<description>&lt;p&gt;Thomas Chatterton Williams joins to discuss his new book, &lt;em data-stringify-type="italic"&gt;The Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse&lt;/em&gt;. He argues that the racial reckoning of 2020 was not an inevitable tide of history but a perfect storm of pandemic isolation, polarizing politics, and institutional failure. TCW dissects how mainstream institutions—from the &lt;em data-stringify-type= "italic"&gt;New York Times&lt;/em&gt; to the &lt;em data-stringify-type="italic"&gt;Philadelphia Inquirer&lt;/em&gt;—abandoned objectivity for "moral clarity," and how misinformation about cases like Jacob Blake fueled a cycle of violence in Kenosha. Mike and Thomas debate whether the Left's introspection is necessary to defeat the "worse" impulses of the MAGA Right, or if it just alienates the base.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Produced by Corey Wara&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; Email us at &lt;a class="c-link" href= "mailto:thegist@mikepesca.com" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "mailto:thegist@mikepesca.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;a class="c-link" href= "mailto:ad-sales@libsyn.com" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "mailto:ad-sales@libsyn.com" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu"&gt;ad-sales@libsyn.com&lt;/a&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist" data-sk= "tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; Subscribe to The Gist: &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/" data-sk= "tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g" data-sk= "tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/?locale=en_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB&amp;hl=am-et" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/?locale=en_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB%2Cen_US%2Cen_GB&amp;hl=am-et" data-sk="tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;br aria-hidden="true" /&gt; Follow The Gist List at: &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://mikepesca.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://mikepesca.substack.com/" data-sk= "tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a class="c-link" href= "https://mikepesca.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "https://mikepesca.substack.com/" data-sk= "tooltip_parent"&gt;⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The Gist

Peach Fish Productions

Thomas Chatterton Williams: Why the Summer of 2020 Wasn't Inevitable

DEC 23, 202539 MIN
The Gist

Thomas Chatterton Williams: Why the Summer of 2020 Wasn't Inevitable

DEC 23, 202539 MIN

Description

Thomas Chatterton Williams joins to discuss his new book, The Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse. He argues that the racial reckoning of 2020 was not an inevitable tide of history but a perfect storm of pandemic isolation, polarizing politics, and institutional failure. TCW dissects how mainstream institutions—from the New York Times to the Philadelphia Inquirer—abandoned objectivity for "moral clarity," and how misinformation about cases like Jacob Blake fueled a cycle of violence in Kenosha. Mike and Thomas debate whether the Left's introspection is necessary to defeat the "worse" impulses of the MAGA Right, or if it just alienates the base. Produced by Corey Wara Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠