Where We Go Next

Our national conversation around childhood education usually revolves around or devolves into a sort of generic bifurcation of public vs private. But only when we really break a topic down into its constituent parts can we begin to see it more clearly. So what educational method might work best? Ray Girn and Matt Bateman of Higher Ground Education believe that the method they practice will best equip children to flourish as adults. Higher Ground EducationThe Goals of Montessori Education, with Ray GirnQ & A with Matt BatemanA Day in the Life at Michaela, Britain's Strictest SchoolRay's Twitter: @raygirnMatt's Twitter: @mbateman----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

The working and wealthy classes in America are further apart than they've been in 60 years. Wages, wealth generation, savings - these are the obvious ones, but marriage stability and self-reported rates of wellbeing are also way down for blue collar Americans. "Deaths of despair" - from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism - number 150,000 a year, nearly all of them concentrated in working class communities. And many of these problems begin in childhood and compound into adulthood. What's causing so many of our children to fall so far behind, and why do today's elite seem to care so little? Writer and researcher Rob Henderson has experience living in both worlds, and has dedicated much of his time to finding the answers.How I Went From Troubled Foster Kid to Scholar at Yale and Cambridge, by Rob Henderson‘Luxury Beliefs’ Are the Latest Status Symbol for Rich Americans, by Rob HendersonThorstein Veblen’s Theory of the Leisure Class—A Status Update, by Rob HendersonEverything I Know About Elite America I Learned From ‘Fresh Prince’ and ‘West Wing’, by Rob HendersonSubscribe to Rob's Newsletter on SubstackRob's Twitter: @robkhenderson----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

If you were tasked with summing up the worldview of 50 million people, could you do it? Sounds a little ridiculous, right? Well, there are just about 50 million people in the "Black Community" in the United States, and it's not uncommon for Americans to speak about this "community" as if they had a single, unified voice. But that sort of language leaves a lot of worthwhile perspectives out of the conversation. Writer and YouTube host Brittany Talissa King shares her story of embracing the complex and often contradictory opinions that can exist within any "community."American Shade - Brittany's YouTube ChannelFree Black Thought: The Case for Heterodoxy in Views on Race, by Brittany Talissa KingOur Skin Problem: America's Toxic Bias of Color, by Brittany Talissa King#AmericanShade with Brittany KingThe Case for Black Optimism, by Coleman HughesAmi Horowitz: Are Voter ID Laws Racist?Brittany's Twitter: @KingTalissa----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

If you've ever stopped yourself from saying something that you know is pretty innocuous, then you've experienced the chilling effect of a phenomenon known as "cancel culture." But what can happen when we stand up for the ability to think freely? And how can we improve our discourse so that all of us can feel comfortable speaking - and changing - our minds? Writer and musician Angel Eduardo has experience doing both.A Letter on Justice and Open Debate - Harper's MagazineI'm a Nobody. The Harper's Letter was for Me, by Angel EduardoWhy Keeping Your Beliefs to Yourself Is Immoral, by Angel Eduardo3 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations, by Angel Eduardoangeleduardo.comAngel's Twitter: @StrangelEdweird----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Humans are natural-born story machines. And those stories - those narratives - can help bring us closer together, or push us further apart. Today is Election Day, and we seem more divided than we have in a long time, largely because we can't seem to agree on a shared story. So how can we find one? Is that even possible? Shaun Cammack of The Narratives Project has some special insights on the power and pliability of our cultural and political narratives.The Narratives ProjectKenosha Shooting: Narrative Evolution, by Shaun CammackAncient Chinese Descriptions of "Daqin" (Roman Empire)Wait But Why: The Fermi Paradox, by Tim UrbanShaun's Twitter: @shaunjcammack----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

When we discuss groups of people, we often speak in terms of data - polls, graphs, percentages - and while this can offer us insight on the macro level, it leaves a lot of valuable, relevant information out. We're more than numbers, after all - we're individuals! So how can we temper our data sets with our personal, lived experiences? Professor and researcher Roderick Graham offers up a way to strike a balance.roderickgraham.comThinking Critically About Lived ExperiencesThe Hard Bigotry of Soft Racism, by Roderick Graham@roderickgraham----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

What if America were split into racialized ethnostates? A “White” country and a “Black” one? Would we all be better off? Writer and HBCU professor Wilfred Reilly explains why racial nationalism is a dumb idea, and debunks some common misinformation about American race relations.Taboo: 10 Facts You Can't Talk About, by Wilfred ReillyNo, There Is No Coming Race War, by Wilfred ReillyRioting Over a Narrative, by Wilfred ReillyWilfred's Twitter: @wil_da_beast630----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

Skin color is real, but what we call “race” - the way we categorize and limit people based on their appearance - is a fiction. Are we stuck with this falsehood forever? British journalist and television presenter Inaya Folarin Iman believes we can - and must - transcend race.The Equiano ProjectInayaFolarin.comWe Can't Just Oppose Racism: We Must Transcend Race, by Inaya Folarin ImanBlack Lives Matter UK: An AnthologyInaya's Twitter: @InayaFolarinInaya's Instagram: @InayaFolarinIman----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

As America continues to become more racially and ethnically diverse, and our concept of what it means to be American changes, how do we widen our tribe while maintaining a common narrative? Journalist Zaid Jilani shares his thoughts on the future of American identity.Identity Theft, by Zaid JilaniThe Diversity Trap, by Zaid JilaniThe Backchannel podcast, by Zaid Jilani and Leighton WoodhouseZaid's Twitter: @ZaidJilani----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast

When it comes to the political, it's not unusual to agree to disagree. But when our modern discourse so often feels toxic, how can we be more agreeable in our disagreement? John Wood, Jr. of Braver Angels offers a path forward.There Are Evils Worse Than Racism, by John Wood, Jr.BraverAngels.orgJohn's Twitter: @JohnRWoodJr----------Email: wherewegopod@gmail.comInstagram: @wwgnpodcast