The John Wood Jr. Show Begins

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a celebrated scholar, stateswoman and activist who has championed women's rights and liberal values while opposing identity politics and religious extremism. She has been maligned for her views, and as you will hear her say here, she has made mistakes along the way. But I was honored to speak to Ayaan because she has always struck me as a true example of moral and intellectual courage. Please enjoy this short conversation touching on virtue, philosophical nonviolence and the work of Martin Luther King Jr., polarization and race with one of the most fascinating public personalities in the world.

Is "Wokism" a religion? The modern antiracist movement, often referred to as the Woke movement, has provoked backlash for seemingly seeking to deplatform and censor Americans with dissenting points of view, and attributing racism to wide swaths of American society. According to John McWhorter, this is because "Wokism" is less an ideology and more an irrational religion. But is it? I ask John some questions to see if he isn't rushing to this characterization too quickly. As always John is ready to respond. www.braverangels.org Twitter: @JohnHMcWhorter @JohnRWoodJr @BraverAngels

Is the black American experience defined by race in 2021? Or are the struggles of millions of African-Americans far more a symptom of class? Bertrand Cooper is a deeply insightful yet underappreciated voice on the intersections of race and poverty in American life. In our conversation we talk about popular culture's representation of black life, the differences in the black experience as a function of class, and Bertrand's own compelling journey through race, poverty and the ladder of education. Read Bertrand's seminal essay Who Actually Gets to Create Black Pop Culture for Current Affairs:  https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/who-actually-gets-to-create-black-pop-culture Twitter: @_BlackTrash @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr  Websites: www.braverangels.org

Dennis Prager, (author, talk radio show host and long time thought leader among American conservatives) believes that everything the left touches it destroys. But is there nothing to empathize with on the left? That was the conversation I wound up having with Dennis particularly with respect to the subject of race.  Twitter: @DennisPrager @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr  Websites: www.braverangels.org www.prageru.com/

A quick filler episode! I wanted to take a moment to talk about the importance of understanding what we don't know, and the limited value of understanding facts outside of experience. I also talk about my conversation with Dave Rubin, my recent appearance with economist Glenn Loury and upcoming podcast with Dennis Prager. See Glenn and I at the Manhattan Institute: https://youtu.be/W8YnyUu6qAg Join Braver Angels: www.braverangels.org Twitter: @JohnRWoodJr @BraverAngels

Braver Angels is America' largest, grassroots, bipartisan organization in America dedicated to reviving the communal spirit of American democracy. A high-minded vision! I've been a leader of Braver Angels for going on four years now. But I wouldn't be on the front lines of this movement to unite the American people in goodwill if it wasn't for my long time friend and associate, writer, historian and Braver Angels staffer Luke Phillips. Luke drops by the studio in L.A. for a conversation looking back on our path to Braver Angels, and the personal struggles and circumstances that led us to the movement to depolarize America. Twitter: @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr Websites: www.braverangels.org

I find myself on Twitter perhaps a little more than is healthy. But one thing that has been very healthy for me is interacting with Will Fullwood (mathematics teacher, host of the Contraband Wagon) Brandon Bradford (writer and consultant) and Dr. Mansa Keita (PhD computer science) as they've criticized conservatives and traditional liberals (sometimes myself) for the blindspots on race and reason they see as being prevalent in the online heterodox community. Do "classical liberals" and others in the cross-partisan conversational space deceived themselves into thinking they are objective? Is "colorblindness" really a problem?  Twitter: @rasmansa @ContrabandsM @BrandonLBradfor @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr Websites: www.braverangels.org www.thecontrabandwagon.com

Karen Hunter, the host of The Karen Hunter Show on Sirius XM, is a fearless voice on the airwaves for justice and truth telling. She's lived a successful life as a journalist, author and activist; yet Karen is not optimistic about America's ability to overcome the racism she sees as operating at its core. I try to give a more hopeful view, even as Karen surprises me with some of her takes on the importance of owning our racial identity and the problems with labels. Karen is a strong, gracious woman with the courage of her convictions...it's well worth giving her a listen.  Twitter: @braverangels @karenhunter, @JohnRWoodJr Websites: www.braverangels.org www.karenhuntershow.com

Dave Rubin, the host of The Rubin Report, has famously traveled from one side to the other of our political spectrum. Once a rising star on the progressive network The Young Turks, Rubin moved to the center becoming a pillar figure in the diverse, counter-cultural online movement often referred to as The Intellectual Dark Web. As that space began unraveling however Dave became a champion of the libertarian right, emerging as a wildly popular personality in conservative America. But does Dave still think we can reach across the divides to heal our politics in the USA? Rubin and I talk about everything in this episode - from the business model of polarization to the Intellectual Dark Web, the realities of Black history, social justice progressives, Never-Trump Republicans, President Trump, Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro, David French all the way to the Nonviolent Movement and the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.; as well as, of course, the work of Braver Angels.  Every word of this conversation is worth hearing. I hope you enjoy! Twitter: @braverangels @RubinReport, @JohnRWoodJr

America is caught in the grip of the culture wars. Unity and respect look like old fashioned ideas. But some Americans are rejecting cynicism in favor of trying to reach each other from across the divides. John Wood Jr. is national ambassador for Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots organization working to heal the political divide from the halls of congress to your living room. In this opening overview John opens the door for conversations and insights into politics, race, religion and the movement to rebuild trust across these dividing lines from Braver Angels and beyond. Join us at www.braverangels.org Twitter: @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr