Mansplaining

Send us Fan Mail

The recent federal antitrust lawsuits against Facebook and Google mark a rare area of agreement in our polarized political culture.  Seemingly everybody wants to do something about Big Tech, though for very different reasons.  But should these companies be broken up?  Mark and Joe take quick tour through the history of antitrust and examine the pros and cons of breaking up Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. (Recorded Jan. 31, 2021.)

Send us Fan Mail

Without inhaling, Joe and Mark catch a whiff of the best arguments for and against legalizing drugs.  Includes a brief history of drug use in the USA, a chronicle of the ill-advised "War on Drugs," and how the topic of legalization lends itself to strange political bedfellows. (Recorded Jan. 15, 2021.)

Send us Fan Mail

Mark and Joe slide into Major League Baseball’s surprising decision to integrate the Negro Leagues with the major leagues.  Is it even feasible to combine the statistical records of different leagues playing at different times under different conditions, and might baseball’s gesture inadvertently diminish the ballplayers of color that it was meant to honor? (Recorded Jan. 1, 2021.)

Send us Fan Mail

Why is Christmas such a big deal, and how did it become so important?  Joe and Mark trace the history of a religious holiday’s roots in ancient European winter solstice festivals, and its long and winding road to becoming the cultural juggernaut it is today. (Recorded Dec. 18, 2020.)

Send us Fan Mail

Mark and Joe review the newest political catchphrase to polarize America, examining its origins, the longstanding debate among advocates of abolishment versus reform, and a careful redirection of police resources might look like, before concluding with their proposals for a better slogan.  (Recorded December 5, 2020)

Like our Facebook page to vote on your favorite slogan, comment on episodes, or suggest a future topic!

Send us Fan Mail

Joe and Mark ponder “the Hispanic vote,” its influence on the 2020 presidential election, and the sneaking possibility that it’s not the monolith many Democrats assume. (Hint: it’s not. Taping date: November 20, 2020.)

Send us Fan Mail

The demise of movie theaters has been predicted for decades, but COVID-19 might be the thing that finally does them in.  Mark and Joe examine the history of the cinema-industrial complex, its prospects for survival, and what “going to the movies” might look like a generation from now. (Taping date: November 6, 2020.)

Send us Fan Mail

Joe and Mark explore the origins of the electoral college, why it made sense at our nation’s founding, and whether there are any good reasons for retaining it today. (Recorded October 23, 2020.)

Send us Fan Mail

Mark and Joe place Kanye West’s strange presidential campaign in the context of recent third-party candidacies and examine whether it’s likely to play a spoiler role in the race between Trump and Biden. (Recorded October 9, 2020)

Send us Fan Mail

Joe and Mark consider the epic wildfires currently ravaging the western United States and try to parse the role that climate change plays in these intensifying conflagrations. (Taped September 25, 2020.)