This is a podcast about uncomfortable ideas—the reasons we avoid them, the reasons we shouldn’t, and discussion of examples that might infuriate you, offend you, or at least make you uncomfortable. This is based on the book, Uncomfortable Ideas, by Bo Bennett, PhD.
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A few years ago, for some odd reason, I decided to engage a flat-earther in an online debate regarding the fact that the earth is not flat. Hopefully, you will agree that the facts were on my side. But when it comes to conspiracy theories, facts don't matter. With conspiracy theorists, the more you argue, the more "proof" that is to them that it is a conspiracy and your incessant arguing and unyielding determination to prove them wrong confirms that you are part of the cover up—for your ow. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
In the first version of the book, I wrote an article about giving the winner of the presidential election a chance, and supporting him or her no matter who it may be (this was before the election). Although I was a Clinton supporter, I really did like Trump—I just didn't want him running our country, but I was willing to give him a chance to win my support if he were to win. The article continued to discuss biases and problems with political polarization. However, just weeks into Trump's p. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
In the book, I write about how older men being attracted to sexually-mature younger women is not "sick," "perverted," or "immoral," rather it is a typical human, automatic, affective (feeling-based) response. The age of consent, which ranges from 11 years old to 21 years old (16–18 in the United States) is an arbitrary number and a legal distinction related to sexual activity. The vast majority of older people who are attracted to younger people below the age of consent respect the law by . . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
A popular image that has been circulating the Internet shows the difference between the concepts of "equality" and "equity". Equal means the same, where equity means fairness. In the image, we can see the concept of equality on the left where each kid has the same size crate to stand on, although the smallest kid still cannot see the game. To the right, the concept of equity is illustrated where the tallest kid does not have a crate, the middle height kid has one crate, and the smallest kid has . . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
A baker in Colorado refuses to bake a cake for a gay couple because, "Gays are an abomination." The owner of a coffee shop in Alabama has a sign on the door that reads, "No Muslims Allowed." A personal trainer out of Vermont refuses to accept Trump voters as clients, because "they are racists, bigots, just like Trump." Should the government step in and force private business owners to do business with people they don't like, no matter what their reasoning?Uncomfortable Idea: Allowing private bus. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
It depends on how one views God. The God believed by the Westboro Baptist Church or the fire and brimstone God believed by millions is very different from the gentle Jesus God believed by the more "liberal" Christians. Who wouldn't want a celestial father that looks out for us and makes us immortal? Who would want a tyrannical master who set up a system in which more that half of all humans are tortured for all eternity? There is no escaping the fact that some ideas of gods will be comfortable a. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
I was listening to an interview where a gentleman was talking about how he lost his father when he was two years old. He continued to talk about what an amazing man his father was, and he knew this because the people who knew his father frequently say great things about him. One needs to be a real cold-hearted ass to say bad things about a dead man to the child of the deceased. It's not that people lie; it's the use of selective memory combined with social intelligence that leads people to say o. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
One of the many ways that the PC culture has disregarded science and reality has to do with the claim that we should treat mental illness the same way we treat physical illness, implying that people have as much mental control over healing a severed limb as they do over depression (see Holmes, 2014). This is a prime example of an over-correction where the general trend was in assuming that mental illness was "all in the head" (i.e., within one's complete control), also a scientifically inaccurat. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
Go back a few hundred years before modern medicine, life-saving medical procedures, and medical technology. If a person had a genetic anomaly that resulted in a sickness or disease, they would often die. Sad, but this also means that the dangerous genetic anomaly would die with the person, and not get passed on to his or her offspring, assuming the person had died before he or she had a chance to procreate. But thanks to modern medicine, life-saving medical procedures, and medical technology, th. . . See the complete description at Uncomfortable Ideas: The Book]]>
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