Over the last year, right-wing agitators have turned the academic discipline of Critical Race Theory into the hottest-button issue facing schools. Their anti-intellectual arguments can be maddening. But, paradoxically, the outsized blowback to CRT makes a strong case for it, and for critical theory of all kinds. Victor Ray, sociologist and author of the new book On Critical Race Theory , joins Virginia for a deep dive into both the CRT panic and what the theory actually is.
Aug 18, 2022•41 min
Homeownership has been synonymous with the American Dream since the New Deal. But after the 2008 financial crisis, millions of low-cost "starter houses" were bought for a song by private equity giants who use them as financial instruments rather than places to live. So what's a homebuyer to do? Journalist Aaron Glantz, author of Homewreckers , joins Virginia to analyze whether there's still hope for ordinary homebuyers.
Aug 11, 2022•30 min
As heat waves rip across the globe, many climate pessimists are calling this "the coolest summer of the rest of our lives." Umair Irfan, climate reporter at Vox, joins Virginia to talk about the real impacts of extreme heat on humans, and the moral obligation we have to solve this problem — with resources that already exist.
Aug 04, 2022•30 min
The $4.4 Trillion (with a T!) wellness industry has captured the minds, bodies, and wallets of many women. But what are we actually paying for? Longtime scholar of the fitness landscape Rina Rapheal, author of the new book The Gospel of Wellness , joins Virginia to try to understand our winding and often demoralizing quest to feel "better."
Jul 28, 2022•30 min
In the wake of Dobbs, the conversation about digital privacy — and how abortion seekers can protect their data from law enforcement — has exploded. But what's actually important to online security, and what is a red herring? Cindy Cohn, Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joins Virginia to get to the bottom of what individuals can do to keep their most personal data safe.
Jul 21, 2022•30 min
In a time when people are more dug in than ever on partisan beliefs about the world, is it ever possible to change anybody's mind? Science journalist David McRaney, author of the new book How Minds Change , says yes. He and Virginia investigate the psychology of how we come by our beliefs — and the tried-and-true methods social scientists recommend using to change peoples' minds — even on hot-button issues. Listen to David's podcast with ex-Westboro Baptist Church member Megan Phelps-Roper here ...
Jul 14, 2022•32 min
Until the 1920s, public pools were all over this country, racially integrated and a popular summer activity for all. So what changed? Historian Jeff Wiltse, author of Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America, joins Virginia to recount the history of public pools in the 20th century — and share the pleasures of swimming together, as the world grows hotter
Jul 07, 2022•31 min
Nearly a year and a half after the Capitol was breached, the January 6th Committee is making its case to Congress and the nation on TV. But how effective is their storytelling? Story scientist Angus Fletcher joins Virginia to dig into the science of narrative and why this committee has its work cut out for it.
Jun 30, 2022•30 min
For women, abusive messages from strangers are simply the cost of using social media platforms. But according to Imran Ahmed, Founder & CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, there is both hope and recourse. Imran joins Virginia for a rousing and empathetic conversation about how to navigate – and eventually, end – this online “tax on women”.
Jun 23, 2022•35 min
It seems like you can't swing a spatula without hitting a claim that eating this way will make you happier, stronger, and more productive. As it turns out, diet trends are neither new nor politically innocuous. Lisa Haushofer, author of the upcoming Wonder Foods: The Science and Commerce of Nutrition, joins Virginia to dig into the outsized promises of idealized foods — and their roots in imperialism and racism. During the course of the conversation, Lisa credited the work of a number of her col...
Jun 16, 2022•28 min
Today's slime toys are not your kid brother's ooey-gooey, neon-green puddles: they're unicorn-colored, calming, ASMR wonders. Science journalist Daniel Engber joins Virginia to dig into a contemporary cultural history of slime — and why it's more relevant today than anyone could have predicted.
Jun 09, 2022•27 min
In Julia May Jonas’s shocking debut novel Vladimir , the unnamed narrator — a 58-year-old female English professor — takes her lust for a younger colleague to unimaginably dark lengths. How do the ripple effects of patriarchy impact how we understand, even empathize with her monstrous actions? Jonas joins Virginia to mine the depths.
Jun 02, 2022•32 min
Eric Eddings and Brittany Luse, hosts of the For Colored Nerds podcast, take Virginia on a wild ride through the wildly popular Internet subcultures of the Black Manosphere and its almost-counterpart, Femininity Coaching. They get into why Black men and women might feel drawn to these reactionary gender roles, and why it seems like each group is talking past the other.
May 26, 2022•38 min
With his bozo ode to testosterone, Tucker Carlson joins the ranks of Mussolini, Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump in a pose of cartoon virility. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present joins Virginia to break down the authoritarian’s obsession with this weird flex—and what happens when he can’t pull it off anymore.
May 19, 2022•33 min
In The Dropout , showrunner Liz Meriwether created a fictional version of audacious megascammer Elizabeth Holmes. How was Meriwether able to humanize a such a dangerous fraudster? Liz joins Virginia for a rousing conversation on all things The Dropout .
May 12, 2022•38 min
The news that Twitter has a new emperor got people riled up. But what will Elon Musk's takeover really mean for the platform? Game designer Brianna Wu describes how she worked with Twitter to prevent the kind of violent harassment she got during #GamerGate. But with Musk in charge, she says, the most rabid trolls seem to be on their way back.
May 05, 2022•40 min
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York shocked the company and voted to unionize this month. It was a David-and-Goliath victory. Reporter Gloria Oladipo tells us how the staggering win came about, and why Gen Z believes their labor movement is just getting started.
Apr 28, 2022•29 min
Journalist Peter Ward has spent years among the “immortalists,” studying the obscure things they do in hopes of living forever. But what happens when these methods go too far? And what do we lose when immortality becomes more important than living?
Apr 21, 2022•45 min
Three years ago, reporters Ezra Marcus and James Walsh broke the story of con man Larry Ray and the Sarah Lawrence students he exploited. Now, a week after Ray’s conviction, Ezra and James are here to explain what his crimes reveal about the figures we trust most.
Apr 14, 2022•46 min
Does a shadowy and dangerous Russian philosopher hold the key to the war in Ukraine? Ethnographer Benjamin Teitelbaum explains the life and work of Alexander Dugin—the occultist, far-right folk hero, and geopolitical strategist who says Russia is just getting started.
Apr 07, 2022•53 min
How we handle our body hair says as much about us as how we dress. Rebecca Herzig, professor and author of Plucked: A History of Hair Removal , explores the culture of shaving, waxing, plucking—and just letting it be.
Mar 31, 2022•42 min
You can have a decent marriage, and also think your husband is a "snoring heap of meat". Virginia talks with Heather Havrilesky, author of Foreverland: The Divine Tedium of Marriage.
Mar 24, 2022•38 min
"Brands aren't really real," argues author and brand savant Debbie Millman. At the same time, Coca-Cola once promised to teach the world to sing and neolibs around the world now consider themselves personal brands. So, what's in a brand — and is there any use left in them?
Mar 17, 2022•36 min
Don’t worry, we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming next Thursday.
Mar 10, 2022•59 sec
Fifteen years ago, Bill Browder became Putin's sworn enemy for fighting corruption in the Moscow business world. Now the author, activist, and Magnitsky Act advocate is here to explain how sanctioning Russian oligarchs can help stop Putin.
Mar 04, 2022•40 min
We have to stop. Ragen Chastain, the prominent Health at Every Size advocate, explains what we get wrong about weight loss, size stigma, and inclusive healthcare.
Mar 03, 2022•42 min
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses , Virginia’s dad and James Joyce scholar James Heffernan shares his love of the notoriously difficult novel. Open to all, no pre-reqs needed.
Feb 24, 2022•48 min
The namaste folks are just about downward dog and world peace, right? Maybe not. Conspirituality podcast host and former cult member Matthew Remski reveals the sinister rightward lurch of yoga and the wellness industry.
Feb 17, 2022•52 min
We've all heard that following our passions will lead to a career we love, but labor journalist Sarah Jaffe contends that emotional fulfillment will never come from our corporate overlords, no matter how hard we work for them.
Feb 10, 2022•41 min
The world of sports is filled with pointless supplements and miracle cures but what happens when the disinformation—about everything from nutrition to Covid—influences the rest of us? Dr. Nicholas Tiller tells us why we’re so attracted to bad science, and how to avoid it.
Feb 03, 2022•39 min
