Think from KERA

“Recycle, reuse, reduce” is an oft-repeated formula for saving the world from climate change … but there’s a growing number of people who feel like just giving up. Journalist Ash Sanders joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how the rise of eco-anxiety is creating a public mental health crisis. Her article “Under the Weather” appears in The Believer magazine.

American culture is currently rethinking what it means to be a man these days, pushing back against decades of stereotypes. Matthew Gutmann, professor of anthropology at Brown University, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the enduring ideas that men are aloof, unable to control primal impulses, and are wired to dominate — and how wrong and harmful they are. His new book is called “Are Men Animals? How Modern Masculinity Sells Men Short.”

You might think Disney’s dominance was sealed the day Disneyland opened its doors. But it wasn’t exactly the “happiest place on Earth” from day one. Richard Snow, former editor-in-chief of American Heritage magazine joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the huge gamble Disney’s amusement park was in 1955, and about how it turned the entertainment industry on its head. His new book is called “Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World.”

Humans have proven over and over that we’re not great at planning for the future – even when we can practically see what will happen. Bina Venkataramanserved as President Obama’s senior advisor for climate change innovation. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why we’re so bad at developing foresight – and what we can do about it. Her new book is called “The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead In a Reckless Age.”

After World War II, the thinking went that nuclear bombs would pose such a threat that no one would ever dare start a new, global war. And yet, battles large and small have never ceased. Tanisha M. Fazal, associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how a belief that modern war is tapering off is a dangerous falsehood. Her essay “War Is Not Over: What Optimists Get Wrong about Conflict” appears in the current issue of Foreign Affairs.

Mourning is what we do after someone dies – so what is the word for the pain of watching a loved one’s life slowly fade? As part of the KERA series “The Caregivers,” Pauline Boss, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, joins host Krys Boyd to talk about her work that has helped articulate the lonely and confusing feelings of loss even as someone lives. Her seminal book on the subject is called “Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief.”

Mike Pence lost his first two campaigns for Congress – but a win in his third vaulted him to a governorship and now the vice presidency. Journalist Tom LoBianco has covered Pence for decades, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about what he’s learned about who Pence is publicly and privately – and why he agreed to partner with a president with whom he seemingly has little in common. LoBianco’s new book is called “Piety and Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House.”

John Cleese is many things: co-creator of Monty Python, a pioneer of sketch comedy, master of silly walks. And now he is the recipient of VideoFest’s Ernie Kovacs Award, which celebrates another off-beat comedy icon.Cleese joins host Krys Boyd to talk about a life built around making people laugh.

In his 1963 inauguration speech, former Alabama Governor George Wallace promised a cheering crowd, “Segregation now. Segregation tomorrow. Segregation forever!” It would be many years later, when his daughter Peggy Wallace Kennedy had a child of her own, that she began to realize the deep wounds her father’s actions fostered. Wallace Kennedy talks to host Krys Boyd about her work to change her family’s legacy. Her memoir is called “The Broken Road: George Wallace and a Daughter’s Journey to Reconciliation.”

There are no ridiculous questions, just a million strangely satisfying answers. Randall Munroe is a science journalist, former NASA roboticist and writer of the popular web comic “xkcd,” and he set out to scientifically investigate oddball, possible real-world problems. For example: In case of an emergency, is it possible to land an airplane on top of a moving train? He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about all the ways you can reach the wrong conclusion – and how we can get to the correct answer – which he writes about in “How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems.”