Reason Bound - podcast cover

Reason Bound

Ryan Michaelsreasonbound.libsyn.com
Recording from Tokyo, I have on guests to discuss social issues, politics, and what's happening in the world. It's not what people believe, but why they believe it that I find most interesting.
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Episodes

#46: Of Multiple Minds

Abraham Holloman returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about a documentary called "Crazy, Not Insane". The documentary features noted crime psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis examine aspects of the brain. Specifically, Dr. Lewis has spent years studying the psychology of murders with a focus on Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder). In keeping with Reason Bound's attempt to find the "why" behind what motivates people, it was a great film to better under...

Aug 13, 20251 hr 27 min

#45: Tradition Twist

Mike Hubbard returns to Reason Bound to discuss how he views the relationship he has with his wife and the value it brings to their home. Mike prefers to be out making money and hustling on the side to provide financial support, while his wife prefers to stay at home and raise their children herself. Mike discusses his thoughts on the importance of both roles, the importance of both parties consenting and wanting the roles they have, and how in their case it has resulted in a happy, healthy, fun...

Jul 15, 202551 min

#44: Trade Ideas

A lontime friend Andy Connel joins Ryan on Reason Bound to discuss something we both with we had more of and less of: options. In a supermarket it can be overwhelming with 40 different flavors of Cheerios, but what about in life? One option many have been conditioned to not consider, is picking a skilled trade for a career. Andy discusses his own history that led him to a career in the trades as well as many things learned along the way. Using The Hechinger Report and others as a reference, they...

Apr 08, 20251 hr 35 min

#43: Generational Mental Health

Denise Johnson joins Ryan for this episode of Reason Bound to discuss generational mental health. When people are faced with trauma, getting professional help up to and including medication management can have an extremely positive effect on their lives. In spite of this, having mental health issues is still often stigmatized, with some going so far as to suggest depression, etc, doesn't exist or sum up mental health problems as: "white people issues". A guide for dealing with mental health need...

Mar 09, 202559 min

#42: Drag Queen Controversy

An Aussie named Ben joins Ryan to discuss the big drag queen issues that have been in the news the last several years seemingly nonstop. On this (weirdly) very heated topic, sober and reason-bound commentary seem sparse. Ben and Ryan discuss what exactly "drag" is, what its components can be and what its components don't have to be. As they say: "context is king", and exploring context is a good way to avoid sounding like a frothing at the mouth lunatic when discussing this issue....

Jan 05, 20251 hr 38 min

#41: Balancing On Life's Penny Board

Tej Singh joins Ryan to discuss work life balance and reminisce on their time together in Japan during the global pandemic. Tej worked for years as a career coach and shares suggestions for a good cover letter and resume/cv format in the discussion of critical things to consider when deciding what line of work to enter into for a career. Balancing work and life is one of the healthiest things one can do and as the only one to work with Ryan in both corporate and creative work environments, Tej i...

Nov 29, 20241 hr 23 min

Interlude: My Suicidal Ideation as a result of Progressive Insurance

This is an update for those who've asked. I've had suicidal ideation from Progressive Insurance deciding to try and milk me for even more money in asking many intrusive questions about my roommate and interpreting my driving to work in a way to take even more money from me than we had agreed when I prepaid 6 months of coverage. This is a prime example of why I don't put out content as often. The liars and con artists at Progressive Insurance did nothing for me but instill severe suicidal ideatio...

Jul 25, 202412 min

#40: Personality Typecast

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is probably the most famous personality test in the world. Mari Buljo returns to Reason Bound to discuss this personality test with a skeptical Ryan. How far should people read into the validity of these tests, what is the history of the MBTI creation, and how much of a difference is there between these personality tests and a horoscope? Mari is one of Ryan's favorite guests and they first cover some history of how they met and interacted in class together in Toky...

Jun 29, 20241 hr 6 min

#39: Latin Xplanations

Denise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to discuss blending cultural identities centered on what it means to be Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, and so on. Denise talks with Ryan about connecting with roots, hertiage, and how one's own culture can interact with another. It's a good conversation between long time friends that sparked ideas about what it means to be identity X or Y.

Apr 09, 202451 min

#38: Fighting For Fairness: Japan's Tozen Union v.s. Gaba Corporation

Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan's Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teachers fined per lesson if they become unable to teach, which could even result in a negative paycheck. ...

Nov 06, 20231 hr 43 min

#37: Culture Mix

Returning from overseas ventures, Michael Hubbard returns to the U.S. and Reason Bound to discuss Cultural Appropriation with Ryan. Cultural Appropriation seems to have different meanings to different people. Where is the line between what is acceptable and not in social behaviors that cross cultures. Mike and Ryan on a reason-bound discussion on everything from food to clothing to Halloween costumes.

Oct 31, 202347 min

#36: Out Of Style: Truth

Award winning journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to discuss reality as people seem to be navigating it. Fake news, false information, and outright lies are inundating the populace more than Charles and Ryan can ever recall. Where can truth be found? How should claims be evaluated? From British politicians lamenting "Oh, we've had enough of experts" to formerly respected journalists jumping on leaving reality-land railroad jobs, truth is now out of style in favor of confirmation b...

Sep 02, 20232 hr 5 min

#35: War and Peace III: The Wanton Bombings Of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Manny Militello joins Ryan for the third installment of the War and Peace series. Having both met in an international law class at Waseda University in Tokyo, Manny and Ryan have had quite some time to study the history and narratives of actions taken against Japan during the second World War. They discuss history leading up to the U.S.'s involvement in the war, the fire bombings of Tokyo, and the wanton acts of using nuclear weapons on a country that was willing to surrender. The Hague Conventi...

Aug 06, 20232 hr 30 min

#34: Thoughts On Abortion

The last year has put a spotlight on issues surrounding women's reproductive rights and whether or not it's appropriate for women to have control over their own bodies. Rachel Cannon joins Ryan to discuss various aspects of abortion from legislative history to positions influenced by belief in and devotion to religion. It's a sober conversation on a crucial health and family issue that, for the time being, is as unresolved as ever.

Jul 11, 20231 hr 13 min

#33: Some Kind Of Magic

Denise Johnson joins Ryan to discuss religion and spirituality. Where may one stop and the other start, or are they both inextricably linked? One or both terms are nothing more than woo woo to some, while others find they function as descriptive labels for some kind of force/magic/supernatural sense that transcend the natural world. Denise and Ryan discuss establishment religions, what it means to be a cult, and a sense of something greater than oneself that many claim to experience regardless o...

Jun 18, 202346 min

#32: Race and Fiction

Longtime friend Abraham Holloman joins Ryan to discuss the often times polarizing subject of race swapping fictional characters. They discuss reasons why some find it difficult to be at peace with an established character in one version of a story, then have a race swap take place in a subsequent story, film, etc. Abraham and Ryan discuss the backlash over the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid, as well as other fictional characters and to what extent race being c...

May 21, 20231 hr 5 min

#31: State-Sponsored Execution

Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to Reason Bound to discuss state-sponsored executions, also known as "capital punishment" or "the death penalty". As many nations across the world move toward a greater level of civility, there are still countries where the state has the authority to demonstrate murder is wrong by murdering. Charles talks with Ryan about the inherent hypocrisy of the death penalty and discusses the cases of Nathaniel Woods, Troy Davis, and George Stinney...

Oct 11, 20202 hr 1 min

#30: Animals

Holly Wilt returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about principles involving animal rights, suffering, and factory farming amongst others. In his teens Ryan went vegetarian before going vegan. In this episode he has an open and honest conversation with Holly, a former vegetarian, about the ethics of consuming animals. Also, the baby spider story is finally told in what was an epic moment in the saga of Holly and Ryan's friendship.

Sep 03, 202048 min

#29: Guns

Cody Linklater returns to Reason Bound to have a calm, cool, and collected discussion with Ryan about their differing views on guns. When, if at all, should the 2nd Amendment be limited? Should the US look to other countries and adopt their gun control and safety policies? Other topics include encountering nazis and escalating violence, the importance of mental health, and the police.

Aug 03, 20201 hr 57 min

#28: Black Panther: MARVELous Representation

Jarvis Simmons joins Ryan for a discussion on representation in film. Specifically, they take a look back at Marvel's "Black Panther" and why that was such a pivotal moment for pop culture. Other topics include different racial interpretations of established characters, new stories featuring characters not seen as the norm, and the debate of our time: Iron Man VS Batman.

Jul 06, 202051 min

#27: Flag Burning, Dating, and Religion

Nick Hodge comes on Reason Bound to join Ryan in person. They throw down a few drinks while discussing flag burning, dating, and religion. It's a spirited conversation that looks at behavior, rules, and regulations about laws concerning the treatment of a country's national flag. Another topic as yet discussed on the podcast is how each feels about dating someone if they have fairly different religious beliefs than themselves. It's an Aussie invasion and one of the best!

Jun 19, 20201 hr 2 min

#26: Race Relations

Ryan's childhood friend, Aaron Adair, joins Reason Bound to talk about race relations in the United States and specifically his experiences being viewed as a black man. After the initial recording, events surrounding the death of George Floyd took place which prompted Ryan and Aaron to record an additional hour to add on. Other topics include riots, police encounters, privilege, and marginalized groups.

Jun 01, 20202 hr 28 min

#25: What I Got

Holly Wilt returns to Reason Bound to discuss sex and love. Holly and Ryan discuss the throes of love and delve into that which is considered temporary compared with everlasting. A study about how people reignite the passion from earlier times in their relationships, love between friends, and passionate vs compassionate love are topics also discussed.

May 23, 202048 min

#24: Wander Abroad

Ryan talks with Tej Singh about his time in South Korea and Japan. Tej shares thoughts on the differences in lifestyle, business, relationships, and the point many expats reach where they return to their country of origin. Some, however, seem to wander abroad forever...

Apr 08, 202039 min

#23: Preparing For Chaos

Former combat medicine technician, Michael Hubbard, returns to discuss the recent pandemic. Regardless of how bad things become with coronavirus, it's crucial to be prepared for devastating events that have the potential to change people's way of life. Mike and Ryan discuss obvious and not so obvious items to have in the case of an emergency, the state of politics in the US, and people's social awareness as we head into whatever future awaits.

Mar 15, 20201 hr 1 min

#22: Bad Press

Not all press is good press and these days most of it isn't. Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to the Reason Bound podcast to speak with Ryan about media and politics. Topics include figures and movements led by those such as Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, and how the concept of "Fake News" is interpreted and propagated. If you want to change media, this is the prime discussion to get the paper rolling.

Mar 01, 20201 hr 49 min

#21: A Few Drinks

Joe Schmitt and Ryan discuss societal issues centered on drinking in the U.S. compared with Japan.

Feb 28, 202049 min

#20: RB20: Reason Bound Twenty Episodes Later

Evading capture by Dr. Loomis, Holly Wilt returns to the Reason Bound podcast to talk with Ryan about several issues: A place they both worked, religion and a world created with evil, parents with special needs children and how some cope with supernatural reasoning, #blessed, and "locker room talk". On a lighter note, they also talk about Jamie Lee Curtis's return to Halloween, memories of H20 and Josh Hartnett, the difference between Jason X and Freddy v.s. Jason, and a discussion about everyon...

Jul 19, 201847 min
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