Explore every episode of the podcast The Glenn Show
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Levine – Trump's $150 Trillion Question | 09 May 2025 | 00:57:34 | |
Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com. Pre-order Glenn's forthcoming book, SELF-CENSORSHIP: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Censorship-Glenn-C-Loury/dp/1509567402/ref=sr_1_1?crid=223KUFY8BN0X&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ar6rmRPzp7pEiJss0o1eUeLbLwOgX_qrXHtWjMS3_m_GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.goECGgv0OxAPgLR8kNnsISu5AK6OSVoa5qWVmqRNqwY&dib_tag=se&keywords=self-censorship+glenn+c.+loury&qid=1746808862&sprefix=self-censor%2Caps%2C237&sr=8-1 Video Links 0:43 Ross: Trump's economic policies are the worst I've seen in my life 7:36 Glenn's new book, SELF-CENSORSHIP 12:00 Trump’s bid to become the most powerful person in the history of the world 21:17 The disruptive effects of tariffs, financial regulatory manipulation, and extraordinary debt levels 27:58 Ross: Alienating our allies is only going to strengthen China 33:41 Glenn: Those who lost out to globalization are getting their way 41:04 Will Trump heed economic warning signs? 48:10 Can Congress constrain Trump? Recorded April 19, 2025 Links and Readings Edward Luce’s Financial Times piece, “Trump, Truss, and the ‘Moron Premium’” Larry Kotlikoff’s post, “30-Year TIPS Are Looking Mighty Attractive” Glenn’s most recent conversation with Larry Kotlikoff Michael Sandel’s book, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – Glenn and John Live at Brown University | 02 May 2025 | 01:24:22 | |
Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com Video Links 0:00 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 education funding 42:21 The costs and benefits of tenure 50:09 Can education preserve democracy if students aren’t doing the reading? 1:01:59 Are we irrevocably polarized as a nation? 1:07:28 Q&A: You don’t seem as excited by Trump as you once were. What is disappointing you? 1:11:40 Q&A: If higher ed serves society, why do so many elite grads use their degrees to get rich? 1:16:01 Q&A: How do you teach diversity to students who’ve never spent time around people different from them? 1:19:15 Q&A: What’s the difference between contrarianism and provocation? 1:21:23 Q&A: Should fewer people go to college? Recorded April 22, 2025 Links and Readings Michael Sandel’s book, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? John Stuart Mill’s book, On Liberty Alan Bloom’s book, The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students John’s new book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words Glenn’s memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov Leo Tolsty’s novel, War and Peace Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina Plato’s dialogue, The Republic 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 | |||
| The Glenn Loury News Hour | 17 Mar 2025 | 00:58:38 | |
Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com I 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 economy, Trump’s predictability and unpredictability, DOGE and MAGA’s slashing of the federal government, Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest, antisemitism, and attacks on Tesla cars, dealerships, and charging stations. This is a bit of an experiment—my team and I wanted to see what would happen if I gave it a shot. Let me know how it’s working for you in the comments. These pieces are all quite relevant as of this posting, on Monday afternoon. But by Friday? Who knows. So I decided to release this episode simultaneously to both free and full subscribers. If you like getting The Glenn Show a few days early, consider becoming a full subscriber. You’ll get new episodes early, plus access to monthly Q&As with John McWhorter, bonus episodes, and other exclusive content. Become a full subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.com Video Links 2:31 The opportunities and risks of Trump's economic plans 6:50 Is Trump as unpredictable as he seems? 16:00 DOGE and MAGA take a chainsaw to the federal government 22:30 An argument against Mahmoud Khalil's detention ... 32:49 ... and one in favor of Khalil's detention 41:38 Is it time for an official ban on antisemitism? 49:14 Teslas are burning Recorded March 14, 2025 Links and Readings Steve Cortes’s RCP piece, “Trump and the Economy: Opportunities and Risks” Susan Glasser’s New Yorker piece, “Uncertainty Is Trump’s Brand. But What if He Already Told Us What He’s Going to Do?” Tim Murtaugh’s Washington Times piece, “Why the Democrat Brand Is in the Toilet” Jeff Mayhugh’s Hill piece, “The MAGA Revolution Is Playing with Fire” Ross Barkan’s NYMag piece, “Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest Will Backfire on Trump” Josh Hammer’s Daily Signal piece, “Mahmoud Khalil and the Red-Green Assault on American Sovereignty” Mackenzie France’s RCP piece, “Congress Should Pass Antisemitism Awareness Act” Rich Lowry’s New York Post piece, “Tesla Terrorism Only Reveals the Left’s Impotence” 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 | |||
| Rajiv Sethi – Self-Censorship on Campus | 09 Feb 2024 | 01:04:13 | |
PREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881349 0:00 The conversations that aren’t happening on college campuses 4:16 Staying informed about Israel-Palestine 9:22 Glenn: Don’t subject me to a loyalty test 12:14 Rajiv: High-minded principles alone won’t solve the self-censorship problem 18:11 “The Naked Emperor Equilibrium” 21:52 The game theoretical aspect of Glenn’s memoir 25:35 An homage to Thomas Schelling 27:31 Rajiv’s work on police use-of-force, then and now 30:36 The predictive value of political betting markets 42:44 Robert Solow’s intellectual family tree 46:16 The lopsided distribution of elite economists 49:08 Rajiv: Big econ departments should take more chances on candidates 51:52 The mind-boggling geographical variation in police killings 56:09 Why Rajiv doesn’t take pride in other Indian-Americans’ success Recorded January 26, 2024 Links and Readings Noam Dworman’s podcast, Live from the Table Norman Finkelstein and Eli Lake on Live from the Table Benny Morris’s book, One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Crisis Rashid Khalidi on Live from the Table Benny Morris on Live from the Table Tara Henley’s Lean Out Ilan Pappé’s book, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Glenn’s conversation with Omer Bartov Glenn’s conversation with Norman Finkelstein Norman Finkelstein’s book, I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It!: Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom Glenn’s conversation with John Mearsheimer John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt’s book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy University of Chicago’s 1967 Kalven Committee Report University of Chicago’s 2014 “Chicago Principles” on freedom of expression Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann’s book, The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion—Our Second Skin Timothy Kuran’s book, Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification Thomas Schelling’s book, The Strategy of Conflict Rajiv and Brendan O’Flahery’s book, Shadows of Doubt: Stereotypes, Crime, and Pursuit of Justice Gunnar Myrdal’s book, An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy Rajiv’s Substack, Imperfect Information Rajiv’s Substack post, “Economic Growth and the Growth of Economics: Reflections on Robert Solow” Ralph Ellison’s essay 1970 essay, “What America Would Be Like without Blacks” 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 | |||
| Noam Dworman – Friendship in a Time of War (Bonus Episode) | 04 Feb 2024 | 01:00:36 | |
PREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881349 0:00 Why Noam gave Glenn a bag of books about Israel 5:25 Why Glenn felt burned after The Bell Curve 8:49 Loyalty among friends during the Gaza War 13:15 The blowback from Brown’s ceasefire letter 17:18 Talking about Israel across the ideological spectrum 19:42 Glenn: Loyalty tests are unreasonable 23:16 Trying to understand the human costs of war 26:26 Glenn: There is no decent alternative to a two-state solution 33:32 “Apartheid,” “genocide,” and other potentially unhelpful terms 39:29 Noam: Thank God for President Biden 44:13 Why Noam is worried about American attitudes toward Israel 49:08 Will the Gaza War end up strengthening Hamas? 56:08 The tone-deafness of some supporters of Israel Recorded January 31, 2023 Links and Readings Noam’s podcast, Live from the Table The Glenn Show Live at the Comedy Cellar Glenn and John Live at the Comedy Cellar Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein’s book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life Glenn’s conversation with Charles Murray The Brown University faculty’s ceasefire letter Glenn’s conversation with Omer Bartov Glenn’s conversation with Norman Finkelstein Glenn’s conversation with John Mearsheimer Glenn’s most recent conversation with Robert Wright Benny Morris’s book, One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel/Palestine Conflict Aaron Maté’s appearance on Noam’s podcast 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – Is DEI on Its Way Out? | 02 Feb 2024 | 00:57:38 | |
PREORDER Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881349 0:00 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 42:35 Ibram X. Kendi undeterred 44:48 Roland Fryer is still standing 46:48 Is Amy Wax getting railroaded by Penn? Recorded January 27, 2024 Links and Readings John’s NYT piece, “We Need a New Word for ‘Plagiarism’” Elon Musk’s DEI airline post on X Adolph Reed’s essay, “‘What Are the Drums Saying, Booker?’: The Curious Role of the Black Public Intellectual” (originally published in the Village Voice, April 11, 1995) Wilfred Reilly’s comparative IQ post on X Recording of Amy Wax’s FIRE webinar Glenn’s December 2021 episode with Amy Wax Glenn’s August 2022 episode with Amy Wax Charles Murray’s book, Human Diversity: The Biology of Race, Gender, and Class Glenn’s conversation with Charles Murray 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 | |||
| David Kaiser – States of the Union | 26 Jan 2024 | 01:07:52 | |
Preorder Glenn's memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881349 0:00 The many, many books of David Kaiser 3:01 David: Claudine Gay is a symptom, not a cause, of what’s wrong at Harvard 6:09 Western Civilization and elitism at Harvard 10:03 Meritorious elitism and luxury elitism 12:35 Intellectuals in the wild 14:28 How James Bryant Conant built the modern Harvard … 17:33 … and how it was broken 18:52 Glenn’s previous conversation with Omer Bartov 24:12 Why David thinks the Gaza War falls short of genocide but maybe not ethnic cleansing 25:51 What Claudine Gay could (and maybe should) have said at her congressional hearing 27:51 Why David thinks originalists will have a problem rejecting attempts to remove Trump from electoral ballots 32:38 David: Mitch McConnell should have impeached Trump when he had the chance 36:07 David’s new book, States of the Union 41:03 Have state of the union addresses always been as boring as they are now? 44:55 Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Reagan, and their legacies 57:37 Why Obama didn’t propose a New New Deal after the 2008 financial crisis 1:01:01 Biden’s silence Recorded January 10, 2024 Links and Readings David’s book, Economic Diplomacy and the Origin of the Second World War: Germany, Britain, France, and Eastern Europe, 1930-1939 David’s book, Politics and War: European Conflict from Philip II to Hitler David’s book, American Tragedy: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Origins of the Vietnam War David’s book, The Road to Dallas: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy David’s book, Baseball Greatness: Top Players and Teams According to Wins Above Average, 1901-2017 David’s book, NFL 1965: The Most Exciting Season David’s book, A Life in History David’s book, States of the Union: A History of the United States through Presidential Addresses, 1789-2023 Glenn’s previous conversation with David Fareed Zakaria on elite universities Glenn’s conversation with Omer Bartov David’s blog, History Unfolding David’s blog post about the Fourteenth Amendment Howard Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United States John F. Kennedy’s June 11, 1963 address on segregation 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 | |||
| Ilya Shapiro, Robert George & Randall Kennedy – Clarence Thomas: Black American Icon | 19 Jan 2024 | 01:09:27 | |
Preorder Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative wherever you buy your books. If you missed Wednesday’s City Journal and Manhattan Institute-hosted livestream, I’ve got you covered. Today I’m releasing the recording of that livestream as a special bonus episode. This event marked the publication of my City Journal essay “Clarence Thomas and Me,” and I had a stellar line-up alongside me to discuss the essay and the work of Clarence Thomas: Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute, Robert George of Princeton, and Randall Kennedy of Harvard Law School. 0:00 Introductions 2:58 Why Glenn wrote “Clarence Thomas and Me” 5:27 Randall: “Justice Thomas trades on his blackness” 10:58 Glenn: Clarence Thomas has not “betrayed black people” 12:30 Thomas’s engagement with natural law jurisprudence 19:29 How would Thomas have come down on Brown v. Board of Education? 20:55 The loyalty trap 24:20 Randall: Thomas’s originalism may also commit him to sanctioning segregation 28:24 Robbie: There are originalist interpretations that support Brown v. Board of Education 34:07 Thomas’s race cases 36:03 Glenn: Thomas can act as both a principled jurist and as an advocate for the rights of African Americans 40:56 Randall: In 100 years, people will regard Shelby County v. Holder as one of the worst decisions in the Court’s history 44:36 Maintaining integrity under pressure 51:22 What are the differences between Thomas’s, Scalia’s, and Alito’s originalisms? 55:30 Will Thomas have broader popularity in the future? 1:01:10 Is racial solidarity inconsistent with judicial impartiality? 1:03:30 Closing remarks Recorded January 17, 2024 Links and Readings Glenn’s City Journal essay, “Clarence Thomas and Me” Glenn’s book, One by One from the Inside Out : Essays and Reviews on Race and Responsibility in America Michael McConnell’s article, “The Originalist Case for Brown v. Board of Education” Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick’s book, The Original Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment: Its Letter and Spirit Lon Fuller’s book, The Morality of Law The documentary on Clarence Thomas, Created Equal 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – Claudine Gay, MLK, and GLENN'S NEW BOOK | 15 Jan 2024 | 00:42:31 | |
0:00 Preorder Glenn’s forthcoming memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative 2:17 Why Glenn wrote a memoir (and why you should order it now) 8:59 A ringing endorsement from John 10:00 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 radicalism 25:54 John: Being against DEI does not make you a racist 28:10 The Tabia Lee affair at D’Anza Community College 29:58 How Claudine Gay should have reacted to the plagiarism scandal 32:47 Glenn: “The DEI movement is hoist on its own petard” 35:57 How DEI’s dominance has improved John’s home media set-up 41:41 John’s upcoming cabaret show Links and Readings John’s NYT piece, “Claudine Gay Was Not Driven Out Because She Is Black” Glenn’s conversation with Tabia Lee “All’s Fair in Love and War” from Gold Diggers of 1937 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 | |||
| Omer Bartov – Israel's Hard Right Turn | 12 Jan 2024 | 01:10:00 | |
0:00 The long road leading to the Gaza War 9:14 Don’t Palestinians have some responsibility for the current state of affairs? 9:48 The precedent of the 1973 Yom Kippur War 11:26 Omer: Israel only negotiates under pressure 13:31 Netanyahu and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin 15:27 The US’s military support for Israel 16:32 The origins of Hamas 20:20 Omer: Netanyahu’s coalition is “a mirror image of Hamas” 24:45 The threat to democracy in Israel 26:27 Omer: Netanyahu is driving the country to the right in order to avoid a corruption trial 30:07 How “Jewish supremacists” have gained control of Israel’s government 34:01 Why Omer’s Zionism does not commit him to defending Israel’s actions 36:46 The risk of genocide in Gaza 40:05 The IDF’s procedure in the Gaza invasion 43:09 What will happen to the Gazan refugees? 45:00 The international community’s role in finding a resolution to the Gaza War 48:17 Is the IDF “the most moral army in the world”? 54:39 The revenge motive 57:07 Omer: The campaign in Gaza is a fiasco 59:38 A US-led plan for “the day after” 1:04:37 Is peace in Israel a pollyannaish pipe dream? Recorded January 2, 2023 Links and Readings Benny Morris’s book, One State, Two States: Resolving the Israel-Palestine Conflict Omer’s New Statesman piece, “Both Netanyahu and Hamas see this crisis as an opportunity” Omer’s NYT op-ed, “What I Believe as a Historian of Genocide” 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – The Best of Glenn and John 2023 | 05 Jan 2024 | 01:07:53 | |
I 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 Glenn 2:36 How do we know that African Americans are just as smart as everyone else? 11:15 Glenn goes in on the 2020 riots 16:34 John: I love linguistics, but linguistics no longer loves me 25:37 Glenn: How can anyone argue that race-based affirmative action doesn’t violate the 14th Amendment? 34:58 When the smoke clears in Gaza 45:34 John: “We’ve been lied to” about George Floyd’s death 54:32 Glenn and John revisit their first conversation 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 | |||
| Philip Howard – Getting Unions Out of Government | 29 Dec 2023 | 01:09:22 | |
0:00 Philip’s early work on post-nuclear war recovery 2:26 Philip’s skepticism toward the role of lawyers in the US 4:34 What’s wrong with the EPA, OSHA, and the EEOC? 6:59 How to ensure worker safety without “4,000 rules” 8:07 Why the US spends so much on healthcare 11:32 Philip: We’ve degenerated into a culture of distrust 14:58 The origins of American distrust 18:42 Re-instilling trust 21:38 The problems of national security and public health 26:57 Are public employee unions constitutional? 39:35 Market constraints don’t hold for government employees 34:55 Do public sector workers need protection from exploitation? 39:22 Philip: “Public service is repellant to good candidates” 40:58 A short history of the civil service 46:49 Is Philip inveighing against the Democratic Party and the labor movement at large? 53:12 Philip: Police unions prevent accountability, too 56:08 The necessity of a constitutional solution to public unions 1:00:58 Philip: The political organizing of public unions harms the public 1:04:46 Would the current Supreme Court be receptive to Philip’s case? Recorded October 27, 2023 Links and Readings Philip’s book, The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America Philip’s book, Life Without Lawyers: Restoring Responsibility in America Philip’s latest book, Not Accountable: Rethinking the Constitutionality of Public Employee Unions Edward Banfield’s book, The Moral Basis of a Backward Society Robert Putnam’s book, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy Philip’s forthcoming book, Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society 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 | |||
| John McWhorter, Liz Collin & JC Chaix – Filmmakers Reveal the Truth about George Floyd | 22 Dec 2023 | 01:02:43 | |
0:00 How Liz and JC came to collaborate on their doc, The Fall of Minneapolis 4:18 JC: No, the footage in the doc is not AI-manipulated 6:08 How much of the body cam footage is previously unseen? 8:18 Who lied about George Floyd, what did they lie about, and why? 13:30 The relevance of Floyd’s behavior during the incident 17:30 JC: Minneapolis Chief of Police Arradondo perjured himself 22:30 Minnesota DA Keith Ellison’s email to Glenn 24:11 The expert testimony from Dr. Martin Tobin on Floyd’s cause of death 26:12 Adjudicating disputes about the cause of death 34:36 Were racial justice tropes part of the Floyd incident? 38:20 Why Liz and JC think Derek Chauvin didn’t get a fair trial 41:28 Why JC didn’t include the entire viral video of Floyd in the doc 44:30 What Chauvin told JC about the incident 47:40 Humanizing the Minnesota police 50:41 The aftermath of the Minneapolis riots 55:32 The lawsuits that followed the Floyd family’s settlement 56:34 The drugs that “complicated” Floyd’s restraint Recorded December 16, 2023. Links and Readings Glenn and John’s episode about The Fall of Minneapolis Liz and JC’s documentary, The Fall of Minneapolis Liz’s book, They're Lying: The Media, The Left, and The Death of George Floyd 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 | |||
| Bonus Episode: Man of Steel | 11 Mar 2025 | 00:02:01 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com In this episode, Nikita, Mark, and I talk about steelmanning, what people want me to say about Gaza, what I want to say about Gaza, and why I offer disclaimers when I talk foreign policy. | |||
| Tabia Lee – An Ex-DEI Director Speaks Out | 15 Dec 2023 | 00:53:24 | |
0:00 Tabia’s early career as a teacher 5:40 Tabia’s “rough ride” as a DEI director 17:06 The antisemitism problem at De Anza 25:25 The inescapable BIPOC binary 28:52 From disagreement to deplatforming 35:30 Why Tabia found support among students but not faculty 39:00 How attempts to silence Tabia backfired 40:54 Tabia’s broad vision of diversity 47:46 Learning from the medical professionals of Galilee Recorded November 27, 2023 Links and Readings Tabia’s New York Post piece, “I was a DEI director — DEI drives campus antisemitism” Tabia’s Compact piece, “A Black DEI Director Canceled by DEI” Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism Coalition for Empowered Education 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 | |||
| November 2023 Q&A | 06 Dec 2023 | 00:00:06 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John answer Substack subscriber questions from November 2023. | |||
| John McWhorter – The Truth about George Floyd's Death | 08 Dec 2023 | 00:51:40 | |
0:00 A new documentary about George Floyd’s death raises new questions 5:42 John: “We’ve been lied to” about George Floyd’s death 14:27 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 hero 29:03 The burning of Minneapolis’s 3rd Precinct 34:54 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, 2023 Links and Readings Glenn and John’s May 2020 episode, “Cops and Race” Liz Collin and JC Chaix’s documentary, The Fall of Minneapolis Eli and Shelby Steele’s documentary, What Killed Michael Brown? Barbershop, “OJ did it” Coleman Hughes’s forthcoming book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America 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 | |||
| Erec Smith – Free Black Thought | 01 Dec 2023 | 00:55:27 | |
0:00 Is “black heterodoxy” a euphemism for “black conservatism”? 13:34 Classical liberalism’s role in Free Black Thought 15:07 Erec: I saw things while working as a diversity officer that I can’t unsee 22:47 Why the Democratic Party doesn’t like Erec 30:38 How Free Black Thought is fostering agency in the black community 36:16 Erec: The onus is on us, not affirmative action, to prepare black students for college 45:19 What is rhetoric, anyway? Recorded November 13, 2023 Links and Readings Erec’s nonprofit, Free Black Thought Journal of Free Black Thought Minnesota’s Take Charge program Glenn’s essay in the Journal of Free Black Thought, “Wrestle Not against Flesh and Blood” 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 | |||
| John McWhorter, Daniel Bessner & Tyler Austin Harper – The Gaza War and the Crisis of Liberalism | 24 Nov 2023 | 00:57:52 | |
0:00 The state of campus speech after 10/7 5:48 Daniel: Why are critics of cancel culture silent when it comes to Israel? 15:43 “Explaining” Hamas vs. “excusing” Hamas 26:17 Tyler: American Jewish students worried about their safety have been primed by modern identity politics 29:31 The tension between DEI and antisemitism response teams 38:17 The linguistic ambiguity of “From the river to the sea” 43:41 The irreconcilable conflict between campus social justice and donor funding 47:49 If not liberalism, then what? 53:51 Tyler: Postwar political conservatism is coming apart Recorded November 18, 2023 Links and Readings Daniel’s podcast, American Prestige Glenn’s conversation with Yascha Mounk (recorded October 3, 2023) Adam Shatz’s book, The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon Lisa Stampnitzky’s book, Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented “Terrorism” Daniel’s essay in the Nation, “A Bad Breakup” Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s book, Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments Daniel’s Harper’s essay, “Empire Burlesque” 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 | |||
| Robert Wright – The Gaza War Will Create More Terrorists (Bonus Episode) | 19 Nov 2023 | 01:11:40 | |
0:00 How Bob gave Glenn his start in podcasting 2:05 Is the Gaza War in Israel’s best interests … 11:46 … and if not, what should Israel have done in response to October 7? 18:06 How Hamas gained control of Gaza 26:53 Bob: Some in the Israeli government wouldn’t mind a wider war in the Middle East 36:46 What does “From the river to the sea” actually mean? 46:10 Bob: Every settlement in the West Bank is a war crime 54:20 The psychology of victimhood and retribution 1:00:37 The challenge of spiritual transformation Recorded November 13, 2023 Links and Readings Bob’s Substack, the Nonzero Newsletter Brown University faculty’s call for a ceasefire Glenn’s conversation with John McWhorter, “Thinking Through the Gaza War” Bob’s Nonzero Newsletter piece, “The Truth about Hamas” John Judis’s 2013 New Republic piece, “Clueless in Gaza” John Judis and Ruy Texeira’s book, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?: The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes Bob’s Nonzero Newsletter piece, “The ‘River to the Sea’ Rorschach Test” Bob debates Eli Lake on Israel-Palestine Jimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid Bob’s book, Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment The documentary Disturbing the Peace 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 | |||
| Yascha Mounk – The Identity Trap | 17 Nov 2023 | 00:56:20 | |
0:35 A quick announcement 1:46 What led Yascha to write about identity 6:22 An intellectual history of “identity synthesis” 12:15 What’s so bad about “strategic essentialism”? 19:15 From postmodernism to post-civil rights 28:45 The three key claims of identity synthesis 36:02 What led up to the summer of 2020? 45:51 The hermetically sealed ideology of Kendi and DiAngelo 50:45 Yascha’s defense of universalism Recorded October 3, 2023 Links and Readings Yascha’s new book, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time Michel Foucault’s book, The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences Edward Said’s book, Orientalism Gayatri Spivak’s essay, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Glenn’s debate with Kmele Foster, Shelby Steele, Robert Woodson, and Reihan Salam Karen and Barbara Fields’s book, Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life Tommie Shelby’s book, We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault’s 1971 debate on Dutch television Derrick Bell’s book, Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism Mahalia Jackson singing “We Shall Overcome” Roy D’Andrade’s article, “Moral Models in Anthropology” 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 | |||
| October 2023 Q&A | 08 Nov 2023 | 00:06:45 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John answer subscriber questions. | |||
| Reza Aslan – An American Martyr in Persia | 10 Nov 2023 | 01:05:59 | |
0:00 Persia at the turn of the twentieth century 6:43 Woodrow Wilson’s contradictions 11:14 Did Howard Baskerville escape the prejudices of his time? 16:39 How Baskerville got involved in Persia’s democratic revolution 26:43 How Czar Nicholas II aided the counter-revolution 32:29 The erasure of Baskerville in post-1979 Iran 36:31 The theological origin of the Islamic Republic of Iran 45:01 Reza: Ordinary Iranians actually love American culture 48:51 The internal and external pressures on Iran 57:21 The amorality of foreign policy Recorded October 25, 2023 Links and Readings Reza’s book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Reza’s new book, An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – Thinking Through the Gaza War | 03 Nov 2023 | 00:53:38 | |
0:00 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 TGS Recorded October 28, 2023 Links and Readings John’s Free Press piece, “The Ultimate Condescension Toward Palestinians” Adam Shatz’s LRB essay, “Vengeful Pathologies” Joe Biden’s Oval Office address on Israel and Ukraine Reza Aslan’s book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth Reza Aslan’s new book, An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville 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 | |||
| Peter Beinart – Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza | 14 Mar 2025 | 00:54:04 | |
Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com Video Links 0:00 Intro 1:33 The relationships Peter has lost and gained 4:14 Why Peter thinks this is a “watershed” moment in Jewish history 6:50 Who can criticize Israel? 9:44 The challenge of October 7’s aftermath to Jewish self-understanding 15:54 Peter: Jews should support non-violent Palestinian protest, not criminalize it 20:12 Shouldn’t the Palestinians have taken the deals they were offered? 25:48 Peter’s argument for a one-state solution 34:34 The “dirty little secret” of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Jewish critics 37:12 The idolatry of the Jewish state 39:45 The mutual liberation of Jews and Palestinians 41:37 Why aren’t the critics of snowflakes and trigger warnings defending pro-Palestinian campus protesters? 46:01 Peter: Antisemitism is on the rise, and ethno-nationalism is the reason 50:20 Peter: If Gaza is unlivable, then Gazans should be allowed to live where they want Recorded February 21, 2025 Links and Readings Peter’s Substack, The Beinart Notebook Peter’s new book, Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book, The Message Eitan Hersh and Laura Loyden’s article, “Antisemitic Attitudes across the Ideological Spectrum” 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 | |||
| John Mearsheimer – America's Sunk Cost in Ukraine | 27 Oct 2023 | 01:06:13 | |
0:00 Why John thinks Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was rational 6:55 How small states deal with world powers 10:13 If Russia’s action were rational, were the US’s? 16:40 John: The Ukraine invasion violates international law, but Russia has reason to see it as just 21:58 The risk of escalation 29:26 Zelensky’s expert manipulation of the West 33:51 Is it a coincidence that so many recent presidential scandals involve Ukraine? 39:57 Can tolerant liberals tolerate illiberal societies? 45:45 American Russophobia didn’t cause the war, but it’s not helping 49:19 John: If Putin is overthrown, his replacement will probably be even more brutal 53:35 The foreign policy establishment’s grip on both Democrats and Republicans Links and Readings John’s book, with Sebastian Rosato, How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy 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 | |||
| John McWhorter & Coleman Hughes – The Colorblindness Controversy and Israel-Hamas | 20 Oct 2023 | 01:09:01 | |
0:00 The blowback from Coleman’s TED Talk 8:50 Did TED intentionally throttle promotion for Coleman’s talk? 17:08 John’s trouble with TED while promoting Woke Racism 20:21 Coleman’s forthcoming book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America 29:17 Race in public and private life 43:49 Closure on the TED affair 45:14 What are the goals of each side in the Israel-Palestine conflict? 51:58 Will the Israeli military response simply restart the cycle of violence and resentment? 1:02:15 The threat of post-October 7 overreaction Links and Readings Coleman’s Substack, Coleman’s Corner Coleman’s podcast, Conversations with Coleman Coleman’s forthcoming book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America Coleman's conversation with Glenn Greenwald about the TED Talk Coleman’s TED Talk, “A Case for Color Blindness” Coleman’s Free Press piece, “Why Is TED Scared of Color Blindness” Coleman’s conversation with Jamelle Bouie Geroge Packer’s Atlantic piece, “Israel Must Not React Stupidly” 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 | |||
| September 2023 Q&A | 11 Oct 2023 | 00:14:05 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John answer subscriber questions. | |||
| Randall Kennedy & Renu Mukherjee – A Debate on Affirmative Action, Live at Holy Cross | 13 Oct 2023 | 01:36:11 | |
0:00 Introduction by Greg Burnep 4:27 What does affirmative action mean in 2023? 11:06 Randy’s distinction between “disadvantage” and “discrimination” 18:21 Diversity’s double-talk 31:18 Did the Supreme Court say discrimination is allowed at military academies? 34:33 Glenn: Affirmative action distracts us from bigger problems 41:16 Affirmative action is an elite problem 48:48 Affirmative action as an insurance policy 57:42 The stigmatization of affirmative action beneficiaries 1:04:14 Glenn: Affirmative action has been a net positive, but it’s time to stop 1:07:14 Q&A: Does historical injustice alone justify affirmative action? 1:10:33 Q&A: Can and should colleges use loopholes to get around Students for Fair Admissions? 1:14:50 Q&A: Does the “need” for affirmative action say something race or education? 1:16:27 Q&A: What is the impact of SFFA beyond the university? 1:23:35 Q&A: What about class-based affirmative action? Recorded September 20, 2023 Links and Readings Randy’s book, Race, Crime, and the Law Randy’s book, For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law Glenn’s conversation with Jay Caspian Kang 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 | |||
| John McWhorter & Dan Subotnik – The Ibram X. Kendi Scandal | 06 Oct 2023 | 01:11:59 | |
0:00 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 scandal Recorded September 30, 2023 Links and Readings Dan’s book, Toxic Diversity: Gender, Race, and Law Talk in America Frantz Fanon’s book, The Wretched of the Earth Adam Schatz’s forthcoming biography, The Rebel’s Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon Glenn’s conversation with Norman Finkelstein Glenn and John’s conversation with Don Baton Glenn and John’s conversation with James Beaman 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 | |||
| Sabrina Salvati & LaJuan Loury – Dems Take Fire from the Left | 29 Sep 2023 | 01:10:47 | |
0:00 How Sabby got her start on YouTube 6:18 What happened to the Justice Democrats’ “hostile takeover”? 11:31 Is the US sliding into fascism? 19:26 The tension between race and class on the left 27:15 Donald Trump’s rising popularity among black men 32:39 The military-industrial complex and climate change 42:07 Sabby’s argument for worker co-ops 51:20 Finding (somewhat) common ground on immigration 54:18 Demilitarizing the police is one thing, defunding the police is another 59:46 Sabby: “We should not be giving money to Ukraine” 1:04:35 How Sabby deals with disrespectful guests Recorded September 16, 2023 Links & Readings Revolutionary Blackout Network’s YouTube page Sabby’s interview with Cornel West AOC’s endorsement of Joe Biden on Pod Save America Jimmy Dore’s interview with Cornel West Sabby’s episode on Jimmy Dore-Cornel West interview Glenn and John McWhorter’s conversation with Mark Goldblatt Glenn’s debate with Richard Wolff Briahana Joy Gray debates Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski 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 | |||
| John McWhorter & Tyler Austin Harper – How the Race Game Is Played | 22 Sep 2023 | 00:53:17 | |
0:00 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 Salvati Recorded September 10, 2023 Links and Readings Tyler’s Atlantic piece, “I’m a Black Professor. You Don’t Need to Bring That Up.” Roland Fryer’s NYT piece, “How to Fix College Admissions Now” Glenn’s conversation with Jay Caspian Kang Jimmy Dore’s interview with Cornel West John’s appearance on The View 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 | |||
| Shep Melnick – The Crucible of Desegregation | 15 Sep 2023 | 01:02:05 | |
0:00 Biden’s new DEI initiatives 7:59 The disparate uses of disparate impact 13:59 Shep’s new book, The Crucible of Desegregation: The Uncertain Search for Educational Equality 23:15 The problem with claims that education is resegregating 29:56 Are we heading back to the bussing debates of the 1970s? 35:52 Shep’s book, The Transformation of Title IX: Regulating Gender Equality in Education 44:20 Glenn’s “uncle” objects to analogies between trans people and African Americans 47:58 Shep: Banning Critical Race Theory is the wrong strategy Recorded September 8, 2023 Links and Readings Shep’s new book, The Crucible of Desegregation: The Uncertain Search for Educational Equality Heather Mac Donald’s book, When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives Gary Orfield’s book, The Reconstruction of Southern Education: The Schools and the 1964 Civil Rights Act James Fishkin’s book, Justice, Equal Opportunity, and the Family Shep’s book, The Transformation of Title IX: Regulating Gender Equality in Education John Skretny’s book, The Minority Rights Revolution Robin DiAngelo’s book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about 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 | |||
| August 2023 Q&A | 06 Sep 2023 | 00:08:43 | |
| John McWhorter – Whose Election Narrative? | 08 Sep 2023 | 01:00:51 | |
0:00 Can a white man tell Harriet Tubman’s story? 9:59 What the fall semester has in store for Glenn and John 17:25 How John makes the sausage at the New York Times 22:55 John: We now memorize rap lyrics instead of poetry 36:18 Is wokeness on the wane? 42:12 What John just doesn’t get about Carol Swain 51:46 A Democrat by any other name 56:50 John makes a wild prediction about Trump Recorded August 31, 2023 Links and Readings The Philadelphia Harriet Tubman statue John’s NYT piece, “Two Languages Walk into a Bar” John’s NYT piece, “How Hip-Hop Became America’s Poetry” Oliver Anthony’s song, “Rich Men North of Richmond” Jason Aldean’s song, “Try That in a Small Town” Sabrina Salvati’s YouTube channel Carol Swain’s recent TGS episode Carol Swain’s book, Black Faces, Black Interests: The Representation of African Americans in Congress Dinesh D’Souza’s film, 2000 Mules 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 | |||
| February 2025 Q&A | 05 Mar 2025 | 00:09:27 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com In this month's Substack subscriber Q&A, John and I answer your questions on the NAACP, Trump and January 6, Western civilization, how we deal with angry viewers, and more. | |||
| Carol Swain – The Adversity of Diversity | 01 Sep 2023 | 01:18:17 | |
0:00 Why Carol joined Black Voices for Trump 9:59 Why should black people support Trump? 16:31 Carol: Democrats stole the 2020 election 26:07 Does Trump face a credible assassination threat? 30:35 The redefinition of white supremacy 35:51 Deracializing the crime debate 39:58 Carol’s new book, The Adversity of Diversity: How Real Training Can Promote Healing in a Post-Affirmative Action World 50:55 Glenn: Affirmative action is one thing, DEI is another 1:04:54 Clarence Thomas v. Ketanji Brown Jackson 1:08:06 What affirmative action did right Recorded August 26, 2023 Links and Readings Carol and Mike Towle’s new book, The Adversity of Diversity: How Real Training Can Promote Healing in a Post-Affirmative Action World Carol’s Godfather III Twitter (now X) post Reuters story on Harrison Floyd Jason Riley’s book, The Black Boom Tucker Carlson’s debate night interview with Donald Trump Carol’s book, The New White Nationalism in America: Its Challenge to Integration Carol and Christopher J. Schorr’s book, Black Eye for America: How Critical Race Theory Is Burning Down the House 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 | |||
| John McWhorter – Sixteen Years of "The Black Guys" | 25 Aug 2023 | 00:54:26 | |
0:00 A sixteen-year-long conversation 5:45 Race and socioeconomics on the cusp of the Obama Era 21:19 The myth of black poverty and deindustrialization 32:56 Glenn pulls rank 37:59 Why Glenn changed his mind about the Manhattan Institute 50:15 Is the think tank world any more “objective” than academia? Recorded August 19, 2023 Links and Readings Glenn and John’s first conversation from November 7, 2007 John’s book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America John’s book, Winning the Race: Beyond the Crisis in Black America Glenn’s book, The Anatomy of Racial Inequality Martin Peretz’s memoir, The Controversialist: Arguments with Everyone, Left, Right, and Center Jeffrey O.C. Ogbar’s book, Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap Charles Murray’s book, Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980 Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein’s book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life 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 | |||
| Haim Shweky – An American-Israeli at the Ukrainian Front | 18 Aug 2023 | 01:04:07 | |
0:00 Haim’s history with The Glenn Show 7:54 How Haim ended up fighting in Ukraine 17:42 The legionnaire’s lingua franca 27:55 Haim’s riposte to Cornel West on Ukraine 42:27 A pen in one hand and a gun in the other 47:56 Haim: Ukraine’s sovereignty and national identity must be respected 53:34 Is the two-state solution dead? Recorded July 23, 2023 Links and Readings Haim’s writing for this newsletter Haim’s Substack, The Garland Glenn’s recent conversation with Cornel West Haim and Nikita Petrov’s exchange on the Ukraine War Nikita’s Substack, Psychopolitica 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 | |||
| July 2023 Q&A | 09 Aug 2023 | 00:10:06 | |
| John McWhorter & Ian Buruma – The Spirit of Wokeness | 11 Aug 2023 | 01:07:54 | |
0:00 The protestant ethic and the spirit of wokeness 10:47 Is comparing wokeness to religion a slander on religion? 21:08 Ian: Wokeness is a distraction from real political problems 28:02 How Ian experienced his own cancelation 41:31 America’s exportation of wokeness 45:45 Has wokeness aided and abetted Trump and Brexit? 52:54 John: Enslaved people did find ways to improve their own lives Recorded August 7, 2023 Links and Readings Ian’s Harper’s piece, “Doing the Work” John’s book, Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America Jian Ghomeshi’s 2018 NYRB piece, “Reflections from a Hashtag” Tomiwa Owolade’s book, This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter David Brooks’s NYT oped, “What if We’re the Bad Guys Here?” John’s NYT oped, “One Sentence Does Not Define a Curriculum” The Florida Board of Education’s 2023 standards for social studies Robert Cherry’s essay on slavery at this newsletter 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 | |||
| Jay Caspian Kang – Affirmative Elitism | 04 Aug 2023 | 01:14:57 | |
0:00 How Jay’s position on affirmative action changed 12:15 Jay: I can’t see the virtue in affirmative action as it’s practiced 20:07 Why did so many Asian students defend policies that discriminated against Asians? 25:35 The hidden cultural argument in the California Mathematics Framework 32:01 Is the “people of color coalition” coming apart? 34:55 Why so little outrage over the SCOTUS affirmative action decision? 42:26 When students internalize artificial trauma narratives 49:06 America can’t economically decouple itself from China. Will anti-China rhetoric wane? 55:49 What will and won’t change in the wake of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard 1:05:29 Isn’t there some value to diversity in education? Recorded July 24, 2023 Links and Readings Jay’s New Yorker piece, “Why the Champions of Affirmative Action Had to Leave Asian Americans Behind” Jay’s book, The Loneliest Americans Jay’s podcast with E. Tammy Kim, Time to Say Goodbye Jay’s 2019 New York Times Magazine piece, “Where Does Affirmative Action Leave Asian-Americans?” Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou’s book, The Asian American Achievement Paradox Natasha Warikoo’s book, Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools The California Mathematics Framework Roland Fryer’s NYT piece, “How to Fix College Admissions Now” 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 | |||
| John McWhorter and Peter Arcidiacono – The Economics of SFFA v. Harvard | 28 Jul 2023 | 01:00:30 | |
0:00 Peter’s role in the Supreme Court affirmative action case 8:57 Are legacy admissions affirmative action by another name? 19:17 Why Peter got interested in affirmative action 24:20 Glenn was for affirmative action before he was against it 30:33 Peter: Universities are not honest about admissions 34:20 The brilliance of Roland Fryer 51:17 Campus diversity after affirmative action Recorded July 22, 2023 Links and Readings Glenn’s 2020 conversation with Peter Mary Sue Coleman on the steps of the Supreme Court John’s book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America Roland Fryer’s paper, “An Empirical Analysis of Racial Differences in Police Use of Force” Federico Echenique and Roland Fryer’s paper, “A Measure of Segregation Based on Social Interactions” David Austen-Smith and Roland Fryer’s paper, “The Economics of ‘Acting White’” 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 | |||
| Matt Johnson – The Lessons of Christopher Hitchens | 21 Jul 2023 | 00:54:19 | |
0:00 How Matt first encountered Christopher Hitchens 6:07 Matt’s new book, How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment 8:00 Why Matt thinks Cornel West’s Vietnam-Afghanistan analogy is flawed 14:21 What’s worth preserving in the left-liberal tradition? 21:38 Matt: Identity politics is a “toxin” 27:20 Was affirmative action ever necessary? 35:29 Matt: I wish the left would rediscover Hitchens’s universalism 45:04 Hitchens’s “fearless liberalism” Recorded July 6, 2023 Links and Readings Matt’s new book, How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment Hitchens’s NYRB review of Douglas Murray’s Bosie: A Biography of Lord Alfred Douglas Hitchens’s book, Why Orwell Matters George Orwell’s book, Keep The Aspidistra Flying Glenn’s recent conversation with Cornel West Matt’s Quilette essay on John Mearsheimer Matt’s Quillette essay on Bayard Rustin Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life Nathan Glazer’s book, Affirmative Discrimination: Ethnic Inequality and Public Policy Roland Fryer’s NYT oped, “How to Fix College Admissions Now” Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Atlantic essay, “The Case for Reparations” Bayard Rustin’s 1965 Commentary essay, “From Protest to Politics: The Future of the Civil Rights Movement” Norman Finkelstein’s book, I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Come to It!: Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom Glenn’s conversation with Norman Finkelstein 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 | |||
| June 2023 Q&A | 12 Jul 2023 | 00:07:09 | |
| John McWhorter – The End of Race-Based Affirmative Action | 14 Jul 2023 | 01:03:30 | |
0:00 John: Let’s be honest about what “taking race into account” means in affirmative action 10:09 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 critique 35:00 John: The fact that racism exists does not justify changing standards 44:04 Why Roland Fryer thinks we should put our money where our mouth is on race and education 51:04 Will the post-Students for Fair Admissions future turn into a “Hardship Olympics”? Recorded July 8, 2023 Links and Readings Zachary Bleemer’s paper, “Affirmative Action and Its Race-Neutral Alternatives” The Supreme Court opinions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard John’s book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America John’s NYT piece, “On Race and Academia” Roland Fryer’s NYT oped, “How to Fix College Admissions Now” 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 | |||
| Bonus Episode: War and/or Peace | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:02:04 | |
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.com In this bonus episode, Mark, Nikita, and I discuss Trump's chaotic Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, parsing positions from principles, and the fate of Ukraine. | |||
| Jay Bhattacharya – Rewriting the COVID Narrative | 07 Jul 2023 | 01:05:58 | |
0:00 The problem with scientific consensus 6:36 Why Jay and his colleagues were branded “fringe epidemiologists” 15:52 Jay: We need to engage with everyone—even those with mistaken beliefs 25:55 Persuading science skeptics 36:04 How do we stop COVID overreach from happening again? 46:38 Jay: Gain-of-function research is impossible to do safely 55:03 Are some ideas too dangerous to test? 59:30 Jay: Fauci’s blunder was so catastrophic that only history can judge him Recorded June 23, 2023 Links and Readings Rav Arora and Jay’s newsletter, The Illusion of Consensus Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln The Great Barrington Declaration Steve Koonin’s book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Asks Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters Tjalling Koopman’s, Three Essays on the State of Economic Science Emily Oster’s Atlantic piece, “Let’s Declare a Pandemic Amnesty” Richard Feynman demonstrates flaws in Challenger’s O-rings Roger Shattuck’s book, Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography 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 | |||
| Cornel West – The Presidential Aspirations of Cornel West | 30 Jun 2023 | 01:05:21 | |
0:00 Why Cornel is running for president 10:45 How Cornel links American militarism abroad and inequality at home 15:15 Cornel’s pitch to skeptical right-of-center voters 20:30 Is there tension between Cornel’s commitment to stopping climate change and his commitment to helping the working class? 33:50 The moral potential and pitfalls of capitalism 37:34 Might Cornel inadvertently hand the election to the Republicans? 41:44 Cornel: Tim Scott and Clarence Thomas are wrong, but they’re sincere 46:06 Why Cornel thinks the US is partially culpable for the Ukraine War 52:04 Should Palestinians recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel? 1:00:23 Cornel’s ideas about the US border Recorded on June 16, 2023 Links and Readings Cornel’s TGS appearance with Teodros Kiros Glenn and Richard Wolff debate capitalism and socialism Cornel and Robert George on PBS’s Firing Line Ernesto Cortes’s TGS appearance Benjamin Schwartz and Christopher Layne’s Harper’s essay, “Why Are We in Ukraine?” 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 | |||
| John McWhorter & Jonathan Rieder – Canceling "Culture in America" | 23 Jun 2023 | 01:02:45 | |
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 Kennedy Recorded June 17, 2023 Links and Readings Alex Morey and Nadine Strossen’s FIRE article about Jonathan, “Who’s Allowed to Teach ‘Culture in America’?” Barnard’s Center for Engaged Pedagogy John’s book, Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America Robin DiAngelo’s book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism Cornell Belcher’s book, A Black Man in the White House: Barack Obama and the Triggering of America’s Racial-Aversion Crisis Richard Rothstein’s Atlantic piece, “The Problem with Wealth-Based Affirmative Action” John’s guest post, “Racial Preferences May End, but the Fight Will Continue” Derrick Bell’s book, Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism Glenn’s City Journal essay, “Affirmative Distraction” Randall Kennedy’s Atlantic essay, “My Race Problem” Randall Kennedy’s book, For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law Randall Kennedy’s book, Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word John McWhorter and Randall Kennedy on The Glenn Show John’s 2008 Bloggingheads conversation with Randall Kennedy 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 | |||