The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Episode: No Mercy / No Malice: Role Models
Date: February 14, 2026
As read by George Hahn

Overview

This episode focuses on the concept and importance of role models in American society—particularly in the context of leadership, politics, and business. Through a mix of cultural observations, personal anecdotes, and academic insights, Scott Galloway critiques the current state of America's role models, contrasting historical and positive examples against the damaging effects of figures like Donald Trump.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Presidential Role Model Crisis

• Defining the Issue:

  • 90% of Americans believe the president should be a good role model, yet Donald Trump stands as a stark counterexample ([03:04]).
  • Trump's repeated failures as a role model are shaping the values of future American generations.

• Trump’s Role Model Influence:

  • Trump’s behavior—such as posting racist material, doubling down in crises, and displaying performative outrage—is normalized in American culture due to his prominence ([03:41]).
  • His crisis management strategy, learned from Roy Cohn: “Admit nothing, deny everything, and always claim victory, no matter the actual outcome.” ([04:33])

• Illustrative Quote:

  • “Trump isn’t making America great again. He’s clear cutting American values.” ([03:19])

2. The Mechanics and Power of Role Models

• Origins and Studies:

  • Sociologist Robert K. Merton coined "role model" in 1957, distinguishing it from "reference groups" ([07:23]).
  • Psychologists Morgenroth, Ryan, and Peters identified the three motivational functions of role models: they serve as behavioral models, represent what’s possible, and inspire ([08:31]).
  • Historian Pamela Walker Laird identified role models as crucial for the accumulation of social capital ([09:18]).
  • Steve Jobs as a modern business archetype—a case study in style and workplace culture ([10:01]).

• Cultural Learning:

  • Harvard anthropologist Joseph Henrich: humans are hardwired to follow high-prestige role models for “cultural survival skills” ([10:51]).

3. Prestige and Emulation

• How Influence Spreads:

  • High-prestige individuals set group agendas—if they contribute positively, others follow, and vice versa ([11:30]).
  • Modern phenomena, such as world leaders copying Trump’s signature dance, demonstrate the peculiar and pervasive influence of high-visibility figures ([12:08]).

• Memorable Analogy:

  • “To paraphrase Mel Brooks, it’s good to be the authoritarian.” ([12:19])

4. Personal Role Models and Mentorship

• Scott Galloway’s Story:

  • Early financial mentorship from Cy Sero, a broker at Dean Witter, who selflessly guided a young Scott into investing and kept his mother updated ([13:02]).
  • The profound and lasting effect a caring adult can have—a call to increase male mentorship, noting the troubling imbalance in Big Brothers/Big Sisters participation ([14:44]).

• Poignant Quote:

  • “You don’t need to be a baller or have your own family to mentor a young man. Just a guy trying to lead a virtuous life who has the most important thing to share: your presence.” ([15:01])

5. Role Models in History and Politics

• Comparisons to Weimar Germany:

  • Drawing troubling parallels between Trump-era political rhetoric and late-stage Weimar Republic Germany, focusing on propaganda, dehumanization, and business complicity ([15:42]).

• Business Silence and Responsibility:

  • Critique of Fortune 500 CEOs for their public silence on Trump out of fear, under the guise of defending “shareholder value”—a deflection from moral leadership ([16:31]).
  • Private fears don’t excuse public inaction; role modeling requires courage.

• Summative Challenge:

  • “When the people you love are at your side by your deathbed, how will you answer the ‘What did you do?’” ([16:48])
  • The episode ends on a call for Americans—especially those in power—to act as true role models, standing up for values even when difficult.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they’ll never sit under. There’s an inverse to that wisdom: Great societies decline when old men chop down forests meant to provide shade and oxygen for future generations.” – ([03:14])
• “Trump’s performative concern over bad role models–‘Won’t someone think of the children’–is rich from a man who appears in the Epstein files 38,000 times. More times than Jesus is mentioned in the Bible.” ([05:43])
• “My intellectual Sherpas these days are the historians Heather Cox Richardson and Timothy Snyder. Whenever they’re on my podcast, I’m reminded: history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” ([15:12])
• “America doesn’t yet rhyme with the Third Reich, but the late-stage Weimar Republic.” ([15:18])
• “America’s CEOs aren’t acting in the interest of shareholders by staying silent about democracy and the rule of law, they’re acting out of fear.” ([16:39])
• “Life is so rich.” ([16:58]) — Galloway’s closing mantra, underscoring the richness of a life lived with conscience and courage.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:04 — 90% of Americans think the president should be a role model; Trump’s failures discussed.
• 04:33 — Trump’s “Cohn playbook” and how crisis responses shape consequences.
• 07:23 — Academic origins of the term “role model.”
• 10:51 — Joseph Henrich on prestige and cultural learning.
• 12:08 — Trump “dance” emulated globally as an example of high-prestige modeling.
• 13:02 — Galloway recounts early mentorship experience.
• 15:12 — Parallels to Weimar Germany, dangers of dehumanizing rhetoric.
• 16:31 — CEOs criticized for their failure to act as moral leaders.
• 16:48 — Personal accountability: “What did you do?” challenge.

Summary

In “Role Models,” Scott Galloway, via George Hahn’s reading, weaves together cultural criticism, social science, historical parallels, and personal storytelling to examine the vital function of role models in society. He sharply criticizes Donald Trump and other high-profile figures for degrading American norms and demands that business and civic leaders step up—reminding listeners that being a true role model often means taking the harder, more courageous path for the next generation, not merely for one’s own reward.