Conversations That Matter

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, what has happened to the country that came together in the aftermath of the attacks?

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris reflects on his memories of 9/11 as a twelve-year-old living north of New York City, the fear and patriotism that followed, and the way the attacks transformed American politics and culture.

He discusses the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the growth of the surveillance state, declining trust in government and other institutions, immigration and changing demographics, the rise of political cynicism, and the way Americans came to view their own history and institutions differently.

But the episode is ultimately about more than 9/11. Harris argues that recovering a healthy American identity requires more than nostalgia. It requires personal responsibility, strong families, local and national identity, functioning institutions, and a genuine Christian faith.

The country came together after 9/11, but cultural unity based only on emotion could not last. The deeper question is whether Americans can recover the convictions and institutions necessary to hold a nation together.

Chapters:
0:00 Remembering 9/11
1:03 The morning America was attacked
3:47 Realizing we were under attack
5:27 The patriotism after 9/11
8:52 The post-9/11 political narrative
10:56 Iraq, Afghanistan, and the loss of trust
12:51 The surveillance state and changing America
18:42 The rise of political cynicism
23:25 How do we get out of this?
27:09 Christianity, identity, and America
28:48 Remembering the unity after 9/11
29:57 What we should teach our children

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Are white people really dying out? Is the West facing demographic collapse? And why are birth rates falling throughout the developed world?

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris is joined by statistician William M. Briggs to examine the numbers behind population decline, fertility rates, demographic change, and the future of Western civilization.

William Briggs discusses his experience in academia, supporting Donald Trump in 2016, and eventually being canceled by Cornell. The conversation then turns to one of the most important questions facing the modern world: Why are people having fewer children?

The discussion covers feminism and equality, housing and economic pressures, immigration, aging populations, technology, religion, pornography, online life, Israel's comparatively high fertility rate, Christianity, and the ways bad science can distort public understanding of environmental and medical threats.

Are falling birth rates primarily the result of environmental factors, or are people simply making different decisions about marriage and children? And will humanity eventually return to higher fertility rates?

Join the conversation.

Follow William M. Briggs and read his work at WMBriggs.com.

Support Conversations That Matter and stay connected with Jon Harris at JonHarrisMedia.com.

00:00 Introduction and Meet William M. Briggs
01:10 Supporting Trump and Being Canceled by Cornell
05:30 Can Conservatives Still Survive Academia?
09:00 Are White People and Europeans Dying Out?
11:30 Why Are Birth Rates Falling?
14:00 The ICU Theory: Population, Housing, and Economics
17:30 Understanding Fertility Rates and Demographic Data
24:30 Feminism, Sexual Behavior, and Population Decline
29:00 Will Fertility Rates Eventually Recover?
33:00 Technology, Online Life, and the Future of Human Relationships
36:00 Israel, Religion, and Higher Birth Rates
41:00 Environmental Causes and Bad Science
49:00 Christianity, Reality, and the Future of Civilization
52:00 Government Policy, Safety Culture, and Having Children
55:00 Final Thoughts

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris tackles a wide-ranging news roundup touching on Christian persecution, the future of the American right, immigration, Islam, JD Vance, and the growing tensions within conservative politics.

Jon begins with the 2026 Open Doors World Watch List and the persecution of Christians around the world, with particular attention to Nigeria and the question of how Christians in America should think about helping persecuted believers while also maintaining responsible immigration and government policy.

He then turns to the American right and the growing divide between competing factions, including the tensions surrounding JD Vance, Tucker Carlson, Israel, nationalism, and the future direction of the Republican Party.

Jon also examines criticism of JD Vance's proposal to expand federal childcare assistance to married families with a stay-at-home parent. Is the proposal socialism? Jon argues that the more fundamental question is what conservatives should do when government programs already exist.

The episode also explores the online right, evangelical institutions, woke ideology, social justice, American identity, and the importance of recovering a more grounded understanding of virtue, family, and national responsibility.

Topics include:
• Christian persecution and the 2026 World Watch List
• Nigeria and persecuted Christians
• Immigration and refugee policy
• Islam and Western civilization
• JD Vance and the future of the Republican Party
• Tucker Carlson and the online right
• Israel, nationalism, and competing factions on the right
• JD Vance's stay-at-home parent childcare proposal
• Socialism and the role of government
• Woke ideology and evangelical institutions
• American identity and recovering virtue

virtueconference.com

Jon's Music: jonharristunes.com

To Support the Podcast: 
https://www.jonharrismedia.com/support/

Become a Patron
https://www.patreon.com/jonharrispodcast

Substack: https://substack.com/@jonharris 

Follow Jon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonharris1989

Follow Jon on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/jonharris1989/

00:00 — News Roundup: What We Are Talking About Today
02:46 — Restoring Virtue: Why Some Conferences Should Stay Offline
06:22 — Christian Persecution Around the World
09:18 — Nigeria and the Reality of Christian Persecution
12:02 — Should America Help Persecuted Christians?
16:01 — ETP Coffee and Supporting Persecuted Christians
17:10 — Islam, Immigration, and Western Civilization
23:46 — 25 Years After 9/11: How America Thinks About Islam
24:00 — Woke Virginia and the Fight Over American Monuments
28:40 — The Online Right and the Loss of American Identity
01:16:32 — Is JD Vance a Socialist?
01:17:05 — Stay-at-Home Moms and the $12 Billion Childcare Fund
01:21:49 — The Political Future of the Right

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What is happening to American women?

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris sits down with Bethany Miller to discuss the Lindsay Clancy case, toxic empathy, social media, the radicalization of Gen Z, and the growing divide between young men and women.

The conversation begins with the surprising public response to the Lindsay Clancy trial and asks a larger question: Why are so many people responding to serious moral questions through identification, victimhood, and emotional narratives rather than evidence and accountability?

Bethany explains how TikTok, Instagram, entertainment, and online communities can reinforce these narratives by rewarding emotional identification and simplifying complicated questions. The discussion then broadens to the way our culture has learned to humanize villains, tear down heroes, and increasingly interpret reality through ideological and online communities.

But the conversation does not stop with women.

Jon and Bethany also discuss the radicalization of some young men, the manosphere, political resentment, dating expectations, and the difficulty Gen Z faces in forming healthy relationships. Both sides of the political spectrum can fall into the same trap: taking legitimate frustrations and allowing them to become an excuse for bitterness, isolation, or extremism.

The episode ultimately turns toward a more constructive question: How can young men and women actually build healthy marriages and families?

That means having difficult conversations while dating, looking for character and resilience rather than simply checking boxes, staying grounded in reality, and refusing to let the internet define the opposite sex for us. The conversation also considers the importance of fathers, family formation, and God's providence.

This is a conversation about women, men, social media, dating, family, politics, and the cultural forces shaping the next generation.

#GenZ #Dating #Christianity #Culture #ToxicEmpathy

00:00 — What Happened to Gen Z Women?
01:30 — From Theology to Politics and Media
04:00 — The Lindsay Clancy Case
06:00 — How TikTok Created a Narrative
13:00 — Toxic Empathy and Victimhood
17:00 — Why We Humanize Villains
20:30 — The Radicalization of Young Men and Women
28:30 — The Gen Z Dating Crisis
46:30 — Providence, Marriage, and Finding Reality
52:00 — Fathers, Family, and Raising Resilient Children

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Scott Greer joins Conversations That Matter to explain the rise of the online right and how it transformed American conservatism.

Drawing from his new book White Pill: The Online Right and the Making of Trump's America, Greer walks through the history of the alt-right, the rise of Donald Trump, the influence of Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk, the political upheavals of 2020, and the growing influence of online-right ideas within mainstream conservatism.

We also discuss why young conservatives became dissatisfied with the old conservative establishment, the importance of immigration and demographic change, the evolution from the alt-right to the dissident right, the relationship between Christianity and the online right, and whether this movement ultimately strengthens or undermines the American right.

Greer argues that the online right has brought new energy to conservatism and made ideas more appealing to young people, while also warning about the disconnect that can develop between online political culture and ordinary Americans.

00:00 — The Rise of the Online Right
03:25 — How Scott Greer Entered Conservative Politics
05:25 — How Tucker Carlson Changed the Right
08:05 — Charlie Kirk and the Griper War
09:50 — Why 2020 Radicalized Conservatives
12:45 — Where the Alt-Right Came From
18:25 — Alt-Right, Dissident Right, and the Trump Movement
30:25 — How the Online Right Transformed Conservatism
40:00 — Christianity and the Online Right
53:40 — The Negative and Positive Sides of the Online Right

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy