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. 176 Can a graphic designer be compelled to design a website for a same-sex wedding?
Ep. 175 Jawboning, book banning, and LeBron James thinks hate speech isn’t free speech (also Elon Musk … again)
Ep. 174 Elon Musk, PayPal, and is New York trying to destroy Twitch?
Ep. 173 Does your book need a sensitivity reader?
Ep. 172 What does the First Amendment protect on social media?
Ep. 171 Nature Human Misbehavior
Ep. 170 Free speech and the American Founding
Ep. 169 The Art of Insubordination
Ep. 168 Assassin’s veto comes for Rushdie
Ep. 167 That Facebook post about abortion could land you in jail
Ep. 166 Substack, a platform for free speech?
Ep. 165 Title IX gets twisted again
Ep. 164 ‘The First Amendment created gay America’
Ep. 163 The new FIRE
Ep. 162 “Parental Advisory” and music censorship with Eric Nuzum
Ep. 161 What did ‘On the Media’ get wrong about free speech … again?
Ep. 160 Hugh Hefner, free speech scrapbooker
Ep. 159 Disney and Elon Musk
Ep. 158 What is academic freedom?
Ep. 157 Former BBC bureau chief Konstantin Eggert and what you need to know about censorship in Russia
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free