America is currently stuck in a negativity vibe, and it's shaping the media we consume, impacting how we look at the economy, and contributing to the anxiety of our teens.
Another new follow for me. I could listen to him for a long time. He's very down to earth with his explanations of anything and everything and with you it's a perfect conversation that I really enjoyed.
It's been almost 24 hours since I listened to this great discussion so I may not be remembering this exactly. With respect to the mental states of young people, I wonder about the effect of the continuous drumbeat of TV ads for prescription drugs for bipolar disorder, depression, tardive dyskinesia and more. Yes, I know that young folks don't watch TV nearly to the extent of older generations, but the ads are so pervasive they must see them too. I think seeing these ads has to make viewers start to wonder if they too are depressed, bipolar, etc. Perhaps a bit of FOMO at work here? As an aside, and speaking as a physician, I believe direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs has been a disaster and has contributed to the cost of our inefficient and wasteful health care system. A fantastic podcast and a reminder that complex problems don't have simple solutions, no matter what some post on Twitter!
This may have been my favorite Tim-era flagship pod episode yet. Especially as I'm listening the day after The Verdict, this convo is the perfect counterpoint to the intense churn of the news. I greatly value Tim's "ripped from the headlines" episodes, but this time I feel like my brain made measurable forward progress in understanding the tangle of our national political-cultural problems. I'd like to hear JVL's reaction to these findings, and then I'd like to hear some brainstorming on our way forward. Great stuff
This was a fascinating conversation, one many Americans would benefit from listening to. I have to say, Tim, when you get a guest like Derek, you really shine!
Wow, Tim, you hit it out of the park once again. I subscribe to The Atlantic, but have never registered Derek's name.
This was one of those - but certainly not the first - Bulwark productions which gave me the visceral sensation of my brain stretching in attempts to adequately comprehend all that was being said. Love it!
As for the negativity among Americans, I've said for many years and I'll say it again: the right-wing propaganda machine - primarily Fox - is largely responsible (altho I don't discount Rush Limbaugh, etc.) The first time I ever saw Fox Not News was in my parents' family room, when I walked in as my father was watching. My mouth literally fell open in shock and horror at the inciteful (NOT "insightful"!) rhetoric, chyrons, lies, etc.
I believe that Fox by far was most responsible for turning my father - and the rest of my family, who followed him - from someone who held multiple non-partisan elected offices, and was head of the Dem party in my home co. decades ago, PLUS worked in law enforcement for years, to someone who refuses to acknowledge that Biden won in 2020 - and everything that goes along w/ that mindset.
Fellow Atlantic subscriber here. I highly recommend reading any article you see with Derek Thompson’s name on it. He’s always really insightful, and never “inciteful”. He never really bothers with the headlines of the day, and instead does think pieces on larger trends, like a sociologist. Cheers.
While "most" americans have stocks... most have very small holdings in 401 k accounts. and they really barely know how to check their accounts - which typically in an HR website. And since the accounts are fed with biweekly contributions, the dollars go up anyway so... many folks don't really evaluate in an effective way.
The problem is simple: news broadcasters treat people’s perception of the news as if it’s news. So people are continuously hearing that other people think that the economy is bad, and understandably then think “well if people think it’s bad it must be bad”. Stop doing that. Just report things like “inflation is down”, “employment is up”, provide some context and analysis, and let listeners draw their own conclusions
Everybody needs to watch that documentary. It’s mind blowing. It’s free if you have Roku. If not, it’s available to rent on Prime for $2.99. Trust me: you’ll be happy you spent the $2.99. Or sad. It’s a bummer of a watch. But it’s really enlightening. If you can handle JVL’s slow dancing with darkness, you can handle this documentary. And it actually gives actionable tips on how to somewhat de-radicalize a MAGA family member.
Related to their criticism on the media, I’d love a Dylan Thomas take on the perils of design thinking in our media and politics. Design thinking is the foundational thinking in tech and Saas, it puts the user or customer at the center of the products and experience. To encourage scroll or conversion online, this is good. For our politics and media, I think this is hugely problematic.
Hey Tim, what are you drinking for the breaking news of the verdict? I went out and got my celebration pack. Cuz no one has time for a negativity bias!
Another new follow for me. I could listen to him for a long time. He's very down to earth with his explanations of anything and everything and with you it's a perfect conversation that I really enjoyed.
One of the best conversations I've heard in any podcasts. Thank you!
It's been almost 24 hours since I listened to this great discussion so I may not be remembering this exactly. With respect to the mental states of young people, I wonder about the effect of the continuous drumbeat of TV ads for prescription drugs for bipolar disorder, depression, tardive dyskinesia and more. Yes, I know that young folks don't watch TV nearly to the extent of older generations, but the ads are so pervasive they must see them too. I think seeing these ads has to make viewers start to wonder if they too are depressed, bipolar, etc. Perhaps a bit of FOMO at work here? As an aside, and speaking as a physician, I believe direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs has been a disaster and has contributed to the cost of our inefficient and wasteful health care system. A fantastic podcast and a reminder that complex problems don't have simple solutions, no matter what some post on Twitter!
Is it fair to say that Ideology in general is the refuge for people who don’t think, or don’t like to think about hard or complex issues?
This may have been my favorite Tim-era flagship pod episode yet. Especially as I'm listening the day after The Verdict, this convo is the perfect counterpoint to the intense churn of the news. I greatly value Tim's "ripped from the headlines" episodes, but this time I feel like my brain made measurable forward progress in understanding the tangle of our national political-cultural problems. I'd like to hear JVL's reaction to these findings, and then I'd like to hear some brainstorming on our way forward. Great stuff
This was a fascinating conversation, one many Americans would benefit from listening to. I have to say, Tim, when you get a guest like Derek, you really shine!
Wow, Tim, you hit it out of the park once again. I subscribe to The Atlantic, but have never registered Derek's name.
This was one of those - but certainly not the first - Bulwark productions which gave me the visceral sensation of my brain stretching in attempts to adequately comprehend all that was being said. Love it!
As for the negativity among Americans, I've said for many years and I'll say it again: the right-wing propaganda machine - primarily Fox - is largely responsible (altho I don't discount Rush Limbaugh, etc.) The first time I ever saw Fox Not News was in my parents' family room, when I walked in as my father was watching. My mouth literally fell open in shock and horror at the inciteful (NOT "insightful"!) rhetoric, chyrons, lies, etc.
I believe that Fox by far was most responsible for turning my father - and the rest of my family, who followed him - from someone who held multiple non-partisan elected offices, and was head of the Dem party in my home co. decades ago, PLUS worked in law enforcement for years, to someone who refuses to acknowledge that Biden won in 2020 - and everything that goes along w/ that mindset.
Fellow Atlantic subscriber here. I highly recommend reading any article you see with Derek Thompson’s name on it. He’s always really insightful, and never “inciteful”. He never really bothers with the headlines of the day, and instead does think pieces on larger trends, like a sociologist. Cheers.
I think I disagree with Derek's space thesis of depression -- Japan and SK are absolutely depressed; they are, in my estimation, way ahead of us.
While "most" americans have stocks... most have very small holdings in 401 k accounts. and they really barely know how to check their accounts - which typically in an HR website. And since the accounts are fed with biweekly contributions, the dollars go up anyway so... many folks don't really evaluate in an effective way.
As a fan of The Bulwark and Plain English pods, it was delightful to listen to this discussion. Keep it up Tim. You’re doing great.
The problem is simple: news broadcasters treat people’s perception of the news as if it’s news. So people are continuously hearing that other people think that the economy is bad, and understandably then think “well if people think it’s bad it must be bad”. Stop doing that. Just report things like “inflation is down”, “employment is up”, provide some context and analysis, and let listeners draw their own conclusions
I couldn't but think of E. M. Forster's "The Machine Stops"
https://web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/the%20machine%20stops.pdf
Tim, please watch The Brainwashing of My Dad. A documentary that goes back to the start of right wing media and how successful that media was.
Everybody needs to watch that documentary. It’s mind blowing. It’s free if you have Roku. If not, it’s available to rent on Prime for $2.99. Trust me: you’ll be happy you spent the $2.99. Or sad. It’s a bummer of a watch. But it’s really enlightening. If you can handle JVL’s slow dancing with darkness, you can handle this documentary. And it actually gives actionable tips on how to somewhat de-radicalize a MAGA family member.
Related to their criticism on the media, I’d love a Dylan Thomas take on the perils of design thinking in our media and politics. Design thinking is the foundational thinking in tech and Saas, it puts the user or customer at the center of the products and experience. To encourage scroll or conversion online, this is good. For our politics and media, I think this is hugely problematic.
Hey Tim, what are you drinking for the breaking news of the verdict? I went out and got my celebration pack. Cuz no one has time for a negativity bias!
They're all great, but today's podcast was above and beyond. Please bring him back. And yes, you would enjoy Ezra Klein.