Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

John McWhorter, author of Nine Nasty Words: English In The Gutter - Then, Now and Forever , sits down for a fascinating and fun conversation with Bridget. They discuss the appeal of swear words, the evolution of language, the rise of "like" and "literally," the arc of curse words from blasphemy, to the body, to slurs, and evaluate Critical Race Theory from both sides of the argument. They examine the difference between teaching people to think and telling them what to think, how the term "racist" is now being used as a bludgeon to enforce a kind of ideological lockstep, why the victimization mindset has become so popular, share their stories of their first curse words, and discuss why you can't get what you want by calling people white supremacists on Twitter. Check out John's writing at johnmcwhorter.substack.com.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Carol Roth is a leading business advisor, 'recovering' investment banker, and author of bestselling book The Entrepreneur Equation. She stops by to discuss her latest book, The War on Small Business: How the Government Used the Pandemic to Crush the Backbone of America . She and Bridget cover the effect of the pandemic on small businesses and what that means for our economy, what happens when you have such a consolidation of power, the nationalization of school debt, our economic relationship with China, inequality by government mandate, how the regulation on businesses is killing savers and retirees, when people are punished for being poor, and why the only people who have ever gotten rich off the government dole are politicians. Carol explains why good intentions don't always lead to good outcomes, why the legal system might be our saving grace, the interconnectedness within our systems, and that if you want to continue enjoying your freedoms, then it's your responsibility to protect them. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Former US Congressman, Justin Amash, gives us an inside look on the inner workings of Congress and the fact that people in Washington aren't actively trying to harm people, it's just that they mostly don't care. He and Bridget discuss the difficulty of having a free society when everyone's angry and hostile with each other, why the use of the word "defend" is problematic, the importance of focusing on process in government, why fixing the process is only going to happen from external pressure because all internal attempts to effect change have failed or fallen apart, why most politicians have no interest in upending the system so they just follow the leader, and why the Speaker of the House basically operates like a dictator. They cover term limits, decentralization, Libertarianism, how each side of the aisle has used their power in a dictatorial fashion, how media outlets continue to fail us, the credibility crisis in America, the insanity of spending bill votes, why government functionality depends on independent media, and why Washington is basically Hollywood for ugly people.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Jonathan Haidt (The Coddling of the American Mind , The Righteous Mind ) is a social psychologist who believes that we're currently suffering from Wisdom Deprivation Disorder. He and Bridget analyze how the "like" and "retweet" functions changed the face of social media - and eventually the mainstream media, why wokeness makes it impossible to do anything, the costs of speaking up with common sense, the warping of our entire information ecosystem, and why so many businesses are really leaving Silicon Valley. They discuss the difference between resilience and anti-fragility, the victimhood economy, why everyone should read the Stoics before they get on Twitter, the skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety in Gen Z, what the loss of unsupervised free play does to children, why this is an incredibly interesting time to be a social scientist, and Jonathan's plan to help people flourish in an age of anxiety.   This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Bari Weiss is a journalist (New York Times, Wall Street Journal) and author of How to Fight Antisemitism. She and Bridget have an in-depth conversation about how full personhood is not possible on the internet, faux outrage and what it's doing to us, the explosion of independent media, the dangers of exploring TikTok, and why the end of Trump's presidency means you're suddenly you're allowed to say things that have never stopped being true. They discuss what to do when you notice you're self-censoring, the potential for being de-platformed, how quickly our brains deny the reality of something terrible happening, how Jews are the obvious victims of antisemitism but the wider victim is the society infected by it, intersectionality, race, the dangers of focusing on whiteness, and why Bari believes that the fight of our lifetimes is the fight against illiberalism. Don't miss Bari's new podcast Honestly . This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Glenn Greenwald (No Place To Hide , Securing Democracy ) shares the journey that led him to Brazil, how he met his husband, what led him to the path he's on, and why tries to make sure he's always open to people who challenge his convictions. He and Bridget discuss their shared mistrust of authority, why the acceptance of gay marriage accelerated so rapidly, living outside of America and how it influenced his perspective & writing, the dangers of going against your audience's tastes, and why the impulse to appeal to an authority figure to fix everything is a bad thing. They cover Operation Car Wash, how not being wedded to an ideological dogma engenders trust, why the length of Joe Rogan's podcasts is important, when you don't even realize you're self-censoring, the mental health crisis in the West, the differences between the way China flexes and the US flexes, the joylessness that has arisen on the left, and where to find independant journalism these days.  This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Eliza Bleu is a survivor advocate for those affected by human trafficking, she’s also a survivor of human trafficking. She and Bridget discuss the red flags both parents and youths should be aware of, grooming tactics and how insidious they can be – especially from someone you’re supposed to be able to trust, the fraught conversation around personal responsibility in the survivor space, and the role advancing technology and social media platforms play. They share personal stories of their own experiences, how the most innocuous things can be triggers, how trauma never fully heals, but it can be integrated, why you have to take care of yourself when you’re trying to serve others, trying not to let the darkness overwhelm you,  hanging onto hope, and why you should never ugly-cry on Rogan. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Mitchell Jackson stops by and talks about his beloved friend and surrogate mother, Sandie Crisp, aka The Goddess Bunny, a disabled trans icon. She died in January of Covid, after surviving polio and HIV.  Mitchell discusses the ups and downs of her life, stints of homelessness, having her picture hanging in the Louvre, why she’s huge in South America, her hatred of identity politics, the surrogate family she built for herself, and the tragedy of her passing in isolation (due to Covid restrictions) in an assisted living facility. He and Bridget discuss the massive flaws in our system regarding the health and care of the homeless, disabled, mentally ill, and people struggling with addiction. They cover the battle to hold a funeral that did Sandie proud, how she raged against the idea that anyone would ever perceive her as a victim, and why Mitchell is optimistic about the future. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Candice Thompson is a comedian, writer, actor and host of the podcast Nosy Neighbors which breaks down the  most absurd neighborhood app posts of the week. She and Bridget discuss how everybody wants to label you so they know what to think about you, why they don’t trust groups, their paths to stand-up comedy, their worst comedy bomb experiences, why hemp is the buffalo of plants, normalizing knife fights, and why people are so staunch in their defense a celebrity they’ve never met. Candice shares her experience being a light skinned black girl, and the complexities of being mixed race in a country obsessed with race, her exploration of nutrition and spirituality, and why she got kicked out of a wedding for a stand-up set. It’s a hilarious conversation that goes from lentils to racism to fat shaming, why our bodies are miracles, people who take pride in their victimhood, and the etiquette of throwing away dog poop. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Sarah Rose Siskind is a science comedy writer, psychedelic educator, comedian, and co-founder of Hello SciCom, a company that combines science communication and comedy to help scientists and tech companies revamp their content. She and Bridget discuss homelessness, how little we knew in our 20s, sobriety & pharmaceuticals, why D.A.R.E. is a terrible program, pandemic-induced anxiety, why mental health issues are like spousal abuse, and why people shouldn’t treat weed as a cure-all. They swap crazy Burning Man stories, discuss classism, agree that art is one of the things humans do right, commiserate over comedian-brain, and highlight the importance of knowing your audience in any given situation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show