Culturally Determined

Sarah discusses her recent New York Times essay, "Hate Gen X? Get in Line (Behind a Gen X-er)." Why are young people lumping together Boomers and Xers? Why do so many Gen X writers spend time railing against "woke" ideas? Is Elon Musk more defined by being Gen X or by being a billionaire? And why do Xers find Millennials so annoying?Recorded September 14, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSSarah's NYT piece, "Hate Gen X? Get in Line (Behind a Gen X-er)."https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/style/gen-x-generation-discourse.htmlSarah's NYT piece on not having kidshttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/19/style/new-friend-children-conversation.htmlChuck Klosterman's book, "The Nineties"https://www.amazon.com/Nineties-Book-Chuck-Klosterman/dp/0735217955Big Fun, "Teenage Suicide, Don't Do It"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO3WEfBIPvMSara's Substack, "The Real Sarah Miller"https://therealsarahmiller.substack.com/Follow @sarahlovescaliFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historian Jeremy Dauber talks about his new book, "Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew," which is part of the Yale Jewish Lives series. He discusses Brooks's Brooklyn childhood, his Borscht Belt years, writing on "Your Show of Shows" and working with Carl Reiner, his move to Hollywood, why parody was his main genre, and his comedic legacy.Recorded July 18, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKS:Jeremy's book, "Mel Brooks: Disobedient Jew"https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Brooks-Disobedient-Jewish-Lives/dp/0300244274Brooks's Oscar-winning short film, "The Critic"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PramR5oxn50Follow @JeremyDauberFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Dederer talks about her new book, "Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma," a blend of cultural criticism and memoir in which she thinks deeply about the work of great artists who were also horrible people.Recorded July 24, 2023.Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSClaire's new book,"Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma"https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Fans-Dilemma-Claire-Dederer/dp/0525655115Claire's 2017 essay, "What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?"https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/11/20/art-monstrous-men/Follow @aryehcw Follow @ClaireDederer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Art critic Kristian Vistrup Madsen discusses his essay on the 2000s, "Chains Or Whips? The Cruel Decade And Its Aftermath," in which he draws connections between Abu Ghraib, reality television, and Britney Spears to reflect on the culture of the Aughts.Recorded July 12, 2023.Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSKristian's essay, "Chains Or Whips? The Cruel Decade And Its Aftermath"https://www.thewhitereview.org/feature/chains-or-whips/NBC on viral video of 2002 high schoolhttps://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/videos-high-school-life-decades-stir-nostalgia-debate-rcna77590Kristian's websitehttps://kristianvistrup.dk/Follow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Lipstein discusses "The Vegan," his new novel about a hedge fund founder who has an unusual moral awakening after a dinner party prank he pulls goes disastrously awry. The novel considers artificial intelligence, Brooklyn mores, our relationship with animals, psychiatry, responsibility, and more.Recorded July 7, 2023LINKSAndrew's new novel, "The Vegan"https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Novel-Andrew-Lipstein/dp/0374606587Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetFollow @ailipsteinFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Tom Bissell discusses his recent essay in Harper's, "Time Is a Violent Stream," about embracing Stoic philosophy after the death of his father. Why is Stoicism so useful during a time of crisis? What do contemporary popular books about Stoicism get wrong? Why do online reactionaries love Marcus Aurelius? Plus: Is Stoicism just for men?Recorded May 8, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSTom's piece, "Time Is a Violent Stream: On losing a father and finding Stoicism"https://harpers.org/archive/2023/05/meditations-marcus-aurelius-stoicism/Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"https://a.co/d/dOqIhZcWard Farnsworth's book, "The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual"https://www.amazon.com/Practicing-Stoic-Philosophical-Users-Manual/dp/1567926118Donald Robertson's book, "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius"https://a.co/d/7hCE19NFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross discusses his recent essay disputing that Trump and MAGA are on the wane. Is MAGA even separable from Trump himself to begin with? How do the dynamics of the 2024 GOP primary differ from those of 2016? Plus: Critiquing reactions from both left and right to the subway killing of Jordan Neely.Recorded May 9, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSRoss's Substackhttps://rossbarkan.substack.com/Ross's piece, "MAGA Is Here to Stay"https://rossbarkan.substack.com/p/maga-is-going-nowhereRoss's piece, "The Tragedy of Jordan Neely"https://rossbarkan.substack.com/p/the-tragedy-of-jordan-neely?r=ptxtu&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=postAryeh's podcast with Raina Lipsitzhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rise-of-a-new-left-aryeh-cohen-wade-raina-lipsitz/id981282353?i=1000597298657Follow @rossbarkanFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-described "Extremely Online" writer and podcaster Phoebe Maltz Bovy joins Aryeh to ponder whether Twitter is finally really and truly dead. Phoebe talks about how she lost her bluecheck before it was cool, Aryeh explains why he's not eager to join the Twitter knockoff Bluesky, and they wonder whether anything could ever replace the site's mixture of usefulness, humor, chaos, and derangement. Plus: Aryeh shares how sad he gets when no one likes his cute cat pics.Recorded May 1, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSWilly Staley's piece, "What Was Twitter, Anyway?"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/magazine/twitter-dying.htmlPhoebe's podcast, "Feminine Chaos"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feminine-chaos/id1542656235Phoebe's podcast, "Bonjour Chai"https://thecjn.ca/series/bonjour-chai/Phoebe's newsletter, "Close-reading the reruns"https://phoebemaltzbovy.substack.com/Follow @bovymaltzFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novelist and Internet activist Cory Doctorow discusses "enshittification," the term he coined for how online platforms start out great but gradually become nightmarish for users. How can we fight back against the forces of enshittification? Cory suggests some federal policies that would put power back in the hands of regular Americans. Plus: What made Twitter a once-thriving platform, and what will happen to it now?Recorded March 16, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSCory's piece, "The ‘Enshittification' of TikTok"https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guysCory's book, with Rebecca Giblin, "Chokepoint Capitalism"https://chokepointcapitalism.com/Cory's new novel, "Red Team Blues"https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865847/redteambluesCory's forthcoming book, "The Internet Con"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721311/the-internet-con-by-cory-doctorow/Cory's site, pluralistic.nethttps://pluralistic.net/Follow @doctorowFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Sommer talks about his new book, "Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America." Why didn't January 6th deflate QAnon? How has conspiracy thinking changed the GOP? Is the "cabal" that Q believers see themselves fighting against just…capitalism? Plus: Do Fox News hosts believe their own nonsense?Recorded March 23, 2023Follow Culturally Determined on Twitter @CulturallyDetLINKSWill's new book, "Trust the Plan"https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Plan-Conspiracy-Reshaped-America-ebook/dp/B08XQRX3XQWill's 2018 appearance on "Culturally Determined"https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/53218Will's piece, "Meet the ‘Ghost' Woman Fox Relied on for Voter Fraud Claims"​​https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-ghost-minnesota-artist-fox-relied-on-for-voter-fraud-claimsWill's podcast, "Fever Dreams"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fever-dreams/id1558716930Follow @willsommerFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Nicky Woolf discusses his podcast "The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome." What really caused the strange symptoms afflicting American diplomats in Cuba? What, if anything, do loud crickets have to do with it? Is the whole thing simply a mass delusion? And why hasn't Biden acted to undo the damage Trump did to Cuba?Recorded March 17, 2023LINKSThe Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sound-mystery-of-havana-syndrome/id1662594800The new Culturally Determined Twitter feed, @CulturallyDethttps://twitter.com/CulturallyDetFollow @nickywoolfFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen talks about his new book, "On Writing and Failure." Aryeh and Stephen discuss morality and art, Canadian vs. American literary culture, the link between writing and mental illness, and more.Recorded February 22, 2023LINKSStephen's new book, "On Writing and Failure: Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer"https://www.amazon.com/Failure-Field-Notes-Stephen-Marche/dp/1771965169Wikipedia on Fitz-Greene Halleckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitz-Greene_HalleckMiles Klee's profile of @Catturd2 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/catturd2-maga-twitter-shitposting-king-1234674671/Stephen's essay, "On One of the Most Influential Essays of the 21st Century: Of Snark and Smarm"https://lithub.com/on-one-of-the-most-influential-essays-of-the-21st-century-of-snark-and-smarm/Follow @StephenMarcheFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A kooky tweet from Rebekah Jones, the Florida Covid whistleblower who might not actually be a whistleblower, inspires Aryeh and Nick to debate whether the left has a grifter problem, the morality of Al Sharpton, whether liberals willfully misunderstand the right, Joe Biden's tall tales, and more!Recorded February 15, 2023LINKSNick's tweet that launched the debatehttps://twitter.com/NickClairmont1/status/1622970758136999936Charles C.W. Cooke on Rebekah Joneshttps://www.nationalreview.com/2021/05/rebekah-jones-the-covid-whistleblower-who-wasnt/Nick's 2017 Atlantic piece on populist trade policyhttps://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/buy-american-trump/523584/Glenn Loury and John McWhorter on Al Sharptonhttps://bloggingheads.tv/videos/30689?in=07:43Sean Campbell in New York Magazine on Black Lives Matterhttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/04/black-lives-matter-6-million-dollar-house.htmlRick Perlstein's 2012 piece, "The Long Con"https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-long-conSteve Stewart-Williams on disliking political opponents for views that most don't actually holdhttps://mobile.twitter.com/SteveStuWill/status/1618738446360776705Follow @NickClairmont1Follow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aryeh speaks with his cousin Ora Peled Nakash about the growing Israeli protest movement, which was sparked by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu's move to limit the independence of Israel's judicial system. Ora explains why she was personally motivated to join the protests and to give a speech at the first large rally in Tel Aviv. They discuss how Israeli politics reached this perilous point, the many reasons why Netanyahu wants to disempower the Supreme Court, and how these efforts could damage Israel's tech industry—or even lead to a global crisis. Recorded February 3, 2023LINKSEnglish translation of Ora's speech at the January Tel Aviv protesthttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1F3CRZ7IX-AFkAZ6i3SBzTK-IpuSgMAaw/view?usp=sharingThe Times of Israelhttps://www.timesofisrael.com/Follow @OraPeledNFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Raina Lipsitz discusses her new book, "The Rise of a New Left: How Young Radicals Are Shaping the Future of American Politics." Are charismatic figures like AOC and Bernie responsible for the resurgence of socialism in the US? Or did structural/economic forces make a left revival inevitable? What lessons have organizers learned from the failures of past generations? Is "defund the police" a good policy? Plus: How do leftists evaluate President Biden's first two years in office? Recorded January 26, 2023LINKSRaina's book, "The Rise of a New Left: How Young Radicals Are Shaping the Future of American Politics"https://www.versobooks.com/books/3979-the-rise-of-a-new-leftRaina's websitehttps://rainalipsitz.com/Follow @rainalipsFollow @aryehcw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and "BookTok" expert Leigh Stein tries to assuage Aryeh's fears about the wildly popular video app. Should we be worried about TikTok's Chinese origins? Is the app poisoning the minds of America's youth—or is that idea just the sign of a xenophobic moral panic? Could Gen Zers teach Millennials how to stop looking at their phones? Plus: The two self-confessed Twitter addicts discuss whether Elon Musk has killed the site for good.Recorded January 18, 2023LINKSNYT: "Auburn Banned TikTok, and Students Can't Stop Talking About It"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/15/business/auburn-tiktok-ban-students.htmlLeigh's novel, "Self Care"https://www.amazon.com/Self-Care-Novel-Leigh-Stein/dp/0143135198Leigh's TikTok accounthttps://www.tiktok.com/@leighstein?lang=enFollow @rhymeswithbeeFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Sophie Zucker talks about her new one-woman musical, "Sophie Sucks Face," which tells the story of a young Jewish woman who makes out with her cousin at their grandfather's funeral.Recorded November 21, 2022LINKSSophie Sucks Facehttps://www.sophiezucker.com/sophie-sucks-faceSophie's Instagram @stringcheesezuckerhttps://www.instagram.com/stringcheesezucker/?hl=enFollow @sophierzuckerFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Barnard, a software engineer and tech-industry veteran who worked at Twitter during and after the 2016 election, discusses Elon Musk's chaotic changes at the company. Were Twitter's employees a bunch of woke leftists? Does Musk understand how to code? Could the site suffer a massive technical failure? Plus: Can the moderation dilemma ever be solved?Recorded November 18, 2022Follow @barndawgieFollow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kat discusses her recent essay in National Review, "Why I Keep Getting Mistaken for a Conservative." Has online political life swallowed offline political life? Has technology made concerns about book bans a thing of the past? Plus: Is Aryeh a Twitter bully?Recorded November 9, 2022LINKS:Kat's essay, "Why I Keep Getting Mistaken for a Conservative"https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2022/11/07/why-i-keep-getting-mistaken-for-a-conservative/Kat's forthcoming novel, "You Must Remember This"https://www.amazon.com/You-Must-Remember-This-Novel-ebook/dp/B09Y92QQQPKat's previous novel, "No One Will Miss Her"https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Will-Miss-Her/dp/0063057018Follow @katrosenfield Follow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aryeh and Dave Karpf, an associate professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, discuss Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter. Is he going to run the company into the ground—and would that be good for America? Is Twitter in fact the online public square? What would a non-toxic version of the site look like? Plus: Why does Mark Zuckerberg think we all want to join him in the metaverse?Recorded November 4, 2022Dave's post, "Elon's Twitter-Tilt"https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/elons-twitter-tilt?utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=auto_shareNYT: "The Tech Bubble That Never Burst"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/19/technology/tech-startup-bubble.htmlDave's Wired piece on virtual realityhttps://www.wired.com/story/virtual-reality-rich-white-kid-of-technology/Dave's post, "So how's the Metaverse going?"https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/so-hows-the-metaverse-goingDave's post, "Tech futurism's blind spot"https://davekarpf.substack.com/p/tech-futurisms-blind-spotFollow @davekarpf Follow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Mayer talks about "Shameless Acquisition Target," her new podcast series about how market forces and bad choices have changed the podcast industry. Mayer has worked as a radio and podcast editor, producer, and executive—but this is her first time hosting her own show.Recorded October 27, 2022LINKSShameless Acquisition Target websitehttps://www.shameless.biz/Shameless Acquisition Target on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shameless-acquisition-target/id1630806641Follow @lrmayer Follow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aryeh and Joanna analyze Nathan Fielder's HBO series "The Rehearsal." What is the show actually about? Can the viewer separate reality from "reality"? Is Nathan the show's villain, hero, or something else? How sympathetic should we feel toward Angela? And what does the final scene actually mean?Recorded September 11, 2022LINKSTrailer for "The Rehearsal"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fjPFt8cpicFollow @JoannaMang Follow @AryehCW Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William Deresiewicz, author of the new book "The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society," discusses how technology is changing our sense of self, how every aspect of higher education is failing, the late Harold Bloom, Great Books courses, and more!Recorded August 18, 2022LINKS:Bill's new book, "The End of Solitude: Selected Essays on Culture and Society"https://www.amazon.com/End-Solitude-Selected-Culture-Society/dp/125085864XBill's essay, "Why I Left Academia (Since You're Wondering)"https://quillette.com/2022/08/17/why-i-left-academia-since-youre-wondering/Bill's essay in Liberties, "Soul-Making Studies"https://libertiesjournal.com/articles/soul-making-studies/Louis Menand on Great Books courseshttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/12/20/whats-so-great-about-great-books-courses-roosevelt-montas-rescuing-socratesBill's personal websitehttps://billderesiewicz.com/Follow @WDeresiewiczFollow @AryehCW Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Photographer and writer Chris Arnade talks about his project of walking across foreign cities.Recorded August 11, 2022LINKSChris's newsletter, "Walking the World"https://walkingtheworld.substack.comAryeh's conversation with Chris about his book "Dignity"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/culturally-determined/id981282353?i=1000441345930Chris's walking tipshttps://walkingtheworld.substack.com/p/how-to-walk-12-miles-a-dayFollow @Chris_arnadeFollow @AryehCW Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Historian Daniel Bessner discusses his recent cover story in Harper's about the waning of US global hegemony. In a wide-ranging conversation, Aryeh and Daniel debate human nature, the true toll of the Cold War, whether conflict with China is inevitable, whether American culture is decadent, and more.Recorded July 25, 2022LINKSDaniel's essay, "Empire Burlesque"https://harpers.org/archive/2022/07/what-comes-after-the-american-century/Follow @dbessnerFollow @AryehCW Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaitlyn Tiffany talks about her new book, "Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It," a study of how fans of the boy-band One Direction changed online life. Recorded July 13, 2022 LINKSKaitlyn's book, "Everything I Need I Get from You"https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Need-Get-You-Fangirls/dp/0374539189Follow @kait_tiffanyFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson, creator of the series "Everything Is a Remix," recently announced that he is retiring from content creation. I spoke to him about that decision, redoing his classic series on remix culture, conspiracy theories, the "vibe shift," and more! Recorded June 2, 2022 LINKS:"Everything Is a Remix Remastered"youtube.com/watch?v=nJPERZDfyWcKirby's websiteeverythingisaremix.info/Allison P. Davis on the "vibe shift"thecut.com/2022/02/a-vibe-shift-is-coming.htmlFollow @remixeverythingFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Film critic Dana Stevens discusses her new book "Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century." Recorded May 26, 2022 LINKS: Dana's book, "Camera Man"https://www.amazon.com/Camera-Man-Invention-Twentieth-Century/dp/1501134191 Follow @thehighsignFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Comedy writers Toria Sheffield and Shawn DePasquale cohost the podcast "Oh, Mr. Sheffield!," which recaps Fran Drescher's '90s sitcom "The Nanny." They discus how the show depicted Jewish themes and gay characters, why it was mostly forgotten by the culture, and what its legacy is today.Recorded May 12, 2022LINKS"Oh, Mr. Sheffield!" on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oh-mr-sheffield-a-podcast-about-the-nanny/id1562784247Follow @shawnwritesFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Max Read, who writes the tech and culture newsletter "Read Max," argues that Elon Musk won't save Twitter, but he won't ruin it either—because the famously lousy site already works just great for him.Recorded May 2, 2022LINKS:Max's essay, "Elon Musk won't fix Twitter (but he won't kill it, either)"https://maxread.substack.com/p/elon-musk-wont-fix-twitter-but-he?r=u0oj&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webThe "Read Max" substackhttps://maxread.substack.com/Follow @readmaxreadFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author Sam Lipsyte discusses his recent cover story in Harper's, "Ghosting the Machine: Humans, Robots, and the New Sexual Frontier." We talked about "digisexuals," sex bots, virtual reality, Las Vegas, loneliness, and the gamification of everything. Recorded April 29, 2022LINKS:Sam's article, "Ghosting the Machine"https://harpers.org/archive/2022/05/ghosting-the-machine-humans-robots-and-the-new-sexual-frontier-sam-lipsyte/Follow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On a special crossover edition of "Culturally Determined" and "The Wright Show," Aryeh asks Bob about cognitive empathy and how to apply it to Putin's war in Ukraine. Plus: Is Mickey Kaus infecting Bob's brain? And does Bloggingheads.tv still have a reason for being?Recorded April 13, 2022LINKS:The Nonzero newsletterhttps://nonzero.substack.com/The Wright Show on Bloggingheads.tvhttps://bloggingheads.tv/programs/wrightshowFollow @robertwrighterFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Comedian and musician Howell Dawdy talks about writing a funny song in just 30 minutes, the vanished artistic medium of Twitter Fleets, magicians who make Facebook videos of women using banana peels to slowly tie-dye their underwear, and more!Recorded March 31, 2022LINKS:"Howell Dawdy's Fast Track" podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/howell-dawdys-fast-track/id1558186545Howell's Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/HowellDawdyHowell's Twitch streamhttps://www.twitch.tv/bighowellandpossumHowell's Fleets accounthttps://twitter.com/FleetsGoodFollow @HowellDawdyFollow @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Culturally Determined" is back! Aryeh speaks with New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman, author of the recent essay "Is It Funny for the Jews?". They discuss Jewish comedy in a time of rising anti-Semitism, whether Jewish characters should be played by Jewish actors, Dara Horn's recent book "People Love Dead Jews," "The Merchant of Venice," Philip Roth, how younger Jewish comedians understand their heritage, and more! Recorded February 21, 2022LINKS:Jason's NYT piece, "Is It Funny for the Jews?"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/17/arts/television/comedy-jewish-identity.htmlFollow Jason on Twitter: @zinomanFollow Aryeh on Twitter: @AryehCW See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Culturally Determined is leaving BhTV, so here's how to keep following the show ... Tom Friedman's controversial column, "Biden-Cheney 2024?" ... Why Israel's anti-Netanyahu coalition could never happen in the US ... Aryeh's defense of Friedman's column ... A Hamilton song on Zoom, and other absurdities of centrist liberalism ... Chris: Any "grand coalition" would need to have Bernie and AOC in the lead ... Returning to the "is Trump a fascist" debate ... Has Trump moved on to other grifts? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The strange history of the Transformers action figures ... Diving into Transformers: The Movie (1986) ... Unicron, the giant planet-eating robot god voiced by Orson Welles ... Why the film is more than a glorified toy commercial ... Does the movie have any sort of politics? ... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How Doug came to run the leftwing book publisher Zer0 Books, and why he got kicked out ... Dave Chappelle, cancel culture, and the attention economy ... Doug narrates his ejection from Zer0 ... Doug's new company, Diet Soap Media ... How Bloggingheads was ahead of its time (yet failed to conquer the globe) ... How you can help shape the future of Culturally Determined ... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Max's new newsletter, Read Max ... The significance of Buzzfeed's underwhelming IPO ... Where are the cool kids online? ... Private equity squeezes a bit more blood from online media ... What is web3? And is it bullshit? ... Why Melania Trump is embracing NFTs but Elon Musk isn't ... Max's typology of '90s Dad Thrillers ...

David's podcast, Election Profit Makers ... Riding the waves of political prediction markets ... David: I don't think there's a limit to the depravity of the GOP ... Weighing the odds of American politics ever becoming normal again ... Can J.D. Vance out-crazy Josh Mandel in Ohio? ... Elon Musk, Time's Person of the Year and EPM's Bad Boy of the Week ... Esoteric rabbit holes into which the podcast digs deep ...

The many disappointments of The Many Saints of Newark ... Was any Sopranos prequel doomed from the start? ... How the opening scene undermines a key theme of the series ... Clumsy dialogue, broad acting, and flashes of the classic Sopranos wit ... Why Erin loves The Masked Singer ... An anti-narrative that rejects the meritocratic ethos of reality TV ...

Is it still possible for America to have a great leader? ... Why the pandemic sparked division instead of unity ... Why Obama was not a transformational president ... Will America just muddle through? ... Matt sees possibility on the anti-corporate right ... "Let's Go Brandon" and the return of conservative moralism ...

A bizarre Washington Post column about critical theory and Immanuel Kant ... Why has Kant become a bogeyman? ... How contingent is the history of philosophy? ... Relativism vs. rationalism ... What Kant meant by the "Critique of Pure Reason" ... Steven Pinker and the problem with rationalists ... David explains what Kant actually believed ...

Mike's new book, The Memeing of Mark Fisher: How the Frankfurt School Foresaw Capitalist Realism and What To Do About It ... Subconscious narratives today and in interwar Germany ... Walter Benjamin and Herbert Marcuse in the digital world ... Mike wants memes that will slow people down ... How "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" has been misread ... Mike's Kafkaesque book publishing experience ...

Seth's newsletter covering comedy from the left, Humorism ... Seth: Saturday Night Live is conservative ... Is being hired by SNL a Faustian bargain? ... Lawsuit alleges SNL ignored Horatio Sanz's sexual abuse of a minor ... The bizarre nature of SNL as a cultural institution ... How the pandemic has and hasn't changed comedy ... Is standup comedy an inherently conservative form? ...

Justin: It is morally imperative to not say true things on social media ... Why Justin loves Substack ... Pros and cons of writing without an editor ... AOC's real audience at the Met Gala ... Are social media editors purposefully riling up the mob? ... Sally Rooney and Israel, the Twitter Discourse perfect storm ... The "false representative class" of online pundits ...