The Aaron Renn Show

This week's short podcast looks at one of the biggest "gotchas" people try to use in response to criticism, namely that it's impossible to know the motives of the person being criticized. I discussed why it's valid (if imperfect) to infer motives from actions, but also suggest some alternatives to avoid this common comeback.

People frequently say, obviously with hyperbole, that America is becoming a Third World country. Yet if we look at one of the stereotypes of the Third World - as places with unreliable electricity - are are indeed becoming more Third World like. Our electric grid is increasingly unreliable, and larger numbers of Americans are installing backup generators to deal with it. This episode explores the matter of the third worldization through the lens of our decaying electricity system.WSJ: America’s Power Grid Is Increasingly Unreliable - https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-power-grid-is-increasingly-unreliable-11645196772WSJ: Wary of Being Left in the Dark, Americans Produce Their Own Power - https://www.wsj.com/articles/amid-power-outages-americans-buying-generators-solar-plus-battery-microgrids-11645207261Texas Monthly: The Texas Electric Grid Failure Was a Warm-up - https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-electric-grid-failure-warm-up/

David and Jason Benham, entrepreneurs and investors, join to discuss their book Expert Ownership - and their own journey to business success after being cancelled by HGTV.Buy Expert Ownership: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1736807005/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theurban-20

Creating community and social capital is a frequent topic of conversation in our world, one in which we sense the decline of our existing community building structures. This podcast provides practical examples that you as an individual can use to start building community where you live. It's focused around various forms of institutionalized hospitality, ranging from Sunday night dinners to porch parties to in home concerts. My writeup on the Sunday night dinner concept: https://www.aaronrenn.com/2014/03/09/sunday-night-dinner-in-indianapolis/This episode sponsored by Gold River Trading Co. teas: https://goldriverco.com/ (Use discount code RENN10 for 10% off your oder).Subscribe to my newsletter at: https://aaronrenn.substack.com

Generation X has been something of a lost generation. Sandwiched between the much larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations, Generation X has often been overlooked. It has also preferred standing aloof, ironically critiquing society rather than seeking to take the reins and reshape it. Today, as American struggles under aging Boomer leadership, and Millennials and Gen Z get absorbed into technology, what role should America's last analog generation play? The Wall Street Journal's Matt Hennessey, author of the book Zero Hour for Gen X, joins me live to discuss these and other questions related to the enigma that is Generation X.Buy Matt Hennessey's book Zero Hour for Gen X: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641770643/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theurban-20 Subscribe to my newsletter for interview and podcast transcripts, and more exclusive content: https://aaronrenn.substack.com

Julius Krein is the editor of American Affairs magazine, a reformist conservative policy journal, joins me to discuss why the Republican Party as currently constituted can't succeed, what's untrue in conservative dogma, and what conservatives should do next to be more successful and to genuinely help the country.American Affairs Journal: https://americanaffairsjournal.org/Julius Krein's essay Can Conservatism Be More Than a Grudge? https://ksr.hkspublications.org/2021/05/18/can-conservatism-be-more-than-a-grudge/Subscribe to my newsletter for interview and podcast transcripts, and more exclusive content: https://aaronrenn.substack.com

Demographer and Lutheran Lyman Stone joins us to discuss Lutheranism in America. What are the distinctives of Lutheranism? How did Lutheranism get established in the United States? What are the unique features of how it is organized? Why is the profile of American Lutheranism lower than some smaller denominations like Presbyterianism? Subscribe to my newsletter: https://aaronrenn.substack.com/

Since listeners expressed an interest in hearing about this, I revisit the sexual harassment and abuse accusations made against against former Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels. In contrast to those many against many others, which were heavily substantiated, very little evidence was publicly presented demonstrating that the accusations were true. This is not to say that Hybels is innocent, merely that that the case against him that's been presented is not especially strong. I also examine the case of Canadian radio personality Jian Ghomeshi, who was also credibly accused of sexual misconduct by multiple credible accusers and was event put on trial for it. Ghomeshi was exonerated when he produced evidence showing that this accusers lied. Willow Creek Investigative Report on Bill Hybels: https://globalleadership.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IAGReport_022819.pdfNew York Times article on Bill Hybels: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/us/bill-hybels-willow-creek-pat-baranowski.html Subscribe to my newsletter at: https://aaronrenn.substack.com

Leading cultural analyst and policy maven Joel Kotkin will join me to discuss his book The Coming of Neo-Feudalism, as well as the state of California vs. Texas and more. Kotkin will help provide a map to understand the today's geopolitical and economic realities in America.Buy Joel Kotkin's The Coming of Neofeudalism: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1641770945/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=theurban-20 Visit my Substack at: https://aaronrenn.substack.comOur Sponsor: Gold River Trading Co. speciality teas: https://goldriverco.com/ (Use discount code RENN10 for 10% off your order).

Many Republicans love to criticize the "Chamber of Commerce." But what is the chamber of commerce? In this podcast I answer that question, as well as describing the different types of chambers of commerce (there are many of them).  I examine what they do, their basic political orientations, and why they will always oppose social conservative ideas.Article Referenced: Indiana under Republican Rule - https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2021/11/indiana-under-republican-rule-pro-business-policy-disappoints-outside-the-sunbelt/This episode sponsored by Gold River Trading Co. teas: https://goldriverco.com/ (Use discount code RENN10 for 10% off your oder).Subscribe to my newsletter at: https://aaronrenn.substack.com/