John McWhorter | Full Episode 7.16.21 | Firing Line with Margaret Hoover | PBS
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Columbia University linguist and race commentator John McWhorter explains the origins of critical race theory, what the decades-old legal concept has become in today’s national debate and his concerns about antiracism and how it is taught.
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FIRING LINE WITH MARGARET HOOVER airs on PBS. Launched in June 2018, Firing Line maintains the character of the original series by William F. Buckley Jr., providing a platform that is diligent in its commitment to a balanced exchange of opinion. In weekly 30-minute episodes, host Margaret Hoover engages in a rigorous exchange of ideas with political leaders, cultural luminaries, thought leaders and activists who represent a wide range of ideas and perspectives. New episodes are available Fridays here on RUclips at 8:30 pm ET.
In discussions about race, John McWhorter has not been given the mainstream platform he deserves. Thank you so much for having him on! 👏
John certainly deserves his own mainstream platform. He is a traditional progressive center left with incredible communication skills and the processing power to relate truth!
@@bunangst8415 We'll see if the Overton window permits it. He's stayed left-leaning while those that have gone further left now think he's right-leaning. 😅
Donald Arteaga yes I know and that’s why I bring it up! John being right wing is a cartoonish characterization not localized to Portland anymore. Opened debate should reverse this Orwellian lunacy eventually.
What does "mainstream" even mean these days? These channels have relatively minuscule audiences.
@@DonaldAMisc Steven Pinker calls it the mythical left pole: that ideological locus from which all dissenting views are automatically labeled right-wing.
John McWhorter, Glenn Loury and Coleman Hughes all deserve more air time. I only watched this to hear John.
100% agree
Same here! 👏👏👏
I’m with you. And…add Thomas Sowell to the list. While we have him.
But you should listen to someone you don't agree with. That's the lesson these guys have taught us.
@@rockugotcha No doubt. Listening to these fellows isn't to exclude discourse though.
Thank you for having him on. Public radio has been abysmal in its practically unwavering support of critical "theory". Hearing a liberal voice is a breath of fresh air.
I just want to affirm this - I live in Quebec but I listen to VPR every day, and it's *baffling* how far they've sunken into a CRT-style mindset.
This just goes to show how far the rot goes.
They should have their funding pulled. They are a joke. Imagine being so intellectually dishonest that you pedal this nonsense as mainstream thought.. these people are just grifting for their own benefit and dont have a care of the negative effects it has on the disenfranchised.. and also the many cowards who push this just to fit in. It’s disgusting
@@terdferguson1736 I doubt that dishonesty is to blame.
@@AR333 Your concern is understandable, but Vermont is hardly a bellwether for the country as a whole. It's a very silly place, not to be taken too seriously.
I see John McWhorter and I listen. No questions asked. Here I am. Again and again. Love him! Thank you Sir!
Thank you for having John McWhorter on.
This is probably the most digestible (under 30 minutes) and sober discussion on what CRT is. John McWhorter is awesome. Also I love the host for asking smart questions and also not butting in when John is speaking. Just a great interview all around.
Amen to that
True professional.
Margaret is a great interviewer and host. We actually get to listen to the guest express their point of view.
One of the most thoughtful and eloquent speakers on this topic.
On any topic* lol
EXACTLY the kind of conversation we as a nation need to have on a lot of matters, but especially race. A tough conversation? Yes. But, as modeled here, still one that can be civil, intelligent, and had without fear of judgement or being canceled. Or should be, anyway. It’s that last part that’s become sport and, as McWhorter points out, is making it impossible to have a meaningful and thoughtful dialogue. Too much energy focused on fear and not enough on learning and thoughtful/informed change. May tonight’s episode be a model for others to follow.
Well done all around. Margaret Hoover and the Firing Line team somehow…and almost miraculously…seem to top themselves each week. Thank you for delivering the best 30 minutes on television each week. You folks are as good as they come.
As always, thank you for the thoughtful and kind feedback, James! So glad you enjoyed this episode too.
"May tonight’s episode be a model for others to follow." I'm not holding my breath. Nor am I going back to television. In a year of not watching TV, I think my I.Q. has risen by 20 points.
McWhorter is simply too smart for the mainstream media.
yep!
And far too smart for the left or right media.
@@jamesbinns8528 I can go with that
He's literally spouting white supremacist propaganda on PBS lol. Don't know how you can get more mainstream than PBS
@@prut9261 just casually accusing someone of the ugliest human inclination ever without proof, explanation or moral seriousness. Well, dumb... I mean, well done. 👏
Wow, this was a great interview. She asked great questions and gave him time to answer them. She had good followups. She pushed back against a response here and there, but not in some cheap attempt at entertaining the audience with conflict. He was reasonable and presented his thoughts in a concise and compelling way. The whole experience was educational and thought provoking.
Thanks for putting it together!
Left-leaning free thinkers like John McWhorter and Bret Weinstein have really helped me move towards the center. I hope to hear more from them
They certainly give me hope that there is some path to dialogue to really work on the issues plaguing this country right now.
@@projoebiochem I'm a conservative and I have hope that he is the future of America
From which side?
@@shmosel_ the right
From which direction are you moving towards the center?
What a Gem this man is!
Very impressed with Margaret Hoover. Journalism is on life support, but it is not dead.
I think Margret really likes listening to John McWhorter. That smile is genuine.
Mine too 😁
I think he is single now 😉
Helping the algorithm for those who need to hear this conversation.
Excellent segment Professor McWhorter and Margaret Hoover. This is a short video that hopefully will reach many, many people. John and Margaret present one of the most balanced conversations available to date on this cancerous ideology sweeping the nation. Thank you PBS.
Thank you for tuning in!
@@FiringLine another comment on this thread is trying to get you and John hooked up (if both are single). ;-)
The brilliant John McWhorter. Thank you for giving him a substantial venue to speak.
Wow! Thank you PBS for offering up a diverse set of voices. I'd almost given up hope on Public Radio/ Broadcasting as they've drunk the post -modern kool-aid.
PBS still has a good spectrum of programming. I include the News Hour in the good programming.
I can't believe PBS did something good for a change.
You've never watched liberty kids?
Appleblade, what I can't believe is that you are so willing to publicly display your grievous and deplorable ignorance.
She was sounding so shrill with angry facial expressions at some points.
I stopped watching PBS. Tired of hearing systemic racism almost every night. But I did enjoy this interview.
Same, pbs is a propaganda machine now. Used to be great.
Same it's a fucking shame
PBS hasn't changed, what has happened is people like you 3 have closed their minds or let them just rot entirely.
@@karlerikpaulsson88 thanks for wasting everyone’s time.
@@beavisjohnson7717 it's impossible to waste YOUR time. it's already worthless as is.
Rational independent thought. How refreshing! Yet how daring.
Now and then one stumbles across someone who is sane, sensible, and tolerant. Thank God!
Came here for John McWhorter. I was not disappointed. That man knows how to bring logic and reason to a debate environment that is rife with scary levels of emotion.
I still remember my teacher Mr. Brain teaching me about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I sat next to my best friend from the Klamath tribe. We absorbed the history with stars in our eyes. Thank you Mr. Brain for teaching me about racism in a way that didn't make me feel guilty--- instead I was inspired.
Fantastic at bringing out the best in John McWhorter. He deserves to be heard.
This episode restores my faith in PBS. Thank you
Big fan of John McWhorter
With illiberal leftism on the rise in public broadcasting it’s refreshing to hear from a liberal progressive like John. Thank you 🙏
Teaching our nations faults is good but teaching this woke CRT nonsense is not.
@@fashionista444 it’s taught in california
@@fashionista444 requirement to graduate high school
Ya know I can understand shaming our country doesn't sound great, but I do feel students should learn the harsh reality how this country became so great slavery sadly played a great role. America is better now but it is what it is. I'm not here to shame white people I do shame those who think a race is greater than others
McWhorter is one of today's most profound intellects.
Exactly. I hope his book rises on best seller lists, and John gets appearances like this on every mainstream platform, podcast, etc. We need a rise to the top of the discussion like Jordan Peterson got, as well a counterpoint / counterpunch to Robin Deangelo's year of "White Fragility". John deserves the spotlight equally, if not more, to communicate another worldview on these issues.
What a breath of fresh air. Thrilled that reasonable people like John are being given air-time.
There’s a fine line between teaching history snd re-victimising blacks. I don’t think the protagonists can tell the difference
I'm stealing this quote from you, if you don't mind. If you do, please send the invoice to my assistant.
As a Centrist Conservative republican, I am about 85% onboard with Dr. McWhorter, a self proclaimed liberal Democrat. This is quite indicative how far left the goalposts have shifted.
It is evidence of how social media has given voice to the shrieking and trolling fools on both sides of the political spectrum.
If Margaret want's a more comprehensive history of CT, she should speak with James Lindsay. He's been wading through the swamp that is CT for years now. Love John McWhorter, though!
Unfortunately James Lindsay has undermined his standing by supporting Trump in the last election. Regardless if one thinks that is acceptable, because of it, he can be easily dismissed by defenders of CT, and most liberals or progressives will do the same. Recently, he also comes across as both defensive and aggressive. Helen Pluckrose is the better choice, in my opinion.
@@Rabbithole8 you're missing the point.. Lindsay chose the better if two choices for the reason that he correctly perceived that Biden would lead us down this road to hell with crt. Given that belief how could he choose anything else? Would you respect him more?
@@Rabbithole8 Yeah, I suppose I never thought of that, tactically speaking. I guess you would want someone that they're not going to go off the handle over.
He's still a good dude, though lol.
@@bobdole7127 I agree, he is.
@@bobcougar77 I missed the point? Reread what I wrote. It is not a matter what I think of his decision to support Trump, or his justification. Rather it would be a sticking point for people who need to be convinced by the validity of the arguments against CT and all its forms. Your knee jerk reaction with a dimming of your eyes, blinding you from what I actually stated, is the same reaction progressives or moderate liberals would have to James Lindsay. All they would see and hear is Trump and be blind and deaf to the actual arguments.
watch hi weekly discussions with glenn loury!
better than any talk about race in the US
John McWhorter is a GEM!!! I listen to he & Glenn Loury on their biweekly podcast on Substack. It is the best hour regarding conversations about race in America. PERIOD!
John McWhorter is inspirational!
Thank you for the thought provoking interview!
Major credit to Margaret Hoover and PBS for having on John McWhorter. Gives me hope that maybe the discourse can finally start becoming more sane. Also, he killed it in this interview.
It seems Margaret is unaware her thoughts have been captured…. Yet John still treats her with respect… thank you John…
You make a very interesting and astute observation. She is completely unaware that her mind has been colonized.
I love that you think you are free and can see through everything and everyone else is “captured”. I think people who say things like that are captured by self importance and ignorance wrapped up as intellectual freedom. Go smell your own farts elsewhere weirdo.
@@nv6514 She is buying into the "how do we become more inclusive?" propaganda, though. It´s not even a question we should be asking ourselves, let people do their best in a capitalist environment and let that be the end of it. "Diversity and inclusion" are propaganda tools to polarize and destabilize the West. Russia and China are laughing at the moment, as we destroy ourselves. They just need to acquire one cancelled or failing company at a time. That´s why everybody is going politically correct, they know that they are finished if they get branded by the woke mob.
John has incredible processing power to covey important truths.
CRT makes perfect sense. Also CRT is pure nonsense.
Let me defend both:
-If you are a white liberal in the elite, you are maybe a corporate lawyer, your wife is a doctor, you are well educated. You came from several generations of successful upper class people. You have a son, Robert, who goes to Yale, is told he has "white privilege".
Robert's life has been a life of privilege. All his experience is one of wealth and privilege. Robert's position in life is very secure, he gets a great education, is guaranteed a great and very lucrative career on Wall Street. Robert's education makes sense to him. His life is one of privilege. He has white privilege. He knows it.
-If you are a white conservative named Bob, not in the elite, you are middle class or lower middle class. You are maybe a manager at a trucking company, you went to a local community college, your uncles were working in manufacturing plants before Robert's investment firm shipped those jobs to China, you don't have a racist bone in your body, your life has been endless work to get to where you are, for you the idea of "white privilege" is ludicrous.
Why should you care, what some rich white guy did hundreds of years ago? Not your fault, you were not even alive then. Bob's position in life is not secure at all thanks to the hollowing out of America's manufacturing base, now the government wants to bring in policies to discriminate against you? For what? For nothing.
Bob's life has been the opposite of white privilege. The two worlds are very different. White privilege makes sense for the wealthiest Americans. Trouble is, it really doesn't fit the actual narrative of the middle class and lower middle class. Trouble is, the elite want to impose the guilt for past crimes, on innocent people like Bob. Robert's kids are protected by class, privilege and money. They will get into good schools. Bob's kids? Not so much.
That's what this fight is about. No wonder the middle class is starting to hate the rich. The elites can go straight to 4ELL...
How white feminist women contribute to poor life outcomes for black men: In Dr. Warren Farrell's book "The Boy Crisis" he has an interesting statistic: In American prisons, 85% of black prisoners grew up with single moms. In American prisons, 85% of black prisoners grew up with single moms.
Feminists push for government policies that split up families, discourage family formations. This happens because in feminist theory, families involve the Mother and her children. Feminists don't think Dad is as valuable as Mom. So government gives lots of money to single Moms, black or white.
BLM is a communist organization, with has feminism at it's root. That's what they want. More of the same. All races are the same: you need dad around, for children to turn out well.
This leads to dads not being around. It's part of the reason for poor life outcomes of black men. Strangely enough, it's feminists.
But to be clear: this is not deliberate, nor malicious. It's an unintended unexpected consequence of over valuing women, while undervaluing men.
Dr. Warren Farrell has lots of talks on this, would be great to see a conversation between John McWhorter and Warren Farrell. Two great minds, might have lots in common.
@@S.Kowalchuk Wow, your comment assumes my comment should be all embracing and explain everything that explains social inequality.
On what planet do you live on, where you expect one brief comment to explain everything?
Who says I would not agree with you, if you told me other things contributing to inequality? Most likely I would.
And so it goes.
@@S.Kowalchuk Try to have a good brain.
@@S.Kowalchuk : D
Yes. I came to same conclusion 10 to 15 years ago too. Racism is perhaps still more prevalent in different ways than people want to believe, but that it's impact on life outcomes is not that strong as others believe.
Problem with racism is it’s extremely hard to prove either way. Today the word has lost its meaning as it’s supposedly everywhere
Racism is taught, not born.
@@nounverbnoun No,I'm not into you.
I love me some PBS and NPR. It’s good to see them embracing a balance when they have so clearly gotten imbalanced over the last few years.
I applaud you for having John McWhorter on, letting him speak and engaging him with integrity.
John, being a linguist not unsimilar to Chompsky & Pinker, has amazing verbal and communicative ability.
His regular speech sounds like someone's prose in a final draft of a book
I love John McWhorter and find myself learning something every time I listen to him.
I truly enjoyed this conversation, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to John’s point of view 👏🏽
This man needs to be heard!! He's the only one that makes sense.
What a wonderful guest. CRT may be taught at the college level. We shouldn't teach it to children K-12. You're a man all young men should look up to.
I'm OK for it to taught at high school level. Drug wars, redlining or Asian exclusion act or even pre-colonial American history can be taught to show how much further we have progressed and what could be done to make us a more perfect union.
College is the best avenue to learn about all the academic nuances of CRT but I'm worried about kids that never end up in college.
Wether one agrees or disagrees with him, it's the type of conversation America must hear and react to.
John McWhorter is my hero. He sees things so clearly and explains with great simplicity.
So cute how he stopped, after several minutes of extremely articulate formulation of some very compelling arguments, to let us all know that 'he knows gooder' is not a word. 🙂
These two are artists in the spoken word. Wonderful conversation.
i am thrilled with the clarity outlined here. I didn't know how to sort all of this out but Mr. Mc Whoter has done is for me.Thank him.
John: I think schools had been doing a good job of teaching American history and talking about race
Host lady: Let me push back on that. What about confederate statues?
What is the connection between these two statements?
For more Mcwhorter. Check out the Glen show on Blogginheads tv on YT
He and Glen Loury of Brown are 🔥🔥🔥
Sam Harris also did an interview with McWhorter a few months ago.
McWhorter always makes me realize how under educated I am. The guy is so smart and makes so much sense
An actual thoughtful discussion on this important topic. John is always such a clear thinker. Margaret does a fantastic job of interviewing him.
Thank you for your interview of John McWhorter. He is an important voice to help me make sense of a confounding world.
John McWhorter is so brilliant this interview was a pleasure to watch. Well done PBS for giving John the platform to speak and spread some sense to the world.
I missed firing line! So glad this is back
John McWhorter just makes sense. Glad to know he has another book coming out. I just pre-ordered it.
John is always such good value - and unfailingly both lucid and fair. A joy to listen to.
As, of course, is his sparring partner Glenn Loury.
Brilliant show.
Very good discussion here. John is a very nuanced and sophisticated thinker.
John is a breath of fresh air in the current cultural climate. I hope that more will see his point as time goes on.
Well done all around. Thank you for bringing him onto your program.
WOW! PBS is putting this out into the universe? I am shocked but happy that there are still adults in this crazy upside down world we live in. Good show PBS. I stopped consuming your content bc u were getting way too woke and into propaganda.
This is fantastic. So articulate, intelligent and down to earth. The whole interview is great and I especially love Mr. McWhorter’s astute observation of the impact of Zoom, electronic devices, etc on everyone’s behavior. Wonderful:)
Great discussion!
Yeah, I'm white. I'd vote for, work for or take a class from this guy in a heartbeat.
Yeah because you are a rational human being
Really excellent interview. Well done, Margaret Hoover. Fair, and probing.
John McWhorter is just unbeatable!
John is always worth the time and energy !!!
I love this so much. Thank you John and PBS for showing at least some glimmer of the opposite opinion on this.
Both Left and Right are loaded with grifters. The lure of easy money has a very strong appeal.
Rational conversation about important issues is what PBS used to be about. Thank you Margaret Hoover for getting back to the fundamentals.
"Yawning gap" 😅😅,
John's command over the English language never stops to amaze me.
Excellent discussion with Professor McWhorter.
Thank you for having John on! I should say ESPECIALLY when he’s a contrarian.
This man is so brilliant. We need him! As a Liberal myself, I am horrified at the 'woke' ideologies which do nothing about the problems they claim to care about. I have come to the conclusion that CRT is an Industry after I went to a lecture by Kenny Xu, who wrote the book 'Inconvenient Minority'. I also believe it is a result of the idea that 'everybody must attend college' which then in return has many graduating that need to come up with new ideas , write dissertations in order to be cited etc. This is how these crazy ideas are being pushed. Follow the money. The Corporate world loves it because it perpetuates the fascist Technocrat State. It takes away peoples logic, reasoning and factfinding skills. Look at the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. The woke Left followed the media for a year and is incapable of looking at the facts presented, where Kyle was the one that was chased with a gun and hit with a skateboard! Somehow the current Left believes it is perfectly ok to find someone guilty for solely carrying a weapon which is their constitutionally protected right.
McWhorter is sharp as a tack. I've been a big fan of his for a while now, as well as other anti-woke liberal writers, scholars, and IDW folks like James Lindsay, Brett Weinstein, Heather Heying, Helen Pluckrose, Sam Harris, Peter Boghossian, etc... I find their arguments against CRT far more compelling that the simplistic, mind-numbing blather from conservatives.
I am pleasantly surprised to see him on PBS. I admittedly haven't watched PBS or any other TV in years. Up until fairly recently, I was a huge fan of PBS's sister network, NPR, but I've been saddened to watch it descend into a far-left propaganda machine over the last couple years. I can't imagine McWhorter appearing on any NPR show to discuss CRT. Has PBS just remained more balanced than NPR?
NPR, and the NYTimes have become undigestible for me as well. Agitprop.
McWhorter has some important points. I'm new to this UTube show, I think I will give this program a second look. Thanks for a great show.
Excellent show beautiful lady .
This is the most articulate perspective I've heard and agree with. No one disagrees that racism exists, however, the focus on it is completely out of perspective to other factors that need to be explored both in childhood education and ongoing adult awareness. As someone who's career is in adult workplace learning, I feel extremely frustrated at the shear amout of discussion and investment in such agendas when there are more pressing skill needs to invest in.
One of the smartest public intellectuals today.
John makes our times digestible and relatable.
One top quote: "We're having a really ding-dong debate about this." - EXCEPTIONAL!! hahaha
Interesting piece. You always deliver John and Margaret.
Tolerance is hard. Especially after some never ending time.
It's mindblowing that this tiny corner of sanity even still exists at all on the Proletariat Brainwashing Service.
Did you vote for Biden or Trump?
@@sj4632 neither
@@Muonium1 So you're not interested in a Republican holding office? But letting Biden push his radical left agenda. Why are you whining now if you didn't try to vote for at least a Republican President.
Something on PBS worth watching? What is this, the early 80's?
Dr McWhorter is brilliant and downright refreshing.
PBS has really stepped up on occasion throughout these last two years.
Their stance is steady in most cases & then out of nowhere the occasional surprise of opportunity for
other measured voices/opinions to join the conversation.
This is a great interview. The format reminds me of Hardtalk on the BBC but less pointlessly adversarial.Very lucid questions and John answers brilliantly as usual.
This was a great interview. John McWhorter is awesome. You could tell by Margaret's face that she was worried that PBS would cancel her show after this interview.
I wish John talked about Intersectionality. It seems most Conservatives get CRT and Intersectionality mixed up. CRT is the theory that Black oppression in the past affects racial inequality today. Intersectionality separates people into two groups, the oppressed and the oppressors, based on their skin color. Schools trick parents by saying they're not teaching CRT, when in fact they're teaching intersectionality - which is worse.
Great guest. Great host. More of this please.
HELLLLLLLLL YEAH!
This interviewer does a good job asking clear questions and then letting her guest talk. Simple, yes, but not everyone in her position does it.
She is outstanding.
Great calm talk about CRT! Thank you!
Teaching people not to be racist is part of it. It's just a matter of how we go about it. Forcing it isn't the way. Living lives full of more diversity is what many people need. This can be done by many systemic changes in all communities.
This is nuance. This is what we need more of. 🖖🏽
Awesome interview!
Dr. McWhorter is very clear and smart on this subject ... I wish everybody would hear this ...