The Ethical Life

Episode 137: With more data accumulating about us each day, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about whether privacy is still important — or even possible.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

What Gen Z really cares about when it comes to privacy, David Ruiz, Malwarebytes

AI hustlers stole women’s faces to put in ads. The law can’t help them, by Nitasha Tiku and Pranshu Verma, The Washington Post

The rise of the worker productivity score, Jodi Kantor and Arya Sundaram, The New York Times

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 136: Earlier this year, James and Jennifer Crumbley were convicted, in separate trials, of involuntary manslaughter. In 2021, their son, then 15, shot and killed four students at his Michigan high school. Six more students and a faculty member were wounded. He is serving a life sentence, with no possibility of parole.

The Crumbleys were accused of failing to take critical steps, including safely securing a gun at home, that could have prevented their son's attack. They will be sentenced later this month.

In the wake of this verdict, The New York Times asked a group of teens whether parents should ever be held responsible for the harmful actions of their children? And if so, under what circumstances? 

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the responses the teens had to that question and why there often are many layers of blame in such a tragic situation.

Episode 135: It’s common to hear people say they’ve reached the point in life where they don’t care what others think about them. This can either sound like someone who is firm in their convictions, or it can give the impression that they don't value feedback from others about their actions and beliefs.

Host Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss when it's appropriate to give advice — or even judge — others, and why we've been trained to believe that politics and religion are two topics that should be avoided at all costs.

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 134: It used to be that, with a few exceptions, actors and musicians were simply performers. Yes, we might have had an occasional look into their private lives, but most people simply enjoyed their films and their music.

But for better or worse, social media has turned performers into brands — and they often find themselves in the middle of our political and cultural storms.

Today, it’s probably difficult to be a Kid Rock fan and be a Democrat, and we all saw the many conspiracy theories made up about Taylor Swift as she takes positions often at odds with Republicans.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss whether entertainers should make their political views public and how those views affect their fans.

Richard Kyte: Should celebrities speak out about politics?

Episode 133: Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that three couples who had frozen embryos accidentally destroyed in a storage facility could pursue wrongful death lawsuits. After the ruling, three major providers of in vitro fertilization temporarily paused those services in the state because of concerns about civil liability. Those treatments have since resumed after legislative action. 

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how this case is a window into some of the most fundamental questions we face about our how life begins.

Episode 132: The 2020 presidential election had the highest voter turnout in 120 years, with 66.8 percent of citizens 18 and older voting in that election. But that still means that 1 out of every 3 eligible adults — that’s 80 million people — stayed home.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss why people choose not to participate and whether the need for chaos drives some voters toward candidates who want to burn everything down.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Poll: Despite Record Turnout, 80 Million Americans Didn't Vote. Here's Why, by Domenico Montanaro, National Public Radio

They Could Decide the 2024 Election. If They Vote, by Marcela Valdes, The New York Times Magazine

The Americans Who Need Chaos, by Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 131: Two popular columnists recently wrote about travel, and they had dramatically different views.

Agnes Collard wrote for The New Yorker that travel turns us into the worst version of ourselves, while Matt Yglesias wrote about the many benefits of tourism, especially on the economies of the places that are most-often visited.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss the benefits of travel, what behaviors good tourists exhibit and why it’s in fact good to live in a place where people like to visit.

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 130: Higher education has been in the news a lot lately, and the news isn’t the kind college administrators are hoping to see. Questions about what’s being taught in the classroom, and how that affects admissions and free speech, are all making headlines at campuses across this nation.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how the role of universities has changed over the past few decades and how more specialized workplaces are requiring a more specialized approach in the classroom.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Legislation doesn't address problems with higher education, by Richard Kyte

The General Education Act Renews Liberal Education in America, by Peter Berkowitz, The Tennessee Star

Teacher are limiting lessons on political, social issues, report finds, by Hannah Natanson, The Washington Post

College is all about curiosity. And that requires free speech. by Stephen L. Carter. The New York Times Magazine

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 129: There was a time, not all that long ago, when most Americans in their 20s did several things — often in quick succession. They got married, started a family, joined a church, bought a house and subscribed to the local newspaper. Once that checklist was complete, you were clearly an adult.

Today, however, things aren’t nearly so simple.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada talk about how the world is changing at an ever-quickening pace, but why one of the few things that seems to be slowing down is when young people consider themselves to be an adult. 

Links to stories discussed during the podcast:

Technology slows the development of young people, by Richard Kyte

Why Americans are having fewer babies, by Janet Adamy, The Wall Street Journal

Americans can't decide what it means to grow up, by Faith Hill, The Atlantic

The gender war within Gen Z, by Derek Thompson, Plain English podcast

About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books.

Episode 128: There are ongoing talks about what can be done to better secure the southern border. And although almost everyone thinks this is an important topic, few expect any federal legislation on this issue before the election. The hosts look at the ethics that help frame the debate and what responsibility the federal government has to its citizens and those who want to immigrate here.