Does language impact our ability to think? George Orwell seemed to think so. I ask this question to our guest this week: Dr. Nick Enfield. Dr. Enfield has written a fantastic book: Language vs. Reality: Why Language is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists. We talk about the problems of framing through a dissection of the Ivermectin debate; we discuss how language can shape reality, but more specifically how it socially coordinates reality; and why it's so difficult to have meaningful conversations when labeling becomes weaponized. This a great episode that is packed with wonderful content. Make sure you let me know by leaving a like, a kind comment, and making sure you're subscribed to the podcast. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.

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Dr. Enfield's Website: http://nickenfield.org/

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2022 marks the 100-year anniversary of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Why is this text still so widely read? What makes it such a difficult novel to read? I was first introduced to Joyce as an undergraduate, and it was difficult to read through, but incredibly rewarding. You feel like you've accomplished something special when you get through a text like Ulysses or Finnigan's Wake. This week on the Neutral Ground Podcast, our guest is Dr. Sam Slote. Sam is an Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His area of specialty is James Joyce, so he's the perfect person to speak to about this topic. We talk about the difficulty in reading Ulysses; how Joyce used multiple genre's within the text; the important role that Shakespeare played in inspiring Joyce's work; why Joyce respected Dante's epic over all others, including the Odyssey; the Bloom's Day phenomenon; the philosophy of Stephen Dedalus; Nietzsche's influence on Joyce; and where Joyce studies are going today. 

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It has been said that the next great world war will not be fought on land, sea, or air. It will be fought in the cyber world. If this is true, we will need all the help that we can get. That leads us to our guest for this week: Dr. Duane C. Wilson. Dr. Wilson has both professional and academic experience in cybersecurity. He has two companies of his own: Wilson Innovative Solutions provides companies with much-needed professional researching in cybersecurity; Wis Education provides continuing education in the field of cybersecurity, training the next generation. In this episode, we talk about the six main goals of cybersecurity; we discuss VPNs; anonymity online; how thieves are able to steal data and leave almost no footprints; blockchain technology and how it is connected to cryptocurrency; domestic and global cyber attacks; and the celebritization of hackers. This is a great conversation. If you enjoy the discussion, make sure you hit the subscribe/follow button, leave a kind comment or rating where applicable, and consider sharing the episode with a friend on social media. We want to bring our message of civil discourse to as many people as possible. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the episode.  

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You've heard me discuss the importance of narrative reassurance in a neomodern sense. Our guest, Kevin M. Kraft, is a Neomodern author. He is writing character-driven stories that believe in constructs of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and characters who must face their greatest fears. I am not usually a big fan of modern fiction; however, Doboro and Momo employ archetypal figures that connect with my love of epic literature. This is a fantastic conversation. If you appreciate the work I'm doing, hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a kind comment or rating where applicable; and share the podcast with a friend to spread our Neutral Ground message of meaningful, civil discourse. More than anything, thank you for having taken the time to listen.  

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We all know that it is important to read to children from a young age; however, what we read is also important. It is understandable for parents today to be worried about making sure that children are aware of potentially negative outcomes within the world, but we must also arm children with resiliency and a strong awareness of the good in the world. This week, our guest is Ashley Finley. Ashley is an author of children's literature and owner of JJ Carson Press. Her two books, Jade's Secret Ingredients and No Limits, teach young children to be inquisitive, to be reflective, and to be courageous--but that they also have the loving guidance of their parents. If you're looking for books for your young children, you simply cannot do much better than these. In this episode, we talk about Ashley's background in social work, the importance of positive depictions of fatherhood, and why even young children should spend time learning how to reflect properly for their own mental wellbeing. We spend a little bit of time in nostalgia for Uncle Phil, played by the late, great James Avery from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I also try to sell parenting to Ashley as a heroic call to action, but she is far too humble to take me up on it at full face value. Make sure you subscribe to the channel, hit the like button, and leave a kind comment. We want to bring the Neutral Ground message of civil discourse in front of as many people as possible.

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12 Angry Men is often near the top of many lists of top 100 films. However, it was not always certain that this would become the classic that it has become. This week, our guest is Dr. Phil Rosenzweig. We're going to discuss his book: Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men. We're going to discuss some of the inspiration behind Rose's penning of the play; his early connections with the great Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone; the casting of the film with Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Ed Begley, etc.; the early perceptions of the film; some of the complications that it faced when it premiered; how it has become a great tool for educators; and how it continues to impact how we think of the justice system and what justice even entails.   Make sure you hit the subscribe button for this one. We've got more great conversations coming out.

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How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man? This question remains at the heart of societies and cultures everywhere. Rituals, rites of passages, and cultural norms all attempt to answer this difficult question. In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, my guest (Dr. Marlon Ross) and I talk about the spectrum of masculinity, especially within the African American community, through Dr. Ross' book: Sissy Insurgencies: a Racial Anatomy of Unfit Manliness. We discuss the natural broadening of the spectrum of manliness; James Baldwin's amazing speech at Cambridge during his debate with William F. Buckley Jr.; we talk about the history of gendering black speakers as a means of suppression; Frederick Douglass' powerful message on knowledge; Lil Nas X; the Fab Five from the University of Michigan and their competition with Duke University. It's quite a packed episode. As always, I appreciate your time in listening. If you want to support the podcast, make sure to hit the subscribe/follow button, give it a thumb's up/like, and leave a kind comment or rating where applicable. It is very much appreciated.

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By now, just about everyone has heard of the infamous slap by Will Smith on Chris Rock. What the heck happened? How did we get here? I think I have one way to approach the conversation. It has to do with our growing conscious awareness of Neomodernism. I talk about how stand up comedy might need to change a bit, how Will Smith is trying to assert some control on his own narrative, and Ricky Gervais' hosting of the Golden Globes in 2020. That should have been the moment these events realized that stand up comedians are probably not the best hosts right now.

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The conversation surrounding video games and violence has continued to be a polarizing topic, which makes Dr. Christopher Bartel's book a perfect addition to The Neutral Ground family. Bartel's book (Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy) takes a much-needed nuanced approach to the discussion. Instead of looking at the games, Bartel asks us to look at the players. Rather than saying this game promotes violence, Bartel asks the players to assert more agency in their gaming experiences--to be more aware of what the game potentially does to you and you alone. In this episode, we talk about how games test our ethics, how they blur the lines of social etiquette, and what parents can do to help make sure their children's gaming experiences are as healthy as possible. I also tell a rather personal story of my father taking me to Funcoland (remember those?) on September 13, 1993--also known as Mortal Monday--to purchase Mortal Kombat on the Sega Genesis. This was significant because it was one of the first games to receive a "mature" rating. I had worked all year cleaning up for a mechanic's shop to save up my money. Did my father let me buy it? Find out in the podcast. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment to help support the podcast.

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Is Putin being led by a pull toward narrative? What does that even mean? Putin is a student of history--specifically, he loves to talk about the exploits of various Russian figures in history: Catherine, the Great being a prime example. Does Putin see himself as the next "great"? Is this one of the main reasons why he is doing this? I've discussed on this podcast that one of the defining traits of our Neomodern culture is the urge to create stable narratives, to define one's self and make sense of one's place in history. Although the history and circumstances surrounding the invasion of Ukraine is complex, I do believe that part of the story is Putin's yearning to create narrative. Leaders have been doing this for thousands of years, and they will continue to do it. Why? Is it power? Sometimes. However, I think it often has more to do with the classical understanding of glory. For the Greeks, glory was not riches and lands; glory was a sustainable story of one's deeds that would transcend the life of the individual. Is Putin seeking glory? That might be a part of it. It is for this reason that I have invited Dr. Stephen Norris on the show, the Walter E. Havighurst Professor of Russian history at Miami University-Ohio. In this episode, we talk about narratives, history, NATO, and the people in both Russia and Ukraine who are fighting to end this war.

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