The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comAlexandra is a journalist and public speaker. She’s the founder of Civic Renaissance, a newsletter and intellectual community dedicated to moral and cultural renewal. She’s also an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy. Her first book is The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.For two clips of our convo — on the moments when being civil is impolite, and the importance of indifference to others’ opinions — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: being raised in horse country in Canada; having “Judi the Manners Lady” as a mother; moving to DC in the fall of 2016 and hating it; working for Trump in the Department of Ed; the rude awakening of being loathed by her peers as an appointee; the difference between politeness and civility; a story of Queen Victoria’s bad manners; how personal boundaries are often crucial for civility; Arnold Bennett’s book How to Live 24 Hours a Day; the virtue of curiosity toward those who seem boring; hypocrisy vs. inauthenticity; Tom Holland’s Dominion; when the love of others and the self are in tension; online anonymity; the ever-growing need for forgiveness and gratitude; Aristotle and “the magnanimous soul”; the Stoics; Isocrates as the Miss Manners of ancient Greece; Erasmus; the “respectability politics” of the Civil Rights Movement vs. the crudeness of pro-Gaza protesters and the January 6 mob; empathy toward road-ragers; defenders of Gay retaliating with plagiarism charges of their own; Slow Horses and the crude authenticity of Oldman’s character; the cult of authenticity in Gen Z; how civility and toxicity are contagious; zealous extroversion; why Alexandra wants to kill the phrase “let’s get lunch”; me pressing her on how anyone praising civility could work for Trump; and why auto-didactism is the subject of her next book.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Jonathan Freedland on the war in Gaza, Jennifer Burns on her new biography of Milton Friedman, and Abigail Shrier on why the cult of therapy harms children. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other pod comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Carole Hooven discusses her experience at Harvard and the challenges she faced from the woke left. They explore Harvard's problems, the DEI structure, and the suppression of truth in universities. The speaker expresses their distress over the potential loss of freedom of thought and dialogue at universities, highlighting the importance of being able to disagree and engage in conversation.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comJoe is a journalist, author, old-school blogger, and an old friend. He’s written seven books, most famously Primary Colors, and he was a longtime columnist for Time magazine. This year he launched a must-read substack called “Sanity Clause,” and he just started a podcast with the great John Ellis called “Wise Owls.”You can listen to it right away in the audio player above (or on the right side of the player, click “Listen On” to add the Dishcast feed to your favorite podcast app). For two clips of our convo — on Trump getting more political savvy, and the NYT’s propaganda on domestic issues — pop over to our YouTube page.Other topics: growing up in Queens; a grandfather who kept the books for Tammany Hall; how reporting on the busing crisis in Boston made Joe an independent; embedding with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; James Bennet’s exposé of the NYT; a new study on how charter schools help black students; Daniel Patrick Moynihan and single-parent families; Trump’s “dictator on Day One” comment; how Never Trumpers never understand his success; the Trump trials; Biden’s age; his persistently dismal polling; Nikki Haley’s potential; Trump turning the GOP against neoconservatism; how eastern Ukraine is turning into WWI; how Putin’s devastated military is no threat to Europe; The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan; Russiagate; how Larry Summers was right on inflation; Biden’s soft landing; Clinton balancing the budget; Boris and the Tories; tales from Joe’s 30 years of reporting on Israel and Palestine; his optimism on a two-state solution; how AIPAC has been “disastrous” for Israel; Daniel Finkelstein’s Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad; the Ivy League congressional hearings; DEI; why coddling Jewish students now is the wrong approach; Mao’s Cultural Revolution; the dregs of social media; the importance of civility and traditions; the Electoral College; the TV show The Crown; the Latin Mass; Pope Francis and the blessing of gay couples; the AIDS crisis; the PTSD of returning vets; and Joe’s bipartisan PAC for veterans called “With Honor.”Browse the Dishcast archive for another convo you might enjoy (the first 102 episodes are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Carole Hooven returns to talk about her tribulations at Harvard, Alexandra Hudson on civility, and Jennifer Burns on her new biography of Milton Friedman. Please send any guest recs, dissent and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Journalist David Leonhardt discusses various topics including his upbringing, the golden age of America's economy, the impact of economic growth on the middle and working class, and the unintended consequences of immigration.

Cat Bohannon, researcher on evolution of narrative and cognition, discusses topics including the combat within a pregnant woman, magic of breastfeeding nipples, origins of sex bifurcation, dangers of pregnancy, postpartum depression, women's hunting abilities, and the importance of early communication in child development.

Matthew Crawford, a writer and philosopher, discusses his background growing up in Berkeley, his time in an ashram, and his career journey as an unlicensed electrician. He explores the impact of administrative control and regulations on individual agency, the concept of anti-humanism, and the distrust of the body. The podcast also touches on topics such as the trans debate, queering, and the ancient Greeks' discovery of the idea of nature.

"Judis & Teixeira On Redeeming The Dems": John Judis, editor-at-large at Talking Points Memo, and Ruy Teixeira, nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discuss their book on the soul of the Democratic Party. Topics include personal backgrounds, ideological shifts, understanding ideologies, importance of the white working class vote, and analyzing Biden's economic policies.

Graeme Wood, an accomplished foreign correspondent and author, discusses the horrors of the conflict in Gaza and the challenges of travel. They explore the theological disputes between extremist groups, analyze Hamas' governance in Gaza, and highlight the impact of Hamas on public opinion. The chapter also discusses controversial actions such as ethnic cleansing.

Pamela Paul, journalist and author, discusses a range of topics including growing up with divorced parents, the impact of computers on deep reading, the homogenization of media, and her experiences in the publishing industry.

David Brooks, a long-time columnist for the New York Times and commentator on various news platforms, discusses his new book and topics such as upbringing in Greenwich Village, nationalism, encountering super woke people, and the challenge of interacting with suffering individuals.