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A feed from the Slate podcast network featuring episodes with enlightening conversations, opposing views, and plenty of healthy disputes. You'll get a curated selection of episodes from programs like What Next, The Waves, and the Political Gabfest, with deep discussions that go beyond point-counterpoint and shed light on the issues that matter most.


316 Episodes
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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: getting the jab. Vaccine hesitancy is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but it is a growing one… particularly in conservative Evangelical circles.  At the same time, there’s a lot for all of us to dislike, and distrust, about the American healthcare system. So, for those of us who have a hard time working up any sympathy for the vaccine-skeptical crowd, it’s worth asking: what if this is a symptom of the problems we’re all experiencing? Johanna Richlin of the University of Maine joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: talk it out. Talking about therapy isn’t taboo anymore — and that’s great, because everyone deserves help when they need it. The question is… do you really need it? Dr. Richard Friedman of Weill Cornell Medicine wrote a piece for The Atlantic last month, headlined ”Plenty of People Could Quit Therapy Right Now.” So why is that the case… and what are the consequences of getting therapy when you don’t need it?  Dr. Friedman joins us to discuss. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: the purity test. Purity, in political science, doesn’t have anything to do with morality. It has to do with whether your policy aligns with your principles.  From “Bernie Bros” to the uncommitted vote against Biden, we’ve seen progressives protect ideological purity… and punish stances that don’t align. An all-or-nothing stance on issues like universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness might sound appealing to voters. But does it doom progress, practically, if an increment isn’t good enough? Shaniqua McClendon, VP of Politics for Crooked Media, joins us to argue against progressive purity politics. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Parliamentary America? It’s Super Tuesday, and the process by which we elect a president is on full display (warts and all). Americans on both sides of the aisle agree that the electoral college has to go. But what should replace it?  Maxwell Stearns, author of Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy (out 3/5/2024), presents his case for restructuring American government to look more like a parliamentary system — and, in the process, to take presidential elections out of the hands of voters and conventions and into the hands of elected coalitions. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… are journalists killing democracy? Mainstream news outlets are starting to move away from horse race election coverage and toward policy substance. Though it’s a slow change, it’s heralded by much of the news industry as a good one. But what if the horse race was never really the problem?  Journalist and writer Chris Cillizza joins us to defend the horse race. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… making (fourteen) points.  A piece in this month’s issue of the Atlantic argues that it’s time to re-evaluate the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson was indisputably a productive president — but he’s now reviled by the left as a racist and the right as a tyrant. Is there room to meet somewhere in the middle? David Frum of the Atlantic joins us to argue that, yes: it’s time to un-cancel Woodrow Wilson.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On our second C&F After Dark episode: we know that Valentine’s has come and gone. But we’re not done talking about grownup stuff!  Elizabeth, Zak and Lucy each sit down with their spouses — Jeff, Shira and Geno — to talk through a problem they’ve had as a co-parenting couple. The hosts chime in on each others’ problems, too. It’s an advice extravaganza… and, dare we say, a love-fest? Then, we’ll wrap up by testing how in-sync our hosts are with their spouses. It’s time for a round of the Newlywed Game!  Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Maura Currie, with special thanks to Rosemary Belson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Though most Americans have problems with the way this country is run, the Constitution remains popular — and untouchable, in our nation of laws. But it’s often difficult to solve 21st century problems with an 18th century document. Aaron Tang, author and professor of law at UC Davis, joins us once again to argue that, instead of aligning with the Constitution, courts should try to cause the least permanent harm possible. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday, a jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the mass-shooting carried out by her son Ethan at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.  How will this conviction change the way school shootings are prosecuted? Can future violence be prevented by holding the parents accountable? Guest: Quinn Klinefelter, host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET in Detroit. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… dear colleague.  The way universities and colleges handle sexual assault cases has changed a lot in the last 13 years. Part of that is because of the sheer vastness of the higher education system; everyone does everything differently. But federal guidance has also shifted with each of the last three administrations… and our guest today argues that none of those systems have worked. In fact, they’ve all been unmitigated failures. Lara Bazelon of the University of San Francisco joins us to argue that existing systems should be burned down — and replaced with restorative justice.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… folie à deux (again). A few weeks ago, Frank Buckley joined us to argue that Trump voters aren’t delusional. And a lot of you disagreed. One of you, though, turned out to be an expert in the nature of delusion. So who better to join us, and make the case that we got it wrong? Barry Mauer, a Hear Me Out listener and associate professor at the University of Central Florida, joins us to argue that the pro-Trump movement isn’t just delusional — it’s dangerous, it’s a cult, and it has to be called what it is. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… which wave is this, anyway? There’s no denying that the feminist movement looks different now than it did 50 years ago — and in some ways, that’s a good thing. But there’s an argument to be made that the modern movement skews politically progressive… so much so that it’s leaving some women, and some issues, behind.  Phyllis Chesler, author and second-wave feminist, joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode Elizabeth Newcamp, Zak Rosen, and Lucy Lopez weigh in on a classic question: what school is right for your family? Our letter writers’ kid is gifted and their family has fallen in love with a local private school — but they’re also grappling with some guilt. How important is it to give your kid the best, if it also means putting them in a privilege bubble?  They also share some products and activities they’re loving right now. Then, if you have Slate Plus, is yelling actually useful?  Recommendations:  Zak: De-icing your car in the winter with a warm bag of water.  Lucy: Quarterly family vision boards! Elizabeth: Sushi Monster App  Reading:  The Truth About Yelling by Emily Edlynn  How (and why) to stop yelling at your kids by Shannon Shelton Miller Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… yas, queen? It’s been hard to avoid an onslaught of memes about bad people lately. People like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and George Santos have been punished for their misdeeds in one way… but now, it seems, they’re being rewarded by the attention economy. The question is: is it our fault? Rachel Greenspan, writer and social strategist, joins us once again to argue for discretion in memeing. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… delusion is not the solution. Welcome to a presidential election year, where everyone will surely be cool and normal. We know, we know — the prospect of dealing with electoral discourse is one that most of us aren’t looking forward to. But we’re here to prove that it’s possible to talk.  For Democrats, and liberals writ large, it’s hard to understand why anyone would want another Trump presidency; and it’s tempting to chalk that desire up to delusion, idiocy, or gullibility. But is that a good-faith assumption? Author and professor Frank Buckley joins us to defend the 2024 Trump voter — as someone who earnestly believes the other side is worse. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… new year, new you?  If you’ve resolved to make 2024 your happiest, healthiest, most organized, most peaceful, etc. year yet? You’re not alone. And if you’re pretty sure the people who have made resolutions are doomed to abandon ship before January is over… you’re not alone, either. Nor are you wrong, exactly. In the season of giving, getting, and evaluating self-improvement advice, there’s a line between over-optimism and self-limiting skepticism. And our guest wants to help you walk that line.  Zak Rosen, host of The Best Advice Show and co-host of Slate’s Care & Feeding, joins us.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… ‘tis the damn season. Break out the glitter and the ugly sweaters. If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen a lot of minimalist holiday décor this year — from celebrities, influencers, and DIY-ers alike. It seems trendy to try “class up” the holidays and eschew the bright and gaudy for the monotone, the understated, or the expensive-looking… but does living in fear of committing a faux pas maybe miss the point?  Kristen Meinzer, culture critic and cohost of The Daily Fail, joins us to defend the tacky — as not only counterculture, but as the real reason for the season. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… cen-suspicions. We’re a little over six years away from the next national census. It’s understandable that this might not be at the top of your mind, but for a small group of academics and activists, it absolutely is.  Race isn’t a real thing, scientifically speaking. But we still live in a heavily racialized society, and the Census sets the stage for many, many policy decisions that impact race equity. So, if race isn’t real, why does the Census act like it’s a simple, immutable fact? Carlos Hoyt, an author and speaker, joins us to propose a more dynamic way of self reporting – and recording – race.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… atrocities beget atrocities. The war in Gaza is ongoing, and brutal – and on this show we’ve discussed whether you, as an observer, have a responsibility to speak out about it… or to even choose a side between Israelis and Palestinians. This week, we take a different angle: who has a responsibility, in war, to do what? And not do what? And to whom?  Michael Walzer, author and professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, joins us to argue that even the oppressed have obligations.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… great, but not enough. Mental health is on a lot of minds as we enter the holiday season — a time when we know many people struggle. So this week, we talk candidly about what it means to treat mental illness… and what it should mean, if we want that treatment to be effective, long-lasting, and sensitive. Spoiler: psychiatry and psychology are not the panaceas you might think. Erin Grimm, author and mental health advocate, joins us. ** NOTE: This episode contains candid discussion of mental health crises and treatment. Listener discretion is advised; if you or a loved one need help, you can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7 by calling or texting 988. You can also visit the lifeline online, and explore more resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Comments (61)

Bea Kiddo

Trumps “comments” are dangerous and it’s unreal how many people believe the absolute bs that comes out of his stupid mouth. Trump is a traitor and needs to be sent to Russia or China and get what he deserves. I just can’t get over how many ignorant people support that moron. It’s all white, racist aholes who claim to be religious. That’s the worst. All hypocrisy at its best. It’s disgusting.

Feb 4th
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Bea Kiddo

I don’t know where you’re from but I don’t sit down at a concert. That’s disrespectful to the band. #detroit

Sep 11th
Reply

Nikola J.

did this feed completely change? what was it before?

May 10th
Reply (1)

vigilant skipper

so the fact that we use preposition at the end of our sentences is because ot its usage by the poets in order to create rythmes.

Jan 8th
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Naghme

I really enjoy listening to talks around language. your podcast is one of my favourites. I'd like to hear one episode about persian language (which is my mother language by the way) because of all these misunderstandings about it and being mistaken with arabic or indian. thank you

Aug 23rd
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Rennie !!

Wait, what happened? This used to be Lexicon valley and now it was replaced with this?

Aug 5th
Reply (1)

Devon Campbell

I got the first and last words immediately but totally bombed the middle

Jul 21st
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D Fiala

I don't have slate+ someone PLEASE tell me that John mentioned the fact that the "f-word" shares it's etymology with the word "fascist". Because that is one of my favorite linguistic knowledge bombs to drop on bigoted people. For anyone interested in this, look into the Roman symbol of authority known as the "Fasces"

Apr 27th
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Tahnia Button

I really thought you were going to address the fact that German, although usually not starting with an object, the verb has to be in position 2 and the subject has to either precede or follow it, but whichever comes first is usually just for emphasis... does that make it classified as a different word order, like svo/vso, and then osv in subordinate clauses? And why does German have so many permutations of word order anyway?

Mar 30th
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Mark Dallas

Hi, John. I love your podcast. I've been a listener for a couple of years now, but this is the first time I've never commented. I'm quite confused by the pronunciation of upsidedown you were teaching your daughter /ˈʌpˌsaɪˈdaʊn/. I've always understood it to be /ˌʌpsaɪd ˈdaʊn/, and both the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries confirm this to the case for both British and American English. Could you reference your conflicting source? Many thanks in advance. All the best. Mark Byron Dallas Dialect Coach mark@talklikethat.com

Jan 31st
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marziyeh taheri

how can i get the transcripts??

Jan 13th
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Tom Bayer

Great episode, above John's average.

Dec 8th
Reply (3)

Janet Graham-Russell

The Progressive Insurance lady's accent is driving my crazy. It sounds like she's from the North of England, then Scotland, then the US vthen maybe South East Asia. Weird.

Nov 10th
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Janet Graham-Russell

In the English Lake District, mere is used frequently as part of the lake names, such as Windermere.

Nov 10th
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Mary Martinson

Ever since listening to this episode months ago, my teen boys love mocking everyone they hear saying "processeez," "biaseez" etc. from teachers, politicians, other podcasters etc. It's ubiquitous!

Oct 25th
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Margaret Gardner

ummm...? Miss Marlene is a great song but it's Donald Fagen solo, not Steely Dan.

Aug 4th
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Margaret Gardner

yay! I love steely Dan! unexpected. I have always heard about this podcast, finally checked it out, and wouldn't ("would you not") you know it... My favorite band!

Aug 4th
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Mary Martinson

You are only the second person besides myself Ive known to say we should get rid of apostrophes altogether. I've been saying it for years. My son says we should hang out haha.

Jul 1st
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Arielle Niss

LOVE this show. I always learn so much from it. Feel like i need a pen and paper to keep track of the lessons.

Jun 10th
Reply

Emma Gore-Lloyd

I've never commented on a podcast before but I feel I have to with this one. This is the first ep I've listed to of lexicon Valley, as I love languages and have studied linguistics, and love to get more. I was really excited when I came across this podcast. I'm confused - the details say that McWhorter is a linguist. But this ep is just rambling beliefs and speculation with a very weak argument, and on top of that completely neglects to factor in a key point (maybe he gets there later, I'm afraid I gave up at daffy duck). The formality theory is interesting, but surely the first thing to note is that words ending in - sis, pl. - ses come from Greek (not Latin as Mcwhorter says) ? Process comes from Latin. You can't compare words ending - sis with words ending - vis and mise! Etymology is key to understanding how English works. Secondly, Mcwhorter isn't using the concept of formality in the way that linguists use it. Thirdly, I'm not really sure how the syllable-number theory is releva

Jun 5th
Reply
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