John McWhorterEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

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 Recorded amid Glenn’s vacation, this month’s conversation with John McWhorter covers New York politics, crime, and culture. They discuss Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s growing influence after his endorsed candidates swept their Democratic primaries, signaling a possible […]

View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-plural-word-s-john-mcwhorter All it takes is a simple S to make most English words plural. But it hasn't always worked that way (and there are, of course, exceptions). John McWhorter looks back to the good old days when English was newly split from German -- and books, names and eggs were beek, namen and eggru! Lesson by John McWhorter, animation by Lippy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John McWhorter is back. This time, Coleman and John analyze where America stands on race in 2026, whether the woke moment is genuinely behind us, and what may have replaced it. They also get into why black men are increasingly voting Republican, how mass immigration has subtly shifted the conversation on race, and what the Supreme Court's recent Voting Rights Act decision actually means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Columbia University Professor of Linguistics John McWhorter, chats with Manny about swear words, Broadway, and tackles the conundrums of musical etymology. McWhorter also makes the case for the brilliant first movement of Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor . The two then square off in a game about famous classical pieces that bombed at their premieres. Our theme song is Schumann’s Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 performed by our host, Emanuel Ax. Music used in today’s episode includes: Strike Up the Band: The Man I Love (Arr. For orchestra) George Gershwin Richard Hayman Symphony Orchestra & Richard Hayman Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115, I. Allegro Brahms József Balogh, clarinet and Danubius Quartet Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat Major, Op. 31, No. 3 “The Hunt” Beethoven Joyce Yang, Piano Live Recording at The Greene Space Herzgewächse Arnold Schoenberg Alumni Musicians of the Bang on a Can Summer Festival Live Recording Symphony No. 5 in D Major, I. Preludio. Moderato. Allegro Vaughan Williams Kees Bakels and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178 Liszt Juan Pérez Floristán, piano Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53, B. 108: I. Allegro ma non troppo Dvorak Ilya Kaler, violin and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Camilla Kolchinsky Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Credits Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson. Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon. Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rob and Jess are joined by the brilliant John McWhorter to discuss words you're not allowed to use. Professor McWhorter has written extensively about taboos, slurs and profanities and brings his unparalleled expertise on the English language. 🤬 Is "the R word" becoming even more taboo? 🤐 Are we "unaliving" our way to a new era of self-censorship? 🔄 Can a slur ever be truly "reclaimed"? These questions answered, and many more, in a fascinatingly frank episode of Words Unravelled. More about John: https://johnmcwhorter.org/ 📕 Nine Nasty Words: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624619/nine-nasty-words-by-john-mcwhorter/ 👕 OUR MERCH 👚 US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/ EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/6JYqGa_-UZE

Sam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about language, ideology, and moral certainty. They discuss the rise and persistence of "wokeness" and DEI, the legacy of George Floyd's death, the role of social media in amplifying moral panic, how identity shapes perceptions of Israel-Palestine, the linguistics of Donald Trump, the rise of casual speech, conspiracy thinking, positions McWhorter has reconsidered, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe .

John McWhorter is a linguistics professor at Columbia University specialising in research on creole languages. He's also a content-producing machine, never afraid to give his frank opinion on anything and everything. On top of his academic work, he's written 22 books, produced five online university courses, hosts one and a half podcasts, and now writes a regular New York Times op-ed column. Rebroadcast: this episode was originally released in December 2022. YouTube video version: https://youtu.be/MEd7TT_nMJE Links to learn more, video, and full transcript: https://80k.link/JM We ask him what we think are the most important things everyone ought to know about linguistics, including: Can you communicate faster in some languages than others, or is there some constraint that prevents that? Does learning a second or third language make you smarter or not? Can a language decay and get worse at communicating what people want to say? If children aren't taught a language, how many generations does it take them to invent a fully fledged one of their own? Did Shakespeare write in a foreign language, and if so, should we translate his plays? How much does language really shape the way we think? Are creoles the best languages in the world — languages that ideally we would all speak? What would be the optimal number of languages globally? Does trying to save dying languages do their speakers a favour, or is it more of an imposition? Should we bother to teach foreign languages in UK and US schools? Is it possible to save the important cultural aspects embedded in a dying language without saving the language itself? Will AI models speak a language of their own in the future, one that humans can't understand but which better serves the tradeoffs AI models need to make? We’ve also added John’s talk “Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language” to the end of this episode. So stick around after the credits! Chapters: Rob's intro (00:00:00) Who's John McWhorter? (00:05:02) Does learning another language make you smarter? (00:05:54) Updating Shakespeare (00:07:52) Should we bother teaching foreign languages in school? (00:12:09) Language loss (00:16:05) The optimal number of languages for humanity (00:27:57) Do we reason about the world using language and words? (00:31:22) Can we communicate meaningful information more quickly in some languages? (00:35:04) Creole languages (00:38:48) AI and the future of language (00:50:45) Should we keep ums and ahs in The 80,000 Hours Podcast? (00:59:10) Why the World Looks the Same in Any Language (01:02:07) Producer: Keiran Harris Audio mastering: Ben Cordell and Simon Monsour Video editing: Ryan Kessler and Simon Monsour Transcriptions: Katy Moore

This past year wasn’t easy—but it was certainly eventful. Donald Trump returned to the White House, issued a record number of executive orders, deployed the National Guard to American cities—like LA and D.C.—imposed sweeping tariffs on all our trading partners, gutted the government with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and unleashed a massive crackdown on immigration. But that was only the beginning. The administration also reached a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas—and all the living hostages came home from Gaza. Israel and the United States struck Iran’s nuclear sites. We got the first American pope. And we haven’t even started listing the pop-culture moments, like the Sydney Sweeney jeans ad, the Travis Kelce–Taylor Swift engagement, or when Lauren Sánchez Bezos and Katy Perry went to space. There was truly so much, and if we kept going we’d be here all day. But this, after all, is a prediction episode. So what will 2026 bring? Bari and Free Press deputy editor Olly Wiseman called up some friends of the pod—and experts in their fields—to get a better sense of what’s in store for the year ahead. They spoke to political analyst and legal expert Sarah Isgur, who told them what to expect in Trump’s second year; to Suzy Weiss on the cultural calendar ahead; to linguist John McWhorter on how new words and language will evolve; to Dr. Mark Hyman on how to get healthier in 2026; to writer and fashionista Leandra Medine Cohen on fashion trends to watch for; and to historian Niall Ferguson on whether or not we’re right to have nightmares about World War III. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the full version of the Aug 4 episode, now available to all subscribers. Author, New York Times columnist, and superstar linguist John McWhorter returns to the pod to catch us up on what's been on his mind now that the Woke Emergency is over . . . or is it over? We talk about how figures like Robin D'Angelo and Ibram X. Kendi have receded from the spotlight and then move on to more pressing questions topics, such as whether New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's "I vs me" confusion is disqualifying (I say yes), whether a smart person would say "stupider" or "more stupid," when it became acceptable to say "anyways," and why kids today have substituted "based off" for "based on." We also discuss John's long-running conversations with economist Glenn Loury on The Glenn Show and how their divergent views on the Trump phenomenon have changed (and also not changed) the dynamics of their discussions. (Listen to my 2024 interview with Glenn Loury here .) John reflects on Glenn's 2024 memoir and explains why he would be reluctant to expand the personal writing in his columns into an entire book. Finally, we talk about the definition of a public intellectual and why so many people with microphones count themselves as such. Would a legendary public intellectual like Susan Sontag have adapted to the YouTube era? What John has to say might surprise you. John McWhorter is one of several speakers featured at the Unspeakeasy Small Gathering for Big Ideas rereat in New York City October 11-12, 2025. Find out more at https://theunspeakeasy.com/nyc . GUEST BIO John McWhorter writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, and the author or more than 20 books, most recently Pronoun Trouble, Nine Nasty Words, and Woke Racism. HOUSEKEEPING Order my new book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here. Join the listener and reader community by subscribing to my Substack at theunspeakablepodcast.com . Visit The Unspeakable on YouTube.

Paid subscribers get early access to my interview with John McWhorter, who will be at the coed New York City Retreat. If you’re interested in meeting him in person (among others), you can get $700 off with the code NYC1800 . Author, New York Times columnist, and superstar linguist John McWhorter returns to the pod to catch us up on what’s been on his mind now that the Woke Emergency is over . . . or is it over? We talk about how figures like Robin D’Angelo and Ibram X. Kendi have receded from the spotlight and then move on to more pressing questions topics, such as whether New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s “I vs me” confusion is disqualifying ( I say yes ), whether a smart person would say “stupider” or “more stupid,” when it became acceptable to say “anyways,” and why kids today have substituted “based off” for “based on.” We also discuss John’s long-running conversations with economist Glenn Loury on The Glenn Show and how their divergent views on the Trump phenomenon have changed (and also not changed) the dynamics of their discussions. John reflects on Glenn’s 2024 memoir and explains why he would be reluctant to expand the personal writing in his columns into an entire book. (Listen to my interview with Glenn here .) Finally, we talk about the definition of a public intellectual and why so many people with microphones count themselves as such. Would a legendary public intellectual like Susan Sontag have adapted to the YouTube era? What John has to say might surprise you. GUEST BIO John McWhorter writes a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, is a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, and the author or more than 20 books, most recently Pronoun Trouble , Nine Nasty Word s, and Woke Racism . Want to hear the whole conversation? Upgrade your subscription here . HOUSEKEEPING 📖 Order my new book, The Catastrophe Hour: Selected Essays, on Amazon or directly from the publisher here . 📘 The Catastrophe Hou r book club for yearly paying subscribers starts June 11 and will run for 14 consecutive Wednesdays, 3-4 pm ET. We will meet on Zoom. Stuff to read and listen to: New York Times, Jan 31, 2025: The L.A. Fires Taught Me To Accept Help Recent(ish) solo episodes: January 9: The First 24 Hours January 16: The Immaterial World January 27: Housing Wars February 5: Remembrance Of Things Past February 13: <a href= "https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/p/los-angeles-fires-

In this episode of The Poetry of Reality, Richard Dawkins joins John McWhorter for a compelling conversation about Richard's latest book, The Genetic Book of the Dead along with a wide array of topics including evolution, genetics, science, and the broader cultural forces that shape our understanding of truth. John McWhorter is a linguist, author, and professor at Columbia University, best known for his work in creole studies, sociolinguistics, and for his commentary on race, language, and politics in American society. Join Substack: https://richarddawkins.substack.com/ Subscribe to Poetry of Reality Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmwfdgHA_R9fzr1L0_hxdVw Follow: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richard_dawkins/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardDawkinsBooks Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThePoetryofReality Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Columbia University linguistics professor and bestselling author John McWhorter discusses some of the quirks of the English language and explains why one of Stephen’s favorite Southern words will always be considered slang. McWhorter’s book “Pronoun Trouble” is available now. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John H. McWhorter teaches linguistics, American studies, and music history at Columbia University. He is the host of the podcast Lexicon Valley and writes a weekly column for The New York Times. McWhorter is the author of twenty-three books, including Nine Nasty Words, Woke Racism, The Power of Babel, and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and John McWhorter explore how language evolves, why English only has one form of you, and if we should embrace the singular they. Please do listen and spread the word about The Good Fight. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone. Email: goodfightpod@gmail.com Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! Spotify | Apple | Google X: @Yascha_Mounk & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Yascha Mounk, Persuasion LinkedIn: Persuasion Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John McWhorter is one of the greatest living experts on the English language—and many others, too. He’s an associate professor of linguistics at Columbia, a columnist at The New York Times , and he’s an unsung Broadway aficionado. He once told us he could not do an interview because he was busy rehearsing a cabaret show for his bungalow colony. It all sounds like a scene out of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. But in his day job, he is thinking about words, language, and—the not-so-controversial topic of pronouns. John is a true independent mind. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of liberal excess—his last book was called Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America . But now? Now he’s taking a position that we suspect will provoke the other side. In his new book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words , John makes the provocative case that the English language evolves in ways that don’t always make sense. But, he says, that’s okay. And he takes it a step further—saying the wide adoption of they/them in the singular, instead of he/him or she/her, works. What are the stakes of these little words? For example, as a society, are we disrespecting women (and men) when we fail to acknowledge, in our language, who has dealt with the challenges of womanhood or manhood and who has not? And what are the consequences of letting children adopt they/them pronouns, especially if it pushes them toward medical transition? At the same time, how do we create a society that is kind and inclusive but also reflective of reality? And can we even have both? The broader context of this language conversation is about what can and cannot be said. We talk about this broader context—the state of the woke left, but also the rise of the woke right. Bari puts all of these questions to the premier linguist and culture expert John McWhorter on this episode of Honestly . If you liked what you heard from Honestly , the best way to support us is to go to TheFP .com and become a Free Press subscriber today. Ground News - Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today’s biggest news stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is changing pronouns so controversial? That’s the question at the heart of Pronoun Trouble, the latest book from linguist and author John McWhorter. In this week’s episode, McWhorter joins Preet to unpack the surprisingly fraught world of English grammar—from the history of words like “thou” and “y’all” to the modern debate over the singular “they.” Later in the episode, constitutional law scholar Max Stearns joins the show to explore what the American system might learn from parliamentary democracies around the world. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/word-crimes-with-john-mcwhorter/ You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/46443 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Pronoun Trouble Author: John McWhorter Narrator: John McWhorter Format: mp3 Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins Release date: 04-01-25 Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 38 ratings Genres: Social Sciences Publisher's Summary: With his trademark humor and flair, bestselling linguist John McWhorter busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language topic of our times: pronouns.

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Podcast : Ideas (LS 63 · TOP 0.1% what is this? ) Episode : Woke Racism and the Language Police | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & John McWhorter Pub date : 2025-01-08 Get Podcast Transcript → powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarization Writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and John McWhorter share common concerns about language, race and politics in our polarized society. They discuss the chilling of civic discourse for fear of political censure and how wokeness is condescending to Black people at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival. The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CBC, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.

I have long wanted to meet John McWhorter. He’s an extremely well-known public intellectual and opinion leader who, in my opinion, always talks sense. I have this rather eccentric idea that before becoming a public intellectual, you need to earn your credentials by having something important and interesting to be intellectual about, and John McWhorter qualifies in a big way. He is a world authority on linguistics, the study of the extraordinary phenomenon of human language, which I think is one of the most important and interesting subjects out there. We both spoke at the Dissident Dialogues conference in New York this year, and I seized the opportunity to invite him onto The Poetry of Reality. I was delighted and honored when he accepted. I began by asking him about linguistics, including the vexed question of the origin of language. Only later did we move on to his more controversial book, a book that I strongly recommend, “Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I recently started learning French, and the process has made one thing clear to me: There’s a lot I don’t understand about how languages work. So, I turned to John McWhorter, a linguist who has dedicated his career to demystifying the roughly 7,000 languages spoken around the world. When he isn’t busy writing books , John is a professor at Columbia University, host of his own podcast , and frequent lecturer for Great Courses . He helped me understand why English is so irregular, what the ideal language would look like, why all dialects are created equal, and more. Show notes: John’s books: Books by John McWhorter (Author of Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue) (goodreads.com) Lexicon Valley: Lexicon Valley with John McWhorter. (slate.com) John’s Great Courses: John McWhorter (thegreatcourses.com) Pronoun Trouble from Looney Tunes: Rabbit Seasoning - Pronoun Problem - YouTube Muldoon the Bassoon from A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra: https://youtu.be/C_ipa4JzNNc?t=545

Bestselling author John McWhorter is a linguistics professor at Columbia University, host of "Lexicon Valley," and a regular guest on "The Glenn Show" with Glenn Loury. John's writing has been published in many venues, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic, City Journal, Time Magazine, and Forbes. He writes a weekly opinion column for The New York Times. John's most recent book is "Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America." He has authored more than twenty books on language and race relations, including "Nine Nasty Words," "The Language Hoax," and "Talking Back, Talking Black." Woke Racism by John McWhorter Lexicon Valley Substack New York Times articles Watch this episode on YouTube .

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/26104 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet Author: John McWhorter, The Great Courses Narrator: John McWhorter Format: mp3 Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins Release date: 05-19-23 Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 95 ratings Genres: Ancient Publisher's Summary: Embark on a journey to the very beginning of writing as a tool of language and see how the many threads of history and linguistics came together to create the alphabet that forms the foundation of English writing. Your guide is Professor John McWhorter of Columbia University and in the 16 lectures of Ancient Writing and the History of the Alphabet, he will help you navigate the complex linguistic and cultural history behind one of our most crucial tools of communication.

John Hamilton McWhorter V is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University with a specialty in creole languages, sociolects, and Black English. McWhorter is also a major pundit on social issues, and currently a columnist for the New York Times. Our conversation is as much about the use of the language we use to exchange ideas, as about the ideas themselves. McWhorter is the author of more than twenty books including Woke Racism, The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language, Losing the Race: Self Sabotage in Black America and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English. In 2016 he published Words on the Move: Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally). He has written for many publications including The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, The Chicago Tribune, The New Yorker and CNN. You can find John McWhorter on Twitter: @JohnHMcWhorter

Sign up for Intelligence Squared Premium here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. See below for details. To anyone who has been following the debates surrounding race in America, John McWhorter needs little introduction. A professor of linguistics at Columbia University and a New York Times columnist, McWhorter believes that America is being harmed by a new form of antiracism, mostly espoused by white elites, that is illiberal, illogical and at heart neo-racist. To McWhorter, such thinking is not just a political stance but a religion with all the hallmarks of Christian dogma: white privilege as original sin that cannot be expunged; the hounding out of dissenters as heretics; the evangelical fervour of the true believers. In early 2022 he came to Intelligence Squared to discuss these ideas and the themes of his recent book, Woke Racism. McWhorter acknowledges the heartfelt desire of white people to be allies but, he argues that there is a better way to improve Black lives than what he sees as an unproductive focus on abstract theory. Hosting the discussion is the journalist, author and broadcaster, Helen Lewis. … We are incredibly grateful for your support. To become an Intelligence Squared Premium subscriber, follow the link: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ Here’s a reminder of the benefits you’ll receive as a subscriber: Ad-free listening , because we know some of you would prefer to listen without interruption One early episode per week Two bonus episodes per month A 25% discount on IQ2+, our exciting streaming service, where you can watch and take part in events live at home and enjoy watching past events on demand and without ads A 15% discount and priority access to live, in-person events in London , so you won’t miss out on tickets Our premium monthly newsletter Exclusive Intelligence Squared Merch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode was recorded on September 27th, 2021. Dr. Jordan Peterson and John McWhorter exchange ideas on the field of linguistics, how language affects our worldview, music, children’s capacity to learn languages, race problems in the US, virtue signaling, wokeism, Chomsky’s universal grammar, and more. John Mcwhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University. Professor McWhorter is an author of more than a dozen books including ‘The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language,’ ‘Losing the Race: Self Sabotage in Black America’ and ‘Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English.’ He’s also a regular contributor to publications like The New Republic and The Atlantic. Follow John McWhorter: https://twitter.com/JohnHMcWhorter Check out his new book: https://amazon.com/Woke-Racism-Religion-Betrayed-America/dp/0593423062 And his article ‘The Dehumanizing Condescension of White Fragility:’ https://theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/dehumanizing-condescension-white-fragility/614146/ ___________ Chapters ___________ [0:00] Intro [1:30] Linguistics Overview [3:30] Language Acquisition in Children [11:00] Language & Worldview [16:00] Division, People, & Culture [17:00] On Music [19:10] “Music is often regarded as a nonrepresentational art form” - John McWhorter [26:00] The Nature of American Studies [28:30] Outline of McWhorter's Career [32:00] Race in America I [35:45] John’s New Book On Woke Racism [45:30] Musical Theater, Reality, & Religion [52:00] Wokeism & Postmodernism [57:00] Woke Upbringing [1:00:45] Race in America II [1:03:30] Virtue Signaling [1:09:45] “Are All White People Racist?” [1:15:00] Outro #Linguistics #Race #Chomsky #UniversalGrammar #Wokeism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest this week, John McWhorter, is a man of many talents: a Columbia University professor, prolific author, music historian, New York Times columnist and one of America’s leading authorities on linguistics. Beyond his academic career, McWhorter has also found a following as a prominent critic of the language-policing, statue-toppling, academic-cancelling brand of anti-racism that has taken hold in the United States and beyond. In his new book Woke Racism , McWhorter argues that this is not just a noxious ideology, but a religion, complete with the original sin of ‘white privilege’, a completely illogical catechism and a set of priests to spread the bad news – that all of the obstacles facing black Americans are due to structural or systemic racism. This creed, he argues, is not just wrong but actively harmful to the very people it purports to help. It has more to do with self-congratulation among the faithful, whom McWhorter labels ‘The Elect’, than any real attempt at social justice. As well as skewering the sloppy thinking and bullying behaviour of The Elect, McWhorter also offers a road map for how to deal with their style of thinking, and some concrete suggestions for how to improve the lot of Black Americans. Stay informed with CapX's unmissable daily briefings from the heart of Westminster. Go to capx.co to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to The CapX Briefing at briefing.capx.co/subscribe

Michael Rosen is joined by John McWhorter, author and linguist at Columbia University, to talk about his life in language. John H. McWhorter teaches linguistics, American Studies, and music history at Columbia University. He is a contributing editor at the Atlantic, columnist at the New York Times and host of Slate’s Lexicon Valley podcast. McWhorter is the author of twenty books often on the subject of language, including The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language, Talking Back Talking Black, Words On The Move and Woke Racism. Producer: Eliza Lomas

John McWhorter is a linguistics professor at Columbia University, an essayist for "The New York Times," and the author of "Woke Racism." During our conversation, John talks about the genesis of "The Elect" (his word for woke antiracists), the dangers and the flaws of the ideas of The Elect, how those ideas are counterproductive to helping black America, how The Elect abuse and intimidate those who disagree with them, maintaining standards in American society, the George Floyd murder, the relationship with black men and the police, policies that might help African American communities, and strategies for having courageous, nuanced, well-meaning conversations about race in America. ------------ Support this podcast via Venmo Support this podcast via PayPal Support this podcast on Patreon ------------ Show notes Leave a rating on Spotify Leave a rating on Apple Podcasts Follow " Keep Talking" on social media and access all episodes Email subscribe Email the show ------------ (00:00) Intro (00:51) Get to know John McWhorter (02:47) The reason for writing "Woke Racism" (05:51) John’s sense of duty in pushing back against the anti-racist movement (09:40) The state of racism in America in 2022 (12:20) A description of “The Elect” (15:56) How the world will look if the ideas of "The Elect" take over society (18:57) An ethical way to approach race relations in America (26:21) Ideas of "The Elect" that are counterproductive to improving black communities (31:45) John’s assessment of the current state of black America (38:08) The relationships between the cops and black America (47:05) Advice for white Americans to have honest conversations about race in America (52:02) What a successful pushback against anti-racism would look like

Larry is joined by John McWhorter to discuss his book 'Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America' and the factors that are affecting racial discourse within the current cultural and political climate. They touch on many of the issues and obstacles holding back the modern anti-racism movement, including religion (9:16), victimhood (24:34) and white supremacy (22:15). Larry and John then dissect the definition of "whiteness" (27:20), share their views on critical race theory (35:53), talk about the future of the woke movement (49:04) and much more. Host: Larry Wilmore Guest: John McWhorter Producers: Kaya McMullen and Brandy LaPlante Production Assistant: Chris Sutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A professor of linguistics at Columbia University and author of the recent book Woke Racism, John McWhorter has been an outspoken critic of woke politics. The appeal to wokeness, he argues, presents a simplistic view of race and attempts to discredit any contrary points of view about ideas and policies. According to McWhorter, the woke end up having disproportionate power simply because of what social media allows them to do to people. He argues that we should stand up to them—and focus on developing policies that can help people rather than shutting down debate.