EPISODE · Apr 10, 2026 · 1H 4M
#122 - Richard IV - Britain Stopped Giving Men Heroes And This Is What Fills The Vacuum
from Thinking Class · host John Gillam
Richard IV is a writer, cultural commentator and men's mentor whose work has helped thousands of men in Britain and across the West understand what has gone wrong and what can still be recovered.In this episode of Thinking Class, John Gillam speaks with Richard about the invisible order that once gave men a path through life — the initiatory traditions, the moral codes, the religious inheritance — and what has happened to the men who grew up without it. They discuss why so many young men in Britain are adopting a roadman identity that has nothing to do with their own culture; why the Andrew Tate phenomenon is a symptom rather than a cause; what C.S. Lewis predicted about a civilisation that stops giving young men heroes to look up to; and why the Church of England, sitting atop one of the greatest spiritual inheritances in human history, has largely vacated its responsibility to pass it on.John also shares his own journey — from growing up in Northumberland and adopting a globalised identity with no roots in his own people, to studying virtue ethics at a desk while working full time, to baptism and confirmation into the Christian faith — as a case study in what it looks like when a man finds his way back to the tradition of his own people.This is a conversation about what was lost, what it cost, and whether the cycle can turn.Find Richard's work: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RichardTheFourth32Substack and community: https://richardthefourth.substack.com/About Thinking Class: Thinking Class is a long-form interview podcast exploring the cultural, historical, and moral forces shaping England, Britain, and the wider Western world. Hosted by John Gillam, the show features serious conversations with historians, legal scholars, economists, theologians, and public intellectuals. Expect to hear discussion of long-term patterns over headlines and hot-takes.If you value serious conversations about Britain, the West, and the forces shaping our future, why not subscribe:▶️ Subscribe on YouTube🎧 Follow on Spotify📰 Read on Substack🐦 Follow on XNew episodes every week.
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Richard IV is a writer, cultural commentator and men's mentor whose work has helped thousands of men in Britain and across the West understand what has gone wrong and what can still be recovered. In this episode of Thinking Class, John Gillam speaks with Richard about the invisible order that once gave men a path through life — the initiatory traditions, the moral codes, the religious inheritance — and what has happened to the men who grew up without it. They discuss why so many young men in ...
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#122 - Richard IV - Britain Stopped Giving Men Heroes And This Is What Fills The Vacuum
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