The Wig Party: A Rediscovery

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I think we would all recognize there's some level of stagnation in a society where at that point you have to take chances or make radical changes and conservatism becomes virtually impossible. My two heroes are Edmund Burke and Alexander Hamilton, who's a Latino hip-hop star from the Heights. And his conservatism was very different about dynamism, energy, transformational change. A European style conservatism doesn't work here. You have to have that dynamic recreated self-transformation element.

For two hours every morning, David Brooks crawls around his living room floor, organizing piles of research. Then, the piles become paragraphs, the paragraphs become columns or chapters, and the process - which he calls "writing" - is complete.

After that he might go out and see some people. A lunch, say, with his friend Tyler. And the two will discuss the things they're thinking, writing, and learning about. And David will feel rejuvenated, for he is a social animal (as are we all).

Then one day David will be asked by Tyler to come on his show, and perform this act publicly. To talk about his love for Bruce Springsteen, being a modern-day Whig, his "religious bisexuality," covenants vs. contracts, today's answer to the "Fallows Question," why failure is overrated, community and loneliness, the upside of being invaded by Canada, and much more.

And though he will be intimidated, David will oblige, and the result is here for you to enjoy.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded May 14th, 2018 Other ways to connect

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