I’ve invited two Generation-Z’s - Rikki Schlott and Christopher Wells - to share their recent experiences speaking in The Respondent Club.
Rikki Schlott
My experience with The Respondent started when a friend of mine, Christopher Wells, invited me to co-host a Clubhouse room that he had entitled “Gen Z Against Wokeness.” Though I had never used the app and had no idea what I was getting myself into, I agreed.
Unbeknownst to me, Christopher had asked Greg Ellis if he could host the room in The Respondent Club. The next thing I knew, Greg was welcoming Christopher and myself onto the virtual stage as I fumbled to figure out how to unmute my microphone on the Clubhouse app.
I could never have imagined what would come of that virtual chatroom. From Bret and Eric Weinstein to Lex Fridman, some of my intellectual heroes graced the stage — even MC Hammer spent hours in the conversation!
I ended up pulling an all-nighter that evening as the banter and debate pushed on well beyond the 12 hour mark and into the early morning hours, drawing in audiences from around the world numbering in the thousands.
Just like that, The Respondent had broadened my world exponentially as I delved into difficult and thorny conversations with people I could never have imagined—all because Greg took a chance on two random college kids who wanted a platform to voice their opinions.
In subsequent Clubhouse rooms, Greg has granted Christopher and me freedom to explore any topic relevant to Gen Z, no matter how controversial or uncomfortable the conversation might be—hook up culture, illiberalism, substance abuse, gender theory, porn addiction, and much more.
In its Clubhouse iteration, Greg Ellis’s The Respondent Club has achieved its mission of breaking down taboos, speaking honestly, and leaning into civil and productive dialogue. Without fail, it is an enriching experience, guided by Greg’s tactful moderation.
I am so glad to see Greg elevating his message beyond the Clubhouse app as he releases his book, The Respondent. By exposing the tribulations that fathers face in divorce court, Greg breaks down yet another taboo and addresses the issues facing men more broadly.
This is the common thread of The Respondent: giving a voice and a platform to those left unspoken for. Just like our Clubhouse rooms, The Respondent is there to say what needs to be said, with vulnerability and without fear.
As a female college student, I could not be more seemingly remote from the issues of divorce court. Nonetheless, as a child of divorce and a young woman finding her place in the world, The Respondent speaks to me, too—particularly in the book’s conversation about the devaluation of marriage and family.
With talented succinctness, Greg breaks down the cultural meta-trends that have brought us to this moment, in which the nuclear family has effectively been obliterated. In my anecdotal worldview as a member of Generation Z, this rings entirely true—and it is a reality I have encountered personally.
With dating apps and hookup culture run awry, my generation has lost touch with our traditional and biological urge to create a solid family structure. Furthermore, and perhaps more frighteningly, we have also entirely lost our desire to do so.
As marriage rates drop dramatically in the Millennial generation, I fear what will come of my contemporaries who are presently coming of age and beginning to traverse the obstacle course of dating in the 21st century.
As a young woman, I hope one day to have a family of my own, but looming in the background is a vicious legal machine. Furthermore, my generation’s parents have experienced a divorce rate of nearly 50 percent, rendering us desensitized to the intended finality and seriousness of entering a marriage.
Among my peers, I have heard whispers that divorce court is an ugly place. Throughout my childhood, I saw friends ripped from parents—and particularly fathers. But the inner workings of the legal system is something us young people been shielded from.
Therefore, I am grateful that The Respondent gave me a better understanding the unjust legal structure surrounding family law. Even as the child of divorce myself, the level of injustice had never fully occurred to be until reading Greg’s book.
Once again, just as it had in its iteration as a clubhouse group, The Respondent broadened my worldview. While alarming and truly heartbreaking, understanding this unfortunate reality is paramount for any young person considering marriage and children, lest they be unaware of the perils that loom.
It is my hope that this book will also remind them that, even if a divorce court has separated them from their own parents, family dynamics are far more complicated and complex than the finality of a judge’s custody decision.
Several days ago, Greg tweeted: “I miss my sons so much and some days the pain is unrelenting, indescribable, inescapable. They were my everything, the meaning of my life. Wherever you are my beautiful boys... Your Daddy loves you. Always. And forever.”
I hope this book will inspire the children of divorce in similar circumstances to Greg’s sons to lend their estranged parents, and especially fathers, a greater sympathy. Though the law may have separated them, love very may still live on.
I am proud to play a small role in Greg’s mission to unite voices across generations, ideologies, and even genders in leaning into uncomfortable conversations and uncharted territory. I am confident that The Respondent will ignite an important and much-needed conversation.
Christopher Wells
I initially reached out to Greg on a whim hoping that his club, The Respondent, would help Rikki and I's discussion gain slightly more traction. The results were unfathomable.
We initially planned to have a conversation for a couple of hours, but the room ended up running for fifteen hours and attracted thousands of listeners. By the means of The Respondent we were able to have incredible discourse on a multitude of topics across the ideological spectrum. Notable speakers such as the Weinstein brothers, Yashca Mounk, and many others were able to bridge divides with people with far smaller platforms from an endless variety of backgrounds. It felt that everyone had a voice regardless of public image.
Both our country and the world surely could use more discussions such as the ones taking place on The Respondent. I extend an enormous amount of gratitude to Greg Ellis for the important discussions he is allowing us to foster.