Keeping It Civil

S1:EP12: Musa Al Gharbi | The Actual Beneficiaries of “White Privilege” and Misconceptions of Trump’s Supporters

Al Gharbi’s remarkable life story and the smear campaign that drove him from Univ. of Arizona (5:30); How getting attacked by Fox News spurred his experiment in framing arguments, which changed his life (8:30). Debunking the sociological myths of Trump supporters (12:30). Prejudicial study designs and how they impact our perceptions of Trump supporters (17:00); What does America “really look like” demographically? Minority groups are less likely to identify as “liberal” (20:00) Do prominent black intellectuals like Ta Nehisi Coates actually represent African Americans’ views? Ethnic diversity hiring initiatives ironically often result in a “white” viewpoint echo chamber (25:30). The idea of an emerging Democratic Party majority rests on false assumptions about minority politics and actual voting patterns (29:30). The racial caste system in highly urban areas and white urbanite hipsters who call out white privilege tend to be those most benefiting from it (44:00)        

S1:EP11: Notions of Innocence and Stain in Contemporary Politics with Joshua Mitchell

How he knew Trump would win before anyone else (3:00); Identity politics (IP) as the fig leaf covering the obscene wealth of liberal elites (7:00); globalism leads to “existential homeless” (15:30); the so-called liberal world order is genuinely diverse or even liberal at all (22:30); describing thought he calls “white progressive racism” (33:00); “selfie man” vs. true citizenship (41:30); are FB “friends” a supplement or a replacement for real friendship (46:30); the new notions of purity and stain as manifested in identity politics (54:00); how one establishes their innocence in regards to the stain of racism and sexism through IP (58:00); IP as pseudo-Christianity but without forgiveness or redemption (64:00).

S1:EP10: Arthur Brooks | Social Entrepreneurship - Risk Taking and Explosive Rewards

The concept of “social entrepreneurship” — how risk taking and “explosive rewards” relate to social and political movements (31:30) AB’s background as a French horn player (and college drop-out) from Seattle who didn’t know any conservatives (1:00-5:00) What convinced him of the power of the free enterprise system (7:45) There is a moral consensus in the US we don’t see (12:00) Are humanities fields like Cultural Studies, English, and History going to fall out of existence? The downsizing of the humanities reflects classic market equilibrium (19:15) Will Americans will never be as populist as the French? (27:30) Education is failing students by not teaching them how to manage themselves (rather than trying to manage the world) (33:50) Changing yourself and maybe a few other people is a major accomplishment (36:00) Is America itself an ideology? (41:00) The US needs more immigrants, not less (42:00)

S1:EP9: Joanne Freeman: Political violence, Civil War, and watching your words

The role of honor culture and how the practice of dueling played a role in the lead up to the US Civil War. Parallels between Southern attempts to intimidate Northerners and contemporary politically-correct bullying (25:00) The role of the telegraph in exposing the violence in Congress (12:00) Designated physical intimidators and “enforcers” sent to Congress (8:00) Northerners electing “fighting men” to physically fight back against Southern intimidation (13:00) Are we really headed towards a second Civil War? (31:00) Are there similarities between the lead up to the Civil War and the culture war today? (35:00) The role of emotional and inflammatory language in setting the stage for the CW (42:00) Discussion of the 2015 row at Yale regarding Halloween costumes and Prof. Christakis (43:00). 

S1:EP8: Patrick Deneen – Are American elites a new form aristocracy?

Two forms of liberalism — one liberation oriented, the other community oriented (5); Market utility-maximizing thinking creates “statist individualism” (11) Each side of American politics have sides seeking to restrain different parts of liberal excess (12:30); “liberalocrats” operate w/o cultural, moral, or national boundaries but use “social justice” to protect their interests (17); class is not seen as part of identity in the US (21); Trump and his movement represented an attempt to overturn the “liberalocracy” (22); liberalocrats can replace cultural institutions that have declined due to liberal excesses, but the poor and working classes cannot (27).

S1:EP7: R. Brookhiser – US political divide not as bad as many say

Witnessing the end of the Roosevelt coalition and rise of the “silent majority” (7); William F. Buckley’s impact on the formation of “fusion” conservatism (11); lessons of Goldwater’s 1964 campaign (13); Buckley’s relationship with Ronald Reagan (15); the odd role of WFB’s Firing Line in giving voice to left (20); Brookhiser’s experiences on the Colbert Report and Jon Stewart (22); is the American divide really worse than ever? (26); California secession - for real? (30); perils of a new constitutional convention (33); how would Lincoln or Jefferson deal with political partisanship today? (34).

S1:EP6: Harvard’s Danielle Allen on liberty vs. equality, is balance possible?

Liberty vs. equality - which do Americans prefer? Citizens as co-creators of governance 4:00. How to address inequality—redistribution, or “pre-distribution”? 6:30 Would a better voting system create more participation? 15:00 Do legislators need a spirit of compromise for democracy to function? 21:00 Is speech essential to empowerment? 30:00 Punishment vs. rehabilitation 40:00 Which drugs should be legalized? 41:00

S1:EP5: Mark Lilla a “pre-McGovern" liberal on IP’s pseudo politics

The “Reagan” vs. the “Roosevelt” dispensation 1:30.The New Left and New Right - both highly individualistic 6:30. The transition away from family in a govt policy 9:50. Identity politics’ (IP) relationship to “pseudo politics” 12:30. The snobbery of the cultural left 16:30. Building a culture of entrepreneurship inside minority communities 18:30. What does the label “pre-McGovern Liberal” mean? 25:40. Do PC taboos really help the left? 33:30. Why IP can’t reject the inherent trade-offs of politics 36:30.

S1:EP4: Douthat on intellectual diversity in the media pt. 2 of 2

Is Douthat a “populist,” are there any populists in the “mainstream media” — is it even conceivable for an authentic populist to be employed there? The narrow intellectual diversity reflected in the media (5:00). No genuine intellectual outlet for Middle America (9:00). Decay of regional institutions of intellectual thought (11:45). Healthy institutional religious culture (14:00). The negative impact of social media and the technological revolution (18:00).

S1:EP3: Ross Douthat on woke liberal religiosity pt. 1 of 2

What makes American religious culture so unique? Is “woke liberalism” part of that religious history, what of Trump’s “empty Christian religiosity”? Americans are Christian heretics (2:30). The transition from older religious environments to the newer ones of today (12:30). Treating the New Left as a religious awakening and a search for a new moral center. The push for free speech and intellectual diversity isn’t enough (20:30). Is there intellectual diversity or even regional diversity in mainstream media? (26:30)