El Podcast

Is sociology becoming too political to function as a serious academic discipline? Professor Ashley T. Rubin discusses her new report for the Vanderbilt–WashU Commission on Scholarly Standards, which examines the growing politicization of sociology and whether political commitments are influencing what researchers study, what questions they avoid, and how scholarship is evaluated. We discuss sociology’s increasing focus on inequality, taboo research questions, resistance to biological explanations, declining political neutrality in top journals, reproducibility problems, activism versus objective scholarship, the decline of sociology majors, and what universities should teach students in the age of AI. Dr. Rubin also explains why she believes sociology still produces valuable work—but faces serious problems if the field is unwilling to confront its own blind spots. Special thanks to Professor Ashley T. Rubin for joining us and for her work on this important report. 📄 Read Ashley Rubin’s full sociology report: The Status of Scholarly Standards in Sociology — Vanderbilt University https://www.vanderbilt.edu/principles/state-of-scholarship-report/sociology/ashley-rubin/ (https://www.vanderbilt.edu/principles/state-of-scholarship-report/sociology/ashley-rubin/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ✍️ Ashley Rubin’s Substack: https://ashleytrubin.substack.com/ (https://ashleytrubin.substack.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) About the guest: Ashley T. Rubin is a sociologist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa whose research examines punishment, prisons, law and society, and academic scholarship. About El Podcast: In El Podcast, anything and everything is up for discussion. Grab a drink and join us in this epic virtual happy hour! We sit down with authors, researchers, scientists, academics, and independent thinkers to explore the ideas shaping our world—from science, health, and technology to economics, education, culture, politics, and society. Come curious. Leave with something to think about. #Sociology #HigherEducation #AcademicFreedom

Darrell Bricker explains why Canada is approaching a potential breaking point as soaring housing costs, immigration pressures, generational divides, regional tensions, demographic decline, and a changing relationship with the United States challenge the country’s future. Guest Bio Dr. Darrell Bricker is Global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs and co-author, with John Ibbitson, of Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk. He is a leading Canadian public-opinion researcher and has written extensively on demographics, politics, and social change. Topics Discussed Why Canada may be approaching a national “breaking point” Canada’s housing affordability crisis Falling fertility and an aging population Immigration and the breakdown of Canada’s traditional immigration consensus The “Laurentian elite” and Canada’s political establishment Alberta, Saskatchewan, equalization payments, and Western alienation The widening divide between younger and older Canadians Canada’s brain drain to the United States Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Canada’s military decline and renewed defense spending Arctic sovereignty and competition with Russia, China, and the U.S. The changing Canada–U.S. relationship The decline of the U.S.-led global order Trudeau, Carney, Canadian identity, and national pride Whether Canada can remain unified over the coming decade Main Points Canada’s problems are deeper than its current tensions with the United States; Bricker argues that longstanding internal divisions are being exposed. Housing is central: younger Canadians increasingly struggle to achieve the homeownership and financial security enjoyed by earlier generations, with Bricker citing polling in which 74% say owning a home is now only for the rich. Immigration, historically a source of broad Canadian consensus, became politically contentious as temporary workers, international students, and other newcomers increased rapidly while housing and public services struggled to keep pace. At the same time, Canada’s fertility rate has fallen sharply, making immigration increasingly important to population growth. Regional tensions remain another major fault line. Alberta and Saskatchewan generate substantial resource wealth while many Western Canadians believe federal policy has constrained their energy industries, contributing to resentment toward Ottawa and the equalization system. Bricker also argues that Canada must adapt to a world in which it can no longer assume the old U.S.-led international order will return after Trump. Canada is increasing defense spending, focusing more heavily on Arctic sovereignty, and attempting to diversify its relationships with Europe, Asia, India, and China. Despite these problems, Bricker does not portray Canada as a failed country. Canada and the United States remain highly desirable destinations for immigrants, but Canada faces a serious challenge if younger, highly skilled Canadians increasingly believe they can find greater opportunity south of the border. Top 3 Quotes “The idea that the Canadian dream paid off for one group of the population and it’s not paying off in the same way for another group of the population is absolutely valid in the data.” “We need to start building a lot more housing stock that looks like what people want rather than what planners want them to endure.” “We’re going to have to carve a new path.” Misc. Podcast Info Guest: Dr. Darrell Bricker Book: Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk Co-author: John Ibbitson Role: Global CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs Core themes: Canada, housing, immigration, demographics, generational inequality, Western alienation, U.S.–Canada relations, defense, Arctic sovereignty, MAID, national identity Overall framing: Is Canada’s traditional economic, political, and national model reaching a breaking point? Closing takeaway: Bricker expects late 2026 and 2027 to be an especially consequential period for Canada, with major political and regional tensions potentially coming to the forefront. 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

Bill Gifford, co-author of Outlive, explores why Americans are living less healthy lives despite spending more on healthcare, the surprising benefits of heat, and why relationships, purpose, and everyday movement may matter more than biohacking for longevity. Guest Bio Bill Gifford is a journalist and author specializing in health, fitness, and longevity. He co-authored Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity with Dr. Peter Attia, wrote Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying), and is the author of Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger. A longtime contributing editor at Outside magazine, Gifford has spent more than three decades exploring human performance, aging, and the science of living healthier lives. Topics Discussed What Bill Gifford has changed his mind about after more than a decade researching longevity. The science behind Outlive and Peter Attia's approach to preventing chronic disease. Ozempic, rapamycin, supplements, and the search for a longevity breakthrough. Why American life expectancy and healthspan lag behind other developed countries. The longevity paradox of South Korea and Japan. Diet, exercise, muscle mass, and maintaining physical independence as we age. The Harvard Study of Adult Development and the importance of close relationships. Bryan Johnson, biohacking, and the dangers of excessive health optimization. Social media and the rise of performative wellness. Whether excessive endurance exercise can undermine health. Why wealthy Colorado ski towns have some of America's longest life expectancies. The science of saunas, hot tubs, sweating, and heat acclimation. Heat exposure, depression, and emerging mental health research. The evolutionary importance of temperature fluctuations and physical discomfort. Bill's experience co-authoring Outlive with Peter Attia. Sleep, stress, retirement, and maintaining a sense of purpose. Why living longer means little without a reason to live. Main Points 1. There is no magic bullet for longevity. After writing three books about aging and health, Gifford has become increasingly skeptical of supplements and interventions promising dramatic extensions of human lifespan. Aging is a complex biological process that cannot be solved by replacing a single missing substance. 2. Preventing chronic disease requires acting earlier. One of the central arguments of Outlive is that modern medicine intervenes too late. Rather than waiting until patients develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or other chronic conditions, healthcare should focus on identifying and addressing risks decades earlier. 3. Everyday movement matters more than occasional workouts. Gifford emphasizes incorporating physical activity into daily life through walking, cycling, climbing stairs, and remaining active throughout retirement. Maintaining muscle mass and physical independence becomes increasingly important with age. 4. Relationships and purpose are essential to healthy aging. The conversation explores the Harvard Study of Adult Development and the importance of close relationships. Gifford argues that optimizing cholesterol, metabolism, sleep, and exercise means little if someone lacks meaningful relationships or a reason to get up in the morning. 5. Biohacking can become counterproductive. Gifford questions the growing obsession with supplements, peptides, constant measurement, and biological optimization. He argues that excessive intervention and anxiety about health can undermine the resilience and quality of life people are trying to preserve. 6. Wealth, lifestyle, and environment help explain Colorado's longevity advantage. The discussion examines why counties surrounding Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, and Telluride have unusually high life expectancies. Gifford points to wealth, active lifestyles, outdoor recreation, and the self-selection of people who prioritize physical activity. 7. Heat exposure may offer benefits beyond relaxation. Drawing on research explored in Hotwired, Gifford discusses associations between sauna use and lower rates of cardiovascular disease and dementia, improvements in heat acclimation, and emerging research into heat exposure as a potential adjunct treatment for depression. 8. Sleep and stress deserve greater attention. Gifford describes eliminating his morning alarm as one of the most consequential changes he made to his health and productivity. The conversation also examines how retirement can reduce chronic stress while creating new challenges around purpose and engagement. 9. Longevity should be about living better, not simply living longer. Gifford concludes that the ultimate goal of longevity should be maintaining meaningful relationships, contributing to the world, and enjoying life rather than pursuing additional years for their own sake. Top 3 Quotes 1. On the importance of relationships and purpose: "None of that means none of that means shit unless you have good relationships in your life, or if you have a purpose, a reason for getting up in the morning." 2. On the dangers of excessive biohacking: "We're actually more resilient than maybe the biohackers give us credit for." 3. On the ultimate purpose of longevity: "It's not enough just to live a longer life. You have to have a reason and a purpose and you have to have meaning, right? What are you gonna add to the world? Why do you wanna live longer? What's your what's the why?" 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

Former progressive activist and counter-disinformation strategist Sabrina Joy Stevens explains why she walked away from the activist left, exposing the incentives, staged activism, ideological groupthink, and institutional machinery she says keep the movement alive. Guest Bio Sabrina Joy Stevens is a former progressive activist, political communications and narrative strategist, educator, and counter-disinformation professional who spent years working inside activist organizations and campaigns. After beginning to question her worldview—particularly during and after 2020—she became an outspoken critic of the activist culture and institutions she once helped advance. Topics Discussed Why Sabrina Left Progressive Activism The “Omni-Cause” and Political Groupthink Staged Protests and Planned Arrests Wokeness as an Industry Credentialism, DEI and Bureaucracy California Homelessness and Incentives Luxury Beliefs and Identity Politics Inside the Counter-Disinformation Industry Gender, Objective Truth and “What Is a Woman?” Losing Friends, Parenthood and Life After Activism Main Points Activism can become self-reinforcing. Stevens describes moving from one cause to another under an overarching oppressor-versus-oppressed worldview. Some high-profile activism is performative. She recounts seeing protest arrests planned in advance and describes how organizations can use such events for publicity and fundraising. Ideology can become an industry. Her central argument is that careers, organizations, funding and professional status can create incentives to perpetuate problems rather than solve them. Credentialism helps sustain bureaucracy. She argues that graduates with highly specialized degrees can flow into academia, nonprofits, DEI, government and administrative positions that reinforce the ideology. The counter-disinformation world became a major breaking point. Stevens says she came to believe that systems ostensibly designed to identify misinformation disproportionately scrutinized political opponents while failing to apply consistent standards to their own side. Leaving came with significant social costs. She says most of her old friend group disappeared and some family relationships became more difficult. Parenthood changed her priorities. Having children gave her responsibilities outside activism and reduced the importance of online battles, cancellations and ideological infighting. Practical competence matters more than credentials. She encourages young people to question whether college is necessary and consider useful skills, trades and careers that provide real market value. Her final lesson is epistemic humility: seek evidence, expose yourself to people who disagree with you, and don't assume your political in-group is correct. Top 3 Quotes 1. “You don't need a conspiracy when you have...a convergence of people's interests and incentives.” 2. “We're the anti-disinformation group, but we're helping people who explicitly want to spread bad information.” 3. “If you're surrounded by people who think exactly like you, then they're gonna be wrong exactly like you, and then you're all going off the cliff together.” 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

Former banking CEO Richard Vague explains why America’s $40 trillion federal debt may be less dangerous than private debt, how banks actually create money, what really causes financial crises, and why an AI bubble probably won’t crash the broader economy. GUEST BIO Richard Vague is a former banking CEO, entrepreneur, author, and former Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking and Securities. He co-founded two major credit-card banks and has spent decades studying how private debt, bank lending, and financial crises shape the economy. His books include The Paradox of Debt, A Brief History of Doom, The Next Economic Disaster, and The Banker Who Made America. TOPICS DISCUSSED • Why the $40 trillion U.S. federal debt may be less alarming than it sounds • Why private debt matters more for financial crises • How commercial banks create roughly 90% of the money supply • Debt, asset prices, inequality, and the K-shaped economy • Why housing affordability is fundamentally a supply problem • The myth that China “owns” America’s debt • Gold standards, fiat money, Bitcoin, and debt-based money • What actually caused the 2008 financial crisis • Shadow banking, private equity, and private credit • Why economists largely missed the 2008 crash • Whether today’s AI boom is a bubble • Why an AI crash could resemble the dot-com bust rather than 2008 • Whether AI will ultimately destroy or create jobs • Thomas Willing and the origins of American banking • America’s centuries-old divide between coastal elites and the interior MAIN POINTS • Federal debt needs context: Vague points to roughly $180 trillion in household net worth compared with $40 trillion in federal debt. • Private debt may be more dangerous: U.S. private debt is roughly $45 trillion, and Vague argues private lending booms are much more closely connected to financial crises. • Banks create money: Roughly 90% of money creation occurs through commercial-bank lending. When a bank makes a loan, it simultaneously creates a new deposit. • Debt can increase inequality: Expanding credit pushes up stocks and real estate, disproportionately benefiting people who already own those assets. • The K-shaped economy is real: Vague argues middle- and lower-income Americans are increasingly being left behind, particularly men with only a high school education. • Housing needs more supply: The U.S. has roughly 1.5 million homes for sale versus the approximately 2 million Vague believes are needed for a balanced market. • China does not “own” America: China holds only a small fraction of total U.S. federal debt. • Lending booms cause banking crises: Vague’s research into 43 banking crises across six major economies found excessive lending at the center of every major crisis studied. • Economists missed the warning signs before 2008: Mortgage debt roughly doubled from $5 trillion to $10 trillion between 2002 and 2007 while conventional economic models largely ignored private debt. • An AI crash does not necessarily mean an economic crash: Vague compares today’s AI boom more closely to the dot-com era, when the Nasdaq collapsed but the broader economy continued growing. • AI may ultimately create more jobs than it eliminates: Vague expects major disruption but believes lower costs, higher demand, and entirely new industries will ultimately expand employment. TOP QUOTES “Don't freak out. If you're gonna freak out, find something else to freak out about.” “My answer is human nature.” “People tend to overestimate how much change will occur in the short run and underestimate how much change will occur in the long run.” BOOKS DISCUSSED • The Paradox of Debt • A Brief History of Doom • The Next Economic Disaster • The Banker Who Made America: Thomas Willing and the Rise of the American Financial Aristocracy EPISODE INFO Guest: Richard Vague Podcast: El Podcast Topics: Economics, Banking, Federal Debt, Private Debt, Financial Crises, Money Creation, Inequality, Housing, Bitcoin, AI, Economic History 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright 💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/ 📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!