‘I Don’t Get to Draw the Line.’ | The Ezra Klein Show

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 2:56: Affirmative Action, Colleges, the President of the United States, Trans folks

Notable quotes from "‘I Don’t Get to Draw the Line.’ | The Ezra Klein Show"

• You do that. I'm sorry. Look, you want to have a debate about whether we should have affirmative action, in colleges. I'm here for it. You want to have a What does it mean to be on the other side of the line?

  about Affirmative Action · at 0:35

• Able to convince a majority of people that for instance, let's just take the thing that's hot right now, trans folks are human beings and deserve humanity.

  about Trans folks · at 1:22

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• the President of the United States — Person · 1 mention · first at 2:07
  That's different than policy. I think that wonders reality is the president of the United States is a person who in his comportment as a human being on the public stage. I would have said in08 and 12.

Companies & orgs

• Colleges — Company · 1 mention · first at 0:40
  To have a debate about whether we should have affirmative action, in colleges. I'm here for it. You want to have a What does it mean to be on the other side of the line?

Concepts & topics

• Affirmative Action — Concept · 1 mention · first at 0:38
• Trans folks — Concept · 1 mention · first at 1:26

Places & events

• United States (states) — Place · 1 mention · first at 2:10
  That's different than policy. I think that wonders reality is the president of the United States is a person who in his comportment as a human being on the public stage. I would have said in08 and 12 in 16.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 thinking about the moment we're in. When I hear or see people who are honored and commemorated in such a way so that they almost become a a a national religious figure and then I see their content and I see that their content is actively destructive to humanity. I I have to draw a line there. Like I just I I think like for me like the the the bigger question is where are the lines? You know what I mean? And I I think there's no problem with saying listen, you can't hurl appetites at people. You're out if you do that. I'm sorry. Look, you want to have a debate about whether we should have affirmative action, you know, in colleges. I'm here for it. You want to have a

0:43 What does it mean to be on the other side of the line? I'm sorry. What do you mean?

0:45 What is it? So once somebody's on the other side of the line, right? What does that mean for you?

0:49 For instance, once you think it's okay for No. No. I'm trying to make this clear.

0:53 No, I am too. Yes. Once you for whatever whatever the definition of the line is,

0:57 right? What does it mean for you for somebody to be on the other side of it, right? Not somebody who just died,

1:02 right? But somebody still living, right? If you think it is okay to dehumanize people, then conversation between you and I is probably not possible.

1:13 And so what do you do with the fact that so many people think that is okay? I don't necessarily have the crystal ball to say that in this time I'm going to be able to convince a majority of people that for instance, let's just take the thing that's hot right now, trans folks are human beings and deserve humanity. Although I think most people know that you shouldn't say what he said. Like that is rude. It's just rude to talk to people like that. And I think most people know that. So as I'm thinking my way through the through the question, I actually think that's not a you know a a a a hard line to draw. You know, I think not calling people out of their name, I think that's actually a basic value that most people have. And I think people who think it's not who are pushing that actually themselves on on the other side of the line.

1:58 I want to hold on this for a minute because I do think this is like a very like

2:02 And that's different from policy. Ezra, yeah, I understand it's different than policy.

2:05 That's different than policy. I think that wonders reality is the president of the United States is a person who in his comportment as a human being on the public stage. I would have said in08 and 12 in 16 should be on the other side of the line.

2:27 Yeah. I think he's a person who does not act with any sense of public or even personal decency. Right. And then he won in 16, you know, lost sort of narrowly in 20 and then won in 2024. And I think the thing that that has led to for me is recognizing that I don't get to draw the line.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "‘I Don’t Get to Draw the Line.’ | The Ezra Klein Show"?

In order: 0:00 Affirmative Action, Colleges, the President of the United States, Trans folks.

What is mentioned in this The Ezra Klein Show episode?

5 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Affirmative Action, Colleges, Trans folks, the President of the United States, United States (states). Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "‘I Don’t Get to Draw the Line.’ | The Ezra Klein Show"?

The episode runs 3 min; the transcript is about 578 words in 12 timestamped sections.

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