Culture in America is often hard to define.
Some would argue that culture has been deliberately and systematically destroyed. In 1944, Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew who fled the Nazis to America, coined the terms “genocide” and “ethnocide.” While Lemkin believed those words to be interchangeable, the definitions diverged over the last several decades.
Genocide, a widely understood concept today, focuses on the intentional physical destruction of a large number of people, particularly of a certain group. Meanwhile, ethnocide, a term that is seldom used, concentrates on the destruction of the culture of a certain group of people.
My guest is Barrett Pitner. He’s a philosopher, writer, journalist, and founder of the cultural think tank Sustainable Culture Lab. He’s also been published in the Daily Beast and BBC.
In today’s show, we’re going to discuss what “ethnocide” means, how it affects American society today, and what grassroots organizations such as the Sustainable Culture Lab are doing to reverse its effects.
Hashing it Out is a podcast hosted by Siraj Hashmi, Washington Examiner’s commentary video editor and writer. Each episode includes a political guest to offer both the historical context of the news and politics of the day and insights into how we got to where we are. If you want to find the deeper meaning behind current events, then Hashing it Out is the podcast for you.
