Shows
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Glenn and John Live at Brown UniversitySupport The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.comVideo Links0:00 Intro 00:31 Prefatory remarks 4:15 Glenn: The Trump administration’s defunding of the universities is mischievous in the extreme 9:06 Ground News ad 11:01 Doesn’t maintaining the preeminence of American universities require diversity of thought? 18:47 John McWhorter has entered the building 20:25 How did higher ed lose the general public’s support? 23:05 The university’s role in public discourse 26:26 Was affirmative action a success or a failure? 31:36 The partisan balance in educa...2025-05-021h 24
The Glenn ShowThe Glenn Loury News HourSupport The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.comI spent part of last week visiting Stanford University, and John is off taking care of business in Australia. The time difference, travel, and speaking obligations made scheduling a recording impossible. So this week, I’ve got something a little different for you. Instead of recording a conversation on the day’s news with John, I decided to record one on my own. In this episode, I talk through some opinion pieces that grabbed my attention and give my take on the topics. I address Trump and the econ...2025-03-1758 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – January 2025 Q&ASupport The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.comGlenn and John take questions from Substack subscribers in this Q&A episode. 1:02 Pat Rimell presents a list of propositions about general poverty in urban communities17:54 Samuel D. James asks if John has any writing advice23:35 Tom Wojciaczyk wants to know if what the difference is between an accent and pronunciation30:50 Michael asks why we’re not more worried about Trump taking us back to the nuclear brinksmanship of the Cold War39:03 Karen Dawn Norris offers two defenses of...2025-02-1452 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – 2024's Seismic Sociopolitical ShiftSupport The Glenn Show at https://glennlourysubstack.comVideo Links0:00 Intro1:10 John feels Glenn’s pain2:36 Glenn: “I’m tired of being the black guy who has to call b******t on the race narrative”9:21 The monotonous groove of the race discourse12:35 John: “This is the most seismic sociopolitical shift of my lifetime”19:17 Ground News ad21:10 The H-1B conflict on the right26:24 The hard truths of global competition30:09 Luigi Mangione, folk hero?36:09 ACTA ad38:22 Glenn and Jo...2025-01-1047 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Best of Glenn & John 2024Support The Glenn Show and become a full subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.com0:00 Intro 3:01 January 15, “Why Glenn wrote a memoir” 9:18 February 2, “The three dimensions of black conservatism” 15:50 Ground News ad 17:52 February 16, “Were Glenn and John too credulous about The Fall of Minneapolis?” 23:07 March 22, “What do we mean by 'colorblindness' today?” 34:39 April 5, “John: We weren’t wrong to ask the questions we asked, even if our answers came up short at first” 37:40 May 17, “Has Israel gone too far in Gaza?” 41:53 ACTA ad 44:07 June 14, “...2025-01-031h 37
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Demons, Anti-Heroes, and VillainsSupport The Glenn Show by becoming a full subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.comVideo Links1:33 Demonization on the right and the left 6:23 Is Trump’s election the nail in the coffin for DEI? 13:50 John: It’s no use pretending that racism in America is as bad as it was 50 years ago 16:33 Ground News ad 18:36 Has Elon Musk “encouraged” or “permitted” more racism on X? 19:30 John: It’s a tragedy that Jordan Neely died, but he needed to be restrained 30:12 If Daniel Penny had been a cop...2024-12-2055 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – November 2024 Q&ANormally, free subscribers to the newsletter and podcast have to wait until Friday receive the new episode. And normally Q&A sessions with John McWhorter, in which we answer questions posed by the audience, are only available to full subscribers. But today is no normal day—I’m releasing our Q&A from last month to everyone.Become a subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.comMike Spooner wants to know how I came around to supporting TrumpSubstack Reader wants to know if Trump’s reelection signals that we’re entering an era where “r...2024-12-0959 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Path Not Taken for Black ActivismSupport The Glenn Show by becoming a full subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.com0:00 Thanksgiving with Glenn and John0:45 Thanksgiving with Glenn and John 6:50 Glenn the patriarch 10:35 John Lewis’s legacy 15:48 Ground News ad 17:49 From John Lewis to Stokely Carmichael to Jesse Jackson to BLM 25:21 To isolate or to integrate? 27:41 What black activism could have been 32:02 John: The Black Panthers accomplished nothing 40:04 ACTA ad 42:18 James Baldwin’s “nutty” late work 44:45 James Q. Wilson’s prescient attitude t...2024-12-061h 00
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Trump's Historic WinThis episode was released to full subscribers on Monday. If you want early access to weekly episodes, Q&As, and more exclusive content, go to https://glennloury.substack.com to become a full subscriber.0:43 John reconciles himself to Trump’s win 4:06 Glenn: Wake up! It’s time to take Trump seriously! 12:16 Why Glenn feels a sense of excitement about the present moment 14:54 Ground News Ad 16:40 Is Glenn’s attitude all about contrarianism? 21:00 Does John hope that Trump’s administration fails? 26:08 ACTA ad 28:22 John’s trip to...2024-11-2245 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Last Words before the ElectionIf you subscribe only to the free version of this podcast, you’ll notice this episode has arrived a few days early. I figured that by Friday, when the episode normally drops for the general public, it will be out of date already, so we’re releasing it to everyone today. If you find you enjoy starting your week with The Glenn Show, consider becoming a paying subscriber, which will get you early access to episodes, along with a host of other benefits.Subscribe to The Glenn Show on Substack at https://glennloury.substack.com[Note...2024-11-0451 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Glenn and John Throw Down over The MessageIncogni is your personal data defender, safeguarding you from these digital predators. Use code GLENN at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/glenn1:22 The Coates debate continues 3:18 John: Coates is a beautiful writer, but … 5:44 John: … The Message is suffused with incuriosity and simplistic thinking 13:45 Glenn: Coates is talking about humanism and power, not race 18:11 Ground News ad 20:25 Is it “all about whitey”? 22:11 Glenn: Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote this book. What am I doing? 27:40 What kind of historical imagination is at wo...2024-10-251h 02
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Is Ta-Nehisi Coates Right about Israeli Apartheid?1:12 The Vance-Walz debate 4:28 Glenn: Ta-Nehisi Coates’s new book is brilliant 13:16 John and Coates’s ancient beef 15:31 Coates’s “blistering” critique of Zionism 18:22 Ground News ad 20:39 Do you have to solve the problem of “apartheid” in order to criticize it? 33:10 Glenn’s reappraisal of Coates (and John’s bemusement) 34:53 ACTA ad 36:39 Will the race card play for Eric Adams? 42:31 What has Eric Adams accomplished? 43:57 Why John defends Amy Wax 49:17 Glenn: Amy Wax gets to have her opinionRecorded October 5...2024-10-1152 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Who You Calling a Sellout?Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813491:28 John corrects some Wikipedia-driven misconceptions about his work 4:12 ChatGPT pays homage to Glenn and John 6:41 John: JD Vance actually is what I’m merely accused of being 17:59 Ground News ad 20:08 Are there any true sellouts among black conservatives? 28:32 And what is a sellout, anyway? 36:01 What goes on between Clarence and Ginni Thomas? 40:19 An addition to the book club reading list 42:08 ACTA ad...2024-09-2859 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Post-Affirmative Action Class of 2028Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:59 Glenn debuts his new studio 2:34 Life after academia 13:02 The challenge of having a lot of time on your hands 18:10 John’s new musical endeavors 20:20 Ground News ad 22:38 John’s forthcoming book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words 25:07 Glenn and John form an impromptu book club 29:43 The first class of post-Students for Fair Admissions college freshmen 36:22 Are...2024-09-131h 10
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Feeling the "Joy" at the DNCOrder Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813491:28 John heads back to the linguistic woodshed 3:55 Glenn’s nascent retirement plan 4:23 Glenn and John’s late summer reading 11:58 The “joy” of the Democratic National Convention 17:47 Ground News ad 20:11 The oratorical panache of the Obamas25:37 John: What’s the point of all this performative joy? 30:16 Keywords from the DNC: “Weird” 34:17 Keywords from the DNC: “Freedom” 41:48 Keywords from the DNC: “Joy” 2024-08-301h 01
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Is Kamala Harris the Next Obama?Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813491:05 John: A Kamala Harris presidency won’t improve the discourse on race 9:12 Glenn: Kamala Harris is no Barack Obama 14:44 Why Glenn just can’t excited about a Harris presidency 18:07 Ground News 20:40 How Kamala measures up to Obama under the spotlight 23:07 Kamala’s code switching 25:50 Building the black political persona 33:51 White Ladies and White Dudes for Kamala 40:39 Are there white Sonya...2024-08-1658 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – America's Dodged Bullet2:19 John apologizes for his previous statement about Trump and assassination, and Glenn reaffirms their friendship 7:21 Glenn: “We literally dodged a bullet” 9:09 John: Going MAGA is taking the easy political route 11:06 Glenn: There are good reasons to support some of Trump’s policies, if not his rhetoric 18:57 Does the 2024 election have a “summer of 2020” vibe? 23:38 Ground News ad 25:58 The fantasy Kamala Harris / Corey Booker ticket 33:27 Is “Make America Nice Again” a compelling campaign message? 38:22 Is “Trump is a threat to democracy” a lexically inept slogan? 45...2024-07-2655 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – June 2024 Q&A0:00 Why the different format? 4:04 Joe asks John to account for his “emotional and irrational conclusions” about Trump and his recent conviction 15:28 Ground News ad 17:49 Did John really mean it when he implied he hoped someone would assassinate Trump? 23:00 Lauren wants John to justify his “casual endorsement” of gender fluidity in pronoun usage 32:37 Jerry asks why “external factors” like poverty are often used to explain lagging African American scholastic performance, those factors haven’t hindered them from achieving wildly disproportionate success in the cultural realm 38:34 Patrick calls out Glenn for his...2024-06-281h 02
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Inside the Ibram X. Kendi CollapseORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 Glenn and John’s summer plans 3:56 Glenn’s forthcoming book on self-censorship 9:53 John’s forthcoming book on pronouns 17:25 Ground News ad 19:45 Inside the audiobook recording process 21:13 Why John isn’t celebrating Trump’s conviction 27:34 What’s so “monstrous” about Trump? 32:17 Is Trump demonizing immigrants or proposing sensible border regulation? 39:17 Inside the collapse of Ibram X. Kendi’s research center 44:42 Does Ke...2024-06-141h 01
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter, Charles Murray, Amy Wax, Jordan Peterson & Lex Fridman – The Race and Intelligence DebateORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 A message from Glenn1:14 Unsettling the “Settled Questions,” Glenn Loury & John McWhorter2:59 The Race and IQ Question, Glenn Loury & John McWhorter12:19 Facing Reality, Glenn Loury & Charles Murray21:40 The IQ Taboo, Glenn Loury & Amy Wax31:08 Debate with an Embattled Racial Realist, Glenn Loury & Amy Wax45:44 The Uncomfortable Truth Behind Economic Inequality, Glenn Loury48:21 The Dangers of Research into Race & IQ, Glenn Loury & Lex...2024-05-311h 01
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Campus Protests at Semester's EndORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 The end of a tumultuous semester 4:39 The willful misreadings of John’s criticisms of the student protests 9:26 There are wars all over the world. Why so much fervor around Israel-Palestine? 16:40 Ground News ad 18:41 Has Israel gone too far in Gaza?22:32 Should students be forced to listen to protests that might offend them? 35:11 Glenn’s book is out this week! 41:11 An update on G...2024-05-1747 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Tyler Austin Harper – Compulsory Racial PerformancePREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 A message from Glenn3:56 Tyler’s research on human extinction and the end of the world12:11 Tyler’s two forthcoming books13:38 How elite schools incentivize “compulsory racial performance”18:40 The “mission creep” of identity politics24:23 Tyler Austin Harper University’s admissions policy28:44 Does diversity contribute to quality of education?35:18 The trouble with being “the black person” in class37:38 Diversity at Bates College, whe...2024-05-0357 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Keith Ellison – Prosecuting Derek ChauvinPREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 Why Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison wanted to come on TGS4:42 Keith’s defense of the George Floyd trials’ verdicts9:54 John: We weren’t wrong to ask the questions we asked, even if our answers came up short at first13:00: Keith: Liz Collin doesn’t seem to believe that police misconduct actually exists16:40 How Keith accounts for racial disparities in criminal behavior21:36 The emotional dimension of prose...2024-04-0558 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – SATs, Colorblindness, and New Movies on RacePREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 The word about Ron DeSantis on the streets of Key West3:32 John’s awards show allergy6:41 The realness of American Fiction14:50 Rustin’s narrow historical vision21:56 The SATs are on their way back23:23 Afraid to flagrantly split infinitives and end sentences with prepositions? That’s something you should get over.26:29 What do we mean by “colorblindness” today?38:30 John: Maybe we have to be a li...2024-03-2259 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Shane Hachey – Crime and Disorder in MinneapolisPREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 John: Keith Ellison disrespected me6:45 Did Derek Chauvin get a fair trial?16:22 Are Glenn and John headed for a confrontation with Ellison?23:30 Shane’s account of civil decay in Minneapolis29:24 Shane: The radicals are in charge35:30 What’s causing the anti-police sentiment in Minneapolis40:40 Violent crime in the George Floyd Square “autonomous zone”49:39 Shane: Even liberals need to vote Republican in local Mi...2024-03-0158 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – "The Fall of Minneapolis" ReconsideredPREORDER Glenn's memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 What’s wrong with Rhapsody in Blue?7:26 Radley Balko’s response to The Fall of Minneapolis, Coleman Hughes, Glenn, and John17:26 Were Liz Collin and JC Chaix dishonest in their documentary about Derek Chauvin?19:55 Were Glenn and John too credulous about The Fall of Minneapolis?25:41 Hughes’s new book, The End of Race Politics28:26 The problem with colorblindness36:30 The interrelatedness of “black culture” and “Ameri...2024-02-1658 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Is DEI on Its Way Out?PREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 John: Claudine Gay needed to resign, but her plagiarism wasn’t a mortal sin 6:50 Has DEI taken a hit after the Gay controversy? 13:50 When “DEI” really means “racial preferences” 22:12 The case of Neri Oxman 23:52 John: Bill Ackman looks “absurd” 26:47 Three cheers for John’s dinosaurs 28:22 Is Glenn really a “black conservative”? 31:11 The three dimensions of black conservatism 37:50 Black elites and immigration ...2024-02-0257 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Claudine Gay, MLK, and GLENN'S NEW BOOK0:00 Preorder Glenn’s forthcoming memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative2:17 Why Glenn wrote a memoir (and why you should order it now)8:59 A ringing endorsement from John10:00 What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean in 2024?15:28 Preserving King’s belief in “the content of our character”16:20 What would King have thought of Claudine Gay?20:20 King’s radicalism25:54 John: Being against DEI does not make you a racist28:10 The Tabia Lee affair at D’Anza Community College29:58 How Claudine Gay should have...2024-01-1542 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Best of Glenn and John 2023I had planned to release the first Glenn and John episode of 2024 on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, life had other plans, and John and I could not record as scheduled. So instead, my staff put together this collection of some of our favorite clips from 2023. John and I covered a lot of ground last year. Here you’ll see us addressing African American performance on standardized tests, the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision, the riots of 2020, the Gaza War, and other big topics on the show.0:00 A New Year's message from Glenn2:36 How do we...2024-01-051h 07
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Truth about George Floyd's Death0:00 A new documentary about George Floyd’s death raises new questions5:42 John: “We’ve been lied to” about George Floyd’s death14:27 The price of a “poetic truth”20:09 Was the Derek Chauvin jury intimidated into delivering a guilty verdict?23:26 Glenn: George Floyd was no hero29:03 The burning of Minneapolis’s 3rd Precinct34:54 Is there any hope of changing the George Floyd narrative?41:48 Who will take responsibility for changing things in black America?Recorded December 2, 2023Links and ReadingsGlenn and John’s May 2020...2023-12-0851 min
Healing RaceResponse to Glenn Loury & John McWhorter: Does A Victim Narrative Stop Black Americans from Letting Go of Racial Issues? - Part 2Andre and Todd continue discussing Glenn Loury and John McWhorter’s video about the Harriet Tubman statue that was awarded to a white artist. Can a white artist create monuments to the black experience in a way that is authentic and impactful?
And are Black Americans who say “no” to that question just too attached to a victimhood narrative, as McWhorter suggests they are? Todd starts the video by asking Andre how he would feel about a white artist winning this kind of commission if it was evaluated in a race-blind way by a group that included ample...2023-12-0544 minHealing RaceResponse to Glenn Loury & John McWhorter: Should a White Artist Be Chosen for a Harriet Tubman Monument? - Part 1Andre and Todd respond to a discussion between Glenn Loury and John McWhorter about a Harriet Tubman statue commissioned in Philadelphia that was awarded to a white artist. Loury and McWhorter critique responses from some black people who say that black Americans should be the ones to tell their own stories.
Is the story of Harriet Tubman only Black history, or should it be owned by all Americans as American history? Is it possible to tap into a common humanity whereby we can tell each other’s stories in an authentic, compelling way? Has enough trust been bu...2023-11-2838 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Thinking Through the Gaza War0:00 Why John thinks pro-Hamas sentiment on the American left is racist 6:11 Distinguishing between anti-colonialism and antisemitism 12:46 There are great crimes in America’s past. But we shouldn’t let them define us.17:08 Glenn: We’re standing on the precipice of something catastrophic 27:57 John’s proposal for the US’s role in Israel’s domestic conflict 34:59 Is it right for people to lose their jobs over opposing Israel? 42:07 Why are pro-Hamas leftists supporting an anti-liberal regime? 47:01 Glenn and John’s responsibilities as teachers 52:26 What’s next on TGS2023-11-0353 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Dan Subotnik – The Ibram X. Kendi Scandal0:00 What’s wrong with critical race theory, anyway? 3:31 Why “black Columbia” pretends that John doesn’t exist 12:08 CRT’s racial power-grab 18:06 Does the Jewish American example apply to African Americans? 23:10 Disguising failure as victimology 32:15 Why Dan thinks the CRT tide is ebbing 39:58 The schadenfreude of the Ibram X. Kendi scandal 51:00 John: “I’m embarrassed for Boston University” 56:40 Glenn: Kendi is just a cog in the fraudulent antiracist machine 1:04:31 The shame of the Kendi scandalRecorded September 30, 2023Links and Readings...2023-10-061h 11
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Tyler Austin Harper – How the Race Game Is Played0:00 Tyler’s concept of “racial gamification” 6:30 Affirmative action in spirit and practice 13:18 Why can’t we just determine admissions based on academic merit alone? 19:17 The fading popularity of “traditional” affirmative action 22:47 Re-weighting and funding the admissions process 32:28 How can we get white “allies” to act normal around black people? 38:23 Can we have interpersonal colorblindness without political colorblindness? 44:42 Tyler’s scholarly work about the end of humanity 48:10 Glenn prepares for his conversation with Sabrina SalvatiRecorded September 10, 2023Links and ReadingsTyler’s NYT p...2023-09-2253 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Whose Election Narrative?0:00 Can a white man tell Harriet Tubman’s story?9:59 What the fall semester has in store for Glenn and John17:25 How John makes the sausage at the New York Times22:55 John: We now memorize rap lyrics instead of poetry36:18 Is wokeness on the wane?42:12 What John just doesn’t get about Carol Swain51:46 A Democrat by any other name56:50 John makes a wild prediction about TrumpRecorded August 31, 2023Links and ReadingsThe Philadelphia Harriet Tubman statueJohn’s NYT...2023-09-081h 00
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Sixteen Years of "The Black Guys"0:00 A sixteen-year-long conversation5:45 Race and socioeconomics on the cusp of the Obama Era21:19 The myth of black poverty and deindustrialization32:56 Glenn pulls rank37:59 Why Glenn changed his mind about the Manhattan Institute50:15 Is the think tank world any more “objective” than academia?Recorded August 19, 2023Links and ReadingsGlenn and John’s first conversation from November 7, 2007John’s book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black AmericaJohn’s book, Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black AmericaGlenn’s bo...2023-08-2554 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Peter Arcidiacono – The Economics of SFFA v. Harvard0:00 Peter’s role in the Supreme Court affirmative action case8:57 Are legacy admissions affirmative action by another name?19:17 Why Peter got interested in affirmative action24:20 Glenn was for affirmative action before he was against it30:33 Peter: Universities are not honest about admissions34:20 The brilliance of Roland Fryer51:17 Campus diversity after affirmative actionRecorded July 22, 2023Links and ReadingsGlenn’s 2020 conversation with PeterPeter’s paper, “What happens after enrollment? An analysis of the time path of racial differences in GPA and...2023-07-281h 00
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The End of Race-Based Affirmative Action0:00 John: Let’s be honest about what “taking race into account” means in affirmative action10:09 Glenn: How can anyone argue that race-based affirmative action doesn’t violate the 14th Amendment?19:29 Why are we so focused on elite institutions?24:32 John: The University of California works just fine without “racial preferences”30:28 “You’re pulling the ladder up behind you” is an invalid critique35:00 John: The fact that racism exists does not justify changing standards44:04 Why Roland Fryer thinks we should put our money where our mouth is on race and education2023-07-141h 03
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Jonathan Rieder – Canceling "Culture in America"0:00 Why Jonathan’s course “Culture in America” got canceled 9:07 The fragility of liberal arts education 17:24 Managing “CRT zealots” in the classroom 27:44 Is there a future for free inquiry? 35:03 John: Black middle-class students don’t need affirmative action 44:57 Is diversity the problem, or is it elitism? 52:35 The virtues (and virtue signaling) of Randall KennedyRecorded June 17, 2023Links and ReadingsAlex Morey and Nadine Strossen’s FIRE article about Jonathan, “Who’s Allowed to Teach ‘Culture in America’?”Barnard’s Center for Engaged Pedagogy2023-06-231h 02
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Race, Reparations, and Jordan Neely0:00 John: “I love linguistics, but it no longer loves me”9:44 How Glenn and John are getting written out of their fields19:27 Jordan Neely didn’t deserve to die …27:28 … but the New York subway is getting scary37:45 Glenn: Reparations would be “impractical, unfair, and divisive in the extreme”50:50 A possible left-wing objection to reparations57:22 Glenn goes ham on reparationsRecorded May 18, 2023Links and ReadingsSteven Pinker’s book, The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates LanguageJohn’s book, Talking Back, Talking Blac...2023-05-261h 02
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – What Made Omar?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 event, you’ll likely find Omar there. After a discussion o...2023-05-081h 01
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – From Equity to Equality0:00 John’s recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher7:23 The rigors of the lecture circuit10:29 The difference between equity and equality22:10 How do we know that African Americans are just as smart as everyone else?30:59 The new black bourgeoisie38:33 Standards in the arts are relative. But how relative?51:15 John sets the record straight on his dancing skillsRecorded March 19, 2022Links and ReadingsJohn’s most recent appearance on Real Time with Bill MaherGlenn and John April 14 UATX even...2023-03-2456 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Private Side of Public Life0:00 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, 2023Links and ReadingsIbram X. Kendi’s Zora Neale Hurston adaptation, Magnolia FlowerMelissa Harris Perry’s radio show, The TakeawayIshmael Reed’s novel, Reckless EyeballingIshmael Reed’s...2023-03-061h 05
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Vincent Lloyd – Domination and Anti-Blackness0:00 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, 2023Links and ReadingsVincent’s latest book, Black Dignity: The Struggle against DominationVincent’s Compact es...2023-02-241h 09
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Glenn and John Go Across the Pond0:00 Glenn and John go to Cambridge9:25 The Hamline University Prophet Muhammad controversy 14:38 John: “Physics is physics”18:45 The Harlem Renaissance and Black Studies26:35 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, 2023Links and ReadingsThe Equiano ProjectArnold Rampersand’s biography of Langston HughesJohn’s 2002 City Journal piece, “The Mau-Mauing at Harvard”Glenn and John’s recent conversation wi...2023-01-2752 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Greg Thomas – Debating DeracializationThis 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 principles of the musi...2022-12-3000 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – How Should We Handle Antisemitism?0:00 Why are we paying so much attention to Kanye West’s antisemitism?14:02 The two words you never say together23:28 Could widespread antisemitism take hold in the US?36:53 The mythological black past and the realities of the present48:12 How necessary is rootedness to the modern human experience?56:54 How we make race, how race makes usRecorded on December 10, 2022Links and ReadingsDave Chappelle’s SNL monologue on Kanye West and Kyrie IrvingJohn’s NYT piece, “It’s Too Darn Loud” 2022-12-161h 12
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and James Beaman – A Peek Behind the Antiracist Curtain0:00 How the pandemic affected diversity in the theater10:24 James gets drawn into an “antiracist” meltdown during rehearsal21:08 James’s story of ostracism and Loving v. Virginia26:58 Juilliard students revolt39:19 A plea for mutual understanding in the theater47:57 A preview of things to come on The Glenn Show50:32 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, 2022Links and ReadingsJames’s homepageGlenn and John’s c...2022-12-021h 11
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Wake of the "Red Wave"0:00 Glenn’s culinary dilemma3:31 Why the Republican Party depresses John8:14 What’s the difference between Herschel Walker and John Fetterman?13:12 Glenn’s argument for voting Republican30:01 Woke theater’s “melodramatic agitprop”43:10 Kanye, Kyrie, and the Jews54:00 What’s “systemic,” “structural,” or “institutional” about racism?Recorded on November 13, 2022Links and ReadingsJohn’s NYT column, “Racism and Theater, Then and Now”Glenn and John’s conversation with orchestra conductor Don BatonWilson Jeremiah Moses’s book, Afrotopia: The Roots of African Amer...2022-11-181h 04
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Golden Age of Black HeterodoxyI’m back with John McWhorter for the latest installment of our ongoing conversation. John hit some technical snags in the first ten minutes of the recording, so apologies if the beginning sounds a little jumpy. After that, things smooth out. On to the conversation.We begin by talking about my memoir, which is now, after years of false starts, humming along nicely. But the process has forced me to confront some very dark episodes from my past, and they don’t always cast me in the most flattering light. As I explain, I think that presenting this...2022-11-041h 14
The Glenn ShowA Tribute to John McWhorterAs I mentioned at the start of our latest subscriber-only Q&A episode, John McWhorter recently received the 2022 Philip Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education, bestowed by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. According to the ACTA, the award honors “individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to liberal arts education, core curricula, and the teaching of Western Civilization and American history.” Perhaps I’m biased, but I can think of no one who more richly deserves such recognition, and so I was proud to be asked to deliver some remarks in tribute to John at a c...2022-10-3008 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Racist Taunt That Wasn't0:00 Is racist heckling at sporting events a real problem?15:13 John: “If you can’t be made fun of, you’re not part of the group”26:42 The LA County Federation of Labor racism scandal34:10 Why is there no Latino Michael Brown?41:22 Exalting (and exaggerating) the victim role47:47 Glenn’s daughter’s upcoming appearance on The Glenn Show49:48 Elite discrimination against AsiansLinks and ReadingsJohn’s NYT piece, “What a Report of Extreme Racism Teaches Us”Wilfred Reilly’s book, Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left I...2022-10-2159 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Don Baton – DEI in the Orchestral World0:00 Is Florence Price’s music worthy of its current popularity?12:20 The decline of blind auditions18:27 Do diverse orchestras attract diverse audiences and musicians?23:26 Why Don is protecting his real identity27:00 Glenn delivers a soliloquy on humanity32:06 John: Eliminating blind auditions is “bat s**t crazy”38:22 Should John’s daughters benefit from affirmative action?Links and ReadingsDon’s Substack, The PodiumDon’s series on Florence Price: Part One, Part Two, Part ThreeFlorence Price’s Symphony No. 3Van Cliburn’...2022-10-0755 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Ian Rowe – F.R.E.E. AgencyThis week, John McWhorter and I welcome special guest Ian Rowe to TGS. Ian is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the founder and CEO of Vertex Enterprise Academies, and author of the new book Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for ALL Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power. Ian is doing outstanding work establishing charter schools throughout New York City, so John and I invited him on to discuss his efforts, among other topics. We begin by discussing how the Rodney King beating and the...2022-09-231h 09
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Maintaining Standards in Standardized Testing0:00 What’s on the menu for Glenn’s birthday party 4:49 John’s Twitter spat with Ibram X. Kendi 14:05 What do we lose by changing testing standards? 20:39 Glenn: If groups matter, then culture matters 32:04 How to prove a racist wrong 39:19 The ballad of Glenn and Woody 51:50 Mitchell S. Jackson’s Esquire essay about Clarence ThomasLinks and Readings John and Ibram X. Kendi on Twitter, part oneJohn and Ibram X. Kendi on Twitter, part two John’s NYT piece, “Lower Black...2022-09-091h 08
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Rewriting the Script on RaceJohn McWhorter is back, reporting from his Catskills bungalow for the latest installment in our ongoing conversation. Let’s get into it. While I’m at home rather than a bungalow, I’m fresh off a wonderful vacation in North Carolina, which I spent surrounded by my wife, children, and grandchildren. Two of my granddaughters are now young women in college and law school, and they had some questions for me about some of the public positions I’ve taken. I recount the discussions I had with them about the Harvard-UNC affirmative action case and the Supreme Court’s...2022-08-191h 11
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Richard Wolff – Capitalism and Democracy in Post-Industrial AmericaThis week on The Glenn Show, John McWhorter and I are joined by Richard Wolff, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Visiting Professor of International Affairs at the the New School. Richard is Marxian in his orientation and I am not, so we do some debating here. And while we may not agree on much as far as economics goes, we do share some concerns about the direction of the left in this country. Before the conversation, I make an important announcement: Beginning today, I’m partnering with the Manhattan Institute to br...2022-08-0553 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Race and Conservatism: Walker, Thomas, and WaxJohn McWhorter is back again for one of our twice-monthly conversations. This is a hot one, so let’s get into it. In this week’s episode, we discuss three controversial figures: Herschel Walker, Clarence Thomas, and Amy Wax. We begin with John’s outstanding column about Walker, the Republican candidate for Senate in Georgia. John pulls no punches. He sees Walker as an insultingly underqualified contender meant solely to attract Georgia’s sizable black vote. John argues that Walker seems to have no meaningful knowledge of any relevant policy issue, and he’s apparently uninterested in trying to...2022-07-221h 22
The Glenn ShowBonus Episode: Glenn and John at Heterodox AcademyLast month, John McWhorter and I participated in Heterodox Academy’s 2022 conference in Denver, Colorado. We spoke in front of an audience and discussed how to model constructive disagreement. But before that, we had a bit of a warm-up session with Zach Rausch, host of the Heterodox Out Loud podcast. Zach had us in to talk about our long relationship as conversation partners, civil discourse, and the purpose of the university. Newer listeners may be interested to hear about my “origin story” with John. While we’re good friends now, that wasn’t always the case. We’ve had our ups and...2022-07-1022 min
The Glenn ShowGlenn and John Live at the Comedy CellarA couple weeks ago, The Glenn Show returned to New York’s Comedy Cellar. This time I was joined by John McWhorter and a trio of fantastic comics: Sherrod Small, Jon Laster, and Nimesh Patel. There were a lot of laughs and a lot big questions addressed, so let’s get into it.John and I begin with a comment left on one of our previous conversations from an economically disadvantaged white man who recounted his frustrated attempts to get into law school. Affirmative action helps elevate women and racial minorities, but shouldn’t it focus more on soc...2022-07-081h 21
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Rejecting the Tokenism of "Diversity"John McWhorter is back again for the latest installment in our ongoing, nearly decade-and-a-half-long conversation. Let’s get into it. John starts out telling us about his current whereabouts: a Dirty Dancing-style bungalow in the Catskills. We move on to a developing story out of Princeton, New Jersey, where a group of parents has written an open letter protesting the school district’s “dumbing down” of the math curriculum in the name of DEI. John and I are on the same page on this one: How much longer are we going to pretend that this is doing...2022-06-241h 10
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Race and Inequality across the AtlanticJohn McWhorter is back once more for an episode of The Glenn Show, so let’s get into it. I begin by reporting on my current “European Tour.” Last week I spoke at the London School of Economics, and I’m currently headed from Toulouse, France to Marseille to deliver the keynote address at the International Conference on Public Economic Theory. It’s been quite an enlightening experience so far, as I’ve gotten a look at how young black European economists are thinking about inequities within and without their profession. John and I discuss a recent report from...2022-06-101h 05
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Immigration Debate after BuffaloThis week, I’m back with my friend John McWhorter. A lot has happened since we last spoke, so let’s get to it. We begin by discussing the horrific, racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York. John states that, among other things, the event makes him wish we had a word besides “racism” to help us distinguish between truly racist acts like that shooting and situations where there may be racial disparities but no actual racism present. One of the shooter’s motivations was so-called “great replacement” theory, or the idea that there is a conspiracy on...2022-05-271h 06
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter & Edmund Santurri – Cancellation at St. Olaf CollegeThis week’s plan for the show was to have Edmund Santurri, professor of philosophy and religion at St. Olaf College, join John McWhorter and I to talk about his soon-to-be terminated appointment as the director of the college’s Institute for Freedom & Community. Ed’s situation is the latest instance of a college’s administration folding to pressure from left-wing activists (more on that below). Unfortunately, Ed was only able to join us for the very beginning of this episode before tech glitches had their way with us. Ed’s story is important, and I do wish we had been a...2022-05-131h 07
The Glenn ShowMatt Taibbi and John McWhorter – What Is Putin Thinking?This week on The Glenn Show, John McWhorter and I are joined by the journalist Matt Taibbi. Many of you are likely familiar with Matt from his many books, his political journalism for Rolling Stone (among other outlets), his Useful Idiots podcast, and now his outstanding Substack newsletter, TK News. Matt lived and worked in Russia and the former USSR for several years, so I thought he’d be an excellent source for some insight into the war in Ukraine. We begin by discussing Matt’s brief career playing in the MBA—that’s the Mongolian Basketball Associat...2022-03-2159 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Capital OffensesIt’s John McWhorter time once again here at The Glenn Show. Let’s get into it. John and I are both busy guys, but people might not realize how much juggling it takes to manage life as both an academic and a public intellectual. I talk about why I may soon wind down my role at Brown University and devote myself more fully to public endeavors. We then move on to discuss psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman, who has been fired or suspended from several academic and medical appointments after referring to Sudanese model Nyakim Gatwech as a poss...2022-03-0759 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Problem with Racial PreferencesJohn McWhorter is back, just like you knew he would be. This week we’re talking about the future of affirmative action.We begin by discussing Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner’s new film adaptation of the classic musical West Side Story. John argues that people who dismiss the musical as just “something some old white people wrote” are far too simplistic and limited in their view. I haven’t yet gotten a chance to see the new adaptation, but I’m a fan of the music and lyrics, so I’m inclined to agree with him. We then move o...2022-02-211h 03
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Race, Representation, and the Supreme CourtI’m back with my friend John McWhorter for one of our regular conversations. A lot has happened on the race and politics front over the last two weeks, so we’ve got a full docket of topics to discuss.And speaking of dockets, after overcoming some technical difficulties, we spend a good chunk of time on matters relating to the Supreme Court. Ilya Shapiro, the incoming director of Georgetown University’s Center for the Constitution, was put on leave by the school after tweeting criticism of Joe Biden for passing over his preferred candidate for the Suprem...2022-02-081h 08
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Burdens of Black FreedomJohn McWhorter and I often find ourselves aligned on the issues we discuss on The Glenn Show. We’ve even received criticism for how much we agree with each other! This episode should please those critics, as John and I actually find ourselves in stark (though productive and friendly) disagreement on a few matters. Let’s get into it. We begin by talking about Joe Biden’s recent press conference. Personally, I think he performed pretty badly, as the White House subsequently had to walk back several of his statements. Are these just more of Biden’s characte...2022-01-241h 03
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Are There More Capitol Riots to Come?John McWhorter is back for our first conversation of 2022. Let’s get into it!We begin by discussing the death of the groundbreaking black actor Sidney Poitier. Portier was best known for his roles in films like The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. John puts forward the fascinating theory that Poitier’s Caribbean origins and mannerisms made him acceptable to white American audiences who were unaccustomed to seeing black men in dramatic leading roles. We also recently lost the legal scholar Lani Guinier, who wa...2022-01-111h 04
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – The Best of "The Black Guys" 2021It’s been a big year here at The Glenn Show. So as 2021 draws to a close, I thought it would be a nice idea to round up some choice selections from the conversations I’ve had with John over the past year. This episode is a kind of “best of” compilation of segments that got a big response from viewers or that I personally thought were important or noteworthy. I couldn’t include all of the highlights, but I think these clips give a good sense of what my conversations with John were all about in 2021.I must als...2021-12-271h 26
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter – Unsettling the "Settled Questions"The “common sense” of the Woke Left sees so many issues, from the historical effects of redlining to the relationship between race and IQ, as matters that no longer require discussion. “Redlining is responsible for present-day racial wealth disparities, period. There is no relationship between race and IQ, period. End of discussion.”But the discussion is not over, these matters and many others are not settled. Treating them as such just papers over matters of vital concern that require serious thinking. John and I have in some sense made it our mission to unsettle these so-called settled question...2021-12-141h 08
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — Anger, Shame, Sadness, and Race in AmericaJohn and I often talk about how we feel about race in America, but we rarely delve into why we feel the way we feel. What factors in our own lives primed us for those emotional responses? While John and I often agree about where the politics of race have gone wrong, we just as often experience very different feelings about these matters.I start the discussion off by raising a question a friend put to me recently: are we wasting our time engaging with “red meat” issues in the race debate? Should we stick to the hard...2021-11-3038 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — Systemic Racism's Greatest HitsThis week, John and I continue our discussion of systemic racism, which was kicked off when one of my students wrote a searing critique of some of my positions. John and I agreed that “Simone” (not her real name) deserved a real, intellectually serious response. We can’t just blow off Simone and people like her—that is, sober-minded, sincere, intelligent progressives and leftists who happen to think that systemic racism is responsible for all or most of America’s racial disparities. In responding to their critiques, we hope to persuade them that there are more accurate ways to describe t...2021-11-151h 01
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter and Randall Kennedy — Say It Loud!This week’s TGS features two incomparable guests: John McWhorter and Randall Kennedy. John, of course, needs no introduction. Randy is a professor at Harvard Law School and the author of many books, the latest of which is Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture. In this episode, we get into it pretty much immediately. Randy admits to being “thrown” by Donald Trump’s election and to finding his campaign openly racist. I, as you may know, think that is an oversimplified explanation of Trump’s appeal in 2016. We go on to discuss how a certain am...2021-11-021h 24
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — Authentically BlackIn 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 commentaries would have you believe. A recent edition of John’s New York T...2021-10-1158 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — The Past and Future of Black Political LeadershipFor 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 hoping to create more special content...2021-09-271h 11
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — Reckoning with the Relics of RacismJohn 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 discussion of the historical relationship between the slave trade and American u...2021-09-061h 05
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — A Walk Down Memory LaneToday, 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 productivity. He notes at the beginning that he is just fini...2021-08-2359 min
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — What’s “Systemic” about “Systemic Racism”?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 laconic note: neither of us were in the best of moods when we ha...2021-08-1054 min
It Bears MentioningKENDI AND DIANGELO DON'T DEBATE PEOPLE LIKE MEIf social media is any indication, many people seem to be of the opinion that people like Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelo should want to “debate” people like me and Glenn Loury. These people are roasted endlessly on social media for not engaging in “debate.” It isn’t fair. I completely understand why they don’t.I get the feeling people are moved by debates between people like William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal (this documentary likely helps stoke this) or the famous one between Buckley and James Baldwin. But given the way people like...2021-08-0700 min
The Glenn ShowJason Riley and John McWhorter — The Life and Work of Thomas SowellThis 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 particular focus of this wide-ranging conversation. We also get into a broader discussion about black intellectuals, conservatism, and the academy. And don’t worry, Substa...2021-07-261h 05
The Glenn ShowJohn McWhorter — Thinking Critically about Critical Race TheoryHere 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 should not be banned by law, but we endorse the efforts of parents to weigh-in...2021-07-1252 min
The Glenn ShowThe Etiology of Victimology (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)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/subscribe2021-05-2158 min
The Glenn ShowWhat Happened to Civil Rights? (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)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/subscribe2021-04-0259 min
The Glenn ShowWokebusters (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Monthly Q&A with Glenn and John ... TGS 2.0, new newsletters, and John's new book ... Critiquing the Biden administration's first moves ... The excesses and dangers of critical race theory ... The latest stories of woke hysteria on campus ... The performative outrage of anti-racist crusaders ... Campus wokeism vs. corporate wokeism ... 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/subscribe2021-02-0600 min
The Glenn ShowReckoning with the Capitol Riot (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Glenn Show 2.0 and reactions to the storming of the Capitol ... What if it was BLM protesters that stormed the Capitol? ... Glenn: I was wrong about the threat Trump posed to democracy ... The tectonic plates shifting beneath American society and politics ... Glenn and John debate the merits of impeachment ... 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/subscribe2021-01-2256 min
The Glenn ShowWho's Afraid to Debate Glenn Loury? (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Why won't Jones, Kendi, and others come on the Glenn Show? ... The need for more discussions between black intellectuals who disagree ... The dilemma faced by contrarian black intellectuals ... John and Glenn ponder their niche ... What can't be said about race ... Will we see a more honest discourse on race after Trump? ... John explores the current controversy at the Dalton School in NYC ... 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/subscribe2020-12-251h 06
The Glenn ShowCalling Out Ibram X. Kendi (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Welcome to the Glenn Show 2.0 ... A path to forgiveness for the canceled ... John’s upcoming book and wokeism after Trump ... Why is it so easy to get away with junk sociology today? ... John speaks his mind on Ibram X. Kendi ... The mass delusion of the anti-racism movement ... What is required of public intellectuals? ... 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/subscribe2020-11-2754 min
The Glenn ShowThe Dark Arts (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)John on "a truly medieval moment" ... Why Glenn didn't sign the Harper's open letter ... Linguists petition against fellow linguist Steven Pinker ... Is this actually just about the economics of the collapsing media industry? ... Calling someone a racist vs. calling someone a witch ... John's harsh review of White Fragility ... Critiquing an open letter by 300 Princeton professors on anti-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/subscribe2020-07-2454 min
The Glenn ShowThe Unraveling (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)John: White Fragility is "one of the worst books ever written" ... Debating how we should remember Woodrow Wilson ... Glenn: Our story is about more than just domination and oppression ... On being a dissident black academic ... Why John resigned from the board of the National Books Critics Circle ... Should John and Glenn fear defenestration by the mob? ... 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/subscribe2020-07-0550 min
The Glenn ShowThe Viruses (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)John: George Floyd's murder was not an exclusively racial matter ... Glenn: "We're in the grip of hysteria" ... John: Apparently anti-racism trumps even medical science ... What it's like being a black contrarian right now ... Glenn: The real threat to black people is crime ... John argues that fixing problems with the cops has to be the first step ... 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/subscribe2020-06-111h 00
The Glenn ShowCops and Race (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis ... Is crime a moral failing? ... Glenn: "Black people in poor cities need the cops" ... The Central Park birder incident ... Meditating on the tears of Eddie Glaude ... Glenn decries Biden's racial pandering ... John: The problem is with cops and with guns, not 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/subscribe2020-05-291h 11
The Glenn ShowThe 1619 Project's Pulitzer (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Nikole Hannah-Jones wins a Pulitzer Prize for the 1619 Project ... Glenn: This is "a desperate struggle for dignity" in the face of black failure ... Self-hatred and patronization ... Glenn: A bubble that I thought would burst hasn't burst ... Biden's black agenda vs. Glenn's black agenda ... John: Black men need jobs ... Race and the picking of fruit ... Glenn: Don't teach children that their future is outside of their hands ... 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/subscribe2020-05-0655 min
The Glenn ShowGimme Shelter (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)John reports on sheltering in place in NYC ... Race and the coronavirus ... Is calling the disease the "China virus" xenophobic? ... John wants President Cuomo ... Glenn: "You go to the crisis with the president you've got, not the president that you wish you had" ... John maligns and Glenn defends the president ... Do you feel safe? ... 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/subscribe2020-03-3153 min
The Glenn ShowTrump vs. COVID-19 (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)How COVID-19 is affecting Glenn and John’s semester ... The mass psychology of coronavirus-inspired shutdowns ... Glenn: The social justice implications of the virus are legitimate ... Will Trump’s handling of the crisis be his downfall? ... Glenn: “The pussy grabber needs help!” ... Is Trump an effective politician or a hapless dolt? ... 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/subscribe2020-03-1348 min
The Glenn ShowRevisiting the 1619 Project (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)John: The central claim of the NYT's 1619 Project "simply isn't true" ... Glenn offers a defense of the Project's perspective ... What the Constitution's three-fifths clause really meant ... John: "America is an endless rehearsal" ... After Kobe Bryant died, was it bad taste to bring up his rape accusation? ... Glenn praises Khalil Gibran Muhammad's The Condemnation of Blackness ... 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/subscribe2020-02-0354 min
The Glenn ShowRevisiting the Trayvon Martin Case, Part Two (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Glenn and John respond to criticism of their discussion of The Trayvon Hoax ... Why Glenn finds the film credible despite its creator's conspiracy theories ... John: The public didn't get the full story of Zimmerman's 911 call ... The case as a forerunner of larger dynamics in American political culture ... Did Zimmerman have a rational prejudice? ... Glenn and John ain't running away ... What was Trayvon thinking? ... 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/subscribe2019-12-1142 min
The Glenn ShowBack and Still Black (Glenn Loury & John McWhorter)Glenn wants to hear more before supporting impeachment ... John: "Does it not bother you that your country is being run by an idiot?" ... Is Trump a truer tribune of the people than Obama? ... Glenn fears violent civil unrest if Trump is ousted ... Abortion and Trump's Supreme Court picks ... 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/subscribe2019-10-1144 min