Cornel West On Leaving Harvard, Biden's Presidency and his Mother's Legacy

Click here for the full interview with Dr. West https://usefulidiots.substack.com/p/a-different-kind-of-jazz-man-dr-cornel?r=je5va&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy

[Watch our bonus discussion with Dr. West in defense of Classics departments here: https://usefulidiots.substack.com/p/a-different-kind-of-jazz-man-dr-cornel]

Friend-of-show Dr. Cornel West has been in the news a lot of late, and not always in a happy way. At the end of February, the brilliant professor of Philosophy, Divinity, and African-American studies announced he was leaving his longtime employers at Harvard University, and moving back to Union Theological Seminary, where he began his teaching career back in 1977. Harvard denied his request to be considered for tenure, apparently for political reasons.

On Useful Idiots, West talked about the likely reasons behind Harvard’s decision (outspokenness on Palestine?), Joe Biden’s first 100 days, and the influence of his late mother Irene B. West.

Also: Matt and Katie debate how many Secret Service agents it takes to get Mike Pence up a ski hill, we denounce the deeply unfunny campaign against the #YangGang, and we give detailed reviews of all of the movies nominated for Best Picture from this year’s Academy Awards ceremony (without seeing them of course). Is Nomadland a space adventure? Is Mank a misspelled fur-bearing animal? What’s the over/under on debilitating-disease themes for next year’s Oscars?

We explore all these important questions, and more, on this week’s Useful Idiots.

Stand by for our Substack-only chat with Cornel West about Howard University's decision to dissolve its Classics Department.