WAC Houston
WAC Houston
Podcast Description
Stay informed on global affairs with the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston Podcast. Featuring expert insights from world leaders, diplomats, and thought leaders, this podcast brings you the impactful discussions and engaging conversations from our live events—now available anytime, anywhere. Gain a deeper understanding of international issues, global economies, and cultural perspectives that shape our world. Tune in and stay globally connected.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
This podcast covers a range of complex international topics, highlighting episodes that include the experiences of NASA's first female astronauts, the implications of recent crises in Gaza and the West Bank, the life of pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, and Malcolm Gladwell's explorations of social phenomena. Special focus areas include geopolitical relations, cultural perspectives, and the dynamics of global events.
Stay informed on global affairs with the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston Podcast. Featuring expert insights from world leaders, diplomats, and thought leaders, this podcast brings you the impactful discussions and engaging conversations from our live events—now available anytime, anywhere. Gain a deeper understanding of international issues, global economies, and cultural perspectives that shape our world. Tune in and stay globally connected.
Check out our full upcoming program with Clay Risen!
https://wachouston.org/event/red-scare-mccarthyism-today/
The Red Scare and McCarthyism didn’t just define a moment in history — they reshaped American civil liberties, politics, and culture in ways that still resonate today. In this conversation, journalist and author Clay Risen explores how fear of communist infiltration spiraled into national hysteria, destroying careers, silencing artists and activists, and reshaping the boundaries of free speech.
Drawing from his book Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America, Risen unpacks the covert machinery behind Hollywood blacklists and the grassroots activism that fueled anti-communist vigilance, including Houston’s Minute Women. Through powerful stories of resilience, including Dalton Trumbo and Helen Reed Bryan, the discussion reveals how civil liberties were tested, and how legal figures like Earl Warren helped push back against political overreach.
This episode offers a timely reminder of how fear can be weaponized, why civil liberties require constant vigilance, and what the Red Scare teaches us about political polarization and social pressure in the modern era.
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