Thursday, September 22, 2022

Rob Henderson: A Journey from Foster Care to the US Military to Elite Academia — Manifold podcast #20

 

Rob Henderson grew up in foster homes in California, joined the Air Force at 17, attended Yale on the G.I. Bill, and is currently a Gates Fellow at Cambridge University (UK). He is an acute observer of American society and has coined the term Luxury Beliefs to describe ideas and opinions that confer status on the rich at very little cost, while taking a toll on the lower class. 

Steve and Rob discuss: 

00:00 Early life and foster experience 
20:21 Rob’s experience in the Air Force 
31:26 Transitioning from the Air Force to Yale and then Cambridge 
44:04 Dating and socializing as an older student 
50:06 Reflections on the Yale Halloween email controversy 
1:01:10 Personal incentives and careerists in higher education 
1:09:45 Luxury beliefs and how they show up in elite institutions 
1:31:08 Age and moral judgments 
1:42:50 Rob on resisting legacy academia and his future 



Links: 

Rob's substack 

Luxury Beliefs are the Latest Status Symbol for Rich Americans

No comments:

Post a Comment