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. 78 LGBT equality and the First Amendment
Ep. 77 Campus speech roundup: Art censorship, porn filters, speech restrictions abroad, and litigation victories
Ep. 76 From black armbands to the U.S. Supreme Court
Ep. 75 Against ‘Free Speech’ with Anthony Leaker
Ep. 74 ‘The Half-Life of Facts’ with Samuel Arbesman
Ep. 73 ‘Uncensored’ with Zachary Wood
Ep. 72 ‘Bodied’ with director Joseph Kahn
Ep. 71 Thinking about free speech in bets with Annie Duke
Ep. 70 Free speech in the digital age with Jameel Jaffer
Ep. 69 Former Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr.
Ep. 68 'True threats' with David L. Hudson Jr.
Ep. 67 ‘The Coddling of the American Mind’
Ep. 66 Outrage mobs in comedy
Ep. 65 Artificial intelligence & speech rights
Ep. 64 How censorship crosses borders with Jacob Mchangama
Ep. 63 Supreme Court review: Kennedy, Kavanaugh, and “weaponizing the First Amendment”
Ep. 62 Most memorable FIRE cases
Ep. 61 ‘HATE’ with Nadine Strossen
Ep. 60 ‘Speak Freely’ with Professor Keith Whittington
Ep. 59 Debating ‘Is there a campus free speech crisis?’ with Sullivan, Haidt, Nossel, Sachs, & Foster
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