EPISODE · Nov 25, 2025 · 59 MIN
Dan and Michael Ruin the Economy (feat. Steve Black): Car-price delusion, medieval rec letters, and the AI rat with the huge penis.
from People Stuff · host anthropology podcast, car price inflation, why do cars cost so much, millennial finances, sorority consultants, letters of recommendation advice, first generation college advice, academic publishing crisis, AI in academia, job quitting etiquette, workplace culture podcast, emotional economy, Michael Powell, Steve Black anthropology, Dan Souleles
We’re joined by Steve Black, linguistic and medical anthropologist at Georgia State University, whose work spans ethics, care, Zulu gospel choirs, Indigenous youth in Costa Rica, and global health discourse.In this episode:🚗 Why millennials think a new car should cost exactly $30k🧮 Inflation as a vibe, not a natural law👑 Letters of recommendation: the medieval patronage system we somehow still use🏛️ First-generation students & the unwritten rules of academia🤖 Why academic publishing is drowning in AI slop (and rat genitals)🧑💼 How to quit your job without burning your whole life down🏃♀️ Why tech workers accidentally work two jobs at onceAnthropology: because the economy is mostly feelings. That’s it for this week’s People Stuff — the show where two anthropologists try (and sometimes fail) to make sense of people.If you’ve got a question, a dilemma, or just something deeply weird about humanity you’d like us to unpack, send it our way at people-stuff.com CreditsProduced by Gabe BullardMusic by The Endless BummerArt by Siobhan HeneganMarketing by Bryan HautLegal support by The Law Office of Matthew Shayefar, the one true business uncle.You can also sign up for our newsletter, drop us a voice memo, or become a Friend of People Stuff — which is our fancy way of saying you get to support the show and we get to keep talking about dust, dads, and late capitalism.So go to people-stuff.com
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What this episode covers
This week, Dan and Michael accidentally dismantle the U.S. economy with the help of linguistic anthropologist Steve Black. We talk about why everyone thinks a new car should cost $30k (it shouldn’t), why letters of recommendation are medieval hazing rituals, and why quitting your job feels like a moral test instead of a labor decision. Plus: sorority-rush consultants, academic-publishing slop, and a brief cameo from an AI-generated rat with an alarming anatomy. People Stuff: because the economy is just vibes in a spreadsheet.
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Dan and Michael Ruin the Economy (feat. Steve Black): Car-price delusion, medieval rec letters, and the AI rat with the huge penis.
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