For much of history, parents have preferred boys, perceiving them as the providers, the family legacy, the heirs to the throne. A dark consequence of China's 36-year-long one-child policy was a 120 boy to 100 girl birth ratio. But in 21st-century America, the script seems to have been flipped. The New York Times has run headlines like "Wanting Daughters, Getting Sons" and "It's a Boy, and It's Okay to be Disappointed." Boys are falling behind in school, are more likely to display behavioral problems, and are more likely to be both perpetrators and victims of violence. Shifting gender norms, changing conceptions of masculinity, and the pitched political battles around these questions have made boyhood—and parenthood—that much more complicated. Raising boys these days ain't easy.
Today's guest knows this all too well. Ruth Whippman is the author of BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity, and the mother of three young boys. The book is about her experience as a modern "BoyMom" living in the hyper-progressive Bay Area, as well as what she learned from studying the psychological and sociological research on boys and from talking to boys and men across the country and the political spectrum about their experiences and, importantly to the theme of this book, their feelings.
Timestamps: 00:00 Intro Monologue 01:24 Introducing Ruth Whippman 02:20 Nature vs. Nurture in Boyhood 05:31 Emotional Vulnerability in Boys 06:31 Parenting Strategies for Boys 09:56 Cultural Shifts and Gender Preferences 14:01 Raising Boys in Progressive Areas 27:28 Challenges Boys Face in School 41:34 Traditional Masculinity and Emotional Connection 45:47 The American Psychological Association's Stance on Traditional Masculinity 53:16 The Hero's Journey and Masculine Expectations 55:28 Andrew Tate's Influence on Young Men 01:04:18 High Agency Worldview and Self-Help for Men 01:14:17 Promoting Emotional and Relational Skills in Boys 01:16:19 Final Thoughts and Reflections
How is masculinity changing? | Ruth Whippman | Just Asking Questions, Ep. 30ReasonTV2024-07-04 | Ruth Whippman discusses her new book, BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity.
For much of history, parents have preferred boys, perceiving them as the providers, the family legacy, the heirs to the throne. A dark consequence of China's 36-year-long one-child policy was a 120 boy to 100 girl birth ratio. But in 21st-century America, the script seems to have been flipped. The New York Times has run headlines like "Wanting Daughters, Getting Sons" and "It's a Boy, and It's Okay to be Disappointed." Boys are falling behind in school, are more likely to display behavioral problems, and are more likely to be both perpetrators and victims of violence. Shifting gender norms, changing conceptions of masculinity, and the pitched political battles around these questions have made boyhood—and parenthood—that much more complicated. Raising boys these days ain't easy.
Today's guest knows this all too well. Ruth Whippman is the author of BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity, and the mother of three young boys. The book is about her experience as a modern "BoyMom" living in the hyper-progressive Bay Area, as well as what she learned from studying the psychological and sociological research on boys and from talking to boys and men across the country and the political spectrum about their experiences and, importantly to the theme of this book, their feelings.
Timestamps: 00:00 Intro Monologue 01:24 Introducing Ruth Whippman 02:20 Nature vs. Nurture in Boyhood 05:31 Emotional Vulnerability in Boys 06:31 Parenting Strategies for Boys 09:56 Cultural Shifts and Gender Preferences 14:01 Raising Boys in Progressive Areas 27:28 Challenges Boys Face in School 41:34 Traditional Masculinity and Emotional Connection 45:47 The American Psychological Association's Stance on Traditional Masculinity 53:16 The Hero's Journey and Masculine Expectations 55:28 Andrew Tate's Influence on Young Men 01:04:18 High Agency Worldview and Self-Help for Men 01:14:17 Promoting Emotional and Relational Skills in Boys 01:16:19 Final Thoughts and ReflectionsJon Stewart claims cancel culture DOESN’T EXIST, except for NEVER-TRUMPERSReasonTV2024-05-22 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss whether "cancel culture" truly exists.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Comedy CentralCNN’s Anderson Cooper FLABBERGASTED, ADMITS Trump’s lawyers CRUSHED Michael Cohen during crossReasonTV2024-05-22 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss the impacts of Michael Cohen's testimony in former President Trump's campaign finance trial.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Andrea Renault/ZUMAPRESS/NewscomLiberals want Alito KICKED OFF THE COURT after he flew American flag upside-downReasonTV2024-05-22 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss recent reporting that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito flew the American flag upside-down outside his home in January 2021.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Eric Lee - Pool via CNP/picture alliance / Consolidated News Photos/NewscomWATCH: Harrison Butker DEFENDED by Whoopi Goldberg, Bill MaherReasonTV2024-05-22 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Andy Martin Jr./ZUMA Press/NewscomHow the lockdowns drove us all crazy | Nellie Bowles | The Reason Interview With Nick GillespieReasonTV2024-05-22 | The former New York Times reporter explores the collective madness that washed over us in 2020, tracing the path from #MeToo to “Intifada Revolution!”
00:00- The Morning After The Revolution 2:30- First sparks of the revolution 5:30- the working class victims of The Reckoning 9:37- BLM’s property empire 11:16- Bowles’ New York Times dispatch from CHAZ 13:40- Black and Asian White Supremacists 15:55- White women’s tears & DEI trainings 20:25- Dismantle capitalism, but not too urgently! 24:10- The Progressive Stack 26:01- Academic “Pretendians” 29:20- The Bon Appétit Cancellation Turducken 34:37- The Creation of Non-man 37:52- Woman: a submissive vessel? 42:40- The Current Thing Speedway 44:06- San Francisco: Progressive Libertarian Nihilism? 48:33- Nellie Bowles’ politics 50:25- Positive social change 54:17- Q&A
reason.com/podcast/2024/05/21/nellie-bowles-how-the-lockdowns-drove-us-crazy ___ Today's guest is Nellie Bowles, a co-founder of the immensely popular Substack publication The Free Press, where she writes TGIF, a weekly news roundup that has earned a fanatical following. She's also the author of the new book Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History, a deeply reported account of how America responded to COVID lockdowns and racial unrest in 2020 and 2021 and her tumultuous tenure at The New York Times.
#podcast #wokeism #media #newyorktimesA $100,000 fine for parking on HER yard!?ReasonTV2024-05-21 | Like a lot of cities, Lantana, Florida, makes it illegal to park cars on the grass, even in your own yard. The tires on Sandy Martinez’s Jeep crossed the line just a tiny bit.
So the city charged her $250 per day. She stopped parking in the grass but no inspector ever came to check, so the bill kept growing. Tacking on fines for some other minor violations, the total grew to more than $165,000. #Florida #home #singlemom #propertyrightsHow rescheduling marijuana will affect the weed industryReasonTV2024-05-21 | "Rescheduling marijuana is one step that creates the conditions for creating the conditions, for maybe at some point, actually having a world where people could just smoke weed and be left alone. We are not there yet," argues Katherine Mangu-Ward
People are freaked out by climate change, especially young people. Scientists for Nature conducted a survey of 10,000 16- to 25-year-olds in 2021 and found that 59 percent of them were extremely worried or very worried about climate change, and large majorities reported that climate change made them feel sad, anxious, and/or afraid. On Earth Day this year, President Joe Biden shared a picture on X (formerly Twitter) of himself standing next to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.) with the caption, "Young Americans know that the climate crisis is the existential threat of our time. They deserve leaders who believe them."
Today's guest says it's time to stop catastrophizing. Ted Nordhaus is the co-founder and executive director of the environmental nonprofit The Breakthrough Institute. He recently published an essay in The New Atlantis titled "Did Exxon Make it Rain Today?" which argues that while climate change is a real phenomenon affected by human activity, "we're actually safer than ever before." He says a deliberate campaign of fearmongering and exaggeration about the effects of climate change has misled the public and damaged the credibility and effectiveness of the environmentalist movement.
Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:50 The Evolution of the Climate Change Narrative 00:05:23 The Political and Social Impact of Climate Change Rhetoric 00:14:57 Analyzing the Science and Misconceptions of Climate Change 00:23:46 The Economic and Societal Resilience to Climate Extremes 00:35:30 A Rational Perspective on Climate Change Anxiety 00:42:55 Human Migration Toward Climate Risks 00:44:50 Revisiting Predictions From An Inconvenient Truth 00:50:03 Addressing the Fear of Climate Tipping Points 00:55:39 Human Ingenuity and Climate Resilience 01:02:35 Carbon Emissions and Economic Growth 01:10:36 The Climate Movement and Public Perception 01:19:02 A Vision for a Focused Environmental MovementWhat does the Iranian presidents death mean for the Middle East? | Reason Roundtable | May 20, 2024ReasonTV2024-05-21 | In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman consider U.S. foreign policy toward Iran in the wake of a helicopter crash that left Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian dead.
00:00 - Iranian president dies in helicopter crash
16:46 - Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to reschedule marijuana
34:59 - Weekly Listener Question
45:54 - Reason Weekend 2024
56:09 - This week's cultural recommendations
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Hello, liberty lovers! Are you passionate about preserving civil liberties and individual freedom? Do you want to support organizations that uphold these principles but struggle to navigate the complex world of charitable giving? Well, fear not! We have the perfect solution for you: a giving account with DonorsTrust. A giving account, also known as a donor-advised fund, is a simple, secure, and tax-advantaged way for libertarian givers like you to support the causes you care about most. With a donor-advised fund, you can make a contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to your favorite charities over time. Plus, you retain control over how your charitable dollars are invested, ensuring they align with your values and goals. Whether you're passionate about defending free speech, protecting property rights, or promoting limited government, a donor-advised fund with DonorsTrust empowers you to make a meaningful impact. So, join us in preserving liberty for future generations by opening a donor-advised fund at DonorsTrust today. To learn more and get started, visit our sponsor, DonorsTrust, at www.donorstrust.org/roundtable. Take control of your giving and make a difference in the fight for freedom. That's www.donorstrust.org/roundtable. Remember, every dollar counts in the battle to safeguard our civil liberties. Let's make our voices heard together!
Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
Producer: Hunt BeatyAre Palestine encampments free speech?ReasonTV2024-05-20 | CLARIFICATION: The First Amendment standards described in this video only apply to public colleges and universities. Private institutions have more power to restrict speech.
Are the Palestine protests happening on public college campuses protected speech?
Encampments prevent other students from using the space, cause disruptions to campus activities and create a public safety risk. So no, they aren’t protected speech. You also don’t have a First Amendment right to protest wherever, whenever, or as loud as you want. You do have a right to share controversial statements and signs. #FirstAmendment #freespeech #college #palestine #protestPiketty’s dangerous ‘solution’ to inequalityReasonTV2024-05-19 | World famous progressive economist, Thomas Piketty, who is extremely influential over politicians like Elizabeth Warren, said in a 2014 TED Talk that the best ways to address the alleged problems of 'income inequality' is to create a "global registry of financial assets" so that there can be "global coordination on wealth taxation."
"It's astounding and note the circularity in his argument," says economist, historian, and author Phil Magness. "Every solution is just reaffirmation of [his] premise. And what it basically means is the complete abolition of any sense of financial privacy, of really any aspect of free and open market exchange."
Watch this full episode of the Just Asking Questions podcast: youtu.be/-ED2Dy2aRKM
Watch this full episode of the Just Asking Questions podcast: youtu.be/-ED2Dy2aRKM
Subscribe to the Just Asking Questions podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9 YouTube Music: music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9&si=wwHoBJ_fbQaXMtXy Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-asking-questions/id1719355507 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5SpySKAH3LuVyxXk0MF7tlCops ignored this wife’s pleas for helpReasonTV2024-05-17 | An Iowa woman called the police a dozen times about her estranged husband violating a restraining order, but they didn’t do anything about it. Why? According to a lawsuit filed by her family, it’s because he provided cheap electrical work to some of the cops. The man eventually got arrested but was released the next day, and shortly after killed his estranged wife. #Iowa #policeWhat should the minimum wage be?ReasonTV2024-05-16 | California Congresswoman Barbara Lee recently floated the idea of a $50 per hour minimum wage. So we asked people in Los Angeles what they think the minimum wage should be and if they’re worried about the unintended consequences of raising the wage. #economics #streetinterview #losangeles #californiaWho really pays the most taxes? | Phil Magness | Just Asking Questions, Ep. 23ReasonTV2024-05-16 | Economist and author Phil Magness debunks a recent 'New York Times' piece and shoddy academic work about the rich and their taxes.
"Today, the superrich control a greater share of America's wealth than during the Gilded Age of Carnegies and Rockefellers," said Gabriel Zucman in a recent New York Times opinion piece entitled, "It's Time to Tax the Billionaires."
Zucman is an economist at the Paris School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley, and a frequent collaborator with superstar economist Thomas Piketty, author of the extremely influential book on wealth inequality, Capital in the Twenty-First Century.
But today's guest, Phil Magness—an economic historian, author, and the David J. Theroux Chair in Political Economy at the Independent Institute—says the work of Piketty and his circle of inequality-obsessed colleagues is deeply flawed and sometimes outright deceptive. He points out that billionaires do pay taxes…a lot of taxes. And the inequality literature is riddled with errors and bad statistics.
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Just Asking Questions: Billionaires and Taxes 01:38 Unpacking the Misleading Tax Rate Graphs 06:38 The Political Motivations Behind Misleading Tax Narratives 15:39 Analyzing the Impact of Tax Credits on Lower-Income Earners 22:32 The Real Tax Burden: A Closer Look at Wealthy Americans' Contributions 27:05 Countering Piketty's Inequality Data With Accurate Accounting 34:58 The Practical Problems With a Wealth Tax 40:04 Piketty's Inequality Narrative and Its Flaws 48:50 Global Financial Transparency and Taxation Proposals 54:40 The Moral and Economic Case Against High Taxation 57:48 Listener Q&A: Defending the Show's TitleThe Simpsons FACEPLANTS with misguided LIBERAL PROPAGANDA, Europe WORSHIPReasonTV2024-05-15 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke compare European and American economies.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Fox NetworkKamala Harris PRAISED after dropping the F-bomb in CRINGE DEI speechReasonTV2024-05-15 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Kamala Harris' performance as Vice President and potential political future.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Michael Brochstein Sipa USA NewscomLOL: CNN performs DRAMATIC READING of ‘FLAWLESS’ Cohen testimonyReasonTV2024-05-15 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Michael Cohen's testimony during former President Trump's campaign finance violation hearing.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: CNNAaron Rodgers DEFENDS RFK Jr. after candidate is smeared as ‘MAGA-CRAZY’ReasonTV2024-05-15 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss Aaron Rodgers' support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Duncan Williams/Cal Sport Media/NewscomWATCH: MSNBC panel GOBSMACKED to learn independents see BIDEN as bigger threat to democracy vs TrumpReasonTV2024-05-15 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke react to polls finding independent voters see President Joe Biden as a greater threat to democracy than former President Donald Trump.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: MSNBC/ HO NewscomHow banning credit card late fees hurts consumersReasonTV2024-05-15 | The Biden administration is banning excessive credit card late fees, but there’s three reasons this could backfire. Capping late fees could mean higher interest rates for everyone, credit card late fees encourage people to pay on time and in full, and capping fees is unfair because those fees are clearly spelled out on statements. #finance #credit #creditcard #debtHow to end the drug war for good | Kat Murti | The Reason Interview With Nick GillespieReasonTV2024-05-15 | The head of Students for Sensible Drug Policy clarifies the misconceptions around decriminalization, safe injection sites, and whether Trump or Biden is better on drug policy.
00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:03 What is Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)? 00:05:59 The Drug War is far from over 00:08:45 Don’t let politicians get away with empty legalization promises 00:10:45 What’s the best legalization model? 00:16:26 How do we activate the youth vote? 00:19:10 Harm reduction vs. prohibition 00:22:51 Drug education And safety 00:26:33 ALL of us are on drugs 00:27:17 The Rat Park Experiment 00:29:30 How to make safe injection sites Work 00:34:48 SSDP & psychedelics 00:40:50 Shifting attitudes toward drug legalization 00:46:45 Kat Murti’s career in drug policy 00:49:19 How to pursue drug policy wins despite polarization 00:51:19 Audience Q&A
Today's guest is Kat Murti, the new executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), the country's oldest and most influential student group challenging the war on drugs. Before taking the helm at SSDP, Kat was a longtime staffer at the libertarian Cato Institute, a founder of Feminists for Liberty, and an SSDP chapter head at the University of California, Berkeley, where she attended undergrad. Reason's Nick Gillespie talks with Murti about the role that young people in particular can play in ending prohibition, why marijuana has yet to be legalized at the federal level, and whether Donald Trump and Republicans or Joe Biden and Democrats are actually worse when it comes to drug policy reform.
This interview was taped live at an event cosponsored by The Psychedelic Assembly in midtown Manhattan.D.C. just made day care even MORE expensiveReasonTV2024-05-14 | D.C.'s new degree requirements could lead to job losses, increased operating costs, and higher tuition.
Average toddler day care costs in Washington, D.C., exceed $24,000 a year, outstripping expenses in cities like New York and San Francisco. Despite the steep prices, parents such as Megan McCune and Tom Shonosky, who live in a suburban D.C. neighborhood with their children John and Lizzy, believe day care is still worth it.
"They're doing these amazing activities with kids. John's last teacher was planning just all these really stimulating, exciting experiences," McCune says. "That's just not something that we can feasibly do and also have full-time jobs."
But day care might soon become a luxury the couple can no longer afford. In 2016, a regulation was passed mandating that day care workers obtain a college degree. The city's logic is straightforward: If D.C.'s day care staff had college degrees, they could do a better job helping disadvantaged kids climb out of poverty.
"The developmental opportunities and those early opportunities that they have really set the foundation for their potential success long term," explained local education official Elizabeth Groginsky, a proponent of the regulation. After a delay, the rule was finally implemented in December 2023.
Yet contrary to its intended benefits, this regulation could lead to job losses among day care workers, increased operating costs for day cares, and higher tuition for parents.
Ami Bawa, lead teacher and assistant director at a nursery school in northwest D.C., exemplifies the unintended consequences of the regulation. Although she has been working in the field for over 20 years, Bawa may now be forced out of her job. "Even though I have a lot of experiential learning, I don't meet what is now the current standard," she explains.
As a veteran teacher, Bawa is technically eligible to apply for a waiver to continue working, but she's been waiting for five months for a response from the city. "All of these roadblocks make it harder. We're going to lose a lot of really good teachers," Bawa says.
Proponents argue that the regulation will earn teachers more respect and higher salaries. But Bawa disagrees: "A profession like teaching specifically has to be one where you really care for and love what you're doing. What your education credential is doesn't equate to loving and being committed to the field." Yet the effectiveness of college requirements remains a subject of debate. As Robert Pianta, a professor of early childhood education at the University of Virginia, points out, "The evidence for a two-year degree or a four-year degree is not strong."
There are over 3,000 early childhood degree programs across the United States, and they vary significantly in terms of what they teach and focus on. "With all that variation under there, it's no surprise to anyone that the degree itself doesn't matter," Pianta says.
Many day care teachers eager to retain their jobs have enrolled part-time at institutions such as Trinity Washington University, a small college in the district. To earn the degree required to be an assistant teacher at a D.C. day care, students at Trinity can take classes like American history and music appreciation but aren't required to take courses in early education.
Councilmember Christina Henderson supports the idea that day care workers study subjects unrelated to early education, emphasizing the importance of "critical thinking and learning." In contrast, McCune remarks, "Let's just back up a little and remember that these are babies….I think the needs of children at that stage, they're pretty primal."
Nicole Page, a local preschool director, believes that "it does not only take education, it takes experience" to work at a day care. "That's what we will lose if we are not able to retain our staff, is the wealth of knowledge that they have by hands-on experience."
Her preschool is at risk of losing valuable staff, with at least 11 teachers failing to meet the new qualifications. One teacher even has a Ph.D. in family and children studies and is an adjunct professor teaching a policy and advocacy course for early childhood education at a local university, but she's no longer qualified to teach at a day care because her degree isn't in early childhood education.
"If we are not able to retain the staff that we have, we may end up having to close some of our classrooms," Page explains.
This regulation, intended to improve child care quality, may instead harm those it aims to assist. "I just think in D.C., there's a lot of bureaucracy," says Shonosky. "This is just another case where bureaucracy is going to make our lives worse."Campaigns Cant Get Worse, Can They? | Reason Roundtable | May 13, 2024ReasonTV2024-05-14 | In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman conjure up a few changes they'd wish to see in the vain hope of improving U.S. presidential campaigns and consider the Biden administration's threat to cut off arms shipments to Israel.
00:00 - Desirable presidential campaign reforms
23:00 - Weekly listener question
33:20 - FreedomWorks is disbanding
49:34 - This week's cultural recommendations
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
Today's sponsor:
We all carry around different stressors—big and small. When we keep them bottled up, it can start to affect us negatively. Therapy is a safe space to get things off your chest—and to figure out how to work through whatever's weighing you down. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online. Designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Get it off your chest, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/roundtable today to get 10 percent off your first month. Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers SteveCongress is trying to criminalize anti-Israel speech?ReasonTV2024-05-13 | "It's a law breaking law. It breaks itself," says Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President of FIRE.
Watch this full episode of the Just Asking Questions podcast: youtu.be/HwdC9lJKzj4
However, we did see a few bright spots. Some people engaged in respectful dialogue and we even saw guys on opposing sides fist bump in agreement. So instead of fight it out at the next protest, talk it out. #Palestine #protest #Seattle #UW #college #freespeechRemy: Fortnight (Taylor Swift Parody)ReasonTV2024-05-10 | A tale from the Tortured Public Servants Department.
Government employees and their office desks are never, ever, ever getting back together.
Taylor Swift "Fortnight" parody written by Remy; performed by Remy and Austin Bragg; music tracks, mastering, and background vocals by Ben Karlstrom.
LYRICS:
Temporarily sent away but They forgot to come and get me A barely-functioning bureaucrat Nobody noticed my new aesthetic
COVID's still a thing Though that won't keep me from mid-day Soul Cycle Meeting with our agency? Expect to see three blank screens and Michael
Cuz every fortnight I am in the office one day It is so hard working every other Monday I click "leave-on-doorstep" but the GrubHub driver rings my doorbell I want to kill him
All my mornings are Sundays stuck in an Endless commissary If you ever try reaching us The effects are pulmonary
And my phone rings it's ruining my life (I'm sick and it's ruining my life) We come in one day every fortnight (You come in one day every fortnight?)
Cuz every fortnight I am in the office one day It is so hard working every other Monday In my backyard I have uncooked burger patties on the table I want to grill them
I tried calling ya, but you don't pick up Another fortnight lost in America I tried calling ya, but you don't pick up Another fortnight lost in AmericaWhen does protesting become a crime? | Nico Perrino | Just Asking Questions, Ep. 22ReasonTV2024-05-09 | Executive VP of FIRE Nico Perrino discusses the history and legality of campus protests
What should colleges do about pro-Palestinian encampments?
College students across America are camping out to demand their universities divest all investments with Israeli-linked companies that they claim profit from the occupation and oppression of Palestine. It's gone on for weeks, and even administrators at schools known as bastions of progressive activism are finally getting fed up. Harvard's president is threatening "involuntary leave" for protesters. Columbia announced on Monday that it canceled its main commencement ceremony for safety reasons. The University of Southern California has, too.
UCLA called in the cops to clear its encampment, and police have arrested more than 2,100 protesters across all U.S. campuses since April, according to the Associated Press.
Congress has continued to interrogate Ivy League presidents, and a bill to explicitly define antisemitism for civil rights law enforcement purposes just passed the House with overwhelming support last week.
Joining us today to talk about the protests, the backlash, and what it all means for free speech on campus and the wider world is Nico Perrino, executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), and host of the free speech podcast So to Speak.
Watch the full conversation on Reason's YouTube channel or the Just Asking Questions podcast feed on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcatcher.
Sources referenced in this conversation:
Full Text of the Antisemitism Awareness Act International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. Columbia students define "divest" Harvard President Garber Breaks Silence on Encampment, Threatens 'Involuntary Leave' for Protesters Columbia cancels commencement amid campus protests Map: Where College Protesters Have Been Arrested or Detained Polling 1,200 college students on Encampments What Americans think about recent pro-Palestinian campus protests | YouGov Americans' Views of Both Israel, Palestinian Authority Down Majority in US Say Israel's Reasons for Fighting Hamas Are Valid | Pew Research Center Letter from judges saying they won't hire Columbia grads as clerks
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:33 Free Speech on Campus: A Conversation with Nico Perrino 00:02:13 The Historical Context of Campus Protests and Free Speech Debates 00:07:28 The Legal and Social Implications of Campus Encampments 00:31:38 The Role of Civil Disobedience in Campus Activism 00:38:31 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Campus Protests Through Polling Data 00:43:07 Congressional Involvement in Campus Free Speech Issues 00:50:48 The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2023: A New Legal Battleground 00:54:56 The Complexities of Free Speech and Political Expression on Campus 00:59:17 Navigating the Tensions of Privacy and Free Speech 01:03:42 The Role of Public Shaming and Cancel Culture in Free Speech Debates 01:20:03 Nico wants you to ask yourself this question about censorship 01:23:58 Just Ask Us Questions: A Libertarian's Evolving Stance on ImmigrationThis app makes bitcoin private. The feds hate it.ReasonTV2024-05-09 | The Department of Justice indicted the creators of Samourai Wallet, an application that helps people spend their bitcoins anonymously.
reason.com/video/2024/05/09/the-government-fears-this-privacy-tool --- The Department of Justice indicted the creators of an application that helps people spend their bitcoins anonymously. They're accused of "conspiracy to commit money laundering." Why "conspiracy to commit" as opposed to just "money laundering"?
Because they didn't hold anyone else's money or do anything illegal with it. They provided a privacy tool that may have enabled other people to do illegal things with their bitcoin. But that's not a crime, just as selling someone a kitchen knife isn't a crime. The case against the creators of Samourai Wallet is an assault on our civil liberties and First Amendment rights.
What this tool does is offer what's known as a "coinjoin," a method for anonymizing bitcoin transactions by mixing them with other transactions, as the project's founder, Keonne Rodriguez, explained to Reason in 2022:
"I think the best analogy for it is like smelting gold," he said. "You take your Bitcoin, you add it into [the conjoin protocol] Whirlpool, and Whirlpool smelts it into new pieces that are not associated to the original piece."
Smelting bars of gold would make it harder for the government to track. But if someone eventually uses a piece of that gold for an illegal purchase, should the creator of the smelting furnace go to prison? This is what the government is arguing.
Cash is the payment technology used most by criminals, but it also happens to be essential for preserving the financial privacy of law-abiding citizens, as Human Rights Foundation chief strategy officer Alex Gladstein told Reason:
"The ATM model, it gives people the option to have freedom money," says Gladstein. "Yes, the government will know all the ins and outs of what flows are coming in and out, but they won't know what you do with it when you leave. And that allows us to preserve the privacy of cash, which I think is essential for a democratic society."
The government's decision to indict Rodriguez and his partner William Lonergan Hill is also an attack on free speech because all they did was write open-source code and make it widely available.
"It is an issue of a chilling effect on free speech," attorney Jerry Brito, who heads up the cryptocurrency nonprofit Coin Center, told Reason after the U.S. Treasury went after the creators of another piece of anonymizing software. "So, basically, anybody who is in any way associated with this tool…a neutral tool that can be used for good or for ill, these people are now being basically deplatformed."
Are we willing to trade away our constitutional rights for the promise of security? For many in power, there seems to be no limit to what they want us to trade away.
In the '90s, the FBI tried to ban online encryption because criminals and terrorists might use it to have secret conversations. Had they succeeded, there would be no internet privacy. E-commerce, which relies on securely sending credit card information, might never have existed.
Today, Elizabeth Warren mobilizes her "anti-crypto army" to take down bitcoin by exaggerating its utility to Hamas. The Biden administration tried to permanently record all transactions over $600, and Warren hopes to implement a Central Bank Digital Currency, which would allow the government near-total surveillance of our financial lives.
Remember when the Canadian government ordered banks to freeze money headed to the trucker protests? Central Bank Digital Currencies would make such efforts far easier.
"We come from first principles here in the global struggle for human rights," says Gladstein. "The most important thing is that it's confiscation resistant and censorship resistant and parallel, and can be done outside of the government's control."
The most important thing about bitcoin, and money like it, isn't its price. It's the check it places on the government's ability to devalue, censor, and surviel our money. Creators of open-source tools like Samourai Wallet should be celebrated, not threatened with a quarter-century in a federal prison.
Music Credits: “Intercept,” by BXBRDVJA via Artlist; “You Need It,’ by Moon via Artlist.
Photo Credits: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom; Omar Ashtawy/APAImages / Polaris/Newscom; Paul Weaver/Sipa USA/Newscom; Envato Elements; Pexels; Emin Dzhafarov/Kommersant Photo / Polaris/Newscom; Anonymous / Universal Images Group/Newscom.Do college students have due process?ReasonTV2024-05-08 | Biden’s new Title IX rules got rid of a bunch of protections Americans should have for judicial process. Colleges will now have a single person oversee each misconduct case, which is a much lower standard than a real criminal trial and defendants might not get to see all the evidence against them. #college #titleixFree speech for all, from Finkelstein to Chapelle | Noam Dworman | The Reason InterviewReasonTV2024-05-08 | The owner of the Comedy Cellar, Noam Dworman, wants to argue with you about Israel, the media, and whether women are funny.
00:00- Noam Dworman Highlights 00:30- Introduction 01:00- Dworman's Thriving Comedy Empire 08:24- Go Neither Woke Nor Broke 12:28- Dworman's Free Speech Roots 18:58- Tipper Gore's Censorship Crusade 21:49- When Did the Left Turn Against Free Speech? 24:57- Don't Censor Anti-Israel Speech Either! 27:49- Comedy Culture IS Free Speech Culture 30:41- Dworman's Father: Feuding With Bob Dylan 34:51- Dworman's Podcast: Live From the Table 37:33- That Viral Philip Bump Episode 41:50- Noam Dworman's Politics 43:53- Comedy During COVID 47:21- Free Speech Isn't A Given In All Comedy Clubs 49:11- Bringing Back Louis C.K. 53:38- Hosting Norman Finkelstein 57:06- Open Debate About Israel 1:00:04- Contemporary Antisemitism In America
reason.com/podcast/2024/05/08/noam-dworman-free-speech-for-all-from-finkelstein-to-chapelle --- Today's guest is Noam Dworman, the owner of New York's Comedy Cellar, the most influential—and controversial—comedy club on the planet. Dave Chapelle, Louis C.K., Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock, Andrew Schulz, and many others not only broke out from this club, but they also regularly return to try out new material. Trained as a lawyer, Dworman is a staunch defender of the First Amendment and, in an era of groveling apologies and censorship on the down low, he remains outspoken on the value and importance of free expression to a flourishing society. His podcast Live From the Table has guests ranging from Israel critic Norman Finkelstein to atheist Sam Harris to former Reasoners Radley Balko and Michael Moynihan—and never has a dull moment. Nick Gillespie talks with Dworman about free speech, the history of comedy in Greenwich Village, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia.Kristi Noem BIZARRELY avoids questions about North Korea visit after admitting to killing puppyReasonTV2024-05-08 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke react to South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem's recent book tour press run.
Director of photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: The Presidential Press and Information OfficeJen Psaki SHAMELESSLY defends Bidens lack of press interactionReasonTV2024-05-08 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss President Joe Biden's historic avoidance of the press.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: ABCMaher, Seinfeld MOCK liberals anxious about another Trump termReasonTV2024-05-08 | Robby Soave and Amber Duke react after Bill Maher and Jerry Seinfeld made fun of Americans worried about a second Trump administration.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Producer: Veronica Riccobene Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: HBOPlagiarism is bad. This is even worse. | Wrong NumberReasonTV2024-05-07 | Academia values the appearance of truth over actual truth.
reason.com/video/2024/05/07/academics-use-imaginary-data-in-their-research --- After surviving a disastrous congressional hearing, Claudine Gay was forced to resign as the president of Harvard for repeatedly copying and pasting language used by other scholars and passing it off as her own. She's hardly alone among elite academics, and plagiarism has become a roiling scandal in academia.
There's another common practice among professional researchers that should be generating even more outrage: making up data. I'm not talking about explicit fraud, which also happens way too often, but about openly inserting fictional data into a supposedly objective analysis.
Instead of doing the hard work of gathering data to test hypotheses, researchers take the easy path of generating numbers to support their preconceptions or to claim statistical significance. They cloak this practice in fancy-sounding words like "imputation," "ecological inference," "contextualization," and "synthetic control."
They're actually just making stuff up.
Video Editor: Adani Samat Audio Production: Ian Keyser
Photo Credits: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA/Newscom, Walter G Arce Sr Grindstone Medi/ASP, Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom
Music Credits: Strange Connection by Nobou, Digital Dreams by Jimmy Svensson, Nothing Can Stop Us by Nobou, Hero Is Born by idokay, Sneaky Shenanigans by Charlie RyanPoliticians dont care about inflation | Reason Roundtable | May 6, 2024ReasonTV2024-05-07 | In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman assess the mismatch between Americans' lingering concerns over inflation compared to politicians' failure to address it.
00:00 - Americans still care about inflation.
16:49 - Donald Trump to speak at Libertarian Party National Convention
41:08 - U.S. House of Representatives passes the Antisemitism Awareness Act
50:24 - This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"Americans Are Still Really Worried About Inflation," by Eric Boehm
"COVID Stimulus Money Lined the Pockets of Scammers and Fueled Inflation," by J.D. Tuccille
"Inflation Is So Back," by Eric Boehm
"Inflation Returns!" by Peter Schiff, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Scott Sumner, Randall Parker, James Grant, Steven Gjerstad, Vernon L. Smith, and Donald Luskin
"Biden Is Clueless About Inflation," by Nick Gillespie and Regan Taylor
"How Biden's Agenda Is Causing Inflation," by Nick Gillespie
"Who's Really To Blame for Inflation?" by Jonathan Bydlak
"L.A. Beats NYC?" by Liz Wolfe
"Mises Caucus Takes Control of Libertarian Party," by Brian Doherty
"David Boaz on Libertarianism, Ronald Reagan, and the 2024 Election," by Nick Gillespie
"Inside the Mises Caucus Takeover of the Libertarian Party," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie
"'By Our Fruits, You'll Know Us': The Mises Caucus Mastermind," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie
"Justin Amash's Vision for the Libertarian Party," by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller
"Ron Paul Revolution 2.0: Angela McArdle's Plan for the Libertarian Party," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie
"Dave Smith: Comedian, Podcaster…Presidential Candidate?" by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller
"Biden Announces Second Attempt at Widespread Student Loan Forgiveness," by Emma Camp
"Mike Rowe Wants More Philosopher-Welders," by Nick Gillespie
"Should We Forgive Student Debt?" by Nick Gillespie
"Are Millennials Responsible for Their Own Student Debt?" by Nick Gillespie
"The Immorality of Student Loan Forgiveness and Free College," by Nick Gillespie
"The Antisemitism Awareness Act Will Make It Illegal To Criticize Israel on Campus," by Robby Soave
"Bipartisan Legislation Would Let the Government Create Speech-Chilling 'Antisemitism Monitors,'" by Emma Camp
"The Fall Guy Is a Crowd-Pleasing Homage to Silver Screen Stunt Work," by Peter Suderman
"A White Woman's Documentary About Muslim Extremists Is Being Canceled. Guess Why." by Robby Soave
"How Facebook Gender Identity Is Like Pop-Tart Sushi," by Nick Gillespie
Nick Gillespie interviews Students for Sensible Drug Policy's Kat Murti in New York City on May 8
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
Today's sponsor:
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Audio production and video edit by Ian Keyser.
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
Producer: Hunt BeatyIs flying suddenly less safe?ReasonTV2024-05-03 | There have been a lot of news stories lately about issues with airplanes, but has air travel gotten less safe? No.
This year there have been 12 incidents involving commercial aircraft in the United States. During that same period in 2023, there were 13 incidents. And since 2010, there are an average of 36 incidents per year.
#travel #airplanes #Boeing #factcheckShould kids medically transition? | Jesse Singal | Just Asking Questions, Ep. 21ReasonTV2024-05-02 | Jesse Signal questions the science of "gender affirming care."
Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction to the Show and Topic: Kids and Gender Transition 00:02:14 Media Coverage and Jesse Singal's Insights 00:04:50 The Impact of Social Media and Activism on Youth Gender Medicine 00:09:36 Exploring the Tavistock Controversy and Its Implications 00:12:38 The Debate on Informed Consent and Medical Ethics 00:28:37 Social Contagion Theory and Its Effects on Gender Identity 00:34:03 Scrutinizing the Science Behind Gender Affirming Treatments 00:42:32 Navigating the Complexities of Youth Gender Medicine 00:43:03 The Role of Data and Evidence in Gender Transition Debates 00:44:34 The Impact of Politics and Misinformation on Transgender Healthcare 00:47:34 Exploring the Cass Review's Recommendations on Gender Medicine 00:49:24 Comparing Gender Medicine Practices: UK vs. USA 00:51:25 The Influence of Activism and Politics on Medical Standards 00:55:16 Addressing the Concerns Around Puberty Blockers and Hormone Treatments 01:20:32 Just Ask Us Questions: A Discussion of anarcho-capitalist Security
Should kids medically transition between genders?
The number of kids diagnosed with gender dysphoria has surged in recent years. In America, diagnoses have almost tripled from about 15,000 to more than 42,000 between 2017 to 2021. In the United Kingdom, the number of minors referred to the national Gender Identity Development Service grew from 51 in 2009 to 1,766 by 2016, leading to years' long waitlists for care within the government-run health system.
This surge caused England's National Health Service to commission an extensive study of youth gender treatment. That study is known as The Cass Review, and its results dropped on April 10. The review's author, former head of the Royal College of Pediatrics Hilary Cass, concluded that modern youth gender dysphoria interventions are informed by "remarkably weak evidence" drawing on studies "exaggerated by people on all sides of the debate to support their viewpoint" and that "we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress." The science, it turns out, is not settled—or anywhere close to it.
NHS England opted to stop routine prescriptions of puberty blockers following the review's publication, as have NHS Scotland and the Welsh Government. Major American medical groups like the American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, all of which endorse prescribing puberty blockers for gender-dysphoric kids, have yet to officially respond.
American media coverage of the Review, which seems to throw the entire youth gender treatment paradigm in this country into question, has been remarkably muted. But today's guest is never muted. Jesse Singal has been covering this topic—and taken a lot of heat for it—for years in the pages of publications like The Atlantic, The Dispatch, and on his substack, Singal-Minded.
Sources referenced in Just Ask Us Questions: youtu.be/TwiE1dxGYNY youtu.be/Cy2Xla_urNICops TASED a man having a seizureReasonTV2024-05-02 | A California woman called for help because her fiancé was having a seizure. But instead of helping, cops ended up tasing the man. Then they arrested him and cooked up bogus charges. And now the man seen in this body camera footage is suing the police. #police #cops #californiaCRINGE: Drew Barrymore asks Kamala Harris to be ‘MOMALA’ of the countryReasonTV2024-05-01 | Robby Soave and Emma Camp react to a viral clip from Vice President Kamala Harris' recent appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show.
Director of Photography: Alex Rosen Video Producer: Veronica Riccobene Video Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Lex Villena; Brian Cahn/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom, Eva RinaldiJimmy Kimmel ridicules RFK Jr., Trump voters as BATSH*T CRAZYReasonTV2024-05-01 | Robby Soave and Emma Camp discuss Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s impacts on the final vote this November.
Director of Photography: Zach Wood Video Producer: Veronica Riccobene Video Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Lex Villena; Brian Cahn/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom, Jeremy Hogan ZUMAPRESS NewscomMSNBC’s James Carville UNLEASHES on young voters unhappy with BidenReasonTV2024-05-01 | Robby Soave and Emma Camp discuss the youth vote and whether voters 18-29 will choose to sit out this upcoming presidential election.
Director of Photography: Zach Wood Video Producer: Veronica Riccobene Video Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Lex VillenaANTISEMITISM? ADL head Greenblatt compares Pro-Palestine campus protests to JANUARY 6 extremistsReasonTV2024-05-01 | Robby Soave and Emma Camp discuss the on-campus Pro-Palestine protest movement.
Director of Photography: Zach Wood Video Producer: Veronica Riccobene Video Editor: Chris Sowick
Illustration: Lex Villena; Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA/Newscom CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/NewscomGod is Good, Drugs Are Better | Rob Long | The Reason Interview With Nick GillespieReasonTV2024-05-01 | The former Cheers producer, Rob Long, talks faith, ayahuasca, and what it’ll take to bring back the blockbuster comedy.
0:00- Blockchain, Machine Learning, and Jesus 3:22- What’s Scarier; God Or Guns? 8:59- Road To Damascus, Hollywood 13:45- Jesus: A Weird But Groovy Dude 17:30- A Hollywood Solution To Hell 22:50- A Psychedelic Life Lesson 29:48- Comedy As Aggression 32:09- MDMA: A Non-Specific Amplifier 34:25- O Hollywood Mega-Hit, Where Art Thou? 43:35- The Comedies That Made Rob Long 45:39- Q&A
reason.com/podcast/2024/05/01/rob-long-god-is-good-drugs-are-better --- Today's guest is comedy writer Rob Long, who served as a writer for and producer of the great sitcom Cheers for years, writes the weekly Martini Shot commentary, and cohosts the GLoP Culture podcast with Jonah Goldberg and John Podhoretz. He is a columnist for Commentary and a cofounder of Ricochet, the online community and podcast platform. At a live event in New York City, Reason's Nick Gillespie spoke with Long about whether Hollywood is out of ideas, what it's like being a libertarian-leaning conservative in a very progressive industry, and the role that psychedelics have played in his creative process.Whats wrong with student loan forgiveness?ReasonTV2024-04-30 | The cost of college is a real problem, but erasing debt is a terrible way to address it. In the long run, it will incentivize colleges to raise tuition even higher and burden future students with even more debt. #biden #college #debtTrump says STOP THE PROTESTS. Heres what hes missing.ReasonTV2024-04-30 | "The whole campus mindset is that everything that matters can be dealt with by lobbying campus administrators. And that's just not the way the world works," says Peter Suderman.