In this episode, Josh and Ian talk about the US national public debt and other political breaking points. They talk about the age of elected officials and their ability to represent the public, the failure of populism and the cares of the middle-class, the scale of US military spending and public trust, foreign social welfare programs compared to the US, the increasing cost of living, the myth of foreign-held debt, the crises of raising the debt ceiling, the cost of education and the looming ...

In this episode, Josh and Ian discuss recent tragedies of mass-shootings and gun violence in America. They talk about general firearm safety and hunter safety courses for minors, how similar faux guns can be to real firearms, the effectiveness and lethality of firearms as tools of destruction, how America's unique history informs the collective psyche of violence, the culture of firearms, how reason and statistical analysis is often ignored around the conversation of gun control, weapon restr...

In this episode, Josh and Ian catch up on their own mental health psychological troubles. They talk about childish naivete and adult cynicism, a careful balance between optimism and pessimism, how change affects our mental states, how parents imprint on their children, how children are thrust into an indifferent world, Josh's recent diagnosis, how anxiety affects people differently, the common symptoms of depression, revenge bedtime procrastination, the terror of sleep paralysis and hallucina...

In this episode, Josh and Ian talk about the importance of art in human culture and the separation of artists and their art. They talk about linguistic derivations of the word "art" and academic study of its definition, whether or not anything could be called art and something's inherent aesthetic value, the differences between "art" and "craft", the function of and subset of art, how art is used to share narratives about culture, the emotional and physiological connection to aesthetics, Napo...

In this episode, Josh and Ian discuss the implications and responsibility of online streaming and content creation. They talk about the minimal barriers of becoming a streamer or "content creator" and the attraction of the industry to children and young adult creators, the exposure to technology that children now have, the battle for engagement on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, the lengths people are going to achieve fame and wealth and redefining work, mukbang and the reflection an au...

In this episode, Josh and Ian speak about the Covid-19 disease and the impact on the world at the tail-end of the pandemic.Follow them on Twitter at:Josh @Simpsonj423Ian @modernovermanand the podcast @necessarybspodWebsite: https://www.necessarybspod.com/Recorded 12 January 2023

In this episode, Josh and Ian return from their holiday break to revisit their podcast anniversary conversation. They talk about the evolution of their own perspectives, whether or not democracy is the best way to govern society, their descriptions of 'happiness', the pressure of economic stability, stability as a navigational challenge and fairness, the recent $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the US Congress, the opaqueness of US social welfare programs, the allocation of the US...

In this episode, Josh and Ian talk about former US President Donald Trump declaring his Presidential run for 2024, the potential campaign of Ron DeSantis and Republican party division, similarities between Biden and Trump, what it means to be a productive citizen in a capitalist society, the value of a college degree, griefing and the competition of debt and punishment, the monopoly of TicketMaster, President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan being held up in the courts, the ineptitude of...

In this episode, Josh and Ian return from an extended break on the podcast to catch up and comment on current events. They talk about time management in adulthood and family life, Ian's various career choices, challenges in parenthood and how alike children are to their parents, will to power and the battle between passion and reason, the art of performance, celebrity podcasters, the podcast as an outlet and the exercise of conversation, the craft of misery making, understanding our own philo...

Returning from Apathetic Avenue to BS Boulevard, Josh and Ian return to discuss Doctor Strange speculation and take a (perfectly legitimate and not a trick from Harvard) test to determine whether or not Ian is transphobic. They discuss:Can Tom Cruise be Iron Man?Josh learns about implicit bias from some school named HarvardThe difference between white people and black people vs. weapons and "non-harmful objects"Ian takes a test about preferring cisgender or transgender in real timeThe differe...