Mary Eberstadt | The Sexual Revolution Was a Mistake

In this Direct interview, John is joined by author, essayist, novelist and commentator Mary Eberstadt as they tackle contentious issues including the impacts of the sexual revolution, the decline of the nuclear family, the #MeToo movement, the politicisation of sexual identity and much more.

Eberstadt argues that the sexual revolution has wrought great harm upon Western families, and despite lofty ideals of empowered individuals seeking, and finding, long-lasting pleasure, it has in fact resulted in atomisation, loneliness and deep misery & disconnection for many people, especially women and children.

Mary Eberstadt holds the Panula Chair at the Catholic Information Center and is a senior fellow with the Faith and Reason Institute. She is the author of several books, including Primal Screams and How the West Really Lost God, and has written widely for newspapers, magazines, and journals.

A frequent contributor to magazines and journals including TIME, the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and First Things, Eberstadt has also served as an editor at The Public Interest, The National Interest, and Policy Review. During the Reagan administration, Mrs. Eberstadt spent two years as a speechwriter to Secretary of State George Shultz. In summer 1981, she became the first female voting member of the student body at formerly all-male Deep Springs College.

Links

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- 00:00 Intro
- 00:31 Introducing Mary Eberstadt
- 02:25 Suffering through radical social change
- 07:00 The rise of identity politics
- 12:30 The damages of the sexual revolution
- 18:15 Unhappiness and loneliness amongst the younger generation
- 24:00 The consequences of fatherlessness
- 28:20 MeToo and the sexual revolution
- 32:00 How animals reveal the importance of family
- 36:50 Christianity as a foundation of social identity and ethics
- 41:00 The importance of forgiveness and redemption
- 45:50 Secularisation in the West
- 49:00 Political action for restoring families
- 55:30 A call to political tolerance
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Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.

John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate."

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