The Devil's Advocate Podcast with Nick Stach

Intro:- Funny/stupid childhood memories: staying up lateBook Report:- Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis (Nick)- Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ | IMDb (Ken)Life in Japan:- Customer service in Japan (Nick)- TV news media too harsh on celebrity private lives, esp re drugs and marital infidelity (Ken)Links:Elimination diet | WikipediaCarnivore diet | Everyday HealthHalloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) | IMDbIseya Yusuke | Japan Times (topic page)“Why Paul McCartney Ended Up Spending Nine Days in Jail” | UCR"What the World Could Teach America About Policing" by Yasmeen Serhan | The AtlanticOn Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman | Goodreads"Magazine vs Clip – What's the Difference and Why is it Important?" by Sam Hoober | The Truth About GunsRadley Balko | Goodreads (author page)Radley Balko: a curated collection of links | The Marshall ProjectRadley Balko | ACLU"Abortion and crime: who should you believe?" by Steven D. Levitt | Freakonomics Blog

Nick and Ken continue their uninterrupted record of solving society's biggest problems in single episodes of their unbelievable hit podcast. This time, they tackle the thorny problem of racism.Life in Japan- The (relatively) low COVID-19 morbidity in Japan (Nick)- Inconsistency in the Japanese supply chain (Ken)Book reports- Anime at Ken's house: - Demon Slayer: Kimitsu no Yaiba | Wikipedia - Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) | Wikipedia - Ajin: Demi-Human | Wikipedia - Sato Goes Full John Wick | YouTube - Nick's book report - The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova | Goodreads Racism- Fundamental attribution error | Wikipedia - Confirmation bias | Wikipedia - Robber's Cave Studies | Wikipedia - Caste by Isabel Wilkerson | Goodreads - Podcasts with Isabel Wilkerson - Stay Tuned with Preet | America's Caste System (with Isabel Wilkerson) - The Ezra Klein Show | Isabel Wilkerson wants to change how we understand race in America

Nick and Ken discuss mental health and some topics related to the death of wrestler and actor Hana Kimura.Follow Three Day Monk Media (@3daymonkmedia) on Twitter!Book reports:* Peaky Blinders | IMDB.com (Nick)* Ozark | IMDB.com (Nick)* Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba | Wikipedia (Ken)* Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) | Wikipedia (Ken)* Ajin: Demi-Human | Wikipedia (Ken)Life in Japan: The persistence of video rental stores in Japan- Land of the Giants: The Netflix Effect (Season 2) | Vox - (Apple Podcasts link)Mental Health in Japan:* Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 | IMDB.com* Hana Kimura | IMDB.com* Hana Kimura | Wikipedia* "The death of 'Terrace House' cast member Hana Kimura and Japan's mental health struggles" by Hilary Keyes | Japan Today* Dealing with Depression in Japan | GaijinPot — contains several links to mental health resources in Japan* Mindful care: Changing the perception of mental health in Japan | Japan Today* Japan's media out of step with mental health issues | The Japan Times* "Tristan Harris: Tech Is ‘Downgrading Humans.' It's Time to Fight Back" by Nicholas Thompson | Wired* Social Media and Mental Health | HelpGuide* "Six Ways Social Media Negatively Affects Your Mental Health" by Sabrina Barr | The IndependentOther links:* Yakuza (etymology) | Wikipedia* Revved by Sturgis Rally, COVID-19 infections move fast, far | AP News* "57 percent of Republicans say coronavirus death toll is 'acceptable'" by Justine Coleman | The Hill

In a special heartwarming episode, Nick and Ken have a (fourth or fifth) difficult conversation about the dangers of guns. Links: Keanu Reeves, 3 Gun, Taran Tactical, Got Wick? | YouTube Keanu Reeves on @Brimley Line | Twitter Defensive gun use | Wikipedia "In 46 weeks this year, there have been 45 school shootings" by Elizabeth Wolfe and Christina Walker | CNN NRA: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | HBO “Are the differences between assault weapons and sporting weapons merely cosmetic?” | Quora

Nick and Ken chat about COVID19 and remote/distributed work. We also explore the book Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, as well as stoicism as a practice. Life in Japan: - Lonely death in Japan—and the industries springing up around it (Nick) Book report: - Remote/distributed work (Ken) - Shoot first and ask questions later (Nick) Links: Kodokushi (i.e., "lonely death") | Wikipedia “Dying Alone in Japan: The Industry Devoted to What's Left Behind" by Adam Minter | Bloomberg Businessweek Basecamp Books by Basecamp Rework.fm Remote work Q&A with Basecamp founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (Part I and Part II) Making Sense Podcast, ep. #194: The New Future of Work: A Conversation with Matt Mullenweg Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin | Goodreads Jill Greenberg Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Translated by Gregory Hays) *recommended version of this book "stoa" | Online Etymology Dictionary Massimo Pigliucci "Stoicism as a philosophy for an ordinary life" | TEDxAthens The Definitive List of Stoicism in History & Pop Culture | The Daily Stoic / The Tim Ferriss Show, ep. #195: David Heinemeier Hansson: The Power of Being Outspoken Books by Ryan Holiday | Indiebound

This week, Nick has a bunch of questions for Ken regarding organizational psychology. Life in Japan: - Trains (Nick and Ken) Book Report: - Farnam Street (Ken) - Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell Links: - Farnam Street Blog - A Helpful Guide to Reading Better | Farnam Street - Mental Models: The Best Way to Make Intelligent Decisions (109 Models Explained) | Farnam Street - Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell - Death of Sandra Bland | Wikipedia - Industrial and organizational psychology | Wikipedia

Nick and Ken wade into making choices and how to improve the decision making process. Links: When one sketch flopped, two words saved The State: “monkey torture” by Erik Adams Meniscus (anatomy) | Wikipedia Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell | Goodreads (Nick's book report) Malcolm Gladwell — "Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce" | TED.com Stanley Milgram | Wikipedia What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles How to Make a Decision Like Ben Franklin | Art of Manliness

On this episode, Nick and Ken go down some pretty deep rabbit holes around the topics of psychology and life in Japan.Links: Cognitive psychology | WikipediaIndustrial and organizational psychology | WikipediaHuman intelligence | WikipediaPersonality | Wikipedia"Japan's Births Decline To Lowest Number On Record" by Laurel Wamsley | NPR"Japan must abolish mandatory retirement" by Shigeo Kashiwagi | Nikkei"This might be the 'silver lining' for Japan" by Elena Holodny"Japanese women face a future of poverty, as confluence of factors conspire against them" by Marina Katanuma | The Japan Times Kodokushi (lonely death) | Wikipedia

The Devil's Advocate on the wisdom in the famous quotes from Fight Club. Life in Japan: - Public holidays in Japan (Ken) - Japan's births fall below 900,000 for the first time on record (Nick) Book Report: - The Watchmen (2019 TV mini-series), and The Official Watchmen Podcast (Ken) - The Mandalorian TV series (Nick) Links: Public holidays in Japan | WikipediaJapan's births fall below 900,000 for the first time on record | NikkeiThe Mandalorian series (TV series) | IMDb Car Talk podcast | NPR Watchmen (comic) | AmazonWatchmen (2009 movie) | IMDb The Watchmen (2019 TV mini-series) | IMDbThe Official Watchmen Podcast | HBO Chernobyl (TV Mini-Series 2019) | IMDb The Chernobyl Podcast | Apple Podcasts The Leftovers (TV series) | IMDb Swingers (1996 movie) | IMDb Why so many Japanese children refuse to go to school | BBC

In our least evergreen episode to date, Nick and Ken have a wide-ranging conversation about the current Corona virus outbreak and our favorite mental models. Life in Japan - Corona virus and wearing masks in public (Nick) - Pollen (Ken) Book report: - Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin (Nick) - The poetry of David Whyte and Mary Oliver (Ken)Topics covered:- Living in Tokyo during the time of COVID-19 - Wearing masks in public in Japan - Seasonal allergies in Japan - Going to Roppongi - Farnam Street blog and mental models Links:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) | WikipediaWhy Japanese wear masks: a look behind health, etiquette, and culture by Cornelius Phanthanh (2018-09-29) Japan gets creative as mask shortages continue amid COVID-19 spread | Japan Times A Miami man who flew to China worried he might have coronavirus. He may owe thousands. by Ben Conarck | Miami Herald You're Likely to Get the Coronavirus by James Hamblin | The Atlantic Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin World War II in Colour The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Farnam Street Blog The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish Ingrid Newkirk: Animalkind | Real Time with Bill Maher on YouTube The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil StraussA lyrical bridge between past, present and future by David Whyte | TED.com Where Many Rivers Meet by David Whyte The Bell and the Blackbird by David Whyte A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

The Devil's Advocate on Fight Club.Book Report:Lizzie Velasquez and Relational Aggression | YouTube link (Nick)Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday (Ken) Life In Japan:You can leave stuff anywhere (Nick), but you can't throw it away, because . . . terror? (Ken)Topics discussed:- "There's either Fight club, or Dead Poets Society, that's it".- What men are missing (e.g., father figures/mentors, rites of passage, community) - Your fatal flaw is what will destroy you. "Bob (Meatloaf) was dying, but doing better than he had ever done before". - Edward Norton: "Nihilism is great when you're younger, but not once you grow up." - The hack: Give back, volunteer or Jiujitsu Links: Carefully, Japan Reconsiders the Trash Can by Allan Richarz | CityLab Captain Sinbad — "'Self-Help' Isn't the Answer - Tyler Durden's Philosophy (Fight Club)" | YouTube The Philosophy of Fight Club – Wisecrack Edition | YouTube Joe Rogan Experience #1158 - Chuck Palahniuk | YouTube Secrets of the Tarahumara by Christopher McDougall | Runners World

This week, the discussion turns to the dark side of the internet: incels. What are they? What are they doing? What does it all mean?Ken's book report: The Irishman (2019) Nick's book report: PBS Eons on YouTube Life in Japan: Duty and harmony in the workplace (Nick); Gender disparity of treatment in the workplace (Ken) Links: - Japanese women step up against discrimination with #KuToo, a campaign against high-heels in the workplace | The Independent - Japan 'glasses ban' for women at work sparks backlash | BBC - Incel | Wikipedia - Our incel problem by Zack Beauchamp | Vox - Life expectancy in the US keeps going down, and a new study says America's worsening inequality could be to blame by Aylin Woodward | Business Insider - After another K-pop death, spotlight turns to difficulties faced by industry's 'perfect' stars by Jake Kwon | CNN Deinstitutionalisation | Wikipedia Inside the Dutch 'dementia village' that offers beer, bingo, and top-notch healthcare by Chris Weller | Business Insider

Nick and Ken give religion our good, bad, and ugly treatment. Topics: - Our new mission statement: "To entertain and intellectually discuss various issues with the idea of enlightening and making people more aware of stuff." - Life in Japan - Nick: increased ethnic diversity in sports in Japan - Ken: the importance of conscientiousness in Japan - Book report: Books by Amy Morin - Erratum: Randomness vs. Chaos - Religion: the good, the bad, and the ugly Links: Televangelists: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

This week, Nick and Ken discuss happiness and how to get more of it in your life. Topics: - Internet cafés in Tokyo—the good, the bad, and the ugly - Casual porn consumption and tolerance of tattoos in Japan - Hacking joy: happiness as a commodity - Experiences over things - Change your surroundings (e.g., travel, more color) - Having children (or pets) to improve overall happiness - Get involved in the community Links: Food stalls (yatai) in Fukuoka Becoming Wise | TED Radio Hour Norway - Is It The Perfect Economy? | Economics Explained 9 Lessons From the World's Blue Zones on Living a Long, Healthy Life

Follow-up episode of our discussion about drugs and legalization schemes that have been tried elsewhere, including Portugal and Colorado. Topics: - Persistence hunting of young children (a short discussion of Nick's return to running, and the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall) - The benefits and scalability of drug legalization Links: - Born to Run by Christopher McDougall - Adolf Hitler showing symptoms of amphetamine use at Olympics - Here's What a Legal Market for Cocaine Could Look Like by Troy Farah- Legal Status of Cocaine | Wikipedia - An Economic and Moral Case for Legalizing Cocaine and Heroin by Jeffrey Miron - Portugal's radical drugs policy is working. Why hasn't the world copied it? by Susana Ferreira

This week, Nick and Ken talk about drugs and the value of different approaches to control drugs on a national level. "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing." —Oscar Wilde Topics: - Where should we draw the line on drug legalization? Just marijuana, or is cocaine and methamphetamine OK, too? - The consequences of prohibition vs. regulation of drugs - Alcoholism as an allergy, according to Alcoholics Anonymous

Nick and Ken circle back to Andrew Yang, who doesn't appear to be doing well, though his ideas are getting some support.Links:- Andrew Yang on Bill Maher | https://youtu.be/_9say1jGFFQ- Andrew Yang announced a $120,000 giveaway at the Democratic debate - giving away $1000/month to 10 families | https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/12/20863559/andrew-yang-democratic-debate-giveaway-universal-income-ubi-freedom-dividend-election-2020- Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas | https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/539747/winners-take-all-by-anand-giridharadas/

The end of our 3-part series on 'toxicity.'Topics covered in this episode:- Toxic masculinity in leadership positions in organizations- Abuse begets abuse—ending the cycle of violence- Differences in leadership styles . . . and men's reactions to female managers and leaders- How toxicity is manifested in men and womenLinks:- Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How to Fix It) by Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic | https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Many-Incompetent-Become-Leaders/dp/1633696324- tell Japan | Access resources about domestic violence https://telljp.com/homepage/resources/domestic-violence-2/- Leaving Neverland on IMDb.com https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9573980/- Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LMTDL0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1- "#MeToo Will Not Survive Unless We Recognize Toxic Femininity" by Meghan Daum https://medium.com/s/powertrip/metoo-will-not-survive-unless-we-recognize-toxic-femininity-6e82704ee616- "Meghan McCain, John McCain's daughter, is the very definition of toxic femininity" by Arwa Mahdawi https://amp.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2019/may/11/meghan-mccain-john-mccains-daughter-is-the-very-definition-of-toxic-femininity

After last week's discussion about Bigorexia and body image issues, Nick and Ken decided to do a deeper dive on the topic of toxicity—this week, we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly about anabolic steroids.Some topics covered:- Different kinds of steroids and good uses of steroids- Leveling the playing field by using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs- The bad effects of steroids: addiction, 'roid rage, and separating the qualities person from the effects of steroids- Problems with prohibition—how can you be sure that what you are taking is really steroids?- Steroids as a tool to mitigate the effects of agingLinks:Bigger, Stronger, Faster*- Wikipedia - IMDb

Devil's Advocate, ep. 3: BigorexiaNick and Ken talk about healthy and unhealthy body image, as well as our respective stories about body image and what has influenced our perceptions about ourselves. Although we come from very different backgrounds with regard to participation in team sports and how we have dealt with weight and muscle, there is definitely some space where we can recognize common terrain.Some topics covered:- The effect of media on body image for both men and women.- How living in a different culture can affect your diet- What does the podcasting community bring to the table?- Bodybuilding, Barbie, G. I. Joe, and He-Man, and Fight Club — do these communicate unhealthy and unrealistic cues to young people?- Strategies for parents- Steroids and athletic performance—————Ken's take:- Possible relation to orthorexia nervous?- I have noticed a lot of current trends with many podcasters and others in the tech focusing on biohacking, diet and restricted feeding schedules.- Even though there are several doctors and experts who back these plans (e.g., Peter Attia), at some level, these behaviors can seem quite similar to those discussed and employed in online communities for people with eating disorders. I do wonder where the line is that takes us from positive health outcomes to negative body image and negative health and social outcomes.- Although not mentioned in the episode, I wonder what could be some appropriate treatment for these kinds of issues, including eating disorders and body dysmorphia — possibly CBT and exposure therapy? Also, is there a possibility that psychedelics would have any efficacy here? One could imagine how the dissolution of ego could give some perspective, in combination with other therapies.—————Links:- Muscle Dysmorphia | Wikipedia- The Art of Manliness #520: The Surprising Origins and Prevalence of Bigorexia and Male Body Image Issues- The Adonis Complex: How to Identify, Treat and Prevent Body Obsession in Men and Boys by Harrison G. Pope, Katharine A. Phillips, and Roberto Olivardia- The 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet by Michael Mosley—————We'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to send us your feedback or show ideas.Ken Barton:- Twitter: @3daymonkmedia - Website: https://www.threedaymonkmedia.com/Nick Stach:- Twitter: @badboysforlife- Websites: http://sustainablehealthwealth.squarespace.com and https://tristach.github.io

Some follow-up from our first episode about automation and the delegation of . . . *ahem* more domestic responsibilities to our robot overlords.The discussion then turns to current discussions in Washington, D.C. and in the popular media about reparations for slavery, which expands to remuneration to indigenous people and Asian Americans for historical injustices.Links:- Video on sex robots- Qoobo robot- House committee confronts the "inheritance of slavery" in panel on reparations | CBS News----------We'd love to hear from you! Please feel free to send us your feedback or show ideas.Ken Barton:- Twitter: @3daymonkmedia- Three Day Monk Media homepageNick Stach:- Twitter: @badboysforlife- Websites: http://sustainablehealthwealth.squarespace.com and https://tristach.github.io----------Episode cover art:- "Reparations" by Daniel Lobo

On the debut episode, Nick and Ken talk about US presidential candidate Andrew Yang, as well as our interest in Universal Basic Income (UBI). This was a fun conversation, and we look forward to more. Future episodes will drop every Tuesday. Please rate and subscribe.Links: Sam Harris interview with Andrew Yang Preet Bharara interview with Andrew Yang Universal Basic Income Wasn't Invented by Today's Democrats - Bloomberg Milton Friedman on the Negative Income Tax Ken BartonTwitter: @3daymonkmedia Website: https://www.threedaymonkmedia.com/ Nick StachTwitter: @badboysforlife Websites: http://sustainablehealthwealth.squarespace.com and https://tristach.github.io