Notes on The American Age - The Podcast about the Podcast

012 - The hosts talk about last week's podcast about the podcast. Travis shares a personal anecdote; Steve talks his experience with technology over the years; Seph reveals his feelings about a tweet he read that stuck with him.

Notes on The American Age - Intersectionality: Unfair Bias, Unfair Grievance

011 - The hosts reflect on last week's discussion of Judith Butler and Bari Weiss.

Notes on The American Age - Remembering Betty White

010 - For this week's note the hosts discuss the late Betty White. Her decades long career lasted through so many changes in American culture that it's worth pausing to remember her contributions.

Unlucky Days

104 – Our end of the year theme returns--again. What do we do with those few days each year that seem to fall off the calendar entirely? That time between Christmas and New Years when the Western world teeters precariously betwixt possibility and failure. We call them "unlucky days."

"They": Introductions

103 – The fervor over pronoun usage might seem silly to some. Is it "he," "she," or "they"? But language has never been fixed, and how individuals refer to themselves is in constant flux. There's nothing wrong with negotiation, but there might be with something wrong moralizing.

Comedy: Final Thoughts

102 – What can you learn about a culture through comedy? What can you learn about people, and maybe more importantly, what can't you learn about them through comedy? The hosts agree it's time to stop canceling people for trying to be funny.

Comedy: Patrice O'Neal, Laughing Because It Hurts

101 – Patrice O'Neal died in 2011, but his comedy is still hot. Stories that turn a bitter reality into laughter is this week's subject. Should there be a limit on what comedians can say for a joke?

100th Episode

100 – The hosts reflect on the last 100 episodes. What have the learned about each other, and about the issues they've discussed?

Comedy: Maria Bamford, How to Maintain Mental Health

099 – The cliché goes that "laughter is the best medicine," but the idea's been around for thousands of years, so it's probably best to call it "wisdom." How can comedy help us cope with trauma?

Comedy: Offensive Comedy and Its Virtues

098 – There's laughing at yourself, and then there's laughing at others. While the former is virtuous the latter is indispensable to group cohesion. In this episode the hosts talk about Jim Jefferies and Louis C.K. What are the limits of comedy?