Episode · People I (Mostly) Admire · 2022-04-23
Books mentioned on 72. “Leaving Black People in the Lurch”
Linguist and social commentator John McWhorter explains how good intentions may be hurting Black America — and where the word “motherf*cker” comes from. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.
Steve Levitt discussed Nine Nasty Words : English in the Gutter by John McWhorter and Woke Racism by John McWhorter.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Nine Nasty Words : English in the Gutter
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter by John McWhorter is a linguistic exploration that documents the history and evolution of various profane words, ranging from relatively tame terms to totally taboo language.
Discussed“So your playful side comes out in a book that you wrote last year called Nine Nasty Words and you document the history of various profane words from the pretty tame like damn and hell to the totally taboo in the form of the n-word”
Where to get it
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Woke Racism
Woke Racism by John McWhorter is a critical examination of contemporary social justice movements, arguing that a new dogmatic ideology functions similarly to a traditional religion and negatively impacts Black America.
Discussed“Your book entitled Woke Racism was published last year and the subtitle of that book is How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“So, of course, maybe there's a Bible. Maybe you see them on signs occasionally.”
“after this short break they'll return to talk about John's book Woke Racism”