Amy Wax – Contesting American Identity

<p>On this week’s show, I talk with Professor Amy Wax of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. As you might have guessed, we get into some <em>very</em> controversial territory. But that’s why I enjoy talking to Amy—she doesn’t pull her punches.</p><p>Amy begins by talking about her position at Penn Law, where <strong>a group of alumni are attempting to get her fired</strong>. It’s not the first time people have tried this—as Amy notes, <strong>she’s been “canceled” many times</strong>, but she’s still here. We move on to a discussion of immigration. While I think <strong>the U.S. has benefitted from the talent and value of non-Western immigrants</strong> and will require more of them in the future if we’re going to compete, <strong>Amy is more skeptical</strong>. She wonders <strong>whether immigrants from South Asia and East Asia have democratic sensibilities</strong> that are compatible with American culture. She worries, too, that these<strong> immigrants will adopt woke political positions</strong>. But is it necessary to look abroad for a supply of talented, technically minded people? <strong>Why can’t we find them here?</strong> Amy and I both think that would be a good idea. Amy asks me <strong>how conservatives should deal with the problem of wokeness</strong>. I tell her that we have to fight these battles as they come. We spend the last third of our conversation talking about the extremely contentious issues of <strong>white identity, European history, and colonialism</strong>. </p><p>It wouldn’t be a conversation with Amy Wax if we didn’t push every possible hot button. I’m <em>very</em> curious to know what you all think of the conversation. Let me know in the comments!</p><p><em>This post is free and available to the public. To receive early access to TGS episodes, an ad-free podcast feed, Q&amp;As, and other exclusive content and benefits, click below.</em></p><p><em>Want to give the gift of The Glenn Show this holiday season? Click below to purchase a subscription for a friend or loved one.</em> </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=0s" target="_blank">0:00</a> The latest attempt to get Amy fired from Penn Law </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=341s" target="_blank">5:41</a> Should we be worried even about elite non-Western immigration? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=1161s" target="_blank">19:21</a> Amy: “There’s nothing wrong with stereotyping” when it’s done correctly </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=1588s" target="_blank">26:28</a> Glenn: America need immigrants if we’re going to compete </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=2063s" target="_blank">34:23</a> Why aren’t we looking harder for technical talent in America? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=2409s" target="_blank">40:09</a> The problem with “equal representation” </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=2835s" target="_blank">47:15</a> Glenn: Wokeness is a political problem that must be fought politically </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=3578s" target="_blank">59:38</a> The collective action problem of “commonsense” race politics </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=3756s" target="_blank">1:02:36</a> Is Charles Murray right to worry about white identity politics? </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=4692s" target="_blank">1:18:12</a> Glenn: “We need to abandon the identitarian matrix altogether” </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1vQFMxPk54&#38;t=5197s" target="_blank">1:26:37</a> Was European colonialism especially bad or an expression of broader human tendencies?</p><p>Links and Readings</p><p><a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/01/the-case-for-black-patriotism" target="_blank">Glenn’s 2021 National Conservatism Conference speech, “The Case for Black Patriotism” in </a><a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/01/the-case-for-black-patriotism" target="_blank"><em>First Things.</em></a></p><p><a href="https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/26/heres-amy-wax-really-said-immigration/" target="_blank">A transcript of Amy’s 2019 National Conservatism Conference speech</a></p><p><a href="https://taibbi.substack.com/p/the-red-pilling-of-loudoun-county" target="_blank">Matt Taibbi, “The Red-Pilling of Loudoun County, Virginia”</a></p><p><a href="https://thedispatch.com/p/the-changing-face-of-social-breakdown" target="_blank">Yuval Levin, “The Changing Face of Social Breakdown”</a></p><p><a href="https://newcriterion.com/issues/2021/12/unprecedented" target="_blank">Michael Anton, “Unprecedented” </a></p><p><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/King-Leopolds-Ghost-Heroism-Colonial/dp/0618001905" target="_blank">Adam Hochschild, </a><a href="https://amazon.com/King-Leopolds-Ghost-Heroism-Colonial/dp/0618001905" target="_blank"><em>King Leopold’s Ghosts: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa</em></a></p><p></p> <br /><br />This is a public episode. 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