PODCAST · society
Reflector
by Longview
We investigate the surprising stories behind the most fascinating debates and pressing issues facing society today. By looking into how we got here, we aim to understand more deeply where we may be headed next.
Episodes
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Street Fight Part III: Can We End It?
Everyone agrees that street homelessness is a problem to solve. But that’s where the agreement ends. Today, we explore the two camps that think they’ve found an answer — one that argues for more resources and the other that argues for more rule of law. THIS EPISODE FEATURES: Iain De Jong, Stephen...
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Street Fight Part II: Cruel & Unusual
Homelessness today looks very different than it did in the 1980s, when American cities first woke up to this crisis. Today, we explore the legal battles that turned survival outside into a constitutional question. You can hear the full series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by...
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Street Fight Part I: Hobos, Bums, and the Homeless
What we call “homelessness” is a relatively modern phenomenon. Today, we tell the story of its emergence and why, in the 1980s, one woman fought so fervently for her right to live on a New York City street corner. You can hear the full series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by...
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Book Keeper
Today on Reflector we are bringing you a very special episode from a new series that found its beginnings right here. It is called Book Keeper. Last year we released the episode Hallelujah, where Megan Phelps-Roper revisited the Bible to ask what still endures when belief is gone. That episode...
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Can Gambling Make Us Wiser?
Visit the Longview website to learn more and support our reporting Prediction markets have exploded from a niche financial concept into a multibillion-dollar industry — one that's reshaping how we understand information, trust, and the future. But as these markets promise to make us wiser —...
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To Snip or Not to Snip
Katie Herzog never planned to become a dog person and she definitely never planned to agonize over her goldendoodle's testicles. But when it came time to neuter Moose, she couldn't find a good answer to a simple question: why? What follows is a reported journey through canine bodily autonomy, the...
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Wetwear
What if the next great leap in computing wasn't made of silicon — but of living human brain cells? Reporter Greg Warner takes us inside the lab of Hon Weng Chong, an Australian computer engineer who has built a biological computer: a device that houses actual human neurons in a petri dish…
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Strange Bedfellows Part III: Backlash
The final chapter of Reflector’s tour of LGBTQ activism examines some of the controversies currently roiling society—starting with a look at one of the most contentious subjects in American history: sex education. With interviews with some of the minds behind the National Sex Education Standards,...
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Strange Bedfellows Part II: The Q
You can hear Part 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here Part two of Reflector’s dive into the LGBTQ+ movement picks up with the arrival of the Qs…and all that came after. Featuring interviews with prominent trans advocates and former leaders of…
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Strange Bedfellows Part I: When LGB met T
You can hear Part 2 and 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here Reflector goes gay with a three-part look at the movement known as LGBTQ. Episode one looks at how homosexuals went from being social outcasts in post-war America to the 21st century’s…
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Paid Protesters
From abolitionists to the Tea Party, accusations of “paid protesters” have shadowed American political movements for centuries. But what if the reality is more nuanced (and more interesting) than the talking points suggest? In this episode, Andy Mills sits down with Adam Swart, founder and CEO of...
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Propaganda of the Deed (Part 2)
Political tensions across the country continue to rise. Today, we spoke with protesters who believe the time for debate, peaceful protest, and civil disobedience has passed, asking what they think must now be done to defend their values. From the anti-ICE protests to the fans of Luigi Mangione…
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Propaganda of the Deed (Part 1)
As demonstrators openly debate whether violence is justified to resist the Trump administration, we step back to ask: Have we been here before? This episode traces a largely forgotten chapter of American history – from the Haymarket Riot to anarchist assassinations, government crackdowns, and the...
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The Hallelujah
After leaving the church that both defined and destroyed her family, Megan Phelps-Roper turned away from the Bible. In this episode, she returns to one of its dark tales to ask what still endures when belief is gone – and why some stories refuse to let us go. CREDITS: This episode of Reflector…
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The Last Invention
Listen to our new show The Last Invention Apple Spotify Order Katie Herzog’s new book: Drink Yourself Sober Sign up for our newsletter on Substack and become a Longview subscriber at our website. Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE GROUND.NEWS FIRE This is a paid sponsorship link.…
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Extra! Extra! We Have An Announcement
We are living through one of the most unpredictable periods in recent history. A time of profound, destabilizing social upheaval. A time of barely-imaginable technological advancements. A time of emerging new philosophies that will reshape the world around us (for better or for worse). And, it’s…
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Breaking USAID
Should the U.S. stop giving foreign aid? This is a question many have been asking long before Elon Musk and Donald Trump launched DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and began dismantling USAID and its work around the globe. Critics of foreign aid, like Bill Easterly, author of The White...
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A Nation of Immigrants Votes for Deportations
Despite its reputation among many on the political left, the United States has welcomed more immigrants than any other nation in history. Today, the U.S. is home to more immigrants than any other country in the world. Even amid a heated political battle over the future of immigration, it’s...
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Why Doesn't Anyone Trust The Media?
In the wake of the election results, many Democrats are doing some serious soul-searching (and a fair amount of blame-gaming) to understand why they lost. But it’s not just Democrats reckoning with their loss of trust from the American people. New polling from places like Gallup shows…
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The Comeback of Donald Trump
Here comes the much-anticipated (maybe dreaded? Obnoxiously over-covered?) 2024 US presidential election, and no one knows who will emerge as the next President of the United States. Today’s episode was inspired by a conversation I had last week with a former colleague from The New York Times.…
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Growing Support at American Universities for Violent Palestinian Resistance
Wars—like the one between Israel and Hamas—are not only fought on the battlefield, but they are also fought through stories. In today’s episode, I interview Eman Abdelhadi, an American academic, activist, and organizer in the Free Palestine movement. Abdelhadi shares a perspective on Israel that,...
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The Whole World Is Watching
Today: Fears of another world war, a high stakes presidential election and the very divisive subject of American support for Israel. We speak with progressive voters who are considering staying home in November, even if it could lead to another Trump presidency. We unpack our reporting from the...
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Why Do Politicians Lie?
We are hard at work on several stories that we hope to share with you soon, but today we’re trying something a bit different. We're bringing you a roundtable discussion with Sarah Isgur and Mike Pesca on why politicians and world leaders lie—and what those lies reveal about the state of our...
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Hindsight: Emily Bazelon on Election Denial 2024
In today’s Hindsight we are looking back on our coverage of stolen election claims (No, You Stole the Election!) with journalist, lawyer, and podcast royalty, Emily Bazelon. We discuss gerrymandering, voter ID laws, growing distrust in institutions, and we debate the power of elites and whether…
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No, You Stole the Election! (Part 3)
Today in our third and final installment of this series, we delve into what may be the most contested election in American history. We also take stock of the already historic and unprecedented 2024 presidential campaign season. What happens when both sides of our political divide increasingly…
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No, You Stole the Election! (Part 2)
Here in our second installment into the recent history of stolen election claims, we’ve got angry voters, disappointed politicians, and a few tech-savvy democrats who see signs of hacking, fraud, and illegitimacy in three different elections. We’ll discuss the allegations about hacked voting...
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No, You Stole the Election! (Part 1)
Claims that a US election was rigged, fraudulent, illegitimate, or stolen are not new. But in recent years—despite the fact that our elections have grown increasingly secure—these claims have grown louder and more impassioned. Today, we begin our look back on past claims of stolen elections in...
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Hindsight: Stagger Lee & Killer Mike
Today we’ve got a very special Hindsight episode that revisits the themes explored in our "Filthy Slime" episodes (Parts 1 & 2). We’re delighted to be joined by living legend and recent Grammy winner Killer Mike. He discusses his view of "rap on trial" and the complex relationship between art,...
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You Can't Say That (Part 2)
Today, we continue our examination of difficult public debates, one year after concluding our series, The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. In Part 1, we provided updates on women's sports, women-only spaces, and transition medicine for minors. This week, we hear from three different trans…
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You Can't Say That (Part 1)
About a year ago, the team that makes this show (Matt Boll and me, Andy Mills) along with our dear friend Megan Phelps-Roper (who also helps with each episode of Reflector), put out the final installment of The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. The show was a big hit with millions of listeners, even…
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Hindsight: The Sea Change
Today we're excited to share the first Hindsight episode of Reflector. This is the free version of this episode. To listen to the full version you can become a subscriber today by visiting us at reflector.show The idea behind these particular episodes is to embody our commitment to transparency…
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Filthy Slime (Part 2)
While all of hip hop prizes authenticity, as Van Lathan put it in Filthy Slime Pt 1: “In street rap authenticity is more important than skill”. Today we dive into the ways that this genre’s prizing of authenticity has evolved to a point where some rappers aren’t just merely making artful…
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Filthy Slime (Part 1)
Music has been a feature of American culture wars since at least the time of Elvis Presley’s gyrating dance moves on The Ed Sullivan show in 1956. But amidst all the moral panics about hip-shaking and backmasking, there is a legitimate and fascinating question about the role and influence that...
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The Sea Change
Why aren’t Americans embracing the most promising medications for treating over-drinking? Become a subscriber today: reflector.show/subscribe Alcohol consumption increased more during the COVID-19 pandemic than it had at any time in the past 50 years. Even though bars were closed for weeks on end...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
We investigate the surprising stories behind the most fascinating debates and pressing issues facing society today. By looking into how we got here, we aim to understand more deeply where we may be headed next.
HOSTED BY
Longview
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Reflector have?
Reflector currently has 34 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Reflector about?
We investigate the surprising stories behind the most fascinating debates and pressing issues facing society today. By looking into how we got here, we aim to understand more deeply where we may be headed next.
How often does Reflector release new episodes?
Reflector has 34 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Reflector?
You can listen to Reflector 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 Reflector?
Reflector is created and hosted by Longview.
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