Listen now (64 min) | John McWhorter is back! In our first post-midterms show, we run down our thoughts about the election and partisan politics, wokeness in the theater world, and black antisemitism, among other topics. Let’s get into it. After some introductory food talk, we get into the midterms. John was glad to see that the
I believe it was last year I asked, how John could so accurately articulate the issues of woke culture and yet be adamant about "never, ever," voting for a Republican. That is, specific Republicans who offer policy solutions to address the very issue(s) with which John would agree. It makes no sense to me.
Although I agree with the examples John cited about the reprehensible behavior of some election denying republicans, etc., surely, all of them don't subscribe to that behavior. I was just as disgusted over the chaos, looting, burning and defund the police hysteria that occured in 2020 when the democrats played down the severity of these events. This is why I am a center-right independent, not accepting foolishness on either side.
I applaud John's thoughtfulness however, I wish he would really explain how is it possible that his race writings square with the sentiment on the Right but his voting habits on the Left dismantles every heterodox position he purports to believe. I'm confused.
I abhor both political establishments and extremism in both camps. Plenty of insane positions held by both parties. If we have to debate only in reference to the extremes the discussion doesn't move forward. You may find democrats as the worse option in general, but given who many of the republican candidates were in this election it hard not to view them as largely extreme on positions around abortion and denying the results of 2020 elections.
While I feel the criticism here toward John are mostly fair I also find Glenn's "democrats ruined x-city" facile, giving no mention to long practiced neoliberal policies in those cities that greatly contributed to their downward trajection since the industrial period. A consequence of both parties. It is not simply a matter of extreme liberal attitudes toward policing, wholeness, or gender ideology that brings down Detroit. I'm not sure why we can't have a party that views police and jails as necessary but also seeks to keep them in check and improve them, cares about educating and families, and sees keeping certain guardrails around corporate power/financial institutions (i.e. not selling out a working class population) as important, while supporting labor too.
Does anyone see the glaring anomaly here? John is glad that the red wave is no more than a ripple, and in the same breath, is upset that racial grievances in the theater world are being weaponized. This man is capable of understanding the finest nuances in linguistics, yet can't see what's staring him in the face. The elephant in the room is getting bigger by the day, but John is determinedly oblivious to it. There are indeed none so blind as those who will not see.
There was a time when the GOP could accept reality and govern well that includes admitting that problems exist and act legislatively to regulate people to reduce the harm, such as in their support of the Endangered Species Act. This ended with Reagan and America's love affair with failed ideologies of libertarianism and conservatism that posited that the market solves problems while government creates them. This is ass backwards as shown by the improvements in environmental quality, worker and consumer safety, reduction in bank failures and financial crises when proper regulation was put in place.
The fact is that the Democrats are a better choice and more capable of proper governance than the GOP is. John is correct, better is better, and that is the choice that democracy provides, so let's go with it.
There is no more benefit of the doubt from me, no more pushing aside your absolutely repulsive anti-Republican hypocrisy, no more second chances and certainly no more excusing you as being anything other than a polished, tarted-up version of Charles Blow at heart! The fact that by continuously voting Democrat you egregiously turn a blind eye to the VERIFIABLY devastating Democratic policies(on multiple levels) has destroyed your credibility with me, but more importantly, my respect for you as a fucking human! Because of people who vote like you, innocent people in our country will most certainly DIE! And to hear you, in your elitist, NYC arrogance and political hubris, just dismiss all Republicans out of hand makes you NO better than the very Leftists you pretend to abhor....No, John....deep down, where it truly matters, you’re no better than them! At least they have the stones to make their views known publicly while you cleverly obfuscate your views with a sprinkling of ‘anti-wokism’ thrown in to fool your readers off the foul scent of your true self. You’re just a tad slicker and a little more nuanced but where the rubber actually meets the road you’re nothing but a smooth talking, snake-oil salesman masquerading as a good guy all whilst contributing to the spiraling downfall of our country. You won’t be bamboozling me anymore, and by the looks of the comments from many other readers, they’re onto your loathsome grift as well.......Shame on you!
Good points. Before I read that book ten years ago, I had many questions for why I could not relate to many blacks once I had stepped into an inner city public school setting in Northern New Jersey many years ago. It was after beginning my grade school life in a private school surrounded by working class whites and Hispanics. Black Rednecks and White Liberals answered a lot of questions for the many problems I had socially. I was a lot more comfortable with my teachers than with the children around me. For high school, I was back in the private education sector, but many of the kids came from the same inner city neighborhoods. So I continued to struggle socially.
But I see that time frame now as a great educational experience. I never assimilated because of my home life and the relationship I had with my teachers. I did witness what that subculture did to many black kids around me, especially the males. They were more focused on being racially authentic than developing themselves (READ SHELBY STEELE). And they paid the price. Even back then the black card was so subjective that it became a losing hand before you realize it. Nothing has changed since then except technology.
When black intellectuals declare that-"there are millions of ways to be black," then war is inevitable. That's why you see the many feuds that take place in politics, business, entertainment, academia, and journalism. Watching the uncivil discourse that contains name calling and racial slurs remind me of that public school I mentioned above. For me, there is something very disturbing about watching adults behave like children in a schoolyard because they want to display their racial authenticity. It's Sowell's analysis on full display. It seems that the "vendetta" is part of black identity even at the highest levels. Back and forth they go like the Hatfields and McCoys!!!
10:52 Expressing thoughts via speech is essential for participation in the US Senate. Walking is not. Both Fetterman and Walker should have dropped out of their respective races to make way for more competent candidates.
5:50 I know that people from the state pronounce "Nevada" the way John did, but I prefer to pronounce it like the Spanish word. I also refuse to pronounce "llama" like "lama."
4:03 The fact that Congress won't be able to get much done is why I'm satisfied with these election results. I wish Congress were better at doing its job, but AFAICT, neither party currently wants to do anything worth doing.
I believe it was last year I asked, how John could so accurately articulate the issues of woke culture and yet be adamant about "never, ever," voting for a Republican. That is, specific Republicans who offer policy solutions to address the very issue(s) with which John would agree. It makes no sense to me.
Although I agree with the examples John cited about the reprehensible behavior of some election denying republicans, etc., surely, all of them don't subscribe to that behavior. I was just as disgusted over the chaos, looting, burning and defund the police hysteria that occured in 2020 when the democrats played down the severity of these events. This is why I am a center-right independent, not accepting foolishness on either side.
I applaud John's thoughtfulness however, I wish he would really explain how is it possible that his race writings square with the sentiment on the Right but his voting habits on the Left dismantles every heterodox position he purports to believe. I'm confused.
I'm like John as far as the two major political parties go. I feel no obligation to explain why I'm not voting for The Party of Trump.
In the end, fwiw, it ain't about a man named Trump.
Ben Cohen, writer of The Banter on Substack, is a Holocaust denier and a Nazi sympathizer, covering up fascism in the Ukraine.
Democrats may not be able to say what a woman is, but they would never make one die rather than have an abortion. My vote stays with the Democrats.
I abhor both political establishments and extremism in both camps. Plenty of insane positions held by both parties. If we have to debate only in reference to the extremes the discussion doesn't move forward. You may find democrats as the worse option in general, but given who many of the republican candidates were in this election it hard not to view them as largely extreme on positions around abortion and denying the results of 2020 elections.
While I feel the criticism here toward John are mostly fair I also find Glenn's "democrats ruined x-city" facile, giving no mention to long practiced neoliberal policies in those cities that greatly contributed to their downward trajection since the industrial period. A consequence of both parties. It is not simply a matter of extreme liberal attitudes toward policing, wholeness, or gender ideology that brings down Detroit. I'm not sure why we can't have a party that views police and jails as necessary but also seeks to keep them in check and improve them, cares about educating and families, and sees keeping certain guardrails around corporate power/financial institutions (i.e. not selling out a working class population) as important, while supporting labor too.
Does anyone see the glaring anomaly here? John is glad that the red wave is no more than a ripple, and in the same breath, is upset that racial grievances in the theater world are being weaponized. This man is capable of understanding the finest nuances in linguistics, yet can't see what's staring him in the face. The elephant in the room is getting bigger by the day, but John is determinedly oblivious to it. There are indeed none so blind as those who will not see.
I agree with John 100%. No caveats.
There was a time when the GOP could accept reality and govern well that includes admitting that problems exist and act legislatively to regulate people to reduce the harm, such as in their support of the Endangered Species Act. This ended with Reagan and America's love affair with failed ideologies of libertarianism and conservatism that posited that the market solves problems while government creates them. This is ass backwards as shown by the improvements in environmental quality, worker and consumer safety, reduction in bank failures and financial crises when proper regulation was put in place.
The fact is that the Democrats are a better choice and more capable of proper governance than the GOP is. John is correct, better is better, and that is the choice that democracy provides, so let's go with it.
John, THAT’S IT!
I’m DONE with you!
There is no more benefit of the doubt from me, no more pushing aside your absolutely repulsive anti-Republican hypocrisy, no more second chances and certainly no more excusing you as being anything other than a polished, tarted-up version of Charles Blow at heart! The fact that by continuously voting Democrat you egregiously turn a blind eye to the VERIFIABLY devastating Democratic policies(on multiple levels) has destroyed your credibility with me, but more importantly, my respect for you as a fucking human! Because of people who vote like you, innocent people in our country will most certainly DIE! And to hear you, in your elitist, NYC arrogance and political hubris, just dismiss all Republicans out of hand makes you NO better than the very Leftists you pretend to abhor....No, John....deep down, where it truly matters, you’re no better than them! At least they have the stones to make their views known publicly while you cleverly obfuscate your views with a sprinkling of ‘anti-wokism’ thrown in to fool your readers off the foul scent of your true self. You’re just a tad slicker and a little more nuanced but where the rubber actually meets the road you’re nothing but a smooth talking, snake-oil salesman masquerading as a good guy all whilst contributing to the spiraling downfall of our country. You won’t be bamboozling me anymore, and by the looks of the comments from many other readers, they’re onto your loathsome grift as well.......Shame on you!
Come on John. I respect you, but this was cognitive dissonance in your reasoning.
Good points. Before I read that book ten years ago, I had many questions for why I could not relate to many blacks once I had stepped into an inner city public school setting in Northern New Jersey many years ago. It was after beginning my grade school life in a private school surrounded by working class whites and Hispanics. Black Rednecks and White Liberals answered a lot of questions for the many problems I had socially. I was a lot more comfortable with my teachers than with the children around me. For high school, I was back in the private education sector, but many of the kids came from the same inner city neighborhoods. So I continued to struggle socially.
But I see that time frame now as a great educational experience. I never assimilated because of my home life and the relationship I had with my teachers. I did witness what that subculture did to many black kids around me, especially the males. They were more focused on being racially authentic than developing themselves (READ SHELBY STEELE). And they paid the price. Even back then the black card was so subjective that it became a losing hand before you realize it. Nothing has changed since then except technology.
When black intellectuals declare that-"there are millions of ways to be black," then war is inevitable. That's why you see the many feuds that take place in politics, business, entertainment, academia, and journalism. Watching the uncivil discourse that contains name calling and racial slurs remind me of that public school I mentioned above. For me, there is something very disturbing about watching adults behave like children in a schoolyard because they want to display their racial authenticity. It's Sowell's analysis on full display. It seems that the "vendetta" is part of black identity even at the highest levels. Back and forth they go like the Hatfields and McCoys!!!
38:05 So, they're not all women. Some are trans women.
30:07 So, the actors are acting? Who'd a thunk it?
10:52 Expressing thoughts via speech is essential for participation in the US Senate. Walking is not. Both Fetterman and Walker should have dropped out of their respective races to make way for more competent candidates.
5:50 I know that people from the state pronounce "Nevada" the way John did, but I prefer to pronounce it like the Spanish word. I also refuse to pronounce "llama" like "lama."
4:03 The fact that Congress won't be able to get much done is why I'm satisfied with these election results. I wish Congress were better at doing its job, but AFAICT, neither party currently wants to do anything worth doing.
John is just downright snooty.