Reader Paul called my attention to the appearance of John McWhorter on Bill Maher’s show last night, along with Rick Wilson, Rob Reiner and Elissa Slotkin. Here’s the whole one-hour episode, and the McWhorter segment extends from 7:35 to 22:10. I haven’t listened to the rest. (For a five-minute segment, go here.)
It’s clear that Maher is a huge admirer of McWhorter, who doesn’t pull any punches in this interview (he says, for example, that the only use for Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility is “to keep tables from wobbling”). McWhorter also denies that most black people have internalized themselves as victims of a white-supremacist system.
The important question remains : is it printed on soft, absorbent paper?
Subsidiary question – does the ink run?
The McWhorter segment was very good:
Based on yesterday’s McWhorter video and today’s, I don’t think John is Christian. 😉
edit … editing works
Edge
I’ve been following McWhorter’s career ever since he published Losing the Race two decades ago, and I’ve never gotten the sense he’s a religious believer. My only concern with him in this regard came when he had intelligent-design creationist Michael Behe on as a guest on his Blogginheads.tv show in 2009. I think it was entirely appropriate for him to have Behe on the show, but McWhorter should have been prepared to challenge him with tough scientifically based questions, whereas he gave him an easy ride. I believe McWhorter himself has come to understand this incident as a faux pas.
By the way, Rob Reiner wasn’t on the show unless I blinked and missed him. Looks like Rick Wilson, who was not mentioned in the YT description, was a last-minute substitute. It was one of Maher’s better shows, IMHO.
McWorther is good, I’d really like to see him debate Kendi or DiAngelo, On occasion a slaughter (well, that is what it would probably be) would be great to watch. But Kendi and DiAngelo realize they probably would be slaughtered and hence will not debate him.
Based on yesterday’s McWhorter video and todays, I don’t think John is Christian. 😉