Mansplaining

Send us Fan MailSo much has been written and said about how to live a meaningful life. It’s been the pursuit of philosophers for millennia, a central focus of psychology for the last century and a half, and a recurring topic of TED Talks online, not to mention a profit center for the vast self-help industrial complex. The sheer volume of information is dizzying. Luckily, you’ve got Mansplaining to extract the juice from that oversized lemon. Joe and Mark discuss  the three core pillars of meaningfulness and whether they’re consonant with personal achievement while offering some tips for making our lives more meaningful.

Send us Fan MailIn the wake of the Supreme Court’s disemboweling of the Voting Rights Act, many (former?) Confederate states are redistricting away Black members of Congress who aren’t Republicans. We seem to have entered a golden age of gerrymandering, the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to create an unfair advantage for a specific political party.  Mark and Joe investigate the checkered history of gerrymandering, consider some philosophical concepts explaining the decision to gerrymander, and ponder whether it’s worse than ever before.

Send us Fan MailYou’ve probably heard of the Doomsday Clock. It’s the clock whose hands move closer to midnight every time humanity is judged to be closer to annihilation. A few months ago, it inched a tiny bit closer to midnight. Mark wondered whether this phenomenon was akin to how the news media incessantly reports on bad things so as to boost their audience, so he asked Joe about who makes the Clock-setting decisions and whether they serve any real purpose other than generating alarming headlines. Joe and Mark recount the history of the Doomsday Clock, what its creators were trying to accomplish, and whether its impact has been useful or counterproductive.

Send us Fan MailIt is thought that somewhere in Eurasia during the Late Pleistocene, an intrepid pack of gray wolves made a fateful decision to approach a human campfire seeking scraps. From that humble beginning was forged a love affair for the ages. But why that animal, and how to explain the incredible bond that emerged between dogs and humanity?  Mark and Joe trace the history of how dogs and people co-evolved to become such reliable and trusted companions, and what accounts for the hold that dogs have on so many of us today.

Send us Fan MailThe media images we see of conservative politicians and voters depict people who are angry, fearful, and full of suspicion and outrage. So, why does study after study suggest that there’s a measurable happiness gap between conservatives and liberals, with liberals on the short end of that gap? Joe and Mark examine the measures of happiness that comprise this consensus, explore whether self-reporting one’s life satisfaction is a reliable gauge of happiness, and wade into the fierce debate over why the data says what it says.

Send us Fan MailThough the truly horrific COVID-19 pandemic, which killed 1.2 million Americans and many millions more worldwide, is barely in the rear-view mirror, public health authorities keep telling us the next pandemic is inevitable. Joe wondered how inevitable, and he asked Mark whether it’s likely to happen in our lifetimes and why pandemics seem to occur with greater frequency these days. Mark and Joe review the historical context of pandemics past and contemplate how the next pandemic’s lethality will be determined not so much by the pathogen’s biology as by the human environment we’ve built for it to move through.

Send us Fan MailIn our post-truth era, perhaps it’s not surprising that a growing number of people say they believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the Earth is flat. Mark struggled to understand how anyone can believe this, so he asked Joe to get inside the head of a flat-earther and explain how someone might come to that way of thinking. Joe and Mark discuss the modern history of the Flat Earth movement, the three things that appear to motivate such beliefs, and how it helps to replace condescension and derision with empathy and understanding. 

Send us Fan MailImagine producing a podcast with well over a hundred episodes, soliciting feedback after every episode, receiving dozens of comments and questions, and then sitting on them for nearly six years. Guilty as charged! After being derelict in their duty for far too long, the Mansplaining co-hosts finally dip into a deep mailbag to read listener  comments and questions. Among other things, listeners were curious about the series name and logo, the “lost” first episode, and all the topic-appropriate songs they’ve been hearing lately. Mark and Joe expound on those subjects and also respond to meatier comments from listeners who disagree with them about particular topics. (Recorded March 6, 2026.)

Send us Fan MailGambling is having a moment. Not only have a majority of states legalized sports betting since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in 2018, but prediction markets have also enjoyed explosive growth in the last few years. With huge amounts of money being wagered on everything from which turkey President Trump would pardon on Thanksgiving to whether all twelve singles from Taylor Swift’s new album would make the charts, it sure seems as if we’re betting on EVERYTHING. Mark and Joe discuss the betting public’s changing demographics, what all that wagering is doing to all those bettors, and why gambling’s newfound ubiquity is not a winning bet for America. (Recorded February 20, 2026.)

Send us Fan MailMillions of Americans associate the number 65 with the end of their working years and the start of what they hope is a long and pleasant retirement. But why 65, as opposed to younger, older, or never? Joe and Mark trace the history of social insurance programs, including the American and European precursors to Social Security; discuss how and why 65 became the magic number; and ponder whether full retirement age (which is now 67 in the U.S.), benefit levels, or payroll tax revenues will have to change to accommodate increases in life expectancy. (Recorded February 6, 2026.)

Send us Fan MailThere’s a strong anti-intellectual vibe running through American politics and culture. It’s visible in MAGA’s ongoing assault against the administrative state, in the growing distrust of educational institutions, and in anti-vaccine sentiment—the last of which started as a left-wing movement before being coopted by the right.  It’s so palpable today that it makes you wonder what the proper role of expertise in a democracy might be. Mark and Joe plumb the history of this tension, the spectrum of positions it produced, and how experts’ recent missteps fanned the flames of distrust in an already skeptical populace. (Recorded January 23, 2026.)

Send us Fan MailThe fact that the heavy drama The Bear has won Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series speaks volumes about how the industry values drama in comparison to comedy. Indeed, the last time a real comedy film won the Best Picture Oscar was 1977, nearly a half-century ago. Why do critics think dark material is so much better than light? Joe and Mark explore the long history of this cultural bias, why it’s important to think about who’s making such determinations, and whether great comedy will ever receive the recognition it deserves. (Recorded January 9, 2026.)

Send us Fan MailFor Mansplaining’s 6th annual holiday episode, we examine the holiday music that gets played endlessly, in our homes and everywhere we go, at this time of year.  What makes a holiday song good? Which songs resonate for Mark and Joe, and why? And which can we do without? For us, at least, the best holiday songs not only feature strong melodies well sung and played, but they also forge emotional connections in our lives, whereas the worst holiday songs are nothing more than crass attempts to make a buck. (Recorded December 20, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailPsychoactive substances have been ingested by human beings for millennia. But for a few decades at the end of the 20th century, many were banned in the U.S. as part of a cultural backlash manifesting itself in the disastrous War on Drugs. Now that’s slowly changing, as the medical industrial complex reconsiders the use of psychedelic drugs like MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD for treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders, and much more. Joe and Mark discuss the history of psychedelics, their therapeutic use in psychotherapy, and why they might be game changers for the many people for whom existing treatments and medications just don’t work. (Taping date: December 5, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailA few years ago, we all started hearing about how gas ranges, which have been popular in our country for at least a century and are favored by professional chefs, were dangerous to our health and should be replaced by electric or induction cooktops. That revelation begs a couple of obvious questions about how such an unsafe appliance became so ubiquitous in the first place, and why we’re only hearing about its dangers now. Mark and Joe recount how natural gas became the go-to power source in our kitchens, how Big Gas suppressed safety concerns in a way that would make Big Tobacco proud, and what we can do to mitigate the perils of cooking with gas. (Recorded November 7, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailBack in its early days, this podcast explored the cultural and economic juggernaut that is Christmas. Time now to take a gander at Halloween. It’s unique among American holidays in that it’s neither religious nor patriotic nor sentimental, yet it’s hugely and increasingly popular for kids and grown-ups alike. How did that come to be? Attention, trick-or-treaters—Joe and Mark leave this sweet offering for you: a tale about how Halloween’s centuries-long metamorphosis from pagan festival to secular holiday embodies America’s boundless power to assimilate seemingly contradictory cultural traditions and make them its own. (Recorded October 24, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailOvershadowed by all the anti-immigrant rhetoric afflicting our country today are wonderful stories of non-human immigration, such as the ones about how certain foods made their way from the New World to the Old World. Take potatoes and tomatoes, for example. They’re staples of Irish and Italian cuisine, respectively, but neither was native to those countries—both originated in the Americas. Mark and Joe tell the story of how these two hardy pioneers with humble roots in Mesoamerica came to dominate European cuisine. Like that of modern-day human migrants, their road to acceptance was a bumpy one full of fear, suspicion, and misinformation with some tasty twists and turns along the way. (Recorded October 3, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailBased on recent proclamations from the MAGA government and the zealotry that some of its partisans have for the American flag, you’d never guess that flag worship was really not a thing in the United States for a very long time. Most Americans in the first half of the 19th century had little to no knowledge of the Stars and Stripes; that is, until the Civil War changed everything. Joe and Mark discuss Old Glory’s journey from military banner to object of near-religious veneration and how that history informs the flag-related controversies we see today.

Send us Fan MailYou may have noticed that there are a lot of very old people clinging to positions of authority, from our current president (79 years old) to our former president (82 when he left office) to other leaders in politics, business, and culture. Why won’t these folks leave the stage and let their younger colleagues step into power? Is this state of affairs good or bad for our society? Mark and Joe trace the history of gerontocracy, its role in feeding the alienation of younger generations, and what we might do to mitigate its deleterious effects. (Recorded August 29, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailIn The Social Contract, the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau suggested that democracy was feasible only in smaller polities where the citizens have shared common interests. What might Rousseau have to say about the current-day United States, with its sprawling national government and a citizenry that can’t even agree on basic facts? Joe and Mark revisit their college classrooms to discuss Rousseau’s concept of the general will, whether it’s achievable in a large country, or whether local politics provides its only true expression. (Recorded August 15, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailWhen visiting a few cemeteries recently, Joe was struck by how clean and well-maintained but desolately empty they were. That prompted him to ask Mark about the economic viability of cemeteries and whether they were becoming relics of a bygone age as increasing numbers of people opted for cremation. Mark and Joe discuss the history of cemeteries and prospects for the mortuary industry. Turns out it isn’t just whistling past the graveyard to think that our repositories for death can be repurposed to serve modern life. (Recorded August 1, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailWater seems to many of us like an unlimited resource, what with oceans covering 71% of the Earth’s surface. But less than 3% of the world’s water is fresh, and nearly a third of that is groundwater, found deep beneath the surface in aquifers between soil and rock. Many of the world’s aquifers are drying up as we over-pump them for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial uses. Does the depletion of groundwater pose an existential threat to humanity? Joe and Mark slosh around in the many uses (and abuses) of groundwater, which aquifers are under strain, why we’ve allowed that to happen, and what we can do to replenish them. (Recorded July 17, 2025).

Send us Fan MailWhat do the following household items have in common: A jar of aspirin; a tube of toothpaste; a clear plastic bottle; a package of KN-95 masks? Answer: they all expire on a certain date. Indeed, our homes are full of stuff we’re supposed to throw away long before we’re done with it. But do these products truly go bad, or are their producers planning their obsolescence so you’ll buy them again and again? Don’t mind Mark and Joe as they forage through your medicine cabinet, pantry, and hall closet to demystify expiration dates once and for all. (Recorded July 3, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailFor decades, American suburbia has resembled one continuous green lawn stretching across property boundaries in every direction. Indeed, lawns are part of the fabric of American life. When was it that we all decided to put grass around our homes, and why? Joe and Mark ramble through America’s iconic yardscape to dig up the history of grassy lawns, why they took hold here, and whether recent anti-lawn proclivities will eventually take root or be RoundedUp and killed like yesterday’s crabgrass. (Recorded June 13, 20025.)

Send us Fan MailBullet trains have been a major component of transit systems in places like Japan, China, and Europe for decades. Why hasn’t high-speed rail taken root in the supposedly forward-thinking United States? Mark and Joe set off on a journey of discovery through issues like inadequate infrastructure, population density, and the usual economic and political obstacles before reaching its terminus in America’s ongoing, dysfunctional love affair with cars.  Daunting as these challenges are, there’s still a way forward, if we have the will to get there (a big if). (Recorded May 30, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailTo meet the increased demand for carbon-free electricity that might mitigate the climate crisis that is already upon us, nations the world over are reconsidering nuclear energy.  Mansplaining listeners of a certain age remember the No Nukes movement that gained steam after frightening meltdowns at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.  What they may not realize is that nuclear power remains an important piece of the world’s energy portfolio.  Joe and Mark assess nuclear’s risk profile to determine whether it’s part of the problem or part of the solution. (Recorded May 11, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailRecent estimates are that the United States has a shortage of housing volume of 4-7 million homes. A problem of that scale doesn’t happen overnight and involves decades of neglect and inaction.  With the chronic lack of housing likely to be a major issue for the foreseeable future, public policy experts have been brainstorming about potential solutions, and a few have dusted off an idea that’s older than the Republic: a tax on the value of land without regard to the buildings and other property improvements on it.  Mark and Joe trace the history of the land-value tax, the difficulty of implementing it, and whether it can be part of the solution to our housing crisis. (Recorded April 18, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailLike its cousin AGI, quantum computing, which harnesses the quantum states of subatomic particles to perform impossibly difficult computations at lightning speed, is a new-ish technology that many of its proselytizers believe is thisclose to reality.  The “quantum supremacy” of this new technology over classical computing promises stunning breakthroughs in areas as disparate as drug development, materials science, weather forecasting, and cybersecurity. Is it for real, though? Joe and Mark discuss the coming quantum revolution, the ways it’s likely to change our lives, and whether it’ll arrive quickly enough to be the subject of a future episode of Mansplaining. (Recorded March 28, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailThe New York Yankees’ recent relaxation of half-century-old rules about facial hair got Joe to thinking about dress and codes generally.  Why do they exist?  Where do they come from?  Mark takes Joe on a historical tour of dress codes, from ancient Rome and China through medieval Europe and Tudor England, ending in the modern era of school uniforms and casual Fridays.  As our heroes discover, attire-related restrictions are less about affirming people than about keeping them in place, serving as effective instruments of social or class control—and sometimes symbols of resistance. (Recorded March 14, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailYou know them by their brand names, like Ozempic, Trulicity, or Mounjaro. They're the GLP-1 receptor agonists that were originally formulated for Type 2 diabetes but have caused a revolution in the treatment of weight loss. As more research rolls in, they’re also looking like game-changers for treating conditions as far-ranging as heart disease, dementia, and substance use disorders. Do they represent a medical breakthrough on the level of penicillin, or are they too good to be true? Joe and Mark review the pros and cons and consider how some things in life can be truly double-edged swords. (Recorded February 28, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailState lotteries are a 12-figure business in the US of A. Americans spend more money on lottery tickets than on books, video games, recorded music, movie and sports tickets combined. Of course, lottery revenue is allocated to public goods like schools and parks, but it’s a double-edged sword, as lotteries are disproportionately funded by the poorest third of households, i.e., the people who can least afford them. Mark takes Joe through the checkered history of lotteries, their pros and cons, and the role they might play in the lives of all those people who trade their hard-earned dollar for an elusive dream. 

Send us Fan MailHere are a couple sobering numbers: The typical American has only $8,000 in the bank, and the median savings for the age cohort approaching retirement is only $120,000. Neither is anywhere close to adequate. Might a fiscal cliff be approaching for millions of retirees? Joe and Mark do a deep dive into the scary numbers outlining Americans’ financial distress and declining optimism about the future, consider some reasons how and why we became so uniquely bad at saving, and ponder whether this phenomenon is something new or simply a return to the perilous days of yore. (Recorded January 31, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailYou’ve probably used a map app like Google Maps, Apple Maps or Waze to help you get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible.  But did you ever wonder how they work?  Did you ever wonder whether we should slavishly follow their directions or be skeptical and consider external factors like our own prior driving experience?  Well, wonder no more.  Mark and Joe take the fastest route that starts with paper maps, brings them past an obscure  mathematician’s brilliant idea, stops for gas to consider the wonders of GPS and crowdsourcing, and arrives at the destination of Clarityville (population: you). (Recorded January 16, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailThe year 2024 brought more than its share of misfortune to your Mansplaining co-hosts, what with the double whammy of layoffs and a terrible election result.  But in the spirit of turning the page to the New Year, Mark asked Joe what he’s feeling good about in 2025 and beyond, from multiple perspectives (personally, locally, nationally, and internationally). With hopefulness in short supply, Joe soldiered on with some reasons to be cheerful, but it soon became apparent that a more expansive, proactive definition of "hope" was in order. (Recorded January 3, 2025.)

Send us Fan MailIn continuation of a Mansplaining tradition of holiday-themed conversations, Mark and Joe consider how we might heal our deepening political rupture and bring peace to a divided nation.  It’s a daunting task that may take years, if it happens at all.  Making it happen involves redressing the loneliness and isolation wrought by a decades-long breakdown in civic trust.  Government has a role to play, but mostly it requires individuals to turn away from the purveyors of fear and disunion, listen to our fellow citizens, and plant the seeds of hope in a jaded body politic. (Recorded December 20, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailThose of us above a certain age remember that flying didn’t used to be such an ordeal.  Once upon a time, people enjoyed flights that had comfortable seating, decent food, and no extra fees for checked bags.  Might the coming technological innovations restore some of the fun in flying?  In a special bonus segment and addendum to Episode 101, Joe and Mark look back at the good old days of air travel, then look ahead to what the near future might hold. (Recorded December 6, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailThe bankruptcy filing of Spirit Airlines underscores the existential problem for air carriers.  After driving many of its competitors out of business with its no-frills model of below-cost fares, bare-bones service, and nuisance fees, Spirit still couldn’t make a profit.  How did we get to a place where the only thing shrinking faster than the number of airlines still in business is the amount of legroom in their cabins?  Joe and Mark tell the fateful story of air travel, in which the one-two punch of deregulation and September 11th led to a TKO of airlines and passengers alike. (Recorded December 6, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailAfter considering why companies run out of ideas in our last episode, Joe put the same question to Mark about why so many of our favorite pop and rock music artists seem to run out of ideas.  Mark and Joe ponder whether this is a real phenomenon, and if so, what might cause it.  Turns out that early-career creativity is a complicated amalgam of neural plasticity, free time, and the commercial imperatives of a pop music industry that skews young.  And yes, Clayton Christensen’s ideas about the innovator’s dilemma might also apply to musical innovation. (Recorded November 15, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailGoogle had quite a run, from its market-leading search engine to Gmail to the Android operating system.  For the longest time, it seemed like a veritable fount of innovation.  But in recent years, dogged by antitrust lawsuits, it looks less like a forward-thinking innovator and more like a tired dinosaur trying desperately to hold onto its piece of the profit pie.  Why does that same evolution happen to so many companies?  Looking for answers in Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma and its subsequent critiques, Joe and Mark discover that the modus operandi of established companies might be more about fear than anything else. (Recorded October 25, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailWhen the Supreme Court struck down race-conscious affirmative action programs, it conveniently left standing the legacy preferences employed by colleges and universities that are described by some as affirmative action for rich, white people. Is it fair that schools are now forced to ignore the race of their applicants but are still allowed to favor the children of wealthy alumni and donors?  Mark and Joe examine the history and impact of legacy admissions policies in American colleges and universities and consider the arguments that there are good reasons for retaining them. (Recorded October 4, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailEvery time the power goes out in Seattle, Mark wonders whether his city fell victim to malicious hackers.  It’s a legitimate concern, since bad actors have been messing with America’s energy systems for years.  But how credible is the threat of foreign hackers causing catastrophic damage to critical civilian infrastructure like our electrical grid and drinking water? Joe and Mark log into the wild and woolly world of infrastructure hacking and learn that it’s a two-way street, with the deterrent of “mutually assured computer disruption” awaiting anyone who goes too far. (Recorded September 17, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailThe CDC and Surgeon General recently released reports highlighting twin epidemics that are plaguing young people in our country.  For boys, it’s loneliness and social isolation; for girls, it’s persistent sadness and hopelessness.  Why are young people so sad and lonely?  Mark and Joe discuss whether loneliness is inheritable, how much of the blame we can pin on the distorted view social media provides of reality, and how, in the land of plenty, we can help our kids get the one thing they need the most: human connection. (Recorded September 6, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailIt’s been said that fusion power is 20 years away, and always will be.  Why is it taking so long?  Well, it turns out that generating temperatures as hot as the sun is hard to do here on Earth, as is controlling the fusion reaction so it doesn’t vaporize everything it touches. Joe and Mark ponder these and other challenges to producing fusion energy, and whether any of us is likely to live long enough to see it become part of a carbon-free electrical grid. (Recorded August 16, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailWho knew the Democratic Party was run by "childless cat ladies"?  JD Vance's rant has already garnered more than its share of well-deserved opprobrium.  But in Mansplaining's first-ever White-Hot Take, Joe takes aim at the right's weird obsession with fertility, what it means for American women, and why, like so many of the right's other weird obsessions, it's likely to end up in the dustbin of history.

Send us Fan MailThe Supreme Court’s recent controversial ruling about presidential immunity appears to rely on a shadowy notion of executive branch power called the unitary executive theory.  After gaining currency in conservative circles for decades, the unitary executive may now be poised to go from theory to reality, thanks to the right-wing SCOTUS supermajority.  Mark and Joe trace the theory’s lineage, whether evidence for it exists in our founding documents, and the implications of its newfound legitimacy. (Recorded July 26, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailIt wasn’t so long ago that human fertility was likened to a ticking time bomb, with overpopulation leading to famine and ecological collapse.  More recently, we’ve heard that declining fertility rates are the real problem, bringing forth a shrinking workforce and economic ruin.  Is negative population growth something to worry about? Joe and Mark examine demographic history and trends, what declining fertility means for women and children, why the Goldilocks “just right” level of fertility is unsustainable, and whether that’s a problem for humanity. (Recorded July 12, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailFor decades, Americans have moved south chasing cheaper homes and better weather.  But after years of unremitting heat and more frequent hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods that have disproportionately devastated those destinations, you might wonder whether people start moving back whence they came.  In a follow-up to Episode 74 (The Weather Forecast is Calamitous), Mark and Joe assess the likelihood that a reverse migration of displaced climate refugees will happen anytime soon. (Recorded June 28, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailJust as colleges are finally being forced to pay their long-exploited student-athletes commensurate with the revenue they generate for their schools, we’re beginning to hear about private equity firms investing in college sports programs.  Joe and Mark give it the old college try in analyzing the implications of this development on college athletics specifically and higher education generally (hint: they ain’t good). (Recorded June 14, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailOver the past several years, bail reform laws—changes to the criminal legal system to reduce unnecessary pretrial detention, especially for non-violent offenses—were implemented in jurisdictions throughout the country, and many advocates for criminal justice reform welcomed these changes as long overdue.  There ensued a backlash, howerver, in which conservatives blamed recent increases in crime on bail reform and claimed it led to a rash of opportunistic recidivism by folks who should have been behind bars pending trial.  But did bail reform really cause an uptick in crime?  Mark and Joe separate the facts from the hyperventilation. (Recorded May 25, 2024.)

Send us Fan MailNeuralink, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology startup, recently live-streamed footage of a paralyzed man with a brain implant playing video chess using only his mind.  According to Musk, that’s just one of many medical applications for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).  But it is BCI’s non-medical applications that are generating controversy among ethicists, in the way they aspire to create a symbiosis between people and AI meant to keep humanity from falling too far behind machines.  Joe and Mark assess the state of BCI technology and whether the coming age of human-computer hybrids is cause for excitement, trepidation, or both. (Recorded May 10, 2024.)