The Dissidents

Welcome to the Free Speech Forward Podcast! Co-hosts Chris and Joia introduce the unique format of the show and tease our first episodes. Join us on this journey exploring the different stories, perspectives, and communication advice of various free speech activists. See: www.1776forward.com

This week Mike and Elizabeth discuss the potential fall of diversity statements as a condition of university employment.  In such statements job candidates are required to describe how they can enhance their future employer's diversity goals. MIT president Sally Korbluth recently announced that the statements will no longer be mandatory, calling them a version of compelled speech which may interfere with freedom of expression. A few states are pressuring public institutions to do away with the diversity litmus tests and to dismantle DEI offices, or alter their focus. Interest in narrow applications of DEI as a strategic mission may be waning in some businesses and professional organizations.  Public enthusiasm may also be weaker.  It is not clear, however, that educational institutions will willingly shift to broader considerations of diversity and viewpoint tolerance for many years to come.   Podcast Notes:https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/03/05/are-companies-quiet-quitting-dei/?sh=29b44fcc16bbhttps://www.axios.com/2024/04/02/dei-backlash-diversity

In this week's episode Mike and Elizabeth talk about research that contradicts the commonly accepted belief that prejudice has increased in recent years. While expectations of day-to-day discrimination were especially high during Donald Trump's presidency, evidence suggests that overall levels of prejudice have continued to be flat or in decline for 15 years.  Several studies have found increased willingness to express prejudices, particularly after exposure to Trump rhetoric, however such findings were limited to Trump supporters, and were not found among self-described Republicans, conservatives, Democrats and progressives who did not support Trump.  Podcast notes: Ruisch, B. C., & Ferguson, M. J. (2023). Did Donald Trump’s presidency reshape Americans’ prejudices? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(3), 207–209.

This week we talk about research on the potential effects of race on the type of feedback and grades that students receive. In a recent study, poorly written college essays believed to be submitted by Black students were more leniently scored. White raters gave Black writers more overt praise and encouragement, but offered less helpful feedback and critical analysis. Discomfort with the grading task exacerbated the effects. Mike and Elizabeth discuss bias born of egalitarian values, the tyranny of low expectations, and what what research like this may reveal about the value of education. Podcast Notes: Harber, K. D., Reeves, S., Gorman, J. L., Williams, C. H., Malin, J., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2019). The conflicted language of interracial feedback. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(7), 1220–1242.

In this week's episode Mike and Elizabeth talk about trends in the censorship of scientific results. Recent research suggests one explanation for censorship behavior is misguided hyper-concern for others reactions. Scientific findings were rated as potentially harmful, and less beneficial, if they were controversial or confusing. We discuss the implications for the marketplace of ideas and scientific inquiry in the current socio political environment.  Biased cost-benefit analyses can undermine the advancement of research and influence funding decisions.  Hypervigilant concerns may fuel academic cancellation campaigns, paper and presentation rejections, and journal article retractions.    Podcast notes: Clark, C. J., Graso, M., Redstone, I., & Tetlock, P. E. (2023). Harm Hypervigilance in Public Reactions to Scientific Evidence. Psychological Science, 34(7), 834–848. 

In this series of the Dissidents Podcast, Legacies of Black Pioneers, we speak with Ada Akpala of the Equiano Project on her problem with the term “black excellence”.  Co-hosts, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. & Jennifer Richmond speak often of black resilience and triumph in their book, Letters in Black and White. After reading Ada's piece, My Problem with the Term Black Excellence, Wink sent her a note saying, "Jen has used the phrase "black excellence" in a recent tweet. I have devoted a month to exploring Pioneer Black Lawyers. Maybe, Jen and I missed the mark..." We talk with Ada about the limitations of a well-intended phrase, black excellence. Does the phrase frame blackness in a negative light? Are there circumstances where black excellence conveys a constructive and positive good? Our discussion takes us from London to Virginia and Nigeria. Does black excellence make sense in a world containing over 1 billion people of Sub-Saharan descent? The question deserves more than a yes or a no answer. Enjoy a thoughtful conversation about a word many take for granted, black excellence.   Sign up on Circle to be a part of our live events and to join the conversations, and visit our website to sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep in the loop of all our new offerings. Resources: My Problem with the Term Black Excellence, Ada Akpala Letters in Black and White, Winkfield Twyman, Jr & Jennifer Richmond The Problem with 'Black Community', Ada Akpala on the Patience Xina podcast The Equiano Project

In this week's podcast, Mike Burke meets with Jewish intellectual Dmitri Shufutinsky to discuss his upcoming book, "Jew-Jitsu". The conversation ranges across a number of topics, including how to identify and push back against a worryingly widespread and apparently growing antisemitism and historic illiteracy. Resources:Neo-Confederacy & Palestinian Ultranationalism: How Prejudice is Justified Through the Myth of “Lost Civilization",Dmitri Shufutinsky

Welcome to our the new monthly series of the Dissidents Podcast on the legacies of black pioneers, brought to you by the Black Institute of Liberal Values (a joint project of ⁠Free Black Thought⁠ and the Institute for Liberal Values). In this episode, Winkfield Twyman, Jr & Jennifer Richmond, speak with Mark Brown on his common cousin with Wink, Daniel Brown. According to Wink, who writes of Daniel often in his book with Jen, Letters in Black and White, Daniel was a “founding father” for his family. Mark, Wink and Jen talk about the relevance of genealogy for seeing each other as “Old Americans”, the role of faith in this mission, the possibility of “Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome”, and the curative effects of narrative therapy and writing for coming together across the color line. Follow us on Circle for more resources and materials on black pioneers in American history. Circle Institute for Liberal Values Podcast Resources: Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America, Jennifer Richmond & Winkfield Twyman, Jr. Find out more about the book on Truth in Between The Dead Hand of Daniel Brown, Jennifer Richmond & Winkfield Twyman, Jr. On the Road to Oak Lawn, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. Greatness as Character, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. A Race Story, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. Find other resources, including Wink’s Pioneering Black Lawyers, on the Black Institute for Liberal Values on Circle. ⁠Circle⁠

In this week's episode, Mike and Elizabeth discuss an article that outlines some of the reasons we might choose to quietly or more openly protest wrongdoing within our organizations.  It often seems futile to stay in a partially corrupt institution, even in an attempt to influence reform, but is it really preferable to resign in protest when the move is unlikely to have an impact?  Can we recognize our own motivations for protest, or are we hopelessly biased in that assessment?  We discuss these ideas in the context of contemporary culture and events, including criticism of college campus leaders. Podcast notes: Hill Jr, T. E. (1979). Symbolic protest and calculated silence. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 9, 83–102.

In this week's episode Mike and Elizabeth discuss a recent journal article about reminders of bias. The authors found that women who read about sexism tended to report lower achievement expectations and career motivation.  Our perspectives and interpretations diverge somewhat from that of the authors.  We evaluate the study design, findings, and implications through the lens of cancel culture, and consider what a similar study on reminders of racism might reveal.    Podcast Notes: Doolaard, F. T., Lelieveld, G., Noordewier, M. K., Beest, I., & Dijk, E. (2022). How information on sexism may increase women’s perceptions of being excluded, threaten fundamental needs, and lower career motivation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 52, 405-419.