Professor & the Idiot

The unusual 2020 election left us with many questions, so we try to puzzle them out with University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank, a longtime fixture in Utah media during election season. We ponder Trump’s refusal to concede, his surprising strength among non-white voters, and what’s in store for the GOP going forward. Finally, Matt offers a surprising prediction about Trump’s own political future.

Dancer, choreographer, and teacher Claudine Naganuma talks to Nick and Amy about the breadth of her work, which includes involving young dancers in her company dNaga, providing dance classes to people with Parkinson’s, and engaging East Oakland girls in self-empowerment activities. We discuss dance as a social statement, the importance of cultural representation in the arts, and whether emotional intelligence should be taught in schools.

Martin Shapiro is Professor Emeritus of law at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the world’s leading experts on the supreme court and administrative law. A long-time professional acquaintance of the late supreme court Justice Antonin Scalia, Martin provided us with key insights on the limitations of “originalism” as a means of understanding the constitution. He also appraises the strengths and drawbacks of Roe v. Wade, and talks about how a conservative SCOTUS majority strengthened by the addition of Amy Coney Barrett might rule on Roe.

Roger Hallsten has been a speech pathologist for over twenty years and has worked in a variety of settings. We talk, hopefully non-pathologically, about what his work entails. What are common speech problems? How do they get treated? Later in the episode we get even more pathological as we’re graced with the presence of our friend Jodie, a masters student in speech pathology. The four of us ponder the potential pathologies of America’s most famous stutterer, Joe Biden, and his electoral rival.

Last time out we talked to University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox (@WilcoxNMP), who’s championed marriage for its time-tested personal and social benefits. This week we speak to Vicki Larson (@OMGchronicles), a California journalist and coauthor of The New I Do: Reshaping Marriage for Skeptics, Realists and Rebels. Like Brad, Vicki sees the value of marriage, but she views it a flexible institution that can assume different forms in response to a changing world. These range all the way from polyamory to the binding covenant marriages available in Louisiana and elsewhere. We debate the extent to which marriage needs to evolve to stay relevant in 2020, and somehow manage to establish that Vicki and Brad may agree more about marriage than it might first seem.

W. Bradford Wilcox is a University of Virginia professor who’s been studying marriage for two decades. He’s also one of Nick’s longtime collaborators: together Brad & Nick have penned numerous articles and a book. Amy and Nick ask Brad about the state of marriage in contemporary America, and the theory of marital success Brad’s developing for his new book. What contributes to a lasting marriage, and what have family scholars often missed when they talk about marriage? We also ponder how COVID-19 has affected families. NOTE: We experienced some internet woes during recording, and apologize to our selective fan base about a few rough transitions in the otherwise superlative episode you’re about to listen to.

Amanda Chaudhary is a computer science Ph.D. who works in music tech in the Bay Area. She’s also a woman, a musician, and a trans woman. We talk to her about which of these identities feels most salient to her, and how they intersect in her life. We also discuss cats, architecture, and some of the public discourse involving trans folks.

Religion and pornography both figure prominently in American cultural discourse. Pornography consumption exploded over the same years that organized religion hemorrhaged public support. In public, evangelical elites have vociferously condemned pornography; in private, many evangelicals consume porn just like the rest of us do. Sociologist Sam Perry spoke to us about this contradiction, the subject of his 2019 book Addicted to Lust: Pornography in the Lives of Conservative Protestants. We also talk about Christian nationalism, seemingly a resurgent phenomenon related to Donald Trump’s presidency.

The 2016 presidential election introduced America to the alt-right. What is it, where did they come from, who are they, and is it still a thing? This week we talk to George Hawley, a University of Alabama political scientist, and the author of Making Sense of the Alt-Right and other books on right-wing dissidents in America. George patiently answers our questions as we try to understand how the alt-right figures into both the history of domestic extremist groups and right-wing politics more broadly, both in the United States and abroad.

What’s it like to become a single mother by choice? What are the challenges of life as a single mom and working musician? Today Amy and Nick talk to Amy’s friend and collaborator Jess Ivry about how she decided to become a mom, how she got pregnant, and what it’s been like as a mother. This topic was of particular interest to Nick given his longstanding research and forthcoming book on the economics of single motherhood. And as a refresher for younger and/or more forgetful listeners, Murphy Brown was a TV character played by Candice Bergen who made headlines in the early 1990s when she decided to have a child on her own, both on her TV show and in real life. Her decision was criticized by then Vice President Dan Quayle during the 1992 election, turning her into a cultural touchstone.

Why does the mainstream media ignore so many important stories, while lavishing attention on blatantly trivial non-news? This week we talk to Andy Roth, the associate director of Project Censored. PC is a long-standing media watchdog group that is best known for publishing an annual list of the top 25 censored stories. We discuss how the mainstream media goes about deciding what to cover and what to ignore, then dive into some of this year's 25 censored stories.

America just spent an unprecedented two trillion dollars in response to the COVID19 pandemic. Where does that money come from? Amy and Nick talk to University of Utah economist Tom Maloney to better understand deficit funding. Who's Uncle Sam borrowing the money from? Are there consequences to such a dramatic expansion of the federal debt? Should the CARES Act have been larger? Just what is federal debt anyway? What's the 20th century history of deficit spending? Listen, and your fiscal curiosity will be amply rewarded.

Ever wonder how parliamentary democracy works? Like most other Americans, Amy and Nick don't know what we should about the world's most common democratic political system. Tobias Hofmann, a political scientist at the University of Utah and a German native, breaks it down. We also debate the relative merits of different voting systems. Is ranked-choice voting superior to first-past-the-post schemes? Do you have no fucking clue what we're talking about? Listen and find out.

Amy and Nick introduce themselves as co-hosts of a rebooted podcast. Amy explains why she enthusiastically embraces the idea of being the idiot even though she, just like Dalton, is no such thing. Amy talks about her unusual profession, while Nick struggles to defend the intellectual mandate for sociology as a field.

Is America great? How do we go about offering a more informed answer than simply "Fuk yeah"? Dalton & Nick ponder this question, and raise several more: will America stay great? Will things be better for the next generation? Should we expect them to be? How do we feel about President Trump's campaign slogan of MAGA? And do we have more questions? Do we have more questions than answers?

We mostly talk about national politics, but it's the local level that really matters. Dalton & Nick talk to Kate Bradshaw, one of Dalton's city council reps in Bountiful, Utah. What does local government do? Among other things, Kate is responsible for Bountiful's first-ever dog park. Also, Dalton finally gets to complain about his parking tickets to someone in charge.

A public defender is a court-appointed attorney for when you can't afford your own lawyer, right? Not always: Brandon Banks runs the part of the DA's office in Contra Costa County, CA that's concerned with reentry: helping people released from prison reintegrate with society. But he's been a PD for almost 20 years, and he started out defending people of crimes. Dalton and Nick talk to Brandon about the ins and outs of the American legal system as it relates to criminal law, and, of course, jiu jitsu. Brandon is the guy who could defend you on a murder charge, then tap you out in the gym the next day.

This week Dalton & Nick talk to journalist Cathy Young. We're most interested in her childhood spent in the USSR, later recounted in her book Growing Up In Moscow: Memories of a Soviet Girlhood (1989). We also ask Cathy if she's a libertarian, explore what that means. To Dalton's dismay, we also spend time talking over what's wrong with Ron Paul.

Greg Kopecky is a sports journalist and has worked in sports-related jobs for decades. He's also the founder of the Minimal Multisport podcast and blog, and the editor at slowtwitch.com and bikerumor.com. We talk all things sport with Greg: how people get interested in sports, how they drift between sports, and which sports are especially prone to equipment fetishism--here's looking at you, biking--which is what inspired Greg's interest in minimalism. We also talk grappling. A lot. Even more than usual.

Everyone's fired up about abortion after Alabama just passed the most restrictive abortion bill in America. Nick is strongly pro-choice, while Dalton is more conflicted. We try to talk about abortion in ways that will piss the minimum number of people off. Why do people care so strongly. one way or another, about abortion? How do its science, morality, & the law intersect? How did abortion become such a big deal in America?

In our very first episode, Dalton proclaimed that Professor & the Idiot was a free speech podcast. This week, Nick asks Dalton what he meant by that. Why is the first amendment important? What are the trade-offs of laws against hate speech? Germany, for instance, prohibits Nazi speech & symbols because of its past. What speech is legally limited in the United States? The discussion becomes unusually heated on this last point.

Victor Wallis teaches college & preaches revolution. Among his many books is Red-Green Revolution: The Politics and Technology of Ecosocialism. Dalton & Nick, ever fascinated by far-left politics, ask Victor about the red-green revolution, & raise the objections you knew were coming. Despite our allegiance to capitalism, we also found some things we could all agree on.

Nick's in Tokyo this week, so we talk about Japan, both as experienced by an American tourist & historically.

This week Dr. David Ley joins us to talk sex & porn. David is a clinical psychologist, author of multiple books, contributor to Psychology Today, & jiu jitsu black belt. Why do Americans have such unique hangups about sex? Why has the idea of pornography addiction become widespread? Are some people just not cut out for monogamy? Why does David like rolling in the gi, while Dalton & Nick are purely nogi grapplers?

Joe Rogan has a super popular podcast with a unique style & a wide range of guests. Dalton is a huge fan, & describes it as a big influence in his life. Nick appreciates some episodes & thinks Rogan is a talented host, but is critical of the overall product. This week we argue about it for over an hour.

This week Dalton & Nick talk to Jasper Bernes, managing editor of Commune magazine. Commune is a popular magazine devoted to "a new era of revolution" & opposition to capitalism. We try to get a sense of what revolutionary thought looks like in 2019 in the wake of the failure of 20th century communism. Are Bernie Sanders & AOC just figures at the left end of the Democratic Party, or true revolutionaries? Listen for Jasper's answers, before the episode devolves into a discussion of jiu jitsu & martial arts more generally.

Dalton & Nick cover two things in the news, Jussie Smollett & the preliminary results of the Mueller investigation, before the episode inevitably degenerates into an argument over government power. This time around we discuss the federal government's ability to start (or join) wars. Dalton thinks the architects of Vietnam & Desert Storm are a bunch of murderers; Nick is more circumspect.

Sex robots are coming! This week Dalton & Nick talk with Marina Adshade, an economist at the University of British Columbia who's written a lot about sex bots. What are sex robots, & what can they do? Marina is optimistic about the prospects of robots for making relationships better by serving as the, um, receptacles of unmet sexual desires. Nick is customarily cautious about predicting the future to come, & Dalton is all for it on the basis of his libertarianism.

This week Dalton & Nick interview Roderick Graham, a sociologist who's written a great new article on Medium about the ADOS movement, which calls for reparations for descendants of enslaved Americans. ADOS isn't a new idea, but it's only recently been part of the mainstream conversation. We also talk about race in America more generally, & Rod offers interesting & unusual answers about racism.

As a libertarian, Dalton questions the minimum wage; Nick argues why we need to have one, and why it should be higher. All of this is far more interesting than this description might suggest.

This week Dalton & Nick puzzle over what to make of the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax, debate the pros & cons of some of the thousands of Democratic presidential candidates for 2020, then argue furiously over who's the mixed martial arts GOAT.

This week we get into the weeds with a men's rights activist. Title IX requires gender equity in higher education. Traditionally it's been used to secure equality of opportunity for women, but now almost 60% of college students are women. Does Title IX protect men as well? Dalton & Nick speak with Kursat Christoff Pekgoz, who's filed a landmark Title IX complaint against several universities. The questions we explore speak to what counts as *fairness* in a rapidly changing world.

Sean's been a cop for 20 years, & spends most of his time doing community policing. We ask him all about his job, what he thinks about drug laws, & why it's tough working demonstrations & protests. Nick gamely struggles to keep Dalton from talking too much jiu jitsu, finally submitting for the last 20 minutes of the interview.

Is government a good or bad thing? Our point of departure is Dalton's recent parking tickets. He says it's bullshit; Nick thinks Dalton is a parking criminal and a menace to the safety and public... but seriously, why should government make rules like this? How much power should it have? Can it do things a free market can't?

Want to become a college professor? In this episode of Professor & the Idiot, Dalton asks Nick how he decided to become a professor, and what that required.

This week on Professor & the Idiot we dissect that recent Gillette razor commercial that's gotten so much buzz. What's it saying about how masculinity is viewed in America? Should we embrace the commercial, reject it, or just view it as clever marketing?

Suddenly Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29 year old new member of congress from the Bronx is everywhere. What’s her deal? This week Professor and the Idiot try to go beyond the buzz and look at the policies she’s proposed, and whether we think she’ll end up being an effective legislator.

Should Trump get his wall? We look at the evidence, but in the end neither of us think it's necessary or even a good idea.

Nick & Dalton are both gun owners. Nick keeps his guns in a safe, but Dalton keeps his bedside & loaded. Dalton thinks this makes sense; Nick thinks it's crazy. Who's right? This episode considers guns & gun control in contemporary America, & explores the true meaning of the 2nd Amendment.

This week we consider the legacy of #metoo, and ponder its future. We also look at Title IX sexual misconduct proceedings on college campuses, and what the proposed new guidelines might change.

Why is college in the United States so damn expensive? Dalton & Nick consider several potential explanations, then step back to ask if this is the right question in the first place.

Dalton is 24, attends junior college, & works with his hands. Nick is a 52 year old college professor. Nick does his best to answer Dalton's questions about life, politics, education, & other stuff. In our first episode, Dalton asks what a Democrat might have liked about Trump in 2016.

How did the Russian Revolution, the granddaddy of Communist uprisings, happen? What was Communism like in Russia? How did it end, & how did it all work out? This week Dalton & Nick go historical on a subject of mutual interest.