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3 episodes with john wood jr
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Send Wilk a text with your feedback!Replay: Polarization – The Issue of Our Time (feat. John Wood Jr.)This week, I'm re-sharing a powerful episode from the DTH archives during a little family downtime. In this classic, I sat down with my good friend and Braver Angels National Ambassador, John Wood Jr., to tackle what may be the greatest challenge facing our country: polarization.We discuss:Why polarization prevents progress on all other issuesHow to better engage with people who think differentlyThe dangers of whataboutism and political panderingWhy long-term thinking beats short-term outrageJohn brings the kind of insight and calm conviction that's rare in today's divided landscape. This episode is packed with value—don't miss it!
Airdate 4/1/25) John Wood, Jr. is a national leader for Braver Angels, a former nominee for Congress, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, an opinion columnist for USA Today and a noted writer and speaker on issues of political and racial reconciliation. He is the host of "The Reconstruction Project w/ John Wood Jr." On this podcast John and Dominique debate tariffs, Kamala Harris and whether or not we are already living in an authoritarian state.https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/ https://www.instagram.com/kbla1580/ https://www.instagram.com/johnrwoodjr/ https://braverangels.org/our-leaders/#:~:text=John%20Wood%2C%20Jr.%20is%20a%20national%20leader%20for,speaker%20on%20issues%20of%20political%20and%20racial%20reconciliation
Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator, and co-host of the radio program “Truth Time,” and the national spokesperson for Braver Angels, John Wood Jr., talk about trending political topics.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.
Our Braver Angels segment for the month of March was about the Braver Angels National Community Debate – National Debate Series: Trump’s First 100 days. This free national debate offers participants from across the ideological spectrum will have an opportunity to speak and ask their questions. There will also be opportunities for participants to share their experiences in the past 100 days as well. John Wood Jr, National Ambassador for Braver Angels provided insight into the new initiative. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
(Airdate 2/18/25) John Wood Jr. is a national leader for Braver Angels, a former nominee for congress, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, musical artist and a writer and speaker on subjects including racial and political reconciliation. On this podcast Dominique and John spar on the state of the U.S. Govt under the new Trump administration, the roots of Black conservatism and the future of the Republic.https://www.instagram.com/johnrwoodjr/ https://www.instagram.com/diprimaradio/?hl=en
(Airdate 1/7/24) John Wood Jr. is a national leader for Braver Angels, a former nominee for congress, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, musical artist and a noted writer and speaker and host of The Reconstruction Project on KBLA 1580 AM. . On this "Talking Point Tuesday" Dominique and John intellectually joust on the "bright side" of the incoming MAGA administration.https://braverangels.org/author/johnbetter-angels-org/ https://www.dominiquediprima.com/
30 to Life is back for season 5. In this episode, Muki and Brown discuss all things politics and the history of the black vote with John Wood Jr. Tune in!More about our guest: John Wood Jr. is a writer, podcaster and noted public speaker nationally recognized as a leading voice on issues of political and racial reconciliation. He is national ambassador for Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots, bipartisan organization dedicated to political depolarization.He has been a contributing writer for media outlets including USA Today, The Washington Examiner, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo News, and more. He believes in bridging the gap between progressive and conservative Americans through thoughtful dialogue and compassionate understanding rooted in our shared value for American Democracy. In 2021, he began hosting his own podcast, The John Wood Jr. Show, where he features conversations on restoring civic discourse with other political commentators and thought leaders. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/30tolifepod/support
Republican John Wood Jr. unpacks his latest USA Today column on why he's not voting for Trump or Harris but for Independent presidential candidate Dr. Cornel West. Plus, we get his take on other trending political news.
Sebastian talks to John Wood Jr., National Ambassador for Braver Angels, about how our society lost faith in Faith, and what we can do to restore traditional masculinity.Support the show: https://www.sebgorka.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Wood Jr is a national spokesperson for Braver Angels, a former candidate for congress and former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County. On this podcast Dominique and John intellectually joust across the aisle is the spirit of disagreeing without disrespect. www.braverangels.org www.dominiquediprima.com
Sebastian is joined in-studio by John Wood Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels, about the importance of teaching young men how to be men.Support the show: https://www.sebgorka.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Wood Jr. — USA Today columnist John Wood Jr. is a notable figure in bridging political divides. He joins Tavis in studio to discuss conservative activist Charlie Kirk's campaign to discredit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the landmark civil rights act he helped enact.
Time For A Depolarization "Manhattan Project"?In a conversation I was having with friend John Wood Jr. of Braver Angels, he said and I often quote, "Polarization is the one problem that ensures all other problems won't be solved". Many, me being one of them, have said that polarization could realistically be a true existential threat to our great country. Why then do more politicians not take more seriously this threat and work toward solutions? I have my thoughts on that and speak of them often. One solution friends of mine have tossed around is a depolarization "Manhattan Project" of sorts. If not familiar, the Manhattan Project was a research and development project during World War II in which the United States, along with its allies, developed the first nuclear weapons. The project involved the work of many scientists, engineers, and support staff, and its success lead to the end of the war with Japan and marked the beginning of the nuclear age. What if such a collaboration could be done to fix polarization? Is it time for a Depolarization Manhattan Project?Who is Daniel F. Stone?You may remember Dan from his first DTH appearance in Episode 161.Dan Stone is an Associate Professor of Economics that has been teaching in the Economics department at Bowdoin since 2012 and prior to that he was an assistant professor at Oregon State University from 2008-2012. Dan's research is on belief formation, political media, polarization, and inter-personal hostility (a.k.a. affective polarization). Dan's book, “Undue Hate” dives in to “How to understand the mistakes we make about those on the other side of the political spectrum—and how they drive the affective polarization that is tearing us apart.” Contact Dan on (X): @d_f_stoneAbout our guest host, Julian Adorney:Julian Adorney is an author and speaker focused on preserving and rebuilding the West against the threats of illiberalism and affective polarization. He's written for Quillette, Queer Majority, National Review, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) and a few other sites; and is on the Braver Angels media team. He's the founder of Heal the West, a substack movement.What have you done today to make your life a better life? What have you done today to make the world a better place? The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us leading a better life. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you've got. Make each and every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio. Please leave us a rating and feedback. Send me a message on any media platform or subscribe directly from our sites. Let us know about someone you think should be on our podcast. If we book them for a conversation, I'll send you a free gift! Not on social media? You can share your thoughts directly with me at wilk@wilksworld.comI look forward to hearing from you!
Sebastian talks to John Wood Jr., ambassador for Braver Angels and a former congressional candidate, about why black voters are so inclined to view everything in terms of race, even when racism doesn't really exist anymore in America.Support the show: https://www.sebgorka.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
John Wood Jr. is a national leader for Braver Angels, a former nominee for congress, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, musical artist and a noted writer and speaker on subjects including racial and political reconciliation. Twitter: @JohnRWoodJr @BraverAngels @diprimaradio @KBLA1580
This week on the Change Maker: John Wood Jr. John is an ambassador for Braver Angels a former nominee for Congress, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, a musical artist, and a noted writer and speaker on subjects including racial and political reconciliation. Deke and John discuss the recent gathering in Gettysburg arranged by Braver Angels, the difficulties dividing our nation today, and how we might overcome them. You can find more information about John Wood Jr. and Braver Angels at: https://braverangels.org/ To find more information on this show: https://www.augustapodcasts.com/thechangemaker Watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/G0kWMIuS0hU
John Wood Jr. – USA TODAY columnist, national leader for Braver Angels and host of KBLA's “The Reconstruction Project” – joins Tavis to share his thoughts on what to make of recent data that suggests that the United States has become more politically polarized than it was a just decade ago
Episode 1603: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to John Wood Jr, National Ambassador for Braver Angels, about the role of diplomacy, music and conversation in getting Americans of different political persuasions to begin talking to one another again John Wood Jr. started as an opinion columnist for USA TODAY in May 2022. He is also National Ambassador for Braver Angels; America's largest bipartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to the work of political depolarization. Prior to that Wood was a nominee for congress in California's 43rd district in the 2014 election cycle, afterwards serving as 2nd Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County (America's largest county level Republican Party). John is highly regarded public speaker on matters of racial and political reconciliation. He is a member of the Progress Network, an initiative of the New America Foundation dedicated to foster civilizational progress through thought leadership across a wide spectrum of views, a field builder with New Pluralists, a collaborative of organizations dedicated to civic bridge-building and racial justice, and an advisor with the American Project: an initiative of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy dedicated to restoring the communitarian roots of conservatism. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is John Wood Jr. John is a national leader at Braver Angels, which is a grassroots organization dedicated to the work of political depolarization. He's also a writer for USA Today. He's a former vice chairman of the Republican Party of LA County and a former nominee for Congress. John is also the host of the podcast "Uniting America with John Wood Jr."John and I talk about 2020 and the legacy of BLM. We talk about the emotional and psychological pull of wokeness. We talk about the status of the American dream. I talk about my experience as a kid switching from public school to private school. We talk about the cultural barriers to success for Black and Hispanic kids. We talk about the similarities between original sin and white privilege and much more. I really enjoy this conversation and I hope you do too.#AdFactor: Head to factormeals.com/coleman50 and use code coleman50 to get 50% off your first box!Rhone: Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use COLEMAN to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/COLEMAN
My guest today is John Wood Jr. John is a national leader at Braver Angels, which is a grassroots organization dedicated to the work of political depolarization. He's also a writer for USA Today. He's a former vice chairman of the Republican Party of LA County and a former nominee for Congress. John is also the host of the podcast "Uniting America with John Wood Jr." John and I talk about 2020 and the legacy of BLM. We talk about the emotional and psychological pull of wokeness. We talk about the status of the American dream. I talk about my experience as a kid switching from public school to private school. We talk about the cultural barriers to success for Black and Hispanic kids. We talk about the similarities between original sin and white privilege and much more. I really enjoy this conversation and I hope you do too. #Ad Factor: Head to factormeals.com/coleman50 and use code coleman50 to get 50% off your first box! Rhone: Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use COLEMAN to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/COLEMAN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
My guest today is John Wood Jr. John is a national leader at Braver Angels, which is a grassroots organization dedicated to the work of political depolarization. He's also a writer for USA Today. He's a former vice chairman of the Republican Party of LA County and a former nominee for Congress. John is also the host of the podcast "Uniting America with John Wood Jr."John and I talk about 2020 and the legacy of BLM. We talk about the emotional and psychological pull of wokeness. We talk about the status of the American dream. I talk about my experience as a kid switching from public school to private school. We talk about the cultural barriers to success for Black and Hispanic kids. We talk about the similarities between original sin and white privilege and much more. I really enjoy this conversation and I hope you do too.#AdFactor: Head to factormeals.com/coleman50 and use code coleman50 to get 50% off your first box!Rhone: Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use COLEMAN to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/COLEMAN
Finding Common Ground With Those Who Hold Contrary BeliefsPolarization and tribalism have taken hold of many parts of our public discourse today. It has been my experience that many who I once thought to be reasonable, have now placed politics over principles. How did we get here? When people place political blinders on, and quit interacting with those of differing mindsets, they often lose their ability to focus on things such as integrity, consistency and our common humanity. As my friend and Braver Angels brother John Wood Jr. recently stated in DTH Episode 165, "Polarization is the one problem that ensures all other problems won't be solved". Why? If we we are not having conversations with those of differing mindsets, we lose the opportunity for finding common ground with those who hold contrary beliefs.Who is Jefferson Shupe and what is "The Bathwater Brigade"?Jefferson Shupe is a father, software coder, musician and author living with his family in Utah. After making plenty of his own mistakes when it came to public political discourse, Jefferson began to realize that toxic conversations and interactions seldom, if ever, led to positive or productive results. Jefferson has a strong passion for discussing world events with friends and strangers who challenge his ideas as he try's to make sense of it all and connect with founding principles. This passion led to Jefferson writing "The Bathwater Brigade" a novel on principles over politics. It is a fictional account of what happens when a racial tragedy divides a Texas college town and a free-speech club stands for unity amid violent demands for its termination.Learn more and connect with Jefferson Shupe by checking out the full show notes for this episode at DerateTheHate.com.What have you done today to make your life a better life? What have you done today to make the world a better place? The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us leading a better life. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you've got. Make each and every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , TruthSocial, Parler, Rumble, YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio. Please leave us a rating and feedback. Send me a message on any media platform or subscribe directly from our sites. Let us know about someone you think should be on our podcast. If we book them for a conversation, I'll send you a free gift! Not on social media? You can share your thoughts directly with me at wilk@wilksworld.comI look forward to hearing from you!Please check out our affiliates page by clicking HERE!
John Wood Jr. - national leader for Braver Angels, former Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County and USA TODAY columnist - joins Tavis to share a little bit about himself, and to talk about what we can expect from one of KBLA's new weekend programs he's hosting, “The Reconstruction Project with John Wood Jr.” on at 9am on Sundays.
Polarization, The Issue Of Our TimePeople who know me, or those who have listened to the DTH podcast for long know about my great passion for depolarization. With a mission statement like “Bettering the world, one attitude at a time”, it's easy to surmise that to better the world, we as individuals must get along with each other. I know that getting everyone to agree is unrealistic, in fact, I'd say it's unhealthy and unproductive. I do think it's time we all put greater effort into getting along with those of differing mindsets than our own. Why? As my guest this week says, “Polarization is the one problem that ensures all other problems won't be solved.” I could not agree with him more. Polarization, it's the issue of our time.Who is John Wood Jr.?John Wood Jr. is one of today's leading figures in the American depolarization movement. John is a nationally recognized speaker, columnist for USA Today and podcaster. John also serves as national ambassador for Braver Angels, the United States largest grassroots, bipartisan organization dedicated to depolarization and bridging the divide between Americans on topics such as politics, race, economics, etc. John and I take a deep dive in this episode into how and why he got involved in Braver Angels. Other topics of discussion are:· Working effectively with those with whom we disagree.· The failed strategy of “whataboutism”· Politicians and the media use the same strategy of pandering to small subsets of society instead of broad scope thinking.· Long term strategies “long game thinking" vs. immediate attention grabbers.· How conservatives did not engage until they were enraged.· Braver Angels National Convention in Gettysburg, PA July 5-9, 2023And so much more… This is truly an episode you don't want to miss! This is an episode you should download, share, and listen to multiple times. SO MUCH VALUE! Do Not Miss This!Learn more about and connect with John Wood Jr. online by checking out the full show notes for this episode at DerateTheHate.com.What have you done today to make your life a better life? What have you done today to make the world a better place? The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us leading a better life. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you've got. Make each and every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , TruthSocial, Parler, Rumble, YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio. Please leave us a rating and feedback. Send me a message on any media platform or subscribe directly from our sites. Let us know about someone you think should be on our podcast. If we book them for a conversation, I'll send you a free gift! Not on social media? You can share your thoughts directly with me at wilk@wilksworld.comI look forward to hearing from you!Please check out our affiliates page by clicking HERE!
(Airdate 5/30/23) John Wood Jr is a national leader for Braver Angels - his mission is reviving the communal fabric of democracy. He is the former head of the LA County Republican Party. What's in a name; Red & Blue vs. Left & Right are they labels or limitations? What is equity through a Republican lens? Which Republican candidate does John think will secure the nomination? This and more are on the agenda for this lively podcast. www.braverangels.org
Saving Elephants | Millennials defending & expressing conservative values
What do Russell Kirk and Martin Luther King Jr. have in common? Though they're traditionally depicted as coming from opposing political orientations, National Ambassador for Braver Angels John Wood Jr. believes a deeper understanding of their religious convictions and societal aspirations reveals an important commonality between these two men. And this commonality points us to the restoration of tradition and community. John Wood Jr. joins Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis as they explore what value Kirk and King symbolize in the conservative project of restoration. They also discuss whether Jesus can heal our political divide, the role of faith in politics, and what John's experiences as a black conservative has taught him. About John Wood Jr. John Wood Jr. is the National Ambassador for Braver Angels—the largest bipartisan, grassroots organization in the United States that seeks to depolarize our politics. In 2014, Wood was the Republican nominee for California's 43rd congressional district and ran against the formidable 17-term Maxine Waters. Wood has served as Vice-Chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, America's largest county-level Republican party. He is a musical artist and a noted writer and speaker on subjects including racial and political reconciliation. You can find him on Twitter at @JohnRWoodJr
In this episode of The Heart Speaks, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Wood Jr., a highly regarded public speaker and National Ambassador for Braver Angels, about my program called the "Theory of Enchantment." We delved into the ways in which this approach leverages philosophy and popular culture to humanize our differences, rather than pit our experiences against each other. During our conversation, we also explored my relationship to theology, the idea of the Kingdom of God, and the strengths and weaknesses of major thinkers such as Ibram X. Kendi on racial justice, and Jordan Peterson on religion. Be sure to share! About Chloé Chloé Valdary is a dynamic individual who has made significant contributions to the fields of education, entrepreneurship, and social justice. Her company, Theory of Enchantment, is a trailblazer in the realm of social and emotional learning, working to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to lead happy and fulfilling lives. In addition to this, the Theory of Enchantment also provides diversity and equality/inclusion training to companies and government agencies, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive environment. FOLLOW CHLOE VALDARY YouTube - https://bit.ly/CholeValdaryYouTube Twitter - https://bit.ly/3AKF9bb Facebook - https://bit.ly/3fYTmaC Instagram - https://bit.ly/3fSQj3X Website - https://bit.ly/3ThX41M FOLLOW JOHN WOOD JR. Twitter - https://bit.ly/3X9gwPn YouTube - https://bit.ly/3vzkF3g Facebook - https://bit.ly/3QdWgJT Instagram - https://bit.ly/3vDPG66 Website - https://bit.ly/3Gcf3AE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, we're bringing you a talk from our Acton Lecture Series from January 2023, that was co-sponsored by the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.In their own time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Russell Kirk occupied different ends of the political spectrum. Their philosophies inspired the two most powerful movements of the age: the Nonviolent Movement (which led the larger Civil Rights Movement) and the modern Conservative Movement. Without King and Kirk modern American Social Justice liberalism and modern American conservatism as we know them would not exist. And yet, for all of their differences, our modern politics suffer because contemporary liberalism and conservatism lack the grounding in virtues, communitarian values and faith in an ordered universe that both Kingian Nonviolence and Kirkian Conservatism held fast to. Is it possible that by reacquainting ourselves with these lost traditions we could summon the better angels of left and right and restore a politics of virtue for the modern age?John Wood Jr. is a writer, podcaster, and noted public speaker nationally recognized as a leading voice on issues of political and racial reconciliation. He is national ambassador for Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots, bipartisan organization dedicated to political depolarization.Subscribe to our podcastsRegister Now for Business Matters 2023Apply Now for Acton University 2023 (Early Bird Pricing) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Braver Angels national ambassador John Wood Jr. has launched a new podcast with the goal of uniting Americans. But episode one hit a splash of controversy after remarks from guest Sam Harris spread across the internet, provoking criticism from Elon Musk, Ben Shapiro and others. John explains the controversy and shares the mission of Uniting America with John Wood Jr. Subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube link: https://youtube.com/@unitingamericawithjohnwoodjr Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @JohnRWoodJr
The tide of opinion around COVID-19, the government's response, and the mRNA shots are turning worldwide. People are slowly but surely coming back to their senses, but the seeds of damage have been sown and there is no going back. Sam Harris, one of the leading public intellectuals, is a very good example of how our thinking around this event was shrouded in our faith in government, politicians, and public institutions. It shows just how far we have drifted from the principles of individual liberty and fallen into the arms of tyranny. Join me today as we critique an interview of Sam Harris on John Wood Jr.'s YouTube program, "Uniting America". Today I speak with Sam Harris, a philosopher, neuroscientist, author, host of The Making Sense podcast, and one of the foremost public intellectuals in the United States, if not the world. In this conversation, Sam and I talked about his unwillingness to publicly debate proponents of the stolen election claim and skeptics of the COVID-19 vaccine. We do talk about our mutual friend Brett Weinstein, one of the most prominent skeptics of our public health response to COVID, and the reasons why Sam chose not to engage Brett publicly. Reimagining the Project of Persuasion with Sam Harris - Ep 1 - YouTube --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/seth-martin0/message
(Airdate 12/15/22) https://braverangels.org/
Braver Angels leaders John Wood, Jr. (red) and Ciaran O'Connor (blue) come together for a wide-ranging debate on the most critical issues animating the 2022 midterm elections, including the economy, abortion, and the future of American democracy. Throughout the discussion, John and Ciaran demonstrate how to embrace humility in the pursuit of deeper truth.
In this week's episode, we take the show on the road, recording live from the Un-Convention 2022 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Hannah Tyler and Theresa Cardinal Brown interview delegates at the Un-Convention to get their thoughts on immigration, and are joined by special guests John Wood Jr., a national leader for Braver Angels, Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chair and Maryland Lieutenant Governor, and Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America. John talks about how to have more constructive conversations about controversial topics like immigration; Michael discusses how much has changed for Republicans on the issue of immigration in the last decade; and Nick shares his thoughts on how to address the growing partisan divide on immigration. The Un-Convention Un-Convention 2022 (full video) DACA Episode This podcast can also be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Want to listen to more podcasts focused on immigration? You can find all episodes here.
Sabine speaks with John Wood Jr. about political polarization in America and its effects on democracy, civil rights and activism today.
At a time of deepening polarization and social division, it's easy to become discouraged, disillusioned, and depressed. In this special roundtable episode, Braver Angels leaders Ciaran O'Connor, John Wood Jr., April Lawson Kornfield, and Monica Guzman come together to discuss how they keep the faith in our work and in each other. The group also discusses the recent abortion decision by the Supreme Court and what it means for Braver Angels' efforts to bridge the divide. Help us build a house united by supporting our work: www.braverangels.org/support-us Twitter: @braverangels, @ciaranjoconnor, @AprilALawson, @JohnRWoodJr, @moniguzman
On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib talks to his friend Claire Lehmann, founder and editor-in-chief of Quillette magazine, and columnist for The Australian. Though Lehmann's initial public prominence involved her key role in the “intellectual dark web,” publishing thinkers critical of identity politics like Coleman Hughes, John Wood Jr. and John McWhorter, Razib was especially interested in the fact that over the last few years she has gotten involved in various online discussions centered around cultural differences between her home nation of Australia, and the US, where the majority of Quillette's readers live. Razib draws Lehmann out about the fact that few Americans grasp what different views Australians usually hold about the balance between values of liberty and equality. This gap has resulted in several clashes online fueled more by ignorance than disagreement. Lehmann also discusses the disintegration of the intellectual dark web itself, and the future directions that Quillette will take. She notes that one of the major fissures between her own views and those of many intellectual dark web luminaries is that many of them, like Bret Weinstein, are more reflexive dissenters. Outside of a few topics, like racial essentialism, Lehmann observes that the intellectual dark web was never a coherent movement. Finally, she reflects on the positives and negatives of social media, and how it has changed over the last five years of her editorship of Quillette.
Manu Meel and the students of the cross-partisan campus group BridgeUSA are the vanguard of the civic bridge-building movement nationwide. What characterizes the 20-year-olds who are working across the divide to save American democracy, and what is the theory of change that defines the bridging/depolarization movement writ large? Does this work imply a centrism in defense of the status quo? Or is it an effort to establish a new type of political "center" that's not about political ideology at all? BridgeUSA co-founder and CEO Manu Meel tackles all of this and more with Braver Angels national ambassador John Wood Jr. Learn more about BridgeUSA's work at www.bridgeusa.org, and follow them on Instagram at @BridgeUSA_. Twitter: @braverangels, @JohnRWoodJr, @manumeel1, @BridgeUSA_
U.S. Senate candidate Steven Olikara has already had an impact on American democracy. He's the founder of the Millennial Action Project, a nonprofit that works with young policymakers on both a national and state level to bridge the partisan divide and spur collaborative legislation. But is that the type of attitude that can get you elected to Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat in today's divided America? In this first-ever candidate interview on The Braver Angels Podcast, Steven Olikara gives us the backstory of his relationship to democracy through his love of jazz, his work in the field of depolarization, and his experiences on the campaign trail. Learn more about Steven's campaign: www.stevenolikara.com Twitter: @braverangels, @StevenOlikara, @JohnRWoodJr
In this episode, we speak with John Wood Jr,. We discuss why John is so suited to tackling the seemingly intractable problem of polarization, the issues with the media today, the legitimacy crisis in our institutions, how to maintain social cohesion, how to get society talking again, and the jarring implications of Will Smith's Oscars slap. John Wood Jr, is a former nominee for Congress, former Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, musical artist, and a noted writer and speaker on subjects including racial and political reconciliation. He is also a national leader for Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to political depolarization that runs workshops, debates, and other events where Red and Blue participants attempt to better understand one another's positions and discover their shared values.
Since the advent of film, the racial dynamics of American life have been reflected, or perhaps distorted, by a movie and entertainment industry whose impact on racial issues has been more complex than many realize. Joy Donnell, cofounder of the Center for Intersectional Media and Entertainment (CIME), joins BA National Ambassador John Wood Jr. to explore Hollywood's legacy—a legacy she believes is fraught with troubling implications for racism and black America, both historically and in the present day. Twitter: @braverangels, @JohnRWoodJr, @doitinpublic
From the mid 1980's to the early 1990's, the United States of America was ravaged by the violence and destruction associated with the crack cocaine trade and epidemic. But more than anyone, inner-city African American communities felt the pain, setting the stage for mass incarceration and the social conflicts that rest in the background of our modern controversies over race and policing. In this episode, once drug dealer and contemporary community advocate Lorenzo Murphy takes us into his former life as right hand man to Los Angeles' most notorious drug dealer, Freeway Rick Ross, to give us a lens through which to see this pivotal, if tragic, period of Black American history. With Braver Angels national ambassador John Wood Jr. Twitter: @braverangels @JohnRWoodJr Instagram: murphy_law74 Websites: braverangels.org
The first High Noon guest of the new year is John Wood, Jr. Wood is a national ambassador for Braver Angels. He's also a former congressional candidate, a musician, and a writer, speaker, and thinker. John and Inez talk about finding a balance between a constrained vision of human nature and the possibility of genuine reconciliation despite America's very real racial divisions.Woods and Stepman have an honest conversation about the unique struggles, as well as the unique contributions, of black citizens to the United States, and whether any barriers to continued advancement are truly racial or more closely tracking class. They also discuss the fading role of religion in binding together the diverse peoples of America, and the relationship between oppression and great art.--High Noon is an intellectual download featuring conversations that make possible a free society. The podcast features interesting thinkers from all parts of the political spectrum to discuss the most controversial subjects of the day in a way that hopes to advance our common American future.Hosted by Inez Stepman of Independent Women's Forum.You can listen to the latest High Noon episode(s) here or wherever you get your podcasts. Then subscribe, rate, and share with your friends. If you are already caught up and want more, join our online community at iwf.org/connect. Be sure to subscribe to our emails to ensure you're equipped with the facts on the issues you care about most. Independent Women's Forum (IWF) believes all issues are women's issues. IWF promotes policies that aren't just well-intended, but actually enhance people's freedoms, opportunities, and choices. IWF doesn't just talk about problems. We identify solutions and take them straight to the playmakers and policy creators. And, as a 501(c)3, IWF educates the public about the most important topics of the day. Check out the Independent Women's Forum website for more information on how policies impact you, your loved ones, and your community: www.iwf.org. Subscribe to IWF's YouTube channel. Follow IWF on social media: - on Twitter- on Facebook- on Instagram #IWF #HighNoonPodcast #AllIssuesAreWomensIssues Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
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
Life has gotten a lot better for a lot of people. But the story of upward movement, while true overall, is not felt equally across society. We see the consequences of that playing out in the United States, where tension over our immediate failures, not celebration over our big-picture successes, carries the day. In this episode, we speak with public intellectual John Wood Jr, a national leader at Braver Angels, an organization dedicated to depolarizing politics, about the power of inner transformation to fuel societal change and how a multiplicity of American identities and stories can be unproblematic if we develop a new national sensibility of goodwill. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
Today's episode is actually a recording of an event I did a few weeks ago for the organisation Braver Angels. The mission of Braver Angels is to depolarise our politics by setting up dialogues between people who disagree on stuff. In that spirit, they set up this conversation between myself and Rakim Brooks, who is the Senior Campaign Strategist and Systemic Equality Campaign Manager for the ACLU. This was moderated by my friend John Wood Jr, a great Writer and National Leader for Braver Angels.We talk about Critical Race Theory, Group Psychology and Tribalism. The role history should play in our current political discourse, and we feel lots of questions from the audience. There were some interesting disagreements between me and Rakim and also many points of agreement. I hope you all enjoy this.#Ad Brilliant is a website and app that teaches you how to think and solve problems with fun, interactive lessons in STEM. With Brilliant's hands-on approach, you'll learn by doing instead of listening to lectures. It's a better and more fun way to learn. All of Brilliant's courses have storytelling, code-writing, interactive challenges, and problems to solve. Brilliant offers many well-curated sequences of problems that help you to master all sorts of technical subjects and achieve your goals in STEM. To check out the many courses available and find the one that's right for you, you can go to http://brilliant.org/CWC and sign up for free. The first 200 people that go to this link will get 20% off the annual Premium subscription.#ConversationswithColeman #CwC #ColemanHughes #CriticalRaceTheory #CRT #BlackAmerica #Poverty #ColorBlindness #CancelledCulture #PhilosophicalDivide #WorkingOnConversation #TheMythOfRace #Reparations #StructureOfSociety #BraverAngels #RakimBrooks #JohnWoodJr
Is there such a thing as a shared American identity? Is one even possible when we have a lack of shared vocabulary and interaction with those who think differently from us? John Wood, Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels, joins Debi Ghate to discuss his close, personal experience with individuals of various beliefs and backgrounds. He describes the work of Braver Angels to reinvigorate conversation and reduce political polarization, by humanizing partisan opponents – and hopefully discover why they see the world the way they do. We may not agree with one another, but we will understand one another better, a necessary step to improving discourse.Watch the full interview.This interview was recorded on February 23, 2021
When it comes to the political, it's not unusual to agree to disagree. But when our modern discourse so often feels toxic, how can we be more agreeable in our disagreement? John Wood, Jr. of Braver Angels offers a path forward.There Are Evils Worse Than Racism, by John Wood, Jr.BraverAngels.org@JohnRWoodJr----------Email: newliberalspodcast@gmail.comTwitter: @NewLiberalsPod
Braver Angles, John Wood Jr. shares with us his story about growing up black and how racial reconciliation can only happen when we love without animosity. Global Affairs expert David Aikman talks about the death of the Seoul Mayor as well as recent Chinese sanctions and their outlook.
Braver Angles, John Wood Jr. shares with us his story about growing up black and how racial reconciliation can only happen when we love without animosity. Global Affairs expert David Aikman talks about the death of the Seoul Mayor as well as recent Chinese sanctions and their outlook.
THOU SHALT NOT KILL!So say the scriptures and so say I, don't you? The thou means you, my fellow American. And the thou means me, everybody! Nobody should kill, NOBODY!No matter, violence, including killing or the ever-present possibility thereof, runs rampant in America. The George Floyd era has unleashed a license in behavior, allowing if not condoning violence and that violence can well include: MURDER – KILLING!I for one despise violence of any kind, physical or verbal for that matter. I could never, ever kill another human being even if my own life was at stake, could you? I know well the arguments of defending family, friends and especially children. But I could not do that with guns and knives. I take the biblical admonitions seriously and for me, there has to be another way. What do you think, how do you act, and how do you live? But violence seems commonplace in some parts of America, expected, killing happening often with impunity. In a recent weekend, nine human beings were killed in Chicago, NINE! Four of those nine, African American, were children, innocent children. No one it seems outside of that Chicago neighborhood, Austin west of Chicago, seems to care. The country is obsessed with the killing of George Floyd but could care less about the killing of four, four innocent children in a suburb of Chicago. Three year old Mekhi James, an African American child living in Austin – Chicago, Illinois was shot in the back, killed when someone fired several rounds into the SUV his father was driving. Three years old! Where is the outrage, and where is the proactive response of Chicago's Mayor, an American herself, African American and female. Where is the response, the caring, and the promise of justice for those four children and the five adults killed with them that weekend. WHERE IS IT? Two hours after Mekhi James was brutally murdered, that same weekend, Amaria Jones, 13 years of age was fatally shot in the neck as she sat, get this clearly now: INSIDE HER HOME!Thirteen years old, dead and gone and does anybody care about Amaria J. Jones, anybody, including Chicago's African American Mayor. Does anybody care and will anybody do anything about it?Then killed was Jasean Francis 17 years old, a resident of Austin – Chicago, innocent but slaughtered by butchers, murderers who could care less about the biblical commandment: THOU SHALL NOT KILL!Five adults were killed in addition to the children. Violence, killing, black killing black and does anybody care, ANYBODY? I do and I have asked my Chicago stations to do something about it. ACTION NOT WORDS. All those lives matter, they matter every bit as much as George Floyd, brutally murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and they matter every bit as much as the killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. Floyd and Brooks were shot and killed by police officers and Mekhi James was shot and killed by black criminals, thugs, hoodlums, killers and murderers, the bottom line is the same. Floyd and Brooks could and should be alive, but so should four young African American children as well. THEY SHOULD BE ALIVE! Does anybody care, ANYBODY about these four innocent black children murdered in Austin – Chicago?In Philadelphia, the so called city of Brotherly Love (now vandals and hoodlums), gangs of rioters rolled through several neighborhoods burning businesses and cars. There was only a tepid, lackluster response from the Philadelphia Police Department as so many minorities vandalized, and violently destroyed the property of good people including any number of businesses owned by minorities. Many wondered why there was not a more aggressive response from Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw herself an African American as so many violently vandalized. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a considerable liberal Democrat sheepishly condemned the violence on the one hand, but immediately seriously questioned the use of his police force to stem the violence with non–lethal tear gas. Every liberal politician must toe the line, the party line, condemning the police and police forces even though the vast majority of those civil servants are good men and women, concerned with the rule of law and determined to uphold the law and to prevent violence. They get lost in the shuffle by these radical police condemnations. These, my fellow law abiding Americans, are frightening days in our beloved country and the rule of law has never been more disrespected or ignored. Scary times indeed for we the people who love America, believe in our Constitution and the rule of law and even as we LOVE OUR COUNTRY: WE DESPISE VIOLENCE AND KILLING!We believe firmly and unequivocally that any civilized person, and especially any person of faith lives by the biblical admonition: THOU SHALL NOT KILL! New York City releases criminals charged as such without bail. The city also releases convicted prisoners because of CORONA. For the first three weeks of June, New York City, the five boroughs thereof, witnessed: 125 SHOOTING INCIDENTS.ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY–FIVE!Mayor de Blasio self-righteously proclaimed: “We are not going to allow gun violence to continue to grow in this city.”Talk, nothing but talk because the talk was backed by no action of any kind, virtually none. The Mayor declared the shootings, the killings and the violence a “troubling trend,” and then went back to his usual liberal, progressive, non–support of the New York Police Department. And the violence and the killings continue! In downtown St. Louis, four police officers were shot by “some coward randomly shooting at police lines,” said Police Chief John Hayden. To add insult to injury, now comes Black Lives Matter and they demand this great city change its name because St. Louis somehow someway has some kind of racist history attached. What a world, WHAT A PLACE AMERICA HAS BECOME as the rule of law crumbles in so many locations.And the violence continues. VIOLENCE BEGETS MORE VIOLENCE! Radical groups like ANTIFA exploit violent opportunities. These groups foster protest which may start peacefully but invariably end up violently. The VIOLENT know that so much of the resistance is mere talk. Presumptive Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden gave a 20–minute speech in Philadelphia on the topic of: SYSTEMIC RACISM.Whatever that is. Biden devoted all of 20 or so seconds to the violence stating that:“There is no place (no place?) for looting or destroying property or burning churches or destroying businesses, many of them built by the very people of color who for the first time in their lives are beginning to realize their dreams and build wealth for their families.”End of Biden response. No recommended action. No support of the local Police Departments, or the National Guard or any other FIRST RESPONDERS who risk lives to protect and defend. NOTHING! More talk, and little more than a further contribution to the sense of license for the violent, and seemingly fostering the notion that in this Floyd – Brooks era: ANYTHING GOES. If Biden happens to be elected President of our country, watch out for law and order. John Wood Jr., a national leader of BRAVER ANGELS notes the so called boiling over of minority pain and the violence which accompanies alleged remedies for that pain and he, a 33 year old biracial African American with a white father and a black mother asks the following question:“The pain is real. But so is the progress that our ancestors (African Americans) fought for and realized. Do we conserve and build on it in search of Martin Luther King Jr.'s beloved community? Or do we reject an American project for which our own people have sacrificed so much?”This is indeed the real issue for all African Americans. It is a conversation, a critical conversation as Wood Jr. states that all black Americans must address. Perhaps, Wood Jr. wonders, right thinking, law abiding, peace loving Americans of all colors would be more turned off by the violence and the illegal activities than they would the recognition of anything really racist or anti–African American. I believe that the vast majority of African Americans are good, law abiding citizens, so many strong people of faith and determined to effectuate any necessary change by peaceful means, by dialogue, with discussion and with mutual respect one for another and for ALL people no matter the color. They are the ones that must stand up, start and pursue the peaceful dialogue for change and condemn, PASSIONATELY CONDEMN the violence, the killings of any kind! Without that, America is doomed to civil disobedience and unrest perhaps forever.The common concern seems to be: SYSTEMIC RACISM.But I ask the following questions: WHAT EXACTLY IS SYSTEMIC RACISM? WHO IS GUILTY OF THE PRACTICE? HOW IS THIS PERPETUATED? WHAT ARE ACTUAL, PRACTICAL, ACHIEVABLE REMEDIES?There is no racism, systemic or otherwise in my life, in my company. I know of no racist in my family or among my friends, none whatsoever. If there were such an one, I would confront him or her, demand change or move on from that individual. There is not one tiny bit of racism in my company, the Crawford Broadcasting Company, anywhere by anyone. If there were, I would deal with it and eradicate it overnight. If any employee of this company committed any kind of racist act, I would terminate that employee immediately without a second chance. You may find it interesting that 52% of the employees of the Crawford Broadcasting Company are so called minorities, 41% of whom are: AFRICAN AMERICANS!That was not planned, nor was it forced upon us (affirmative action). These were the right people for the right jobs at the right time with the right skills and the right attitudes and the right determinations to be successful and to achieve THE AMERICAN DREAM! What a pleasure it is for me to know and work with them.Racism surely exists and where it does, it must be dealt with as forcefully as possible. It is wrong, DEAD WRONG! It is hate at work and that has no place in America or anywhere. There are racists of all colors, red, yellow, brown, white and black. Whoever is racist, no matter the color of the skin, he or she is wrong, DEAD WRONG! All men and women are created equal, creations and creatures of God Almighty and none are better than any other, different perhaps but NOT BETTER! Only men and women of goodwill can solve the problem of racism. Violence never will. Violence will worsen racism. And, in the final analysis, there really is only one, ONLY ONE who can bring peace and goodwill to mankind and ONLY ONE who can end racism. That man was a CARPENTER FROM NAZARETH. That man was Jesus the Christ whose birth 2,000 years ago was intended as a gift to mankind for PEACE AND GOODWILL. The rule of love he would bring is the only real and permanent solution to racism. That divine help is available even now if we ask. So, ask HIM for his help, and now. And then, go to work and do what you can do to end racism, and effectuate peace and goodwill for all. At the bottom line, my fellow Americans: BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM!
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