Culture Study Podcast

People are fascinated by hoarding culture — in part because it presents a reality that's not that distant from our current accumulation habits. Like, turn one screw in my brain slightly more to the left, and my dahlia collecting habit becomes something that's widely understood as a social problem. When I heard about Amanda Uhle's Destroy This House, a memoir of growing up in a hoarding household, I knew listeners would want to explore that fine line between "proper" consumption and hoarding, the stories we tell about why people hoard, and the real difficulty in navigating hoarding behaviors by people you love. Culture Study is now on Patreon! To read about why we moved, go here.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Use code CULTURE to get 10% off your next order at Bookshop.orgGet $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to:  https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREGet 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Use code CULTURE at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Cool Gloss with your first purchaseShow Notes:GO BUY DESTROY THIS HOUSE: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9781668083444Follow Amanda's work here: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.uhle/?hl=enI reference Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things: https://bookshop.org/a/56144/9780547422558I reference my interview with Emily Mester about American Bulk: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/american-bulkThe episode we did on "over-consumption" of books: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-the-latest-book-publishing-trends-explained/id1718662839?i=1000718656026We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)Eldest daughter discourseThe sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What is YOUR relationship to stuff? How did this conversation reframe it?

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this one: Avery Trufelman, host of the beloved podcast Articles of Interest, is here to talk all things OUTDOOR GEAR. More specifically: how so much of our everyday clothing became gear adjacent, what the military has to do with all of this (everything), why outdoor clothes still don’t come in plus sizes, gear as Tech Bro status symbol, and SO MUCH MORE. This one’s a multi-faceted delight — the sort of episode you’ll be bringing up in conversation for weeks to come.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Head to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for LifeSave 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/cultureVisit shopbeam.com/culture and use code CULTURE to get up to 40% off your orderShow Notes:LISTEN TO ARTICLES OF INTEREST !!!!Follow the newsletter for Articles of Interest hereThe specific Articles of Interest about the zippersJason Chen on GORPCORELoved this piece on visiting the Carhartt company archiveI Wore A Fleece Vest To Work To See If I Felt Like A Tech BroWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishEldest daughter discourseAn ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How do you see gearification in your own wardrobe? What piece of clothing are you going to look at differently from now on?

What does masculinity have to do with climate change denial? F-ing everything! Daniel Penny, host of the new Drilled podcast Carbon Bros, joins me to answer all of your questions about how the Manosphere and its ideologies of dominion, virility, control, and anti-wokeness collide with climate change narratives. We talk about petro-masculinity, of course, but also how environmentalism became “feminized,” the intersection with “muscular” Christianity, the Spotted Owl, fear of the electric truck, and how the Trump Administration has successfully exploited fears of a cucked, climate-focused nation. This one will piss you off and give you a lot to think about.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 35% off the best blankets of all time at LolaBlankets.com, using code CULTURE at checkoutBlueland is offering 15% off your first order of cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTURETry OneSkin with 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.coIf you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, find something beautiful and long-lasting at Article.com.Show Notes:You can listen to CARBON BROS and find out more about the podcast hereFind more of Daniel’s work here and listen to other episodes of Non-Toxic (and the newsletter) hereA bunch of Chad memes that may or may not elucidate Chad-nessDaniel references Dr. Sophie Bjork-James’s work — find out more about it hereMy interview with Kristin Kobez Du Mez on White Christian NationalismI reference my reporting on North Idaho & the spotted owl — it’s in this big featureThe ridiculous “premature electrification” Super Bowl truck commercial:FROM THE AAA: My piece on What Makes Women CleanYour Cleaning StoryWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)Cultural panics with THE Sarah MarshallContemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishEldest daughter discourseAn ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOGAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Where have you seen anti-climate-change masculinity pop up in your own life? Commercials, relatives, IG feeds — tell us about it.

FIRST OFF — PLEASE TAKE OUR MEMBERSHIP SURVEY!!The podcast only works because of your questions (and episode ideas!) and we want more of them (and your ideas about bonus episodes, pricing, etc.) It’ll take five minutes tops, and really helps us figure out the future of the entire Culture Study extended universe. Thank you ahead of time, and just click here to take it.Baseball is so romantic!! There is SO MUCH RITUAL! It’s beautiful, it’s meditative, it’s the very best thing to listen to on the radio. And I’m so glad that we convinced Ali Liebegott [Mets Fan] to come join Melody [Royals Fan] and me [Mariners / Twins fan] to answer all of your questions about baseball culture (and there were SO MANY OF THEM). We talk about how to respond to people who say it’s boring; we talk about the changes in the game over the last two years (and how casual and opposite-of-casual fans feel about it); we talk about MR MET and Homer Hankies and Dadness and being a queer fan of baseball and how long a game should be (Ali says: forever). It’s just a really delightful conversation, and I’m so excited for you to join it.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!It’s Graza’s annual sitewide sale! Time to stock up on olive oil for the year. Discounts are automatically applied at checkout; no code needed.Head to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today.Show Notes:Subscribe to Ali’s newsletter, it’s the fucking best!Ali’s piece about Opening Day that moves me endlesslyAli’s piece on her tattoos (including Mr. Met)Ali’s glorious paintings available for sale (you can’t buy Mr. Met but you can buy this portrait of the ‘86 MetsFollow Ali on InstagramWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiWhat an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMESAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: There’s so much we didn’t even have time to cover, so consider this a free for all!

Maybe your mom endlessly scrolls Facebook every time you visit. Maybe your kid has to be asked six times to get off his tablet. Maybe your friend is always checking Instagram when you’re out to dinner. Maybe your partner keeps checking their phone while you’re watching a movie together. Or maybe you find yourself doing all the things you find SO ANNOYING when others do them — and know these behaviors are affecting your relationships, but struggle to change them. Are you one of the 510234 moms who submitted a question about feeling guilty being on your phone (even if you’re just reading an eBook!) in front of your kids? Welp, this is the podcast for you.This isn’t a podcast episode about how ALL SCREENS ARE BAD and YOU ARE BAD FOR ENGAGING WITH THEM. It’s about recasting our relationships with them so that we can have better relationships with each other (which sometimes involves watching a screen… together!) Ash Brandin, founder of the tremendously popular Instagram account The Gamer Educator and author of Power On: Managing Screen Time To Benefit The Whole Family, joins me for a nuanced and deeply empathetic conversation that I know we’ll continue in the comments.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsTry a Blissy silk pillowcase for 60 nights, risk-free, and get an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPOD and use code CULTUREPOD at checkoutVisit Article.com/CULTURE to get $50 off your first order of $100 or moreTry Remi risk-free at shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to get up to 50% off your nightguard at checkoutShow Notes:Buy Power On: Managing Screen Time to Benefit the Whole Family here!You can follow Ash’s super popular Instagram, The Gamer Educator, here:You can find more of Ash’s work hereAsh on Virginia Sole-Smith’s podcast re: screen time restrictionMy collection of adults interviewing kids about why they liked playing video games (I forgot how good this was!)We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiThe history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!The sociology of NAMESAnything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How have screens been affecting your relationships with your friends or family members — and what would you like to shift?

By the mid-2010s, Jen Hatmaker had become one of the most important voices in white Evangelical culture. She had multiple best-selling books; she headlined massive women’s retreats; she was an influencer before we really even used that term. But then she broke with Evangelical doctrine when it came to LGBTQ people… and everything fell apart. More accurately, they started to fall apart — because the real life implosion wouldn’t come until 2020, when she woke up to the sound of her husband, a pastor, sending a voice memo to his mistress. Then things really fell apart.Hatmaker hasn’t spoken publicly about the details of her divorce, but after five years, a lot of therapy, and her five children all entered into adulthood — she’s ready. Her life exploded. But then she was able to rebuild it using her own designs — not the church’s. Today she’s on the pod to answer your complex questions about midlife reinvention: how it happens, all the reasons it can happen, and who gets the “privilege” of pursuing it. I really loved this conversation, and if you like rolling around all the ways we can (and sometimes struggle) to change our lives, you will too.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get deep, restful sleep with 25% off sitewide at BirchLiving.com/CULTURETry Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder and get up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE, and use code CULTURE at checkoutGet 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout.Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM to get 10 free meals, plus a free item in each box for lifeShow Notes:You can buy Awake here!Follow Jen Hatmaker on Instagram here:Sign up for Jen’s Substack, Notes From The MiddleThe story I wrote in 2016 (the weekend before the election) featuring Jen HatmakerWhat happened when Hatmaker announced that she was “affirming” of same-sex relationships (also in 2016)The big New York Times interview (with David Marchese) that I reference several timesI reference “the portal” — here’s the Culture Study piece on itWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I just know you’re going to have a lot to say about mid-life invention, so let’s do it.

I love talking about food as culture — and like all parts of culture, food has trends that ebb and flow. We asked you to provide us with food trends you’ve noticed (and/or confuse you) — and then we asked the great Evan Kleiman (chef, cookbook author, and longtime host of KCRW’s Good Food) to come unwind them with us. Want to know what it takes for a dish to show up at every corporate catering event? Why every restaurant in the U.S. (still) has a brussels sprouts dish? How hot chicken got franchised? WE’VE GOT YOU. This episode is filled with delights (and will make you want to browse expensive tinned fish online).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to ZocDoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayRight now, get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/CULTUREGo to https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsShow Notes:Learn more about Evan Kleiman’s storied career hereListen to GOOD FOOD on KCRW!Follow Evan on Instagram:An example of the “recession meal” TikToks:The hot chicken Bitter Southerner piece I referenceThe Amanda Mull piece I reference (and summarize poorly): The United States is Southern NowA good background piece on the tinned fish boomMangos are the world’s most popular fruit!!!!“Meet SoCal’s Premier Mango Seller”A great overview of the rise of CrumblWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What food trend are you STILL curious about?

This one’s a weird one! But it’s also going to elucidate a bunch of bewildering phrases that you might have noticed popping up in advertisements or in teens’ conversations. Adam Aleksic runs the incredibly popular TikTok/IG/YouTube account Etymology Nerd, where he breaks down how new phrases and memes travel across the internet. Today, we’re talking to him about the way these phrases also make their way into our spoken language — and how algorithms function as a new engine in language change. Like I said, it’s a weird one — but it’s also incredibly interesting.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your first purchase using code CULTURE at FastGrowingTrees.comHead to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off, plus free shipping, on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial packGet better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODTake your food to the next level with Graza Olive Oil. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY for 10% off your first order!Show Notes:You can find Adam’s Tiktoks hereA recent example of a very Adam Tok:Buy Algospeak here!An explanation of Italian BrainrotThe Year in Brainrot (which explains how Skibdi is involved in all of this)Some Fifth Graders Playing Around with Brainrot terms:A hilarious wormhole Reddit explanation of Skibidi RizzAnother explainer of Italian BrainrotAdam on Labubu Chocolate Crumbl Cookie (???) memes as ‘Microbrainrot’We don’t talk about this in the show but I find it fascinating: Is There a Fortnite Accent?We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What other forms of ‘algospeak’ do you see popping up in your life?

There aren’t many contemporary celebrities with images layered enough that I could talk about them all day. But Gwyneth? She’s one of them. She’s it. She’s never pretended to be “just like us,” which is part of what makes her beguiling — and infuriating. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and sometimes what she’s doing is trying to get a bunch of people to talk about jade eggs you put in your vagina. She’s a master marketer of self, a promoter of charlatans, and impossible to ignore. And I’m so thrilled to have Amy Odell, author of the new, impeccably reported Gwyneth biography, here to discuss all your excellent questions.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsSave 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/CULTURETry Remi risk-free at shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to get up to 50% off your nightguard at checkoutHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayShow Notes:Follow Amy Odell on Instagram hereSubscribe to Amy’s Substack, BACK ROWBuy Gwyneth hereThe glorious backside of the book, covered in interview excerpts:You can read excerpts of the book in PeopleTHE Great Expectations outfit:The big piece I wrote on Ben Affleck (that includes some parts about class anxiety / Gwyneth)Sara Petersen’s excellent piece on the bookGwyneth’s commercial for Astronomer after the CEO/Coldplay Concert Love Affair ScandalWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Tell me all your ADDITIONAL Gwyneth thoughts!

Over on the newsletter, our book concierge threads — when people ask for specific book recommendations, and readers then offer their suggestions — regularly top 1500 comments. We wanted to bring the same energy to the podcast, and Maris Kreizman, author of The Maris Review and I Want To Burn This Place Down, reads more (and more widely) than anyone else I know. I promise: you’ll leave this episode with a new pile of books you want to read immediately. (And honestly, that’s the Back to School Adult Energy I crave).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Go to HelloFresh.com/CULTURESTUDY10FM to get 10 free meals + a free item for lifeGet 35% off your entire order at LolaBlankets.com using code CULTURE at checkoutGet a great night’s sleep with a new mattress from Birch. Go to BirchLiving.com/CULTURE to get 27% off sitewideTry OneSkin for 15% off using code CULTURE at oneskin.coShow Notes:Subscribe to Maris’s newsletter, The Maris Review, here.Buy Maris’s new book, I Want To Burn This Place Down, here!Listen to our previous episode with Maris on How Goodreads Got SO BADBOOKS WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODEEveryone Is Lying To You by Jo PiazzaThe Parisian and Enter Ghost by Isabella HammadFlashlight and Trust Exercise by Susan ChoiAudition by Katie KitamuraWild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghyEat the Document by Dana SpiottaBoy, Snow, Bird by Helen OyeyemiThe Trees by Percival EverettPerma Red by Debra Magpie EarningOutlawed by Anna NorthWhiskey When We’re Dry by John LarisonNews of the World by Paulette GilesThe Best Bad Things by Katrina CarrascoLiquid: A Love Story by Mariam RahmaniThe Rachel Incident by Caroline O’DonoghueWriters & Lovers and Euphoria by Lily KingThe Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCrackenHappy All The Time by Laurie ColwinThe Boys of my Youth by Jo Ann BeardCowboys are my Weakness by Pam HoustonThe Dud Avocado by Elaine DundyFreedom; The Corrections; and Crossroads by Jonathan FranzenThe Family Fang by Kevin WilsonLove Medicine; The Master Butchers Singing Club; The Night Watchman; and LaRose by Louise ErdrichThe God of the Woods and Long Bright River by Liz MooreDare Me; The Fever; and The Turnout by Megan AbbottThe Flavia de Luce series by Alan BradleyNevada by Imogen BinniePaul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea LawlorLove & Other Disasters by Anita KellyThe Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthyMutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-SmithWe Ride Upon Sticks by Quan BarryHelp Wanted by Adelle WaldmanMy Friends by Hisham MatarThe Catch by Yrsa Daley-WardOn the Calculation of Volume by Solvej BalleThe Old Drift by Namwali SerpellCloud Atlas by David MitchellThe Safekeep by Yael van der WoudenThe Sellout by Paul BeattyFight Night and All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam ToewsHidden Valley Road by Robert KolkerA Marriage at Sea by Sophie ElmhirstGreat Black Hope by Rob FranklinThe Dream Hotel by Laila LalamiBlack Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn IveyDisappearing Earth by Julia PhillipsThese Summer Storms by Sarah MacLeanSeating Arrangements by Maggie ShipsteadThe Wedding People by Alison EspachThe First Wives Club by Olivia GoldsmithWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)All things Love is Blind with Audie CornishDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)The history/utility/culture of OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE GEAR with Avery Trufelman (of Articles of Interest)What an actually family-friendly society would look like (with Elliot Haspel)An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: In addition to our recs… what other books would you suggest for our question-askers?

Texas Culture is at least a dozen cultures smashed into one enormous state — with a whopping 254 counties, four sprawling metro areas, 1255 miles of border with Mexico, the best breakfast item in the United States (fight me) and the best grocery store chain (fight me again). I needed a co-host who was up to the task — and, like all of our other regional-specific episodes, loves the place they’re from intensely… but is also willing to interrogate its mess. I needed longtime friend of the pod (and San Antonio native) Sam Sanders. In this ep, we go deep into so many corners of Texas Culture — and talk about what people who’ve never lived there just don’t get. It’s wonky and delightful, a perfect Culture Study combo.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your first order of Blueland cleaning products at Blueland.com/CULTUREHead to Graza.co and use CULTURE to get 10% off of the TRIO which includes Sizzle, Frizzle and Drizzle, and get to cookin’ your next chef-quality meal!Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use CULTURESTUDY at checkoutTry Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder— get up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkoutShow Notes:Follow Sam Sanders on InstagramListen to Sam’s two excellent podcasts: The Sam Sanders Show (on KCRW and wherever you get your podcasts) + Vibe CheckHere’s me on Sam’s podcast earlier this summer re: Feminist DystopiasThe long profile I wrote on Texas voters/voting during the Beto campaignThe piece I wrote about Dallas and refugee resettlement in the wake of the 2016 election (lots of really interesting Dallas history here!)We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions about genre & publishing for Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and so many other Culture Study favsRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Different Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiStarting over in mid-life with Jen HatmakerBaseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What other corners of Texas Culture still mystify you??

I first read about Cara Meredith’s book on evangelical church camp over at Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s newsletter, and as soon as I saw “cry night” in the subtitle, I knew any conversation with her was gonna be a real one. Put differently, I knew she was ready to talk about what drew people to these camps — but also how they worked to deftly manipulate the young people who attended them. I went to church camp for a decade. I was a counselor for several years. I cried on cry night; I watched bad skits; I highlighted the crap out of my Youth Bible — and I adored it. But I also internalized a lot of contradictory and harmful messages, and felt weird about some of the ways we were counseling young kids.Cara and I process all of that in this episode — and also answer a bunch of your complicated questions. And as always with these episodes, we’re working hard to make the episode accessible to people outside of the culture (or who find it weird, which, real talk, it is) while also going deep into the weeds. I’m so eager for your thoughts.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Blissy is offering 60-nights risk-free PLUS an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPODSave 20% Off Honeylove at honeylove.com/CULTUREStop putting off those doctors appointments and go to ZocDoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayShow Notes:Follow Cara Meredith on Instagram here and buy Church Camp: Bad Skits, Cry Nights, and How White Evangelicalism Betrayed a Generation hereWhat could be more millennial church camp than Michael W. Smith singing “Our God is an Awesome God”The type of stuff we always played on the boom box at breakfast at camp:And if you liked this episode I strongly recommend our previous episode on Contemporary Christian RockWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions about genre & publishing for Leigh Bardugo, author of Ninth House and so many other Culture Study favsBirding Culture!Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiStarting over in mid-life with Jen HatmakerFood Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: If you didn’t go to church camp….what felt wild about this discussion? If you did, what was hard or validating?

When your family is from a place with a distinctive, often-mockable accent, and you don’t have that accent but can (and do) readily fall into it as soon as you get around anyone who does their vowels like a Minnesotan, you learn to love accents. And then, as soon as you take any class (or read any text) in the anthropology/sociology/cultural analysis realm, you start thinking about accents as signifiers: of place, of race, of social status, of education, of insider/outsider status… the meanings feel endless.I’m SO thrilled to have Dr. Nicole Holliday on this week’s episode to go deep and nerdy on all of your very complicated (or, sometimes, deceptively simple) questions about accents — most of them American, but we’ve got a few Canadian questions in there, too. And I can pretty much guarantee: you’re going to absolutely devour this episode. It’s the platonic ideal of a Culture Study ep, and I can’t wait to discuss it.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Zbiotics Sugar-to-Fiber: Go to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. ZBiotics has a 100% money-back guarantee, so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason they will refund your money, no questions asked.Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit ARTICLE.COM/culture and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus free shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial packHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayShow Notes:Find out more about Dr. Nicole Holliday’s work hereFollow Dr. Holliday on TikTok (where I first started watching her!)If you haven’t heard GloRilla’s Memphis accent, here you go:Taste of the Yinzer Accent:Okay one more:We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Birding Culture!Running a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeDifferent Modalities of Hanging Out (aka, best ways to hang out with different people) with Mary HK ChoiFood Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: How did this conversation make you rethink an accent (or many accents) in your life?

When I first heard about Hannah Zeavin’s new book, Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century, I knew it Culture Study material. Historicizing the intersection between tech and motherhood (and how surveillance affects mothers and changes parenting norms which leads to more surveillance)… that’s some Culture Study shit. I’m thrilled that Hannah Zeavin — whose work so compellingly crosses the lines of media history and history of psychology — agreed to come on the pod (and that she was such a dynamic and engaging co-host).If you’re skeeved out by breastfeeding discourse, if you’ve ever been a childcare provider (for your own children or others’) and resent the threat of cameras, if you feel so deeply ambivalent about the nanny cam… this episode will take you to places that make all of this surveillance “make sense” (which is very different from making it feel better). I can’t wait for your thoughts on this one.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get great sleep on a new Birch mattress. Go to BirchLiving.com/Culture for 27% off sitewideGet $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTURE.Show Notes:I hope it’s clear that I’m obsessed with Mother Media. It’s pretty academic but if that’s not intimidating (for whatever reason) I strongly recommend it (and you can buy it here).Learn more about Hannah Zeavin and her work hereYou can read Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt in its entirety here (originally published in the Saturday Evening Post, wild!)The International Nanny Association’s official guidance about nanny camsSome of my favorite books by the great family scholar Stephanie CoontzCiting some research about Dr. Spock’s infant sleeping advice and SIDSDorothy Roberts’ work on how the child welfare system destroys black familiesMy favorite rebuttal of Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious GenerationIf you’re not familiar with Emily Oster’s ParentData (and a sharp piece on the optimization of parenting/Oster’s style of parenting advice)Viviana A. Zelizer’s classic, Pricing the Priceless ChildRichard Beck’s book on the satanic/moral panic of the ‘80sMadeline Lane-McKinley’s work on child liberationWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Gwyneth Paltrow (with the author of the new juicy bio)Birding Culture!Male Grievance Culture and Its Connection to Climate Change Denial (this is a real thing, ask us questions!)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Baseball Culture (with Ali Liebegott and Melody as additional co-host!!!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: how have you seen surveillance of motherhood (and its ramifications) in your own life? (You don’t have to be a mother yourself to answer this, OBVIOUSLY)

This is an audience of people who love books — and people who have thoughts about the culture around books. Book clubs, BookTok, the popularization of book genres, special editions, the way other people talk about us reading — there’s endless fodder for discussion and analysis. I’m thrilled to have Alyssa Morris, one of the sharpest observers of contemporary book culture, back on the pod to answer all of your questions about very of-this-moment trends (and give some very good advice on how to keep your book club thriving). This one’s a juicy one (and yes I do talk mild shit about Reese’s Book Club!!!)Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Add Graza Olive Oil to your summertime patio party arsenal. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURE today for 10% off of the TRIO!Go to https://zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/Show Notes:Subscribe to Alyssa’s Substack Romancing the Phone:Our super-popular episode with Alyssa from last year: Is BookTok Actually About Reading?If you’re interested in lists for various celebrity book clubs, here’s Reese’s, Read with Jenna, and Oprah’sA few Toks on Bookshelf Wealth and “Overconsumption”This piece explained A LOT re: Brandon SandersonMelody recommends Page for fun Kindle covers— they have a strap! She has this one, this one, and this one (talk about overconsumption)Go read I Who Have Never Known Men!This is maybe one of the TikToks that kicked off the virality of I Who Have Never Known MenThe Publisher’s Weekly article on the cover designs of 831 StoriesWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)Gwyneth Paltrow (with the author of the new juicy bio)Birding Culture!Male Grievance Culture and Its Connection to Climate Change Denial (this is a real thing, ask us questions!)SCREENTIME — Your own, your parents’, your kid’s, your partner’s, your family’s (with Ash Brandin)Hoarding Culture / How to Navigate Hoarders in Your LifeRunning a Small Business — and How to Make It Sustainable & Survivable (with Jen Hewett!)Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Fiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereThere’s so much to discuss in this week’s episode — just run with any of the themes (or tell us a celebrity book club book you’ve recently read and how you felt about it)

Montana’s unofficial tagline is “the last best place” — which should tell you something about the way the state thinks about itself. It’s a political frankenstein, incredibly beautiful, increasingly filled with tourists, and a twelve-hour drive from one corner of the state to the other. Oh, and just over a million people total live there. Including Chris La Tray, who’s just finishing his tenure as Montana Poet Laureate, and one of my favorite thinkers on what makes Montana so easy to fall in love with — but not always a very easy place to live.In this episode, we talk about our favorite, most contradictory, and most hostile parts of Montana culture, from exorbitant housing prices to what it’s like to live in a place that falls in love with its own area code. If your vision of Montana culture comes from Yellowstone, this is a great corrective… that will also make you want a huckleberry milkshake.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/culture to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor todayBlissy is offering 60 nights risk-free PLUS an additional 30% off when you shop at Blissy.com/CULTUREPODGet 40% off Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE at checkoutSwitch your cleaning products to Blueland and get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/cultureShow Notes:FIRST AND FOREMOST: FIND OUT MORE ABOUT INDIGIPALOOZA HERE — AND DONATE HERE!Now subscribe to Chris’s newsletter (my most-opened/most-read newsletter):Classic Montana Self-Obsession (“Last Best Place”) from The Last Best StoreThe “406” Collection from The Montana Shirt CompanyA few of the pieces I’ve written on Montana: on the Special Election in 2017. reporting from a Trump rally, Love Lives in Whitefish Montana, But So Do Neo-NazisWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Food Trends (like, what are you seeing on the menu in all the restaurants? Why are people pushing this particular ingredient or prep in their recipes???)Fiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Is a huckleberry milkshake the best milkshake in the world? DISCUSS. (Or whatever else you found interesting from this episode!)

At some point in late April, near the apex of the memes and jokes and ridicule of Katy Perry’s recent “women’s empowerment” trip to space, Melody and I wondered: is it even worth doing a Katy Perry episode? Do we have anything to say, other than wow, all of this — the new album, the tour visuals, the trip to SPACE, is hilariously bad? But then we asked Zach Stafford if he had anything to say, and when his response was an immediate YES, we decided to turn the episode over to your (as always, very insightful) questions and probe deeper. Yes, all of this recent promotional tour is cringe, and the album is not good — but cringey people with bad albums still get their singles played on the radio.So what is it about Perry that makes her such a target in this moment? Join Zach and me as we try to figure it out (and decipher what’s happening with those Lifetimes costumes).Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Head to moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus free shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial packHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribe todayGo to zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probioticsVisit ARTICLE.COM/culture to get $50 off your first purchase of $100 or moreShow Notes:Follow Zach on Instagram and listen to Vibe Check hereOne of the many SpaceX Instagram posts that made people want to bang their heads against their desksJust another shot from the Lifetimes Tour for good measureZach mentions the episode he and I recorded with Sam Sanders re: the Dallas Cowboys CheerleadersThe satire that fell flat for “Women’s World”“‘I created this character called Katy Perry. I didn’t want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary’”Before we taped Melody had me watch this pretty heartbreaking clip of Katy breaking down backstage and having to go on with the showThe very messy and complicated fight with the nuns over the Los Angeles monasteryKaty Perry at Gaga’s show in Mexico CityWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What do you think of our thesis about why we have to performatively disavow Katy Perry? What did we miss? Let’s go deeper!

Why do men wear shirts under their shirts? Are you forever doomed to wear the same clothes as your 32-year-old self? Why isn’t male fashion more fun? Why are all these moms still buying clothes for their adult children? WHY IS EVERYTHING IN EARTH TONES? This week we welcome Jason Diamond to the show to answer all these questions — with side trips into slutty dad jorts, aspirational dad fashion, the joys of good tailoring, what it feels like when you put on something and really feel yourself, and just generally figuring out your style as an adult. This one’s very fun and very funny — a perfect summer listen.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Start your risk-free trial of the Mill food recycler at mill.com/cultureAdd Graza Olive Oil to your summertime patio party arsenal. Visit https://graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use promo code CULTURESTUDY today for 10% off of the TRIO!Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to https://www.wildalaskan.com/CULTUREYour dog deserves the best. Get 60% off your first box of Ollie at ollie.com/culture, and enter code CULTUREShow Notes:Subscribe to Jason’s wonderful newsletter, The Melt:Follow Jason Diamond on Instagram here! (I really can’t recommend this highly enough)The sort of thing you get when you follow Jason’s IG:Jason FEELING IT in some shortsJust because, a few of my favorite Jason pieces: The Lost Art of Ordering a Round at a Bar, Gene Hackman’s Clothes Never Felt Like a Costume, I’m Not a Model. But I Ended Up In a Menswear Look Book AnywayJust a bit more jortsJason references this sketch from I Think You Should LeaveGo To Hell pantsJason mentions the podcast Throwing FitsWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: Where have you found non-earth-tone clothes for dudes? Dude or not dude, what outfit makes you FEEL YOURSELF?

Chances are high that you’ve heard about the way that “private equity” has acquired, hollowed out, and bankrupted some service, product, or company you depend on. For years, I understood the work of private equity only in the vaguest terms — that it was bad, and that it f*cked stuff up. I had to learn a lot more when I was writing Can’t Even, because private equity acquisitions are one of many reasons work has become a burnout factory for so many. But I didn’t fully understand the breadth and the depth of private equity’s impact on our current economy until reading Megan Greenwell’s Bad Company — which she started writing after resigning from her position of editor-in-chief of Deadspin after private equity acquired the site and began excavating and eliminating the very core of what it made it work.In today’s episode, Megan joins me to answer your questions about how private equity actually works, how it affects industries, what companies it’s historically targeted and who it’s targeting now (hello, dental and vet care!) This episode will make you feel like you understand a structuring reality of our culture better — and will also help you understand why so many experiences and services just feel shittier. It’s a hellscape of an episode but a deeply enlightening one!Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Get 15% off your order at ZBiotics.com/culturestudy, promo code CULTURESTUDYGet better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPODGet $75 off a Mill food recycler at mill.com/cultureGet rid of the Sunday Scaries by signing up for the Raw Signal Group newsletter at worldssecondbestnewsletter.comShow Notes:Buy Bad Company here!Follow Megan on Instagram hereMegan’s now-canonical piece on “The Adults in the Room,” published on Deadspin after Megan tendered her resignation, discussing what private equity had done to the siteDetails on how private equity killed Toys R UsA good overview of private equity’s effects on vet care and an NPR examination of high suicide rates amongst vet professionalsOn Walgreens’ acquisition by private equity and the future of pharmacy careThe Stop Wall Street Looting ActWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:The evolution of internet slang (and how it’s affected how you speak offline, too)The intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Sabrina Carpenter????Book trends right nowFiction concierge!! Much like our old movies episode, let us know a few books you read and loved as well as whatever other parameters you want to put in place, and Maris Kreizman and I will make some recs!Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: What did this discussion illuminate re: private equity? And what service/product/store has it decimated (in your life?)

People often ask me why I care so much about parenting when I am not, myself, a parent. This question is always so weird to me — of course I care about parenting norms, because I’m surrounded by parents! The choices that parents make (in the voting booth, as consumers, as community members, as friends) have so many direct and indirect effects on my life and everyone’s lives. Plus I’m always interested in how people try and make sense of a ton of contradictory information and “best practices” about how to be in the world, and whew, that is contemporary parenting right now.I’m so pleased that Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of Hello, Cruel World!, agreed to join us to unpack your questions about contemporary parenting trends — she is so good at balancing empathy (for why we gravitate towards certain strategies) with reassurance (less is almost always more). So if you want to talk about the weird ways gentle parenting rhetoric has seeped into the playground, the pressure to overschedule, and the deeply annoying professionalization of kids’ sports, whew is this the episode for you. And if you’re not a parent but affected by parenting practices: you’ll also find so much here. This week’s discussion is gonna be a good one.Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Raw Signal Group: If you’re a manager doing good in the world, and you want a better toolkit for how you’re showing up for your community, go to worldsbestmanagementtraining.com to find out moreMake the switch to Blueland today! Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/cultureHead to Ollie.com/CULTURE, tell them all about your dog, and use code CULTURE to get 60% off your Welcome Kit when you subscribeArticle is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Visit ARTICLE.COM/culture and the discount will be automatically applied at checkoutShow Notes:Buy Melinda’s book, Hello, Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Kids in Terrifying Times Subscribe to Melinda’s wonderful parenting newsletter, Now WhatAny writing on a parenting practice draws a lot of ire but this New Yorker look at gentle parenting from 2022 both elucidated the roots and gave me a lot to think aboutMy polemic against Kids Sports and my interview with Linda Flanagan re: whether or not they’re reformableWe reference Virginia Sole-Smith’s classic post on The Grandmothers Are Not OkayThe Culture Study discussion from a few months ago re: “What Are We Actually Talking About When We Talk About Intensive Parenting”?Melinda references The Good Mother Myth: Unlearning Our Bad Ideas About How to Be a Good Mom by Nancy ReddyWe’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Evangelical Summer Camp, past and presentThe intersection of technology and parenting (especially how mothers are surveilled)REGIONAL ACCENTS!!!! (We have a accent/dialect expert as co-host!)Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) hereFor this week’s discussion: I feel like I don’t even need a prompt here because people are going to have THOUGHTS. Let’s just try and abide by normal Culture Study guidelines: don’t make people feel like crap in the comments!