So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast
News:Politics
In late 2013, some of us at FIRE started noticing a change on college campuses. Students, who were previously the strongest constituency for free speech on campus, were turning against free speech. They began appealing to administrators more frequently for protection from different speakers and using the language of trauma and safety to justify censorship.
During the 1964 Berkeley Free Speech Movement, students demanded more free speech. Now, they were demanding more censorship.
What changed?
Neil Howe may have an answer. He is a historian, economist, and demographer who speaks frequently on generational change. He has co-authored several books with William Strauss, including “Generations” and “The Fourth Turning.” His most recent book, “The Fourth Turning is Here,” was published last year. Howe argues that history has seasonal rhythms of growth, maturation, entropy, and rebirth and that different generations take on different attributes reflecting their place in the cycle.
Joining Howe and host Nico Perrino for the conversation is FIRE President and CEO Greg Lukianoff, co-author of “The Canceling of the American Mind” and “The Coddling of the American Mind.”
Note: Nico’s lavalier microphone was too close to his mouth during this recording, producing what we in the biz call “clipping.” Hence, Nico sounds a bit crunchier than normal. We apologize if it’s distracting, but we hope it’s not!
Timestamps
0:00 Introduction
6:10 Neil’s intent with his book, “Generations”
13:12 Pattern in American history
17:08 The nomad archetype
25:00 Covid and the younger generation
27:28 Do people shape events?
35:35 Gen-Xers and Millennials
41:45 The Fourth Turning
50:24 William James’ “The Moral Equivalent of War”
57:08 Are Gen-Z actually Millennials?
58:10 Dominant generations
01:06:40 How do generational cycles impact civil liberties?
01:10:57 Summary of Millennials
01:18:15 Peaceful periods lead to greater inequality
1:19:16 Outro
Show Notes
Neil Howe’s Substack, “Demography Unplugged”
Greg Lukianoff’s Substack, “The Eternally Radical Idea”
Ep. 196 ‘The Identity Trap’ by Yascha Mounk
Ep. 195 ‘Don’t Tread on Me,’ misgendering, cancel culture, and three strikes for Texas
Ep. 194 Harvey Silverglate, the beatnik criminal defense attorney
Ep. 193 Can you still have a debate in high school debate?
Ep. 192 Free speech at the Supreme Court
Ep. 191 Civil liberties and Civil War
Ep. 190 Free speech and Abolitionism
Ep. 189 Why should we care about punk rock?
Ep. 188 How to make a winning free speech argument
Ep. 187 Dominion vs. Fox lawyers reflect on historic case
Ep. 186 Killer Mike on free speech, racial justice, and Rap on Trial
Ep. 185 Sex, drugs, and free speech (Bob Guccione Jr. and Nick Gillespie)
Ep. 184 What’s going on in Florida?
Ep. 183 The Stanford shout-down with David Lat
Ep. 182 Ilya Shapiro on Fox/Dominion and his ‘cancel culture nightmare’
Ep. 181 New York Times v. Sullivan and its future
Ep. 180 Super Bowl free speech fumble
Ep. 179 Artificial intelligence: Is it protected by the First Amendment?
Ep. 178 The costs of offending religious sensitivities
Ep. 177 Are Ann Coulter’s words really ‘violence’?
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