John McWhorter — Anger, Shame, Sadness, and Race in America

<p>John and I often talk about how we feel about race in America, but we rarely delve into <em>why</em> 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.</p><p>I start the discussion off by raising a question a friend put to me recently: <strong>are we wasting our time</strong> engaging with “red meat” issues in the race debate? Should we <strong>stick to the hard data</strong> before wading into the culture war? This leads us to discuss our <strong>very different emotional response</strong>s to the people we disagree with. I tend to go to <strong>anger</strong> and John tends toward <strong>empathy</strong>. <strong>We look to our respective pasts</strong> to try to understand why we diverge in this way. In fact, we stay in the past for a while, looking back on <strong>our exposure to Afrocentrism and black radicalism</strong> in our youths and to the skepticism that often attended those encounters. Finally, we work our way back around to “Omar.” Personally, I believe that <strong>the Omars of the world can and must lay claim to their agency</strong>. That they often refuse to is source of constant frustration and, yes, shame. </p><p>It’s an intense episode. It’s also one marred by technical difficulties. John lost his connection at several points during the conversation, and finally what had been a dialogue became a monologue. Apologies for the rough edges!</p><p>Want to give the gift of The Glenn Show this holiday season? Click below to purchase a subscription for a friend or loved one.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWqkLK1Zi0&#38;t=0s" target="_blank">0:00</a> Are Glenn and John wasting their time by talking about race? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWqkLK1Zi0&#38;t=636s" target="_blank">10:36</a> How Glenn and John’s families shaped their attitudes toward race </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWqkLK1Zi0&#38;t=1242s" target="_blank">20:42</a> Looking back on past radicalism </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWqkLK1Zi0&#38;t=1635s" target="_blank">27:15</a> Glenn: Is my anger necessary? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWqkLK1Zi0&#38;t=2006s" target="_blank">33:26</a> Can “Omar” change his ways?</p> <br /><br />This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://glennloury.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">glennloury.substack.com/subscribe</a>