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Are identity politics making students less tolerant?
On GZERO World, political scientist Yascha Mounk sits down with Ian Bremmer to discuss his latest book, “The Identity Trap” and what he sees as a counter-productive focus on group identity that's taken hold of mainstream US institutions, particularly in the area of education. Bremmer acknowledges that while he doesn’t always understand the nuances of how young people want to be identified, it feels legitimate that they don’t want society to define what box they’re in.
“We need to have a society in which we respect everybody equally,” Mounk argues, “But that is different from saying that we should create a society where how we treat each other is deeply shaped by the group of which we're from.”
Mounk believes that a novel ideology about race and gender and sexual orientation is holding back young people from embracing diversity of thought and truly engaging with ideas that run contrary to their own. As a university professor, he worries today's college students have been taught to define themselves by the intersection of their identity, that they've become skeptical of free speech principles and reject all forms of cultural appropriation, even if it denies mutual understanding.
Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode: The identity politics trap
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Has identity politics distracted us from true inclusion?
Political scientist and author Yascha Mounk joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to discuss his latest book, “The Identity Trap" and his concerns about the contemporary “woke” ideology coming from the progressive left. A counter-production obsession with group identity in all forms, he argues, has taken hold of mainstream institutions in areas like education and healthcare.
“Rather than asking for true inclusion in shared institutions,” Mounk says, “[Progressive activists] reject that universalist heritage and want to make how we treat each other explicitly depend on the kind of identity groups of which we're a part.”
Mounk dives into the complicated and contentious issue of identity politics and challenges the conventional wisdom that they lead to a more equitable society. By emphasizing the differences between individuals rather than shared values, Mounk explains, identity politics exacerbate societal divisions and hold our society back from making real progress toward equality.
Watch the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer episode: The identity politics trap
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Are identity politics a trap? A conversation with author and political scientist Yascha Mounk
Listen: Political scientist and author Yascha Mounk joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to discuss his latest book, “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” Mounk delves into the complicated dynamics of identity politics and challenges the conventional wisdom from the progressive left that focusing on identity and what makes us different from each other leads to a more equitable society. By highlighting our differences rather than shared values, Mounk argues, well-meaning liberals are exacerbating societal division and hindering progress toward greater equality. While acknowledging that our society is deeply imperfect and genuine injustices remain, Mounk unpacks the implications of identity politics and questions whether the current focus on identity truly serves the cause of inclusivity or social harmony.
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Using today's crises to fix tomorrow's problems
We're moving toward more illiberalism, zero trust in the US-China relationship, and other global crises. Are there any reasons for hope?
Not for political scientist and Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who believes we can't tackle all these crises at the same time — otherwise, at some point people will just throw up their hands and say it's just too hard.
What's more, he tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World, when a crisis hits, the temptation to turn to strongman rule to fix the problem "goes way up."
For her part, Anne-Marie Slaughter, former US State Department official and CEO of New America, thinks we do have the ability to address many of the problems affecting the Global South because the most powerful countries are now all over the world.
Still, she says that many voices of people who need to be at the table — civic groups, CEOs, women, people of color — are not being heard.
Watch the rest of Ian Bremmer's conversation with Anne-Marie Slaughter and Stephen Walt on this episode of GZERO World: Hope as major crises intersect
Investing in diversity: How public companies can promote inclusivity
Betty Liu, Executive Vice Chairman for NYSE Group, provides her perspective:
What role does diversity play in investing?
So, diversity has played an increasingly important role in investing. In an earlier episode, I talked about ESG - that's environmental, social and governance - and ESG factoring more into investment decisions. Diversity is a key component of ESG. It's seen as crucial in looking at good governance and good decision making. So, a growing number of investors are looking at diversity as a metric to show whether or not this company is worthy to invest in.
What are public companies doing to advance diversity today?
As you all have seen in the last several weeks, there has been an increasing focus on diversity and companies have come out and reaffirmed their commitment to diversity and also pledging to do better. So, some of those commitments include looking at pay equity as well as opportunities for advancement, real opportunities for advancement. One of the things we're doing at the New York Stock Exchange and I'm very proud of, is reform the NYSE Board Advisory Council, whose mission is to improve diversity on public and private company boards. We help our listed companies find and place diverse board candidates.