PODCAST · society
the culture crunch
by George Hixson
the culture crunch investigates the trends shaping our world. Not the obvious ones. The shifts you sense before you can explain them. The connections between things that seem unrelated.Host George Hixson talks with people obsessed with ideas - whether they're in universities, writing from their kitchen table or building things in the real world. We explore questions like: Have we lost the art of creating stories that last? How has the absurd been weaponised? What happens when reality becomes optional?Sharp cultural analysis. Conversations worth your time.Stay curious. Culture awaits.
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The Real Orwell Nobody Talks About (ft. Nathan Waddell)
We think we know Orwell - Big Brother, surveillance, dystopia. But what if we've been looking at the wrong warning? Professor Nathan Waddell explains what we're actually missing about Orwell in 2026.In this conversation, we explore:- Why Orwell cared about the everyday (boiled cabbage, grimed walls, physical discomfort).- How our "frictionless" digital world makes us more vulnerable to manipulation.- Why Notes on Nationalism might be more relevant than 1984 right now.- Where we've dangerously oversimplified "Orwellian".- What Orwell would make of our black mirror reality.Professor Nathan Waddell is one of the UK's leading voices on George Orwell and author of "A Bright Cold Day: The Wonder of George Orwell."This is the first in a new series of conversations exploring the cultural trends shaping our world - the shifts you sense but haven't seen explained.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:54 The Orwellian Shorthand02:04 Beyond the "Big Two": Why Animal Farm and 1984 dominate03:52 The "Daily Orwell": How he leaned against a wall06:27 Entry Points: Which Orwell book should you read first?10:00 The Condensed Life: Orwell’s 20-year career11:29 Friction vs Frictionless Worlds: What did Orwell think17:12 Orwell's Relevance Today: Parallels with 1930s22:19 The Orwell Playbook: Using essays to spot modern deception26:29 Black Mirror Reality: Would Orwell be surprised by 2026?---📚 Nathan's website: https://drnjwaddell.co.uk/🎙️Nathan's podcast: https://drnjwaddell.co.uk/reading-orwell✍️ Read the culture crunch: https://theculturecrunch.substack.com/---About the culture crunch:Investigating the cultural trends shaping our world. Shifts you sense but haven't yet seen explained. Subscribe for more conversations with people obsessed with ideas that matter.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
the culture crunch investigates the trends shaping our world. Not the obvious ones. The shifts you sense before you can explain them. The connections between things that seem unrelated.Host George Hixson talks with people obsessed with ideas - whether they're in universities, writing from their kitchen table or building things in the real world. We explore questions like: Have we lost the art of creating stories that last? How has the absurd been weaponised? What happens when reality becomes optional?Sharp cultural analysis. Conversations worth your time.Stay curious. Culture awaits.
HOSTED BY
George Hixson
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the culture crunch currently has 1 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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the culture crunch investigates the trends shaping our world. Not the obvious ones. The shifts you sense before you can explain them. The connections between things that seem unrelated.Host George Hixson talks with people obsessed with ideas - whether they're in universities, writing from their...
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the culture crunch has 1 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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the culture crunch is created and hosted by George Hixson.
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