Turn on the TV, and you’ll find plenty of signs that our democracy may be pulling apart. This week I see a very different sign of that: not on the channels, but in the lineup.Football season started this weekend, but a lot of folks cannot watch ESPN right now. It’s the latest sign that our complex lineup of apps and services might be falling apart. I’ll share my thoughts on what that might tell us about keeping our democracy vibrant.Also, I’m not a prude, but there’s a dirty word we need to stop saying. It’s not that kind of “dirty”, but I really wish people would think twice about saying the A-word. I’ll make my case.Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEInterview with Brene Brown from “NOW Tonight” (https://youtu.be/_gXSvKyMz20?si=_Wa23TH53snRSe9v)Brene Brown’s list of “near-misses” for empathy (https://brenebrown.com/resources/atlas-of-the-heart-empathy-misses/)

I believe that we can shape democracy for the better. But this week, I had a deep crisis of faith.Democracy is about finding common ground to solve common problems. That’s hard to do when we view each other as a problem, and ourselves as the solution. I vented about this in a (https://www.nightlightshow.com/p/from-the-heart-im-worried-as-hell?r=2b74t6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web)recent article (https://www.nightlightshow.com/p/from-the-heart-im-worried-as-hell?r=2b74t6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web), and it clearly resonated for a number of listeners.Then, you’ll hear an extended excerpt from our first “Ask Me Anything!” We talked about everything from my unique philosophy of journalism, to how to ask me out on a date.Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

It’s going to take everyone to fight climate change, but they’re not showing up if all they hear is doom and gloom. Fortunately, there are better ways of discussing climate... and everything else. Meet an expert who empowers climate scientists with an unlikely skill – improv. OUR GUEST: Josh Rice (https://aldacenter.org/about/_bios-faculty/rice.php), Lecturer, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook UniversityLiked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

It’s going to take everyone to fight climate change, but they’re not showing up if all they hear is doom and gloom. Fortunately, there are better ways of discussing climate... and everything else. Meet an expert who empowers climate scientists with an unlikely skill – improv. OUR GUEST: Josh Rice (https://aldacenter.org/about/_bios-faculty/rice.php), Lecturer, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook UniversityLiked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

A viral video shows a group of white men in Montgomery, AL attacking a Black dock worker. Then, the men got beaten up by Black onlookers. A phrase kept coming up in the online comments – “try THAT in a small town!”. That's the name of country star Jason Aldean’s latest hit. Critics call the tune xenophobic and threatening.We’ll get some context on the song from Ole Miss Prof. Adam Gussow, a scholar of Southern culture. Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

This week I’m breaking down the "Barbie" movie (WITH SPOILERS!). Surprisingly, there’s much more to it than most of us expected. Barbie is about a children’s toy, but it’s not really a children’s movie. No wonder a lot of critics didn’t get it (https://www.wsj.com/articles/barbie-review-margot-robbie-greta-gerwig-ryan-gosling-mattel-256b6688), or want it (https://plus.thebulwark.com/p/barbie-review), and some couldn’t contain their burning hatred of it. Patriarchy is no more the villain of Barbie than the ring is the villain of The Hobbit. So who's the real enemy? Masculinity is one of the many taboo topics I’m eager to talk more about. It’s had something of a political moment lately, as Politico Magazine examined in a recent issue (https://www.politico.com/tag/the-masculinity-issue). Before we talk movies, this episode begins in conversation with that issue’s editor, looking at the politics of manhood today. (Ed. Note: in the episode I accidentally said “Thomas Jefferson” when I meant Alexander Hamilton. I caught the error just as I was about to publish the show and noted it in the episode. Sorry about that.)Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

In this episode we answer your questions about the US Supreme Court with Linda Sheryl Greene (https://www.law.msu.edu/faculty_staff/profile.php?prof=1140), dean of the Michigan State University College of Law. We talk about a number of big cases involving turning down LGBTQ business for religious reasons, factoring race into college admissions, canceling student loan debt and keeping federal waters clean.Listeners also had questions about the ethics of Supreme Court justices. That’s been in the news lately: especially with some billionaires exerting influence on the Court.Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

I recently got hit on by a straight guy online. That was surprising enough, since I’m gay… but on top of that, he was offering me money to make a sex tape with him for an OnlyFans site. Obviously I turned him down, but believe it or not the encounter dovetailed with a recent ruling from the US Supreme Court… and with a controversy affecting Bud Light.Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

The recent Joe Rogan controversy sparked debates on the value of debating, especially when conspiracy theories are involved. Rogan and Spotify have faced criticism for hosting problematic guests like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Their conversation included claims about vaccines that were fact-checked by vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez. Rogan challenged Hotez to a debate, offering $100,000 as an incentive. Elon Musk expressed support for the idea. But there's no real way to "win" such a debate. I'll get into another approach that can work, for debating COVID and also recent anti-LGBTQ laws.Liked this episode? Show your support as A PAID SUBSCRIBER (https://nightlightjoshua.supercast.com/) or in my online TIP JAR (https://tr.ee/DfdCdiTBhy).

Things may look dark in America, but a new day will come. Until it does, let's defy the darkness and shine wherever we are. Joshua Johnson hosts a new show for anyone who's ready to help light the way.