Yascha Mounk on defeating identity politics

How to battle identity politics and defend liberal values of universalism, free speech, and open inquiry

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My guest today is Johns Hopkins professor Yascha Mounk, the founder of the online magazine Persuasion and the author of the important new book The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time. 

The Identity Trap explains how identity politics and social justice discourse have come to dominate contemporary discussions of just about everything, analyzes their negative influence on society, and shows how to confront and defeat them in the name of liberal values of free expression and open inquiry.

Yascha was a prime mover behind the 2020 open letter on "justice and open debate" in Harper's magazine and is one of the most powerful defenders of free speech and the marketplace of ideas at work today.

This interview took place at the Reason Speakeasy, a live, unscripted monthly conversation held in New York City with outspoken defenders of free speech and heterodox thinking. Go here for information about upcoming events.

[davidson]

Liberal bigotry towards non liberals is worse then racial bigotry.

[AlisonGranger-sz]

Buy this man's book, you won't regret it.

[Tunick]

Mounk is wonderful. The moderator is sub par.

[abramgaller]

The first thing to do about identity politics is "not believe!"

[TIm_Bugge]

The function of the 'Right' is not simply to 'counter-balance' the 'Left', but instead functions as a valve, asking ''why should I follow you?" The burdon of persuasion is always born by those who demand special status in their claim to common resources. If, on any issue, you find youself unpersueded by such a claim, you are, for the intents and purposes of the claim, functioning as an agent of the right, politically speaking.

[ratonsito]

Interesting stuff. I like Mounk's explanation of the theoretical sources better than Rufo's.

[mjpich]

Monk, only recently coming to my limited attention, to pique my interest, I'm glad this interview was available. Always informed, wide ranging representations of the people and ideas we live with.
Always dependable Reason. Another good, helpful hour (or so) with bonus of good humor.

[jcheroske]

The host is one of the most annoying people I've ever seen facilitate an interview. If he would have just kept quiet the talk would have been so much better. His constant interrupting just to inflate his ego is 🤬

[nycgweed]

Like how he uses a picture when he had hair

[ryancormack]

Old arguments. A lively debate would be 100x more interesting.

[mattcarman]

Awesome, I just bought his book and have been listening to lots of pods lately with him selling his book, he's great and super smart, I'm a big fan...But I'm mostly happy he decided to shave his head, I've been telling him in my living room for a while now 🤪 Hit it with a razor for the next round IMO, but I'm def clearly biased 🤓

[adamjuneau]

you mos pulled a bait and switch on me.

[kevinadams]

I listen to a couple debates today before this. Both times i left thinking both had good points. This interview didn't do that for me. The only time he said anything i agreed with was when he critiqued how identity politics have got things wrong.

[TheWhitehiker]

CRT was attacked simply BECAUSE it only presented its narrow negative view of US culture and history; Mounk seems to miss this.
Florida was right to have a balanced replacement for CRT.

[monkeyperson]

how about defeating identity politics in Israel first? then come to our countries and we talk about it.

[kevindavis]

I have read a few of his articles. Can't say I can agree with him on some topics.

[DarkHorseSki]

If you can call socialism, "socialism", then you should be able to call woke, "woke." Being afraid to use words means we have less reason to listen to any of your words.

[nobodynoone]

This creep is talking out of both sides of his mouth. Don't give people airtime just because they "agree" with you on one hot-button issue. This is the crap that made me unsub to begin with.

[TheWhitehiker]

Mounk sees sympathetic to the neo-Marxist etc. misconceptions.
Otherwise, he gives definitions and explanations that are hardly new.

[aptkeyboard]

This video has to be being throttled by YouTube.