54:27 Daniel’s critique of US support for Ukraine Recorded February 7, 2023 Links and Readings Daniel’s NYT op-ed, “The Dangerous De...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min
0:00 Al Sharpton’s National Action Network still exists, apparently 5:00 MLK’s understanding of America’s contributions to democracy 12:58 Are the “people with three names” grifters or merely limited in their racial vision? 21:07 How do you change the minds of black voters? 30:13 The national black leadership vacuum 36:30 The under-recognized success of the black middle class 41:30 Ian’s got a four-point plan … 47:38 … but what’s the best way to disseminate it? (It’s podcasts.) 51:37 The paradox...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 What’s wrong with cancelation? 13:28 A defense of Charles Murray 21:24 Cancelation and the closet 28:08 Jonathan’s book, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth 39:35 Jonathan: “The marketplace of ideas” is a necessary but insufficient metaphor 42:51 Is Trump an agent of disinformation? 54:22 What the woke and MAGA crowds have in common 59:41 Why Jonathan is hopeful about the constitution of knowledge Recorded February 6, 2022 Links and Readings Jonathan’s latest book, The Constit...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 12 min
0:00 The disruption of Judge Kyle Duncan’s speech at Stanford Law School 9:33 Why did people have a problem with Duncan? 13:51 Will the current Supreme Court overturn Obergefell v. Hodges 16:37 The necessity of free inquiry and reasoned discourse 26:44 What it’s like being a FedSoc conservative at Stanford Law 34:30 The fallout from the Duncan protests 41:30 The vulgarity of the insults hurled at Duncan 50:00 The role of conservatives at Stanford Recorded March 26, 2022 Links and Readings Video ...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John respond to questions from Substack subscribers.
Mar 30, 2023•10 min
0:00 John’s recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher 7:23 The rigors of the lecture circuit 10:29 The difference between equity and equality 22:10 How do we know that African Americans are just as smart as everyone else? 30:59 The new black bourgeoisie 38:33 Standards in the arts are relative. But how relative? 51:15 John sets the record straight on his dancing skills Recorded March 19, 2022 Links and Readings John’s most recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher Glenn and John April ...
Mar 24, 2023•57 min
My guest this week is the distinguished physicist Sylvester “Jim” Gates. Jim was my colleague at Brown for years (he’s now at the University of Maryland), and we’re both alumni of MIT. Jim has made pathbreaking contributions to areas of physics that laymen like me can barely understand—he’s a deep, deep guy. He’s also got some thoughts on race and diversity in the sciences that give us an opportunity for some friendly debate. Jim begins by introducing supersymmetry , a subfield in physics he hel...
Mar 17, 2023•59 min
0:00 John’s awkward run-in at the farmer’s market 5:40 Will people be reading Ibram X. Kendi in 2043? 17:03 Regret, doubt, and going against the tide 28:12 How Glenn and John negotiate their public profiles 40:50 Did Scott Adams deserve to get canceled? 52:47 What’s going on beneath the Scott Adams controversy? Recorded March 5, 2023 Links and Readings Ibram X. Kendi’s Zora Neale Hurston adaptation, Magnolia Flower Melissa Harris Perry’s radio show, The Takeaway Ishmael Reed’s novel, Reckless Ey...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 6 min
0:00 Oded's new book, The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality 7:58 How inequality and growth emerged over the course of human history 18:52 Breaking free of a 300,000-year-old stagnation cycle 27:24 Humanity's phase shift into modernity 33:39 Inequality and the formation of institutions 44:18 The deep links between geography and institutions 50:38 Africa, Asia, and the trials of diversity Recorded January 21, 2023 Links and Readings Oded’s new book, The Journey of Humanity:...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 11 min
0:00 Woke religion or woke cult? 8:59 Does suffering confer authority on the sufferer? 12:47 A world without “anti-black domination” 21:27 Is there an alternative to the criminal justice system? 34:42 Domination and the purpose of the university 42:47 How Vincent’s Telluride Association seminar blew up 50:45 The narrowness of the social justice framework 54:14 Glenn and John’s encounters with fans 59:49 Should Black Studies exist? Recorded February 19, 2023 Links and Readings Vincent’s latest bo...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Glenn Loury & Delano Squires (Blaze Media) 0:00 Why Delano is a conservative 7:06 Delano’s critique of Raphael Warnock and the “Afristocracy” 19:26 Delano: “The designer is the definer” 27:43 Abortion and black lives 41:44 Are abortion rights necessary to protect women’s rights? 47:53 Delano: Government is no substitute for fatherhood 53:48 Can we reweave the social fabric? Links and Readings Delano’s writing at Blaze Media The Woodson Center’s 1776 Unites Black and Married with Kids Ian Rowe’s ...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 The “utter horror show” and incompetent policing of the Tyre Nichols killing 7:52 The relatively peaceful reaction to the killing 15:25 What set off the cops? 21:53 Why Peter thinks police units like SCORPION should not be disbanded 27:25 Should we get rid of qualified immunity? 30:21 Policing and white supremacy 40:45 Peter: We on the left have ceded law and order to the Trumpian right 46:00 Tyre Nichols’s funeral 53:59 John: I disagree with Sharpton, Crump, and Dyson, but they’re sincere ...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 Ernie’s work as an organizer 5:45 Tension, polarization, and reconciliation 12:49 The drama of organizing 18:21 The definition of power 27:52 Ernesto’s work getting running water and sewers to border communities 31:26 Market activity vs. market ideology 41:31 What’s wrong with meritocracy? 56:12 Does identitarianism stand in the way of reconciliation? Recorded January 19, 2023 Links and Readings Industrial Areas Foundation My recent debate with Richard Wolff Arthur Okun’s book, Equality and...
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min
0:00 Glenn and John go to Cambridge 9:25 The Hamline University Prophet Muhammad controversy 14:38 John: “Physics is physics” 18:45 The Harlem Renaissance and Black Studies 26:35 Is “getting past race” more trouble than it’s worth? 36:51 Is Joe Biden patronizing black people? 42:59 How a black musical changed the sound of Broadway Recorded January 20, 2023 Links and Readings The Equiano Project Arnold Rampersand’s biography of Langston Hughes John’s 2002 City Journal piece, “The Mau-Mauing at Ha...
Jan 27, 2023•52 min
0:00 Steven’s best-selling book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters 2:38 Steven: Concerns about catastrophic climate change “beggar belief” 9:43 The complexities of climate change models 15:07 Should we worry about rising sea levels? 24:54 Hurricanes, tornados, and other extreme weather events 29:59 Is a zero-emissions goal worth the cost? 38:05 How to fix climate science 45:02 Are the Paris Accords viable? 48:13 The coming climate backlash Recorded Jan...
Jan 20, 2023•58 min
0:00 A brief intro from Glenn 1:03 The lionization of the lightweights 5:45 The unified field theory of non-whiteness 19:16 An honest conversation about crime 27:51 Glenn’s birthday menu 30:46 It’s time to choose a side 41:46 Clarence Thomas, black icon 44:54 Policing Joe Rogan 51:56 By any means necessary? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
This week I’m very pleased to have with me the political philosopher Michael Sandel. I’ve been an avid reader of Michael’s work for decades, ever since coming across his first book, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice in the 1980s. Michael’s latest book, 2020’s The Tyranny of Merit , couldn’t be more timely. In it, Michael elaborates a critique of the meritocratic ideology that divides society into winners and losers, each of which has earned the fate that has befallen them. In our conversation...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This week, John McWhorter and I are joined by Greg Thomas, senior fellow at the Institute for Cultural Evolution and CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, to discuss one of our perennial Big Questions: Are we ready to deracialize? As you may have gathered from his previous TGS appearance , that’s the kind of issue Greg loves to sink his teeth into. But I do have some questions of my own for Greg. Let’s get into it. We begin with a little jazz talk . I ask Greg how he goes about incorporating the p...
Dec 30, 2022•1 hr
0:00 Why Glenn does The Glenn Show 13:02 Glenn: “If I was going to vote for Trump, I wouldn’t tell you” 19:21 “The cat is out of the bag” on election denial 25:45 Modeling epistemic modesty 31:12 Why is race such an important issue for Glenn? 39:13 The Old Glenn and the New Glenn 45:46 Confronting the past 50:44 Putting “the funk” on the story of your life Recorded October 27, 2022 Links and Readings Hamish’s podcast, The Active Voice Emily Oster’s Substack Robert Wright’s Nonzero Newsletter Non...
Dec 23, 2022•57 min
0:00 Why are we paying so much attention to Kanye West’s antisemitism? 14:02 The two words you never say together 23:28 Could widespread antisemitism take hold in the US? 36:53 The mythological black past and the realities of the present 48:12 How necessary is rootedness to the modern human experience? 56:54 How we make race, how race makes us Recorded on December 10, 2022 Links and Readings Dave Chappelle’s SNL monologue on Kanye West and Kyrie Irving John’s NYT piece, “It’s Too Darn Loud” Wils...
Dec 16, 2022•1 hr 12 min
This week we’ve got something special for you here at The Glenn Show. In late October, I convened in person in New York City with the economist Richard Wolff for an extended debate on the comparative merits of capitalism and socialism. Some of you may have seen Rick’s previous appearance on TGS , where he joined John McWhorter and me for a similar debate. Rick and I both felt that we had more to say than that format allowed, so we agreed to meet face to face. Both of us are passionate defenders ...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 38 min
0:00 How the pandemic affected diversity in the theater 10:24 James gets drawn into an “antiracist” meltdown during rehearsal 21:08 James’s story of ostracism and Loving v. Virginia 26:58 Juilliard students revolt 39:19 A plea for mutual understanding in the theater 47:57 A preview of things to come on The Glenn Show 50:32 Glenn’s problem with “racial inequity” 59:18 Getting through to “Donna” 1:03:58 To speak your mind or to speak strategically? Recorded November 27, 2022 Links and Readings Jam...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 11 min
0:00 What does “black identity” mean? 4:53 Why Bob left the Civil Rights Movement 8:04 Shelby: Our problem today is freedom, not racism 15:36 Glenn: We can’t afford to give up on black collective goals 21:30 Why Shelby wouldn’t sign a letter of support for Clarence Thomas 30:13 Would freeing ourselves from race mean sacrificing collective action? 39:10 The tactical efficacy of racial identification 44:32 The struggle for human freedom 50:46 Can we take pride in group achievements past? 1:02:22 K...
Nov 25, 2022•1 hr 26 min
0:00 Glenn’s culinary dilemma 3:31 Why the Republican Party depresses John 8:14 What’s the difference between Herschel Walker and John Fetterman? 13:12 Glenn’s argument for voting Republican 30:01 Woke theater’s “melodramatic agitprop” 43:10 Kanye, Kyrie, and the Jews 54:00 What’s “systemic,” “structural,” or “institutional” about racism? Recorded on November 13, 2022 Links and Readings John’s NYT column, “Racism and Theater, Then and Now” Glenn and John’s conversation with orchestra conductor D...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 4 min
My guest this week, filmmaker Rob Montz, is an unlikely figure: a libertarian-leaning Brown University graduate who loves ‘90s rap and produces politically inflected documentaries that push back against the orthodoxies of the mainstream media. Rob has featured me in several of his works, and so I thought it was time to return the favor and have him on TGS. I begin by asking Rob how someone with a Brown pedigree ends up interested in such un-Brown-like figures as Charles Murray, Roy Beck, and Sco...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 23 min
