EP 116: Where Have All the Democrats Gone?
2024 is an election year for the United States. And one of the stories so far is the political realignment that we’re continuing to witness — with the working class moving to the right. This is something that is also happening here in Canada. My guests on today’s program have written an entire book about the phenomenon, and what it might mean for the future of politics.John B. Judis is editor-at-large at Talking Points Memo, a former senior writer at The National Journal, and a former senior ...
10 Jan 202438min
EP 115: Lean Out Turns Two - A Conversation on Complicating the Dominant Narratives
The Lean Out podcast kicked off two years ago this week, aiming to push back on mainstream media conformity, to reaffirm old school journalistic values like viewpoint diversity and curiosity and respect — and, in some small way, to help widen the Overton window of ideas considered acceptable for discussion and debate. Happily, this approach seems to be resonating with a lot of you. We’re pleased to say that we now have listeners in 150 countries and close to 5,000 cities worldwide. For our an...
3 Jan 202441min
EP 114: Overcoming the Illusion of Division
This year has not been an easy one for a lot of people. Not only are many coping with economic instability, but our culture is polarized and often extremely hostile. But our guest on today’s program — the last episode of the year — wants to leave us with a vision of unity. And of hope for a better, and more harmonious, 2024. Monica Harris is the author of The Illusion of Division. She’s also the executive director of the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. You can find Tara Henley on...
20 Des 202331min
EP 113: How the Pandemic Broke America
With the pandemic finally in the rearview mirror, a lot of people are eager to put it behind us — and move on. But our guest on today’s program says it’s important that we take a look at the mistakes that were made, and understand what went wrong. Joe Nocera is a veteran business journalist and a columnist at The Free Press. His latest book, co-authored with Vanity Fair’s Bethany McLean, is The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind. You can...
13 Des 202334min
EP 112: Have Progressives Stopped Supporting Interracial Marriage?
On Thanksgiving weekend, an essay started circulating — and it was an essay that I felt like I’d been waiting a long time to read. The essay explores a troubling trend: a renewed skepticism of interracial relationships, and, indeed, of interracial families. Its author is a white man, married to a Black woman. And while progressives had applauded their wedding back in 2007, he writes that it now felt as if he no longer had the right to parent his own children. Paul Kix is an American journalis...
6 Des 202333min
EP 111: George Packer on Activism and Bad Art
In times of crisis, artists often feel the need to take a stand, to engage in activism. But our guest on today’s program says we should recognize that art and politics have very different agendas. “These are different realms,” he writes, “and the values of one can be inhospitable — even deadly — to the values of the other.” George Packer is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and the author of ten books. His latest essay is “Why Activism Leads To So Much Bad Writing.” You can find Tara Henley o...
29 Nov 202340min
EP 110: Have the Arts Created a Culture of Fear?
This week on Lean Out, we turn our attention to freedom of expression in the arts. Our guest on today’s program is an acclaimed and controversial choreographer who says the UK’s creative industries are in crisis — experiencing a culture of widespread fear and intimidation. And she’s launched a new organization to address this. Rosie Kay is the CEO and artistic director of the Kay2CO dance company, and a founder of Freedom in the Arts. You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and...
22 Nov 202331min
EP 109: Navigating a perilous moment
This week in New York City, a longtime defender of free speech was honoured by her peers. My guest on today’s program accepted the Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Coalition Against Censorship benefit. She returns to the podcast to mark that occasion — and to talk through the big issues of our current moment, including rising antisemitism. Nadine Strossen is the former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a senior fellow with the Foundation for Indiv...
15 Nov 202351min
