In the aftermath of the worst mass-murder of Jews since the Holocaust, we discuss not only the event itself but the many oddities of our collective reaction to it. Western governments have been near-unanimous in their support for Israel and sympathy for Jews, but their populations are increasingly taking a different approach. We discuss the causes and consequences of this shift, and what it might bode for the future.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokenworld.substack.com

British actor and comedian Russell Brand has been accused of a pattern of sexual abuse and assault, including of minors. And while the Internet rapidly divides between his defenders and detractors, we examine the larger question of male predation in the aftermath of the sexual revolution. Were the “free love” advocates of the ‘60s fatally naive about male appetites and is there any tool left to us to hold them to account?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokenworld.substack.com

What you're about to hear was initially recorded almost two months ago, in the wake of the killing of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway car. Though more details have since come to light, we feel this story and our discussion of it have enduring relevance, as public transit systems all over the Western world have become de facto sanctuaries for homeless, addicted and mentally unwell men and women, while rising concerns about public safety remain ignored.

As ever, we're also interested in why young men so often find themselves in one of two very different roles: victim and victimizer, public nuisance and public saviour, playing for an audience who ultimately cares little about their fate. In this particular case, politicians, pundits and progressives are determined to pit Penny and Neely against each other, further fuelling a culture war that increasingly hinges on the spectacle of violence. And the question we’re failing to ask is: at what cost?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokenworld.substack.com

We’re back – this time, under a new podcast banner with a wider scope and vision for the future of this publication. Welcome to The Broken World Podcast.

We’ve been fortunate to meet some extraordinary heterodox thinkers from across Canada and the US, men and women who have spoken against a consensus, walked away from lucrative corporate careers, or sought to build something new and vital in an era of collapsing trust in institutions.

Canadian journalist, writer and podcast host Tara Henley is one such beacon. Over the past two decades, her work has appeared on CBC Radio and TV, and in dozens of newspapers and magazines across the country and around the world. She is also the author of the national bestseller Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life.

We engage in a broad-ranging conversation about why Tara quit the CBC, her observations and insights on the state of journalism, dating and having it all in a postmodern world, her deeply insightful book, and the significance of eating well. You can read her – and listen to her podcast – on her Substack Lean Out with Tara Henley.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebrokenworld.substack.com