The American Age

191 - Whether you want to believe in it or not, science is real and the laws of all sciences affect us each indiscriminately. Where we differ and form opposing views stems from how it is represented to us, and how we subsequently interpret it. And even though it affects us the same ways individually, as communities and larger bodies of populations, the effects can vary from a matter of opinion to a matter of life or death.

190 - This week, the hosts turn up the heat as they address the media fire that is social networks and news coverage. It's a bipartisan belief that media can be dishonest or misleading, but there is no objective metric to identify exactly which sources are being truthful and to what extent. Most of us are familiar with clickbait tactics -- titles that use specific phrasing with the intent to misguide you about the context. Is it necessary for journalism to be altruistic, and if so, why or why not?

189 - The hosts continue adding valuable perspective regarding political parties and how we are socialized to form interest out of fear. It's not easy these days to take politicians, organizations, or news at face value. COVID-19 exposed every aspect of how our country operates and functions, for better or worse. There is eye opening criticism aimed in every direction, but are there any viable plans for progress?

188 - No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, we're still not done talking about Donald Trump -- or as Felix of the podcast Chapo Trap House likes to call, "Presinald Trunt". Totally dialectical and diabolical; followers of one of the most pro-first amendment eras have one of the most pro-first amendment critics. What other hot takes are not talked about enough?

187 - The hosts go further into discourse about dystopias, trying to find the line where communication as a tool to connect turns into pitchforks and torches. Most of us know that what we consume shapes our minds, but we don’t seem to have answers for some of our behaviors. How do we get from point A to point B? We sometimes project the reality we want by denying another person's experiences. Somewhere in there is where communication is lost and we develop echo chambers.

186 - Diversity is a hot topic and it's proving to be more controversial than you'd think. This week, the hosts discuss the ESPN scandal between Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor. The contagious reaction was to criticize Nichols for what seemed to be prejudiced comments about Taylor. Were we tricked into blaming her and completely forgetting about ESPN's track record? A prime example of outrage to call progressive but no real progress is made.

178 - The hosts continue their discussion on forgiveness. What does it mean to forgive an entire community, and how does that differ from forgiveness for an individual?

185 - Picking up where we left off last week, we dig deeper into societal scandals. Public outcry is no good if it only creates more noise without identifying any viable solutions. Is it productive to critique those who defend people who have caused harm? In almost every social movement, there's a lot of responsibility placed on individuals and seemingly not enough on entities with the power to make change.

184 -The hosts discuss dystopias: from the hopelessness of a war zone to the hopelessness of progressive social movements. When is a dystopian worldview warranted?