Giving Up

Giving Up is the podcast where three aging Millennials talk about giving up: surrendering to the inexorable march of time and their inevitable demise. Each week we talk about why the world is mad at us and then we vote on who has the most interesting topic to talk about as it relates to our generation's unique spot as people who grew up with the internet but still remembers what life was like before it. Fueled by (un)diagnosed ADHD we cover a range of topics from pop culture, to parenting, generational warfare, and beyond.

Gaslighting Up

The crew starts off hot and heavy with a spirited discussion of gaslighting before discussing millenial consumerism in the Thunderdome. Nether-region higene is the advice topic of the day.      Media: Alex - Bridgerton and Andrew Scott Erotica Youngmi - Big Vape John - Final Fantasy VII (original)

06-12
01:01:25

A Very Special Episode

This episode the crew sets aside formalities to address the difficult subject of pet death and the emotional landscape of considering creatures who's understanding of the world is so different from our own.    Our advice section continues to orbit around ADHD and Autism, this time as it releates to creativity and artistic expression.  Media: Alex - We're Here John - Furiosa Youngmi - Ashley Madison Documentary and The Iron Claw

06-05
45:01

Stop Trying To Make "West-Elm-ification" Happen

Season two is in full swing as the crew talks about what the best age to have kids is and the show experiences an unprecedented Thunderdome result. John fields an advice question about his recent autism screening.    Our Media: Youngmi:  Aaron Hernandez Documentary Alex: Stranger Things John: NJ Turnpike Signs

05-29
52:35

Doing a Second Season for the Bit

Welcome to Giving Up Season Two! We arbitrarily took a break for a few weeks so we could come back with a slew of of innovations—including a listener advice section! Did you miss us?   Our Media: Youngmi: The Roast of Tom Brady Alex: Physical 100 and Mary and George John: The Idea of You

05-22
01:00:38

Giving Up - Episode 21: "Crying to Completion"

On this, the final episode of Season 1, the crew explores the joys of clinging to petty grievances while the Thunderdome yields a deep dive into Alex's past.    What We're Watching: John: Civil War Alex: It Youngmi: Rango

04-24
01:10:59

Giving Up - Episode 20: "Generation Why"

In this episode we yearn for a new name for our generation besides "millenial" and then try to tackle a tricky trademark issue. 

04-17
01:17:23

Giving Up - Episode 19: "Giving Up Barbie"

Yep, we finally talked about Barbie.      What We're Looking At: John/Alex: 3 Body Problem  Youngmi: It's Perfectly Normal

04-10
01:13:36

Giving Up - Episode 18: "Neuroregular"

The crew discusses the relative merits of negativity. The thunderdome yields an exploration of psychological inheritances.    What We're Looking At: John: The Hidden Spring Youngmi: The Unbearable Lightness of Being Alex: Lost Patients 

04-03
55:26

Giving Up - Episode 17: "The Not Having TV As A Child To Judging People For Using Twitter Pipeline"

The crew discusses the moral implications of continuing to post to twitter and the Thunderdome orders a ham and cheese on a roll. 

03-27
01:14:03

Giving Up - Episode 16: "Leaving the Routine Is Horrifying"

The crew discusses if millenials were ever cool while also exploring the pros and cons of office life and wether or not American Psycho needs a girlboss reboot.

03-20
01:06:14

Giving Up - Episode 15: "I Don't Get Mad"

In a groundbreaking episode, Alex and John work though a mad-adjacent conversation about the core goal of the podcast and the balance between authenticity of topics and catering to an audience. The Thunderdome yields a discussion of how individuals navigate their sense of self within larger identity structures. 

03-13
01:14:06

Giving Up - Episode 14: "Catcalling Works??"

Youngmi triumphantly returns to talk about her cruise as it relates to the horrors of late-stage capitalism and the cheapness of commerical luxury. The crew also talk about dating as a teenager and wether or not it's normal to think that your loved ones are dead when you don't know where they are. 

03-06
59:38

Giving Up - Episode 13: "A Liverpool Ten"

In a first-and-most-likely-last episode of its kind, John and Alex record a Youngmi-free episode where they talk about social media platforms they never got into, Survivor, and the deeply disturbing novel Tender Is the Flesh.

02-28
01:07:53

Giving Up - Episode 12: "It's a Valve Issue"

This week the crew tackles a wide assortment of topics from Alex's defecatory struggles, Survivor, and what it means for aging millenials to enter their parental death era.

02-21
01:19:06

Giving Up - Episode 11: "RuPaul's Mid Race"

In their triumphant return to the airwaves, the crew re-aquaints themselves with the structure of their own podcast as they tackle subjects like fine dining, cannibalism, and The Sex Talk. 

02-14
01:25:29

Giving Up - Episode 10: "Putting the 'mid' in 'Mid-Season Finale'"

On this momentous occasion, the tenth episode of Giving Up and the last episode before the holiday break, John, Youngmi, and Alex reflect on the past half season, share in their distrust of lakes, and finally dive into the Half Baked Harvest controversy that they've been threatening to talk about for months.  The crew ends the season with a rousing Newlywed Game and by sharing their hopes for 2024. 

12-13
01:14:49

Giving Up - Episode 9: "Your Abs Know What Quantum Computing Is"

Returning after a two-week break in recording the crew catches up about Alex's trip to Mexico, Youngmi's son's pneumonia, and John's completely baseless feeling that Alex and Youngmi are mad at him because they stopped responding to the group text for five hours last Friday. The thunderdome yields a discussion of online fame.

12-06
01:05:40

Giving Up - Episode 8: "In Korea, Pooping Is National Discourse"

Sorry if you're seeing this twice! A draft of the episode went up on Sunday by mistake, but we're not mad at you for listening!!! In this episode the crew wonders why the discussion always comes back to defecation and Alex and Youngmi are horrified that John sometimes forgets to eat. The Thunderdome results in a discussion of how each generation has a different level of intimacy with technology.  Just a heads up: this episode contains some discussion of disordered eating and intimate partner violence.   

11-29
01:06:08

Giving Up - Episode 7: "Hunter Schafer Is Our Daughter"

During a discussion of feeling one's age, the crew makes a collective realization that John and Alex are actually Hunter Schafer's parents. The discussion of age continues during The Thunderdome when the crew discusses age gaps in straight relationships. 

11-22
01:11:09

Giving Up - Episode 6: "Aggressively Mid"

The crew starts with a fullsome discussion of constipation and infant feces before consoling John about the demise of his non-alcoholic drink company. The Thunderdome finds John, Alex, and Youngmi diving into their pasts with surprising results. 

11-15
01:00:41

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