Glenn Loury: Tales of Sex, Drugs, and Capitalism

Reason Podcasts

My guest today is economist and podcaster Glenn Loury, whose new memoir is titled Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative. Born in 1948 and raised working-class in Chicago's predominantly African American South Side, Loury tells a story of self-invention, ambition, hard work, addiction, and redemption that channels Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, Richard Wright's Native Son, Saul Bellow's The Adventures of Augie March, and Milton Friedman's Capitalism & Freedom. The first tenured black economist at Harvard, Loury emerged in the 1980s as a ubiquitous commenter on race and class and was offered a post in the Reagan administration. Then a series of scandals involving affairs, arrests, and addiction threatened the end of his personal and professional lives. Late Admissions is an unflinching look at Loury's failures and successes, written by one of the most popular academic presences on YouTube. 0:00— Introduction 1:34— Why write a memoir now? 4:17— What is a black conservative? 7:47— Glenn Loury's background 15:10— Addiction and self destruction 17:00— 'A hustler and a player' 21:34— Crack, Infidelity, and the remarkable Dr Linda Loury 25:44— Loury's downfall in the late 80s 28:38— Recovery, self-knowledge, and making amends 36:32— 'Rise Above It': a MLM scam with real lessons 40:40- Loury's career and legacy in Economics 45:08— College students and protests 49:00— Affirmative action and conservatives 52:30— Equality, childhood development, and cultural influences 57:21— The Black Experience and healthy cultural discourse 1:02:22— Immigrants as beacons of hope Previous appearance: Glenn Loury: 'We're Being Swept Along by Hysteria' About Racism in America, June 24, 2020 Today's Sponsor: ZBiotics. ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by Ph.D. scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Make ZBiotics your first drink of the night, drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Get 15 percent off by going to ZBiotics/TRI and using the code TRI at checkout. Video Editor: Regan Taylor Audio Production: Hunt Beaty