John McWhorter & Jens Ludwig – The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence

Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.comVideo Links0:00 How Jens got interested in American gun violence2:45 What’s “unexpected” about the origins of gun violence?5:29 Race and the culture of gun violence9:30 Ground News ad11:20 Are high rates of gun violence a cultural issue or an equilibrium?17:09 Is urban gun violence the result of rational behavior?24:34 The link between Kahnemanian “fast thinking” and violent conflict36:46 Are gun violence interruptions scalable?40:52 The role of urban design in reducing crime and violence47:31 Jens: Gang-motivated crime may not account for as much violence as its seems50:43 Rehabilitating “Broken Windows” 53:47 Jens’s “pathological pragmatism”Recorded June 13, 2025Links and ReadingsJens’s new book, Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun ViolenceDaniel Kahneman’s book, Thinking, Fast and SlowWilliam Julius Williams’s book, Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Social PolicyJane Jacobs’s book, The Death and Life of Great American CitiesMelissa Kearney’s book, The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling BehindGeorge Kelling and James Q. Wilson’s classic Atlantic article, “Broken Windows” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe