Where We Go Next

What does it mean to be vulnerable at scale? To go out on a limb and lay bare not just one's opinions, but the private details of a life? The most effective political writing often exists at the intersection of quantitative data and personal anecdote. A writer's argument - if it is to convince - must accurately speak to the external reality we all share while inviting us to understand the author's internal experience that provides the emotional anchor. Writer and political commentator Andrew Sullivan has gathered his essays from the last 31 years - a record of joys, sorrows, missteps and victories - all written down, in public.Out on a Limb: Selected Writing, 1989 - 2021, by Andrew SullivanThe Weekly Dish, by Andrew SullivanIntimations Pursued: The Voice of Practice in the Conversation of Michael Oakeshott, by Andrew SullivanWhat Andrew Sullivan Taught Me About Michael Oakeshott, by Giles FraserAlone Again, Naturally, by Andrew Sullivan (Originally appeared November 28, 1994, in The New Republic)Nighthawks (1942), by Edward HopperNew York Movie (1939),by Edward HopperAutomat (1927), by Edward HopperThe End of Gay Culture, by Andrew SullivanAndrew's Twitter: @sullydish----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

“Black” is not a synonym for “poor.” But one could be forgiven for thinking that it were based on the way so many people talk about race in this country. The majority of Black Americans are in the middle class or above, yet the national imagination often seems to struggle to reflect this reality. And those who are living in poverty are often the last ones to tell their own stories. Bertrand Cooper writes about the importance of being accurate in our descriptions of our impoverished communities, and the need for representation that reflects the nuances of class that exist within this thing we call "race."Who Actually Gets to Create Black Pop Culture?, by Bertrand CooperIs it Possible for Black Creatives to Exploit the Poor? w/ Damon Young & Bertrand Cooper - Bad Faith podcastRacecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life, by Karen and Barbara FieldsBlacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class (2007) - Pew Research CenterThe Devastating Effects of Concentrated Poverty, by Ta-Nehisi CoatesArchitecture of Segregation, by Paul JargowskyNeighborhood Income Composition by Household Race and Income, 1990 - 2009 - StanfordBlack Boy Fly, by Kendrick Lamar (YouTube)Identity Theft, by Zaid JilaniBlack Jeopardy with Tom Hanks - SNL (YouTube)Roger Ebert Speaks Out at a Better Luck Tomorrow Screening - YouTube1,000 True Fans, by Kevin KellyInequality Is High Within the Black Community, by Bertrand CooperBertrand's Twitter: @_BlackTrash----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

When was the last time you were really, truly curious about something? Something new, different, foreign, uncomfortable, even? And not just a passing glance, or a quick perusal, but a deep, active interest that takes you places you never thought you'd go? Director of Digital & Storytelling at Braver Angels Mónica Guzmán believes that for us to better understand our world and each other we must be intentionally, proactively curious.Braver AngelsNorthwest Newsmakers - CrosscutThe Science Behind Road Rage, by Ryan FanSpeak or Be Spoken For - TEDx Talk by Mónica GuzmánHow to Make Seattle Your Own in 10 Easy Steps - Mónica GuzmánThe Evergrey - a newsletter all about SeattleHow The Evergrey Fosters Community in Ever-Growing Seattle - Seattle MetHow The Evergrey Bridged Political Divides in Washington and Oregon - Gathermoniguzman.comMonica's Twitter: @moniguzman----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Policing - as both an action and a concept - has been on the front page and at the front of many of our minds over the last several years, as we've reexamined our assumptions around its utility and purpose. When is law enforcement actually needed? When does it go too far? And what does good policing look like? Criminology professor and former Baltimore police officer Peter Moskos has combined his academic training with on-the-ground experience to try and answer those very questions.Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District, by Peter MoskosBroken Windows, by George Kelling and James WilsonWalking in a Police Officer's Shoes: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Moskos - YouTubeGhettoside: A True Story of Murder in AmericaNeighborhoods and Police: The Maintenance of Civil Authority, by George Kelling and James StewartTwo Shades of Blue: Black and White in the Blue Brotherhood, by Peter MoskosIn Defense of Flogging, by Peter Moskoscopinthehood.comPeter's Twitter: @PeterMoskos----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

The first episode of Where We Go Next was recorded just over a year ago. We've talked about a range of subjects since then - from nuclear power, to mRNA vaccines, from Maslow's hierarchy of needs to Montessori's method, just to name a few. But a recurring theme of the podcast - guest after guest - has been identity. How do we understand ourselves and how do we understand one another? How do we create a diversity that strives for common ground while respecting the very things that make us who we are? How do we speak truth to the power of our ego when it threatens to get in the way of progress? Bestselling author and founder of the Moral Courage Project Irshad Manji shows others how to have the courage to do exactly that.Don't Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars, by Irshad ManjiMoral Courage ProjectMoral Courage ED - Diversity Without DivisionIrshad Manji on Firing Line, with Margaret Hoover - VideoWhy the Writer Richard Rodriguez Refuses to Be Put Into a Box - American Magazineirshadmanji.comIrshad's Twitter: @IrshadManji----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Should a storyteller's identity define what stories they're allowed to tell? Does our sex, race, or sexuality set the boundaries around either the fictions we can dream up or the nonfictions we investigate and explore? Filmmaker Nadia Gill is speaking out against a worrying trend within her industry that suggests storytelling might be better off if we all simply kept to "our own."Encompass FilmsSoul Deep, by Encompass FilmsClimbing Out of Disaster, by Encompass FilmsLast Call For The Bayou, by Encompass FilmsWho Are you to Tell That Story?, by Nadia Gill"Decolonize" the Documentary?, by Nadia GillBabies - TrailerCartel Land - TrailerWhores' Glory - TrailerThe Act of Killing - TrailerCutie and the Boxer - TrailerDonald Trump Made Inroads in South Texas This Year. These Voters Explain Why. - Texas TribuneNadia's Twitter: @Egypxican----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

What happens when you're suddenly thrust into the spotlight at the intersection of two of the most pressing topics of our day - the criminal justice system, and the COVID-19 vaccine? Emergency medical physician Dr. Hasan Gokal found himself in the middle of a firestorm after he spent one fateful evening trying to do the right thing.The Vaccine Had to Be Used. He Used It. He Was Fired. - The New York TimesCleared of Accusation He Stole Vaccine, Dr. Hasan Gokal Wonders if His Reputation Will Recover - Houston ChronicleDr. Hasan Gokal on The View - YouTubeHow Israeli Hospitals Administered Leftover Vaccine Doses - Twitter@gokalmd----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Being a "heterodox thinker" often involves being exceedingly content with a whole bunch of people disliking you. Sometimes it's people to the Right of you, then people to the Left, and folks who were your strongest allies two days ago may suddenly hate your guts next Thursday. This is not to say that people who are consistently in one camp aren't principled - far from it. It's more that all of that "going against the grain-ing" can be rather... draining. Author and podcast host Meghan Daum shares what drives her to keep speaking about so many unspeakable things.The Unspeakable with Meghan Daum - SubstackThe Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars, by Meghan DaumThe State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss - SurveyI Don't Know What To Think Anymore: A Few Words From Your Host - The Unspeakable PodcastNuance: A Love Story, by Meghan DaumI Left New York for Greener Pastures — and a Puppy, by Meghan DaumSelf Care: A Novel, by Leigh SteinThey Shall Not Grow Old, a documentary by Peter JacksonThe Delve podcast, with guest Meghan Daummeghandaum.comMeghan's Twitter: @meghan_daum----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

It's good to push yourself to think differently - to reexamine your priors, question your beliefs, and change your mind. But it's not enough to switch from Right to Left, or Left to Right, or from Heterodox Pepsi to Heterodox Coke. Introspection is a train without a station - something that should keep going. Writer and YouTube host Brittany Talissa King returns to discuss the sometimes difficult but rewarding task of remaining a work in progress.2 Perspectives, Let's Talk - Live Show with Kimi Katiti - #AmericanShadeDarkHorse Podcast with Brittany Talissa King and Bret WeinsteinFree Black Thought, by Brittany Talissa King for Tablet MagazineA Panel Discussion on Critical Race Theory - #AmericanShadeBlack Like Them, by Malcolm Gladwell for The New YorkerBrittany Talissa King on MediumBrittany's Twitter: @KingTalissa----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

While the United States is now recovering from a year of death, disease, and economic destruction, we still don't know exactly where or how Covid-19 actually began. Molecular biologist Dr. Alina Chan has spent the last year investigating the true origins of the virus, long before it was politically convenient to do so.COVID-19 CoV Genetics - Global Lineage SurveillanceCoronavirus: Facebook Reverses Ban on Posts Claiming COVID-19 Came From Chinese Lab - South China Morning PostMore Questions Than Answers On COVID-19 Origin - The Mehdi Hasan ShowMany Scientists Still Think The Coronavirus Came From Nature - NPRGain of Function Research - WikipediaAlina's Twitter: @ayjchan----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast