Race and Classics

Here’s my latest conversation with John McWhorter. Our talk ranges over a number of seemingly unrelated subjects. We discuss the decision by Princeton's classics department to stop requiring students to master Greek and Latin (which John sees as a lowering of standards). We analyze the general problem Black students face of deciding whether to "dispel" doubts about their abilities through outstanding performance on the tests, or to "dismiss" those doubts by rejecting the tests as intrinsically biased. We also talk about my appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News platform (which John had advised against). And we conclude, anticipating the upcoming Father’s Day celebrations, with some reflections on fatherhood.

0:00 Intro

1:30 John takes issue with antiracism in Princeton’s classics department

15:48 Glenn: Black people should embrace and exceed institutional standards

25:22 Meeting the challenge of academic performance

33:57 Stepping outside yourself

40:28 Glenn’s recent appearance on Tucker Carlson Today

51:14 Glenn and John remember their fathers

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