PODCAST · society
Great Distraction
by Great Distraction
Join us as we discuss life's great distractions from an introspective and creative point of view. In each episode we focus on a new and interesting topic and let the conversation flow! We hope that every episode leaves you with, if nothing else, something to ponder!
Episodes
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86 - Where From Here?
Viral disease, pandemic, racism, police brutality, rioting, elections, crazy economy! With all this madness going on we thought it time to sit down and have a chat about where this all might be heading. What difference will all this make in the end? We are also celebrating our two year…
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85 - Illusions - Freedom
In this addition to our Illusions series we discuss the illusion of freedom. How free are we really in this country? And how real is freedom as a general concept? We take a session to discuss the reality of freedom and some of the constraining factors of it in our society, culture and country.
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84 - Life Transitions
From finishing school, getting married and having kids to career changes, retirement and everything in between we go through a lot of life altering transitions throughout our existence. We thought we'd have us a chat about some of the more common ones and a couple not so common ones and discuss…
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83 - Apocalypse
It seems like every generation in this country has had their own unique fear of some coming apocalypse. Be it nuclear war, EMPs, disease, religious dooms, communists, or zombies, there seems to have never been a shortage of ways to keep us distracted and afraid. We discuss a few of these fear...
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82 - Sexual Normalcy
Why are some sexual behaviors normal to us and others taught to be horrible or shameful? Why are some accepted in society while others perceived as taboo? We talk about how society defines for us our sexual behaviors and how such definition is and has been different in different places and times....
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81 - American Internment Camps
During World War II millions of people all over the world were ripped from their homes and placed by force into internment camps. We usually only hear about the Jewish internment camps in Germany, but actually there were internment camps everywhere including right here in the United States. In…
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80 - Sex - Art vs Porn
In another addition to our series on Sex, we ponder the gray area between art and pornography and how that line has thinned and skewed over the last few decades. These changes have greatly affected how we see sex and how it ties into various mediums of art. What used to pass for an R rating is…
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79 - Human Life Expectancy
Human beings are living longer than ever before and it appears the trend of average life expectancy is only going to continue rising. What's causing this trend and are we actually living healthier or just longer? How long can humans really live? And why do woman live longer than men? Lot's to…
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78 - Television
Where in the world would we be without the TV??? We consume soooo much of it! Latest stats show the average American consumes almost FOUR hours A DAY! Yeah you know we had to sit down and discuss this one! Enjoy!
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77 - Personal Hygiene
Think you're clean? Are you sure?! Who told you were clean? More importantly but not pondered as often, who told you that you were dirty in the first place?! In this episode we discuss the seemingly simple concept of personal hygiene and where some of the most common perceptions of cleanliness...
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75 - Illusions - Morality
Is morality real? Or is it just based on a given time period and geographical location? And if that's the case, what is it actually worth and how does it differ from ethics? We go a little more philosophical in this episode and discuss concepts that have plagued the rulers of mankind for…
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74 - Gender Fluidity
The times they are a-changin'. And it seems that even genders can't escape the change. These days genders are a hot topic and with advances in medicine over the years people have options now that are quickly becoming more accessible. Some folks have even opted to go with no gender. Some, to…
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73 - Maker Culture
What is the Maker Culture? We have talked quite a few times before about how important we feel it is to have productive outlets. Be it hobbies or artistic endeavors we are firm believers that giving oneself a creative outlet leads to a happier and healthier mind. Maker Culture is just that. It...
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72 - Taboo - Profanity
Adding to our Taboo series, this time around we cover the taboo nature of profanity. Yes, you know, that colorful language you use around your friends but hide from your co-workers or perhaps your family. We discuss why profanity exists and where it might have come from. And of course we have…
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71 - Credit Cards
Cumulatively we Americans are in a MOUNTAIN of credit card debt! As a nation thick with consumerism we've all got 'em, and we all use 'em! Because we've all gotta have things we can't afford and want them now! Even if that APR is 30% or more! We take a moment to step back and ask how all this…
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70 - Altered States - Marijuana
Continuing our Altered States series, we add the next episode in line which focuses on Marijuana. It's a hot topic these days and one that a majority of the population can relate to We figured it would be an easy next step in this category. Get ready though as this is our longest single episode...
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69 - Origin of Common Phrases
Ever told someone a "rule of thumb" or to have a little "hair of the dog" to cure that hangover? Or perhaps told them to go "balls to the wall" and win that competition "hands down"? Have you ever wondered where phrases like this come from and what they referenced? Well we dedicated an entire...
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68 - Taboo - Tattoos
Adding another topic to our Taboo series, we have a talk about where tattoos fit in the view of today's American society. During the last few decades a lot has changed with respect to the general populations opinions of body art. Be it in beauty in the modeling industry or professionalism in the...
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67 - Loneliness of Humanity
Human beings are lonely creatures. There is an intrinsic sense of solitude that lies in all of us. It is this part of the human condition that we base this discussion on. How and why we as a species are we alone? Is it our nature or do we nurture this into ourselves? What would happen if we found...
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66 - Gender Equality
So where do the genders sit these days with respect to our differences in society? In this episode we cover how such a question is measured and talk a bit about some areas of society that are often hot points of debate in the media. As always we try and keep our discussion as unbiased as a group…
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65 - Plastic Water Bottles
Americans are currently throwing away 22 billion plastic water bottles every year. That's just Americans and that's just water bottles. Which barely touches on the vast topic that is humanities over use and wastefulness of plastic. But in this episode we discuss how much bottled water we drink,...
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64 - Sleep
What is sleep and why does it feel like most of the time we can never get enough of it? Why do we even need it at all? And why do we fight it even though it makes us feel worse? So many simple questions about something we all spend a third of our lives doing. In this episode we discuss this...
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63 - Taboo - Sex
Another new series we're adding to our topics list will focus on subjects that are considered "taboo" in our society. We'll be kicking off this series with the topic of our first episode being on one of the oldest taboos in our culture; sex. We've always found it perplexing why one of the most...
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62 - Addiction - Coffee
Starting up another new series for us, this one dealing with addiction and various substances and behaviors that are or can become addictive. Our first step into this series deals with what is for many, actually a two part addiction. Coffee, among other ingredients, contains two addictive...
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61 - Sex - VR and Tech
Introducing another new series for us where we discuss topics related to sex. We kick off our first episode in this series covering an interesting relationship that is growing between sex toys and an emerging technology called virtual reality. The sex toy and porn industry have both seen a lot of...
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60 - Altered States - Alcohol
This is the first episode of a new series for us called "Altered States" and we kick it off with discussing a very common drug in America, alcohol. Using a standard format we cover background on the drug, its effects both good and bad, why people use it, how society views it and finally some...
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59 - Mail Order Brides
Lonely? Having trouble meeting that special someone in your town/city/state/country? Have you considered looking abroad? Have you considered... a mail order bride? Since the 1800's American men have imported wives from all over the world. It's an industry. We take a look into the modern…
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58 - Illusions - Security
How safe are we really? From the TSA and home alarm systems to locks on doors and our money in banks, what really is "safe"? We take a look as some areas of life that are commonly thought to be secure and pick apart the reality of what is and isn't. Then we discuss who stands to gain from our...
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57 - Conspiracy Theories - Flat Earth
We kick off the first of our "series" topics with one from our Conspiracy Theory series. The belief that the Earth is actually flat seems to be gaining in popularity. The number of followers is increasing and the views on videos and social media are in the millions now. We discuss what the theory...
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56 - Blue Gold
Water has become the new gold. Large corporations are draining aquifers as fast as they can to sell it back to us at a high markup. In some cases its left entire towns without fresh water. No this isn't happening in third world countries, it is going on right here in the US. If you haven't heard...
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55 - Hunting
Hunting and to a lesser extent fishing have gotten hit hard in society lately due to a lot of negative viral posts going around social media in the last couple of years. A lot of people don't realize actually how important hunting and fishing are to our world. Both in actually keeping animal...
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54 - Winning the Lottery
Something everyone fantasizes about at some point in their life: what would you do if you won the lottery? Be nice to find out for sure if money really can buy happiness! We sit down and have a chat about past lottery winners and how it affected their lives as well as what's recommended to do...
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53 - Transhumans
Defined as an international philosophical movement that advocates for the transformation of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology, transhumanism can seem to be a bit far fetched at first glance.…
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52 - Marijuana Prohibition
Now that the legalization of marijuana has become something of a trend across the U.S., we take an episode to consider why it was even illegal in the first place and comment on how much has changed since first medical and now recreational legalization. Cannabis has an interesting past in our...
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51 - Poverty In America
In this episode we discuss the current conditions of poverty in America and take a look at some stats that give a clearer picture of how bad it currently is. We also talk about what efforts are being done to reduce the levels and help those in need.
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50 - California
We celebrate our 50th episode and we dedicate it to a conversation about California!
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49 - Microchips in Humans
Implants in humans. Why not? We use them in our pets. They could make life so much more convenient by tying us closer to social media, allowing secure access to buildings at work our homes and our cars, and eliminate the need to carry credit cards. They could also help create the ground work for…
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48 - Carry Less
How often do we take an opportunity to step back and take a look at all the things we carry with us everyday? Do we notice the unnecessary burdens we bear on a day to day basis that weigh us down and hold us back? In this episode we discuss the concept of lightening ones load in life starting…
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47 - Privatized Prisons
The US imprisons more people that any other country in the world. By a large amount. As a result prisons have become a huge industry and private companies for years worked hard to get in on some of the action. In 1982 they succeeded, and ever since then their numbers and power have been…
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46 - Hobbies
Do you have a hobby? Do you have too many hobbies? From outdoor activities like sports or exercise to reading, making music or crafting creative projects, there are many things we do in our leisure time that bring us joy and a sense of accomplishment. We sat down and discussed what hobbies are or...
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45 - Emotions
What are our emotions really? Do they actually exist? Why do we put so much value on them? If picked apart, can we manipulate them? We ask a few simple questions in this episode about the nature and value of a part of our psyche that affects us everyday. Do our emotions control us, or do we…
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44 - Homelessness - Part II
Part 2 of last weeks topic. How bad is the level of homelessness currently in our country? What are the stats and what's being done about it? If you happen to live in a city with a dense population it can seem that the homeless problem is very bad. These days it is definitely a media and…
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43 - Homelessness - Part I
How bad is the level of homelessness currently in our country? What are the stats and what's being done about it? If you happen to live in a city with a dense population it can seem that the homeless problem is very bad. These days it is definitely a media and political hot point in many cities…
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42 - Owning Pets
Why do we have pets? What do they do for us? What about the ones that can't be cuddled or pet such as scorpions or emus? Or how about the age old debate of dogs vs cats? We thought it might be fun to discuss what it is about animals that humans like so much and why we feel the need to keep them…
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41 - Title Me Entitled
Millennials catch a lot of negative press in our society. From being self-centered and narcissistic to being lazy and entitled. It's lead some to call them the "Entitled Generation". We thought it might be interesting to discuss why this opinion came about and how much fact there is to the…
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40 - No Tech for Kids?
Early on as tablet and smartphone devices began hitting mainstream consumers there was a good amount of backlash from the science community and even tech leaders regarding usage by small children. Silicon Valley moguls were quoted stating they limit or do not allow their children to use mobile...
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39 - Legality of Suicide
It is a common misconception that suicide is illegal. However that doesn't mean it's exactly legal either. Even assisted suicides aren't always an option even if legalized in a given state. Despite it being a generally dark tone in our society, we make an attempt to look at it from a different...
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38 - Retro Gaming Resurgence
As the kids from the 80's grow older the nostalgia grows stronger for the games played in youth. Retro gaming has become a huge market and has even spawned new age 8-bit themed games that have blown up with both new and old gamers. We talk about how this has shaped the market and remember the…
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37 - Music
Why do we listen to music? What does it really do for us and why is it so universally loved by humanity? In this episode we talk about what listening to music means to us as well as some interesting biological reasons why we might be predisposed to enjoying music.
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36 - Social Credit Systems
Imagine a world where everything a person does is rated with a numbering system and all those numbers are weighted and combined to create one primary score. Now imagine that score becomes every humans ranking in society and you are allowed or not allowed access to services or places based on that...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join us as we discuss life's great distractions from an introspective and creative point of view. In each episode we focus on a new and interesting topic and let the conversation flow! We hope that every episode leaves you with, if nothing else, something to ponder!
HOSTED BY
Great Distraction
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Great Distraction have?
Great Distraction currently has 85 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Great Distraction about?
Join us as we discuss life's great distractions from an introspective and creative point of view. In each episode we focus on a new and interesting topic and let the conversation flow! We hope that every episode leaves you with, if nothing else, something to ponder!
How often does Great Distraction release new episodes?
Great Distraction has 85 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Great Distraction?
You can listen to Great Distraction on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Great Distraction?
Great Distraction is created and hosted by Great Distraction.
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