Linguist and New York Times columnist John McWhorter argued at Cornell that Americans should judge the nation's democracy by both its failures and its progress, challenging the view that the country is a failed experiment.
His Nov. 2 talk in Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium drew on his experiences as a Cornell faculty member in the 1990s and his criticism of political movements on both the left and right, according to Cornell's account of the event.
The work was described in the institution's report.
Speaker challenges three pessimistic arguments
McWhorter, now at Columbia University, said accounts of American decline often rely on three flawed approaches: reducing complex problems to blame directed at white or wealthy people, treating inequality as evidence that erases progress and dismissing modern life while overlooking advances in invention, the arts and immigration.
He argued that democratic change can be slow without making the system unworthy of preservation.
As an example of what he considered an overly negative academic climate, he cited a Progressive Policy Institute analysis of work in American Quarterly from 2022 through 2024 that classified 80% as critical and 20% as neutral, with none positive.
McWhorter also contrasted current debate with his recollections of Cornell in the 1990s.
Criticism spans left and right
During the presentation and questions, McWhorter criticized procedures and rhetoric associated with the Democratic Socialists of America and rejected the idealization of an earlier America by the MAGA movement.
He offered the view that political and social conditions could improve after President Donald Trump's time in office, including a potential reversal of health care cuts.
He also referred to the song "Rehearse" from the musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" in discussing the country's unfinished democratic project.
The event was part of Cornell's America at 250 programming.
During his visit, McWhorter met with The Cornell Daily Sun, participated in a Cornell Political Union debate and visited a linguistics class.
Cornell's related programming includes the Nov. 5-6 Language, Memory, Future events and a Nov. 19 appearance by former Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.