

The Glenn Show
Glenn Loury
Race, inequality, and economics in the US and throughout the world from Glenn Loury, Professor of Economics at Brown University and Paulson Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute glennloury.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 12, 2024 • 2min
Post-Show: Trump's Worst Ideas
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.comIn this post-show conversation with my creative director Nikita Petrov, I review this week's episode with historian Daniel Bessner. We also talk about Trump's policy proposals, capitalism, Russia and Ukraine, NATO, and why I sometimes pull back from speaking my mind.This episode is available only to full subscribers to my Substack. If you're listening to the full episode, thank you for all your support. And if you want more of The Glenn Show, in addition to a host of other benefits, go to https://glennloury.substack.com and become a full subscriber.

Nov 10, 2024 • 7min
October 2024 Q&A
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.comIn this month's Substack subscriber-only Q&A session, we talk about Donald Trump's "Nazi rally" at Madison Square Garden, Martha Raddatz's comments about Venezuelan gangs in Colorado, Glenn's retirement, John's comments about Trump and Vance, my comments about Israel and Palestine, and, of course, Trump's victory.

Nov 5, 2024 • 1min
Post-Show: It's Happening
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.comThis is the Post-Show episode following this week's conversation with John McWhorter. In it, Glenn sits down with his editor Mark Sussman and his creative director Nikita Petrov to talk about the election, why he understands where Trump's supporters are coming from, the meaning of voting, and the possibility that Trump might release sealed documents relating to the JFK assassination.If you're a paying subscribing, you're receiving the full episode. If you're not, you're receiving a preview clip. Consider becoming a subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.com, and receive early access to weekly episodes, exclusive content like post-show episodes, monthly Q&As with John McWhorter, and a host of other benefits.

Nov 4, 2024 • 52min
John McWhorter – Last Words before the Election
If you subscribe only to the free version of this podcast, you’ll notice this episode has arrived a few days early. I figured that by Friday, when the episode normally drops for the general public, it will be out of date already, so we’re releasing it to everyone today. If you find you enjoy starting your week with The Glenn Show, consider becoming a paying subscriber, which will get you early access to episodes, along with a host of other benefits.Subscribe to The Glenn Show on Substack at https://glennloury.substack.com[Note: In the episode, John mistakenly referred to the author of a biography of Ronald Reagan as George Will. He meant to reference Max Boot’s Reagan: His Life and Legacy.]1:39 Pre-election jitters3:23 Will Democrats contest the election if it goes Trump’s way?4:44 A crisis for democracy, maybe, but not the end of democracy10:02 John’s case against Trump’s proposed second administration15:36 Ground News ad17:28 The Obamas’ attempted intervention and post-presidential performance26:58 The mind of the informed Trump voter34:20 A revisionist history of the Trump presidency (or presidencies)41:15 Is Trump losing it or just tired of campaigning?44:25 The Washington Post and the LA Times decline to endorse47:48 Glenn and John’s election night plans50:48 The nightmare scenarioRecorded November 3, 2024Links and ReadingsShelby Steele’s book, A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited about Obama and Why He Can’t WinJimmy Carter’s book, Palestine: Peace Not ApartheidJohn’s NYT column, “Donald Trump Is Bored”Max Boot’s book, Reagan: His Life and LegacyEverybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Series DVD box setDouglas Murray’s Free Press piece, “Things Worth Remembering: Whoever Loses, They Should Lose Like Nixon” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Nov 1, 2024 • 1h 7min
Rajiv Sethi – Taking Bets on the Presidency
Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813490:00 Rajiv’s report from the FIRE conference3:11 Roland Fryer’s keynote address13:26 Ta-Nehisi Coates’s humanist universalism17:25 “Tolstoy is the Tolstoy of the Zulus”18:50 Rajiv’s reading of Coates’s stand on “apartheid”31:55 The gap between election forecasting models and prediction markets36:52 The limits of models and markets39:59 Rajiv: The markets show us a balance between narratives about the election44:17 Is one crypto trader manipulating the prediction markets in favor of Trump?53:12 Rajiv: Prediction markets may have sent early signals about January 655:19 Rajiv’s family history with Kamala Harris57:45 The new prominence of Indian Americans in politics1:03:07 The axiom of antiessentialismRecorded October 27, 2024Links and ReadingsRajiv’s Substack, Imperfect InformationFoundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionLara Bazelon’s 2022 Atlantic essay, “The ACLU Has Lost Its Way”Glenn’s 2021 conversation with BazelonGlenn’s 2023 conversation with Erec SmithEugene Volokh on the Hamline University-Prophet Muhammad painting controversyTa-Nehisi Coates’s book, The MessageCoates’s 2010 Atlantic essay, “The Ghost of Bobby Lee”Ralph Wiley’s book, Dark Witness: When Black People Should Be Sacrificed (Again)Last week’s TGS debate about The MesssageOrlando Patterson’s book, Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative StudyGlenn’s book, The Anatomy of Racial InequalityGlenn’s memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black ConservativePolymarketRecorded October 27, 2024Links and ReadingsRajiv’s Substack, Imperfect InformationFoundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionLara Bazelon’s 2022 Atlantic essay, “The ACLU Has Lost Its Way”Glenn’s 2021 conversation with BazelonGlenn’s 2023 conversation with Erec SmithEugene Volokh on the Hamline University-Prophet Muhammad painting controversyTa-Nehisi Coates’s book, The MessageCoates’s 2010 Atlantic essay, “The Ghost of Bobby Lee”Ralph Wiley’s book, Dark Witness: When Black People Should Be Sacrificed (Again)Last week’s TGS debate about The MesssageOrlando Patterson’s book, Slavery and Social Death: A Comparative StudyGlenn’s book, The Anatomy of Racial InequalityGlenn’s memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black ConservativePolymarket This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 25, 2024 • 1h 2min
John McWhorter – Glenn and John Throw Down over The Message
Incogni is your personal data defender, safeguarding you from these digital predators. Use code GLENN at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/glenn1:22 The Coates debate continues 3:18 John: Coates is a beautiful writer, but … 5:44 John: … The Message is suffused with incuriosity and simplistic thinking 13:45 Glenn: Coates is talking about humanism and power, not race 18:11 Ground News ad 20:25 Is it “all about whitey”? 22:11 Glenn: Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote this book. What am I doing? 27:40 What kind of historical imagination is at work in The Message? 34:11 Moral clarity or abdication of responsibility? 36:30 Pro-Palestinian writers John considers acceptable 41:54 The next entries in Glenn and John’s book club 42:04 Coates’s now notorious interview on CBS Mornings 48:45 What is the black intellectual’s role today? 52:16 The counterexample of South AfricaRecorded October 19, 2024Links and ReadingsTa-Nehisi Coates’s book, The MessageGlenn and John’s previous conversationJohn’s NYT column, “Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Myth of Black Fragility”Michael Chabon’s novel, The Yiddish Policemen’s UnionJeffrey Sachs on YouTubeJudge Andrew Napolitano on YouTubeTrevor Noah’s conversation with CoatesEzra Klein’s conversation with CoatesPeter Beinart’s conversation with CoatesDavid Greenberg’s new book, John Lewis: A LifeKaren and Barbara Fields’s book, Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American LifeGlenn’s memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black ConservativeJames Baldwin’s essay, “Letter from a Region in My Mind” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 18, 2024 • 1h 23min
Amy Wax – The Real Reason Penn Is Punishing Amy Wax
Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393881349Incogni is your personal data defender, safeguarding you from these digital predators. Use code GLENN at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/glenn1:41 Penn’s sanctions against Amy 7:47 What’s at stake in the charges against Amy? 14:03 The trouble with “hate speech” 17:48 Should we abolish the nation-state? 21:38 The debates that can’t happen in the university 26:44 Ethnonationalism and group differences 33:11 Amy’s defense of maintaining an “Anglo-Protestant” American majority 42:32 Amy’s concerns about Asian migration 47:52 Are immigrants bringing lax attitudes toward property rights with them? 52:52 Glenn: Immigrants impart dynamism to a culture that’s always been in flux 1:01:13 Glenn and Amy talk about porn 1:07:51 The absence of virtue in political discourse 1:13:05 Amy’s next stepsRecorded October 12, 2024Links and ReadingsAmy’s Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed, “Paying the Price for the Breakdown of the Country’s Bourgeois Culture”Glenn and Amy’s 2017 conversation, “The Downside to Social Uplift”Foundation for Individual Rights and ExpressionTa-Nehisi Coates’s new book, The MessageWilliam Vogelei’s Claremont Review of Books review of Robert Kagan’s Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart—AgainColeman Hughes’s book, The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind AmericaDaron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson’s book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and PovertyDaniel Di Martino’s recent appearance on The Glenn ShowIrving Kristol’s 1971 essay, “Pornography, Obscenity, and the Case for Censorship”Glenn’s essay, “The Case for Black Patriotism” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 11, 2024 • 53min
John McWhorter – Is Ta-Nehisi Coates Right about Israeli Apartheid?
1:12 The Vance-Walz debate 4:28 Glenn: Ta-Nehisi Coates’s new book is brilliant 13:16 John and Coates’s ancient beef 15:31 Coates’s “blistering” critique of Zionism 18:22 Ground News ad 20:39 Do you have to solve the problem of “apartheid” in order to criticize it? 33:10 Glenn’s reappraisal of Coates (and John’s bemusement) 34:53 ACTA ad 36:39 Will the race card play for Eric Adams? 42:31 What has Eric Adams accomplished? 43:57 Why John defends Amy Wax 49:17 Glenn: Amy Wax gets to have her opinionRecorded October 5, 2024Links and ReadingsThe Vance-Walz VP debateTa-Nehisi Coates’s book, The MessageColeman Hughes’s Free Press review of The MessageCoates’s book, Between the World and MeCoates’s Atlantic essay, “The Case for Reparations”Glenn and John’s in-person TGS episodeAndrew Yang’s Newsweek piece, “I Ran against Eric Adams. I Saw This Coming.”John’s NYT piece, “She Is Outrageous, Demeaning, Dangerous. She Shouldn’t Be Punished.”Amy Wax’s December 2021 TGS appearanceWax’s August 2022 TGS appearanceWax’s March 2024 TGS appearanceRichard Sander’s Stanford Law Review article, “A Systematic Analysis of Affirmative Action in American Law Schools” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 4, 2024 • 51min
Daniel Di Martino – The Economics of the Border Crisis
Order Glenn's memoir, LATE ADMISSIONS: CONFESSIONS OF A BLACK CONSERVATIVE. Available here or wherever you get your books: https://wwnorton.com/books/97803938813491:15 Why Daniel immigrated to the US 5:14 What went wrong in Venezuela? 8:45 Daniel: Both the Biden administration and global trends are to blame for the border crisis 11:19 Trump promises to deport record numbers of illegal immigrants. But can he? 13:00 What’s it take to fix immigration? Money. 18:39 The flawed strategy of making immigration into Mexico’s problem 20:48 The bad information and rumors fueling asylum-seekers 23:18 Should residency visa programs prioritize the richest immigrants? 32:13 The labor market consequences of immigration 37:27 Daniel’s large-scale proposals for national immigration policy 43:00 How many unauthorized immigrants are in US right now? 45:23 The political realities of immigration reform44:08 The political realities of immigration reformRecorded September 23, 2025Links and ReadingsDaniel’s writing for City JournalDaniel’s report for the Manhattan Institute, “The Lifetime Fiscal Impact of Immigrants” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe

Oct 2, 2024 • 8min
September 2024 Q&A
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.comA couple weeks ago, I did my own solo Q&A session. Now John is back, and I decided to put him in the hot seat. Let’s get into it. Yan Shen asks our opinion of the contretemps between Nancy Mace and Michael Eric Dyson. Stan asks if we’ve seen Matt Walsh’s film, Am I Racist?. Eli, noting the rampant grade inflation at many institutions, asks if we have a way of fixing the problem and wants to know if our own grading standards have changed over the years (here’s the Yascha Mounk post she references). RAO wants to know what we think of alternative education, like home schooling, micro-schools, charter schools, and so on. Jerry Zuriff wants to know why John likes hip-hop. Given that, on average, American girls perform better than American boys in high school, Michael asks if colleges should give preferences to males over females. Or would that run afoul of SFFA v. Harvard? And finally, DG wants to know why John never got interested in sports.