Skip to content

By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.

Lex Fridman PodcastLex Fridman Podcast

Randall Kennedy: The N-Word - History of Race, Law, Politics, and Power | Lex Fridman Podcast #379

Randall Kennedy is a law professor at Harvard and author of many seminal books on race, law, history, culture, and politics.

Randall KennedyguestLex Fridmanhost
May 24, 20233h 10mWatch on YouTube ↗

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
May 24, 2023
Duration
3h 10m
Channel
Lex Fridman Podcast
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Randall Kennedy is a law professor at Harvard and author of many seminal books on race, law, history, culture, and politics. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:

EPISODE LINKS: Randall's Website: https://hls.harvard.edu/faculty/randall-l-kennedy N*****: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word: https://amzn.to/3MbrXSC Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture: https://amzn.to/3MfQWUT For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law: https://amzn.to/3BASZxZ Race, Crime, and the Law: https://amzn.to/3pVtVyU PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 2:13 - The N-word 37:57 - The three N-words 1:04:30 - Education 1:17:32 - Critical race theory 1:28:06 - Racism and policing 1:35:26 - Racial profiling 2:04:59 - Racism in US history 2:22:57 - Affirmative action 3:06:24 - Martin Luther King Jr. SOCIAL:

SPEAKERS

  • Randall Kennedy

    guest
  • Lex Fridman

    host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lex Fridman Podcast, featuring Randall Kennedy and Lex Fridman, Randall Kennedy: The N-Word - History of Race, Law, Politics, and Power | Lex Fridman Podcast #379 explores Randall Kennedy Dissects the N-Word, Racism, Law, and Free Speech Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy joins Lex Fridman to examine the history, power, and contested uses of the N-word, arguing that honest engagement with the term is essential to understanding American racism. He describes the word’s evolution from descriptive label to weapon of terror, and also its repurposing by Black comedians, writers, and rappers as a tool of critique and solidarity. The conversation broadens into debates over academic freedom, critical race theory, policing, racial profiling, affirmative action, and meritocracy. Kennedy ultimately maintains a cautious but real optimism about the American experiment and the possibility of a genuinely multiracial democracy.

RELATED EPISODES

Bert Kreischer: Comedy, Drinking, Rogan, Segura, Churchill & Kim Jong Un | Lex Fridman Podcast #382

Bert Kreischer: Comedy, Drinking, Rogan, Segura, Churchill & Kim Jong Un | Lex Fridman Podcast #382

Chris Lattner: Future of Programming and AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #381

Chris Lattner: Future of Programming and AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #381

Neil Gershenfeld: Self-Replicating Robots and the Future of Fabrication | Lex Fridman Podcast #380

Neil Gershenfeld: Self-Replicating Robots and the Future of Fabrication | Lex Fridman Podcast #380

Anna Frebel: Origin and Evolution of the Universe, Galaxies, and Stars | Lex Fridman Podcast #378

Anna Frebel: Origin and Evolution of the Universe, Galaxies, and Stars | Lex Fridman Podcast #378

Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377

Harvey Silverglate: Freedom of Speech | Lex Fridman Podcast #377

Stephen Wolfram: ChatGPT and the Nature of Truth, Reality & Computation | Lex Fridman Podcast #376

Stephen Wolfram: ChatGPT and the Nature of Truth, Reality & Computation | Lex Fridman Podcast #376

Get more out of YouTube videos.

Read along on your phone, search it beside the video, or ask your favorite AI app what was said.