In this episode of The Glenn Show, I’m back with my friend John McWhorter, and we have much to discuss. John joins me fresh from a day trip to Brighton Beach , a neighborhood in Brooklyn where Russian language, food, and culture abound. He talks about teaching himself Russian and the benefits of the Glossika language-learning tool . Then, in a continuation of last week’s conversation with David Kaiser, we move on to the history of redlining , which is quite a bit more complex than some recent co...
Oct 11, 2021•59 min
In this episode of The Glenn Show, I’m talking to David E. Kaiser, author of many books about American and international political history. As a distinguished professional historian, David has seen many changes in the way history is written both inside and outside the academy, not all of them for the better. In this conversation, David talks about why Ta-Nehisi Coates’s highly influential 2014 essay “The Case for Reparations” and the view of race and American history it represents leaves out man...
Oct 04, 2021•55 min
For this week’s episode of The Glenn Show, we’ve upped our production game a little. In late August, John McWhorter and I met up for an all-too-rare in-person conversation in Manhattan, and the filmmaker Rob Montz and his crew were on hand to record it. It was wonderful to be able sit face-to-face with John, and Rob did a wonderful job capturing the energy in the room. It wouldn’t have been possible to pull all of this together without the support of the subscribers here: Thank you ! We’re hopin...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 12 min
For this edition of The Glenn Show, I’m joined by someone who may be familiar to long-time viewers: Bob Wright. Bob is a distinguished journalist and the author of many books, including The Moral Animal , Nonzero , and Why Buddhism is True . He also happens to be the co-founder of Bloggingheads, the platform on which The Glenn Show was born and has flourished. In our conversation, Bob walks us through the early days of Bloggingheads and the flash of inspiration that led him to create the site. W...
Sep 20, 2021•56 min
In this week’s TGS, I’m joined once again by intellectual historian Daniel Bessner. Given Daniel’s area of scholarly expertise—US foreign relations—it should be no surprise that the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan colors our discussion. But we range much further than that. We debate Daniel’s conception of “American empire” and its origins in the Cold War . He is quite critical of American foreign policy during that period (and beyond), and I do push back on some of his more pointed critiques....
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 9 min
John McWhorter is back for this week’s episode of The Glenn Show. In it, we discuss John’s new gig writing a newsletter for the New York Times. Anyone wondering whether he’s being stifled by the paper’s editorial sensibilities will be glad to hear the answer is a definite “no.” We spend a while discussing John’s recent piece about the removal of a “racist” rock from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus after administration gave in to student activists. From there we move on to a broader ...
Sep 06, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Here’s something different for you. In this episode of The Glenn Show, I sit down with artist, writer, and TGS Creative Director Nikita Petrov to discuss two fundamental questions: “What the hell is going on?” and “What is to be done?” If those questions sound both deep and broad, there might be a reason. They occurred to Nikita in the wake of a recent psychedelic experience. Not your typical TGS fare, to be sure! The conversation begins with Nikita explaining what he’s learned from working with...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Today, I’ve got a special treat for TGS fans: my first ever recorded conversation with John McWhorter, which occurred on (brace yourselves) November 7, 2007. People who started following John and me in recent years may not be aware of how long we’ve been at this, but it’s been almost 14 years. As you might expect, while the topics we discuss are familiar, our positions relative to each other have changed. In 2007, I was clearly to John’s left! One thing that hasn’t changed is John’s superhuman p...
Aug 23, 2021•59 min
Recently I had a rich, deep conversation with lawyer, Current Affairs contributing editor, and former Bernie Sanders National Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray on her podcast Bad Faith . Briahna and I occupy very different ideological spaces, so I thought TGS viewers would be interested in watching the discussion. She has generously given me permission to share it here. We begin by debating the possible causes of racial disparities and my own ideas about what we should do about it. More funding f...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 5 min
On this edition of TGS, John McWhorter is back for one of our twice-monthly conversations. We take a long, critical look at the concept of "systemic racism" —what it is, what it isn't, and why it's become so popular in progressive discourses about race in the US. We focus attention on institutions of higher education , drawing on our own experience to question whether this concept really applies at the elite institutions (Brown/Berkeley/Columbia) with which we have been associated. We open on a ...
Aug 09, 2021•54 min
Above you’ll find my conversation with University of San Francisco law professor Lara Bazelon. She specializes in criminal law and has won exoneration for wrongfully convicted incarcerated people. We discuss systemic racism in the criminal justice system and debate the pros and cons of various reform efforts. We go into the details of Yutico Briley’s wrongful conviction case in which Lara and her sister Emily were involved (you can read Emily’s piece about it here ). Then we shift gears and disc...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 18 min
This week John and I have something a little different for you: An interview with Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Jason Riley about his recent book, Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell . We discuss Sowell's ideas , their influence, and his place within the pantheon of American (and black America), intellectuals . Among his innumerable contributions, Sowell's books —especially A Conflict of Visions , Knowledge and Decisions , and Basic Economics —are a parti...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Here is my conversation with NYU law professor Richard Epstein . In this conversation, Richard talks about his involvement with a legal action aimed at stopping construction on the currently planned site of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago . We discuss the legal issues. We also talk about critical race theory —its origins in the legal academy of the 1970s and 80s, its foundational ideas , its impact on American education , and whether it should be banned by law . We conclude with Richard...
Jul 19, 2021•58 min
Here is my latest conversation with John McWhorter. We begin with a review of our respective academic careers and how being black has affected our work . We also assess the recent involvement of Al Sharpton and Benjamin Crump in the case of a white Arkansas man who was shot dead in June, under suspicious circumstances, by a police officer during a traffic stop. We close with an extended discussion of critical race theory , which we define carefully and evaluate thoroughly. We agree that CRT shou...
Jul 12, 2021•52 min
Today I’m posting something a little different than normal. This is a conversation with NYU political scientist Larry Mead . It’s part of his series “Culture and Poverty,” and he’s generously allowed me to repost it here at The Glenn Show. We discuss some ideas from Larry’s book, Burdens of Freedom: Cultural Difference and American Power . Larry argues, among other things, that one of the major distinctions between “Western” and “non-Western” cultures is the role of individualism . Larry sees We...
Jul 05, 2021•55 min
Here, John and I begin with an assessment of a sharp, thoughtful Quillette piece by black intellectual Aaron Hanna which is critical of black conservatives. (Both John and I have written responses which Quillette will publish.) This lead us into philosophical terrain, where we engage questions about free will, ethnic/racial differences in culture and so on. We go on to discuss critically a recent New York Times piece by Jenée Desmond-Harris, “Which Black People Should You Listen To?” Her answer,...
Jul 02, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Here is my conversation with Charles Murray (of The Bell Curve fame) about his new book, Facing Reality: Two Truths about Race in America . We review the argument of his book—that the "American Creed" of f air play and equal treatment for all is imperiled by a failure to reckon with the actual differences across racial groups in measured intelligence and participation in violent crime. We explore the evidence for his claim about racial differences , the extent to which these facts are being deni...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Here’s my latest conversation with John McWhorter. Our talk ranges over a number of seemingly unrelated subjects. We discuss the decision by Princeton's classics department to stop requiring students to master Greek and Latin (which John sees as a lowering of standards). We analyze the general problem Black students face of deciding whether to "dispel" doubts about their abilities through outstanding performance on the tests, or to "dismiss" those doubts by rejecting the tests as intrinsically b...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Last week, I have announced at Patreon that I’m moving the operation to Substack . I gave every Patron a complimentary subscription for the first month . If you’re reading this, chances are you are such a person, with a comp that will run out on July 2 . At that date, you will have to decide if you want to continue getting subscriber-only posts for $7/month or $70/year . I hope the things you’ll see in this first month will convince you to stay. Some of you have already made up your mind. I see ...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Larry's concerns about the debt-to-GDP ratio ... On the general relativity of fiscal language ... Why would anybody buy U.S. treasury bonds? ... Larry's defense of fiscal hawkishness ... A critique of Biden's COVID relief funding ... How to raise taxes while maintaining incentives to work ... There is no such thing as a corporation ... 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...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min
John's appearance on "Real Time with Bill Maher" ... Why John's 2000 book Losing the Race remains relevant today ... The "noble victim complex" ... The counterproductivity of victim narratives ... Where do you draw the line in calling out nonsense? ... Trading agency for victim status ... The exciting roster of upcoming TGS guests ... 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...
May 21, 2021•58 min
The founding of Voices of Black Mothers United ... How the criminal justice system failed Sylvia's daughter ... Sylvia's work: advocacy, community intervention, and positive policing ... What is the role of systems and structures in street violence? ... How Voices of Black Mothers United is branching out ... Sylvia's book, Mind Fields: A Healing Journey to Survive the Murder of a Child ... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episo...
May 14, 2021•54 min
Critical Race Theory's prevalence in American schools ... What’s at the root of racial disparities in education? ... Destandardizing the standards for success ... The evolution of how we communicate about race ... Kendi and the cops; Bazelon and systemic racism ... ... 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...
May 07, 2021•55 min
The impact of the Glenn Show and new initiatives ... How to reach out to the Glenn Show: [email protected] ... The current climate: how afraid are people and how afraid should they be? ... The current climate: how afraid are people and how afraid should they be? ... Seeking to engage productively with opinions we may not understand ... Glenn's interactions with his graduate and undergraduate students ... This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr
Fighting through Covid-19 and the pandemic ... Daunte Wright and how police violence goes beyond race ... The "fake" narrative about Black people and the cops ... The tremendously high stakes of race matters in the U.S. ... America's "badass motherfucker" problem ... Woke hypocrisy as the Chauvin verdict nears ... 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...
Apr 23, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Life as a university professor during Covid ... What happened to the civil rights movement? ... Glenn and John disagree on voter suppression ... Debating Stacey Abrams’ approach to politics ... The exaggeration of victimhood ... How social media has changed academia ... 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...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr
Who was moral and political philosopher John Rawls? ... Why Rawls' "A Theory of Justice" is such an important text ... Is taxation an infringement on liberty? ... Understanding the freedom vs. liberty paradox ... Focusing on the poor to improve human well-being ... Accounting for earned success or failure ... 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...
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 3 min
The contentious origins of Glenn and John's relationship ... Cancellations at Georgetown and racial disparities in academic performance ... What is to blame for racial disparities in academic performance? ... The quality-fit tradeoff and the mismatch effect ... Is racism widespread in American universities? ... Cornel West's departure from Harvard ... 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/subs...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Patreon Q&A announcement ... Glenn's initial impressions of BLM ... How should racial justice advocates advance their interests? ... The problem of colleges as "spaces of consumption" ... The pros and cons of cancel culture ... Cancel culture as a "weapon of the weak" ... Glenn's feelings about Trump's presidency ... 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...
Mar 12, 2021•1 hr 30 min
New anti-racist guidelines for teaching math in Oregon ... Defending the ideals of the Enlightenment ... What anti-racists get wrong about knowledge and achievement ... Why class matters more than race for improving education in the U.S. ... The Capitol riot and the threat(s) of political extremism ... Possible new frontiers for the Glenn Show ... 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/subscrib...
Mar 05, 2021•54 min
