Interview with Coleman Hughes: The End of Race Politics

In this special episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo interviews Coleman Hughes on his new book The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America. They discuss Hughes’ case for colorblindness, his critique of the “anti-racist” movement, and his views about why we need to abandon race as a meaningful category. Hughes also comments on Ayn Rand's individualist analysis of racism. Among the topics covered: How the ideal of colorblindness disappeared from American intellectual life; How the concept of colorblindness has been misunderstood; How the “anti-racist” movement perverted the concept of "racism"; The meaning of the attempts to suppress Hughes’ TED talk; Hughes’ evaluation of Ayn Rand’s individualist critique of racism; How to think about racism today; Pinning down the vague notion of “systemic racism”; How universities push a perverted conception of diversity; How the “anti-racist” movement craves power, not justice; Why race says nothing about a person's identity. Mentioned in this podcast is Ayn Rand’s essay “Racism.” The podcast was recorded on January 23, 2024. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here. https://youtu.be/_d0Xp0NhxC8 Podcast audio: