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The idea for this episode was born on Twitter. Someone wondered if Charles Murray would be willing to do a podcast with journalist Steve Sailer, who, like Charles, is willing to confront openly the most delicate aspects of race and class in America—and gets the same treatment from liberals everywhere: complete demonization.
I offered to host, and Charles and Steve, who have never met, agreed.
Well I asked a lot of questions, by mostly just tried to get out of the way and let Charles and Steve talk, and really work through some questions at leisure. We talked so long that this became a two-part episode (with part 2 coming next week).
We start here with some general observations about "the great awokening" of the last decade, and how the roots of the madness we saw in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in 2020 were well under way years before. What were those roots, and how did Obama figure into this story? The consequences of substituting "equity" for equality are too obvious to need mentioning, but we discuss them anyway.
The second half, next week, will examine some of the more specific aspects of education today, starting with the current attack on meritocracy, which Charles and Steve agree, paradoxically, is not without it merits!
P.S. Here's the podcast episode with Charles from four years ago that I mention in the introduction, "How Charles Murray Became Charles Murray."
Steve Hayward
Steve Sailer
Discussion (12)
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The equivalent Powerline Post is headlined
PODCAST: A CONSERVATION WITH CHARLES MURRAY AND STEVE SAILER, PT. 1
Conservation?
PODCAST ORGANIZATION
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Hey man I thought you were a friend? (Actually, thx.)
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Wow!
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There is no one for whom the gap between the value of what he has to say and the attention paid to it is wider than Steve Sailer. Murray is in the running of course, but he's a lot more famous so Sailer wins. In a rational world, Sailer would be writing books, speaking at colleges, working for think tanks. In our dumb world, he's asking for support from his twitter followers. Of course, a rational world would have no need for Steve Sailer. It's a Catch-22 I guess.
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So very much enjoyed the conversation and very much looking forward to next week!!
However, there was one very serious critique of the Bell Curve and Mr. Murry did discuss thoroughly with them...that is of course Thomas Sowell. Dr Sowell's responses may be found in several essays but also in Jason Riley's autobiography Maverick.
Nothing to take away from the conversation but an observation...
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