#70 Kate Marland: The Conservative Case for High Culture. Engaging Youth Beyond Economic Policies

I'm trying something new: this is a lightly edited transcript from the start of the episode:

Thanks for listening!

Shawn: What do young people want these days? Do they want total unfettered freedom or do they want to be challenged? Check it out.

Kate: This is what I love talking about with young people, because they are ready to rise to this challenge, right? Young people want to be challenged. They want to do things that instil order, they want to go to the symphony and know that there are rules and you don't clap between movements and you should have printed program notes and that it's gonna be programmed in a certain way.

Shawn: Welcome to Concepts. My name is Shawn Whatley. Today we have Kate Marland with us. Kate has a fascinating education. She started out in the fine arts, getting a Bachelor of music, studying viola, at Ottawa and McGill. From there, she went on and did a Master's of Arts in fashion studies at Ryerson with a focus on the opera.

Then she went on and became a lawyer, and she's worked as a lawyer for some time. And then she worked in management. She was the recent manager of the Liberty and Leadership program at the Montreal Economic Institute, and most recently, she's become a contributing editor at the new, media Outlet Without Diminishment on Substack.

She has brought together her background in the fine arts or high culture, as she calls it, and is applying it to today's moment, and right now she finds that especially young people aren't so happy with this life that seems to say, “Leave home, go to school, get a great degree, go get a great job. Live in a box in a large city and make sure you earn lots of money and pay lots of taxes and keep the economy going.”

She said, young people are finding that that's not a great life and there's more to life than that. And the exciting thing about it, or the challenging thing about it is. She and others with her at Without Diminishment are saying not only are we finding that this life is empty and that we need more, but they're also finding that there's a role for government in all this.

So a simple change in tax policy can completely diminish a particular culture, whether it's high arts, symphony, et cetera. And Kate's message here is that Conservatives need to pay a whole lot more attention to preservation of high culture. And again, her background is, uh, music symphony. So our discussion ranged across the tension between an economic liberalism or libertarianism.

We talked about how experience shapes our aesthetic sense.

And we talked about Without Diminishment itself and what they're trying to achieve there and whether or not it's wise to have government impose itself in a way that impacts culture

We talked about the recent couple episodes we've had with, Anthony Koch and Sean Speer, and their ongoing discussion about culture being a central objective for government to fulfill and protect and foster.

Overall a fascinating discussion. Kate is really pouring herself into studying and developing thoughts in this space on culture beyond simply economics. And what role does government have to play? In fostering an environment in which culture can flourish. Anyways, fascinating discussion. I hope you enjoyed as much as I did.

Don't forget to hit like and subscribe. It really makes a big difference. I try not to bug you about it, but let's get on with the show.

 

AI Summary:

 

In this episode of Concepts, host Shawn Whatley delves deep into what young people really want today with guest Kate Marland. With a rich background in music, fashion, and law, Marland discusses the need for conservatives to embrace and preserve high culture, such as opera and symphony, to foster a spiritually fulfilling society. The episode covers topics such as the intersection of economics and aesthetics, the limitations of libertarianism, and how government policies impact culture. The conversation also ventures into the role of institutions like Without Diminishment and the Montreal Economic Institute in shaping a future that values beauty, tradition, and community. Ideal for anyone keen on exploring how cultural pursuits and economic policies can coexist in a meaningful way.

00:00 Introduction: What Do Young People Want?

00:33 Meet Kate Marland: A Diverse Background

01:17 Kate's Journey and Insights on Culture

01:52 The Role of Government in Culture

03:52 Discussion on Kate's Article

07:56 Balancing Libertarianism and Cultural Appreciation

19:10 Challenges and Value of High Culture

31:17 The Conservative Dilemma: No Perfect Result

32:18 The Malaise of Modern Society

33:16 The Disconnection of Young Peop