Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Katherine Dee, writer and internet historian, sits down with Bridget to discuss the strange corners of the internet she's explored and how she manages to predict coming trends in our culture. They talk about internet culture & internet history, whether you can really tell who someone is via Twitter, drunk Tweeting, the definition of a lolcow, feedback loops, the coming wave of sexual negativity, and how we don’t truly appreciate how much AI might change things. They also cover the coming trend of middle and upper class women having babies younger and staying closer to home, how Twitter changed both of their lives, addicts who test their drugs for fentanyl, the real-life fallout of cancel culture, trying to pivot out of the culture war, trends on their way out, and why Katherine thinks the most disturbing thing she sees online is people’s isolation, alienation, and loneliness. Check out Katherine's Substack at defaultfriend.substack.comSponsor Links:AG1 - https://bit.ly/AG1-WiWCongressional Dish podcast - https://bit.ly/WiWCongressDishYour Welcome podcast - https://bit.ly/WiW-YourWelcomeProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Comedian Phil Hanley drops in to talk about his new stand up special Oh La La. He and Bridget discuss what it was like for him growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, the challenges but also the gifts of dyslexia, the book he is writing about it, and the most important thing he thinks parents should know about raising a child who is dyslexic. They talk about the failures of the school system to support children with dyslexia, why it made him good at crowd work as a comic, dealing with stage fright, drinking and stand up, the triumph of the human spirit, and the things we take for granted.Sponsor Links:Progressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIWYour Welcome Podcast - https://bit.ly/WiW-YourWelcome This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Mediated Series - Part 5:Published in 2005, Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and the Way You Live In It , became Bridget's bible for understanding the changing media landscape and how it is affecting our society and behavior. Now she sits down with author Thomas de Zengotita for a multi-part series discussing the book chapter by chapter. In Part 5 Bridget and Thomas discuss identity politics, how they evolved from the effort to get yourself a platform where you could be heard, which turned into self-promotion, and their evolution into grievance politics. They cover the attention economy and how if you can’t package what you want to say into soundbite form you’re not going to be heard at all, how when you take on an ideology it starts to do your thinking for you, why highly focused and committed activism is the response to psychological numbness and apathy, and the difference between what we’re presenting and what we believe vs the reality and the actions we take, armchair activism, and finding hope in the rise of independent media.Sponsor links: Progressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Joel Stein (columnist, author & podcast host) joins Bridget for the first video edition of Walk-Ins Welcome! They sit down for a fun and wide-ranging conversation about their obsession with super yachts, the one-upsmanship of the super wealthy, why people in rural America know all about liberals yet liberals know nothing about them, Joel's propensity for smugness, and why he thinks our differences as a country are severe but not irreconcilable. They cover how democracy is young and fragile and the assumption that it’s going to keep going forever is ignorant, why the whole idea of a Civil War seems preposterous to Joel, how television disintegrated society in a way we don’t necessarily understand, being addicted to tech, living through butt-pinching as a server, and the Christmas tree selling racket in New York City. Don't miss Joel's podcast Story of the Week with Joel Stein , where he investigates random stories don’t get enough attention these days.The Walk-Ins Welcome video is now on the Phetasy YouTube channel! - https://www.youtube.com/phetasySponsor Links:The Jordan Harbinger Show - https://spoti.fi/3LhJBTPProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Bari Weiss is a journalist (New York Times, Wall Street Journal) and author of How to Fight Antisemitism. She and Bridget have an in-depth conversation about how full personhood is not possible on the internet, faux outrage and what it's doing to us, the explosion of independent media, the dangers of exploring TikTok, and why the end of Trump's presidency means you're suddenly you're allowed to say things that have never stopped being true. They discuss what to do when you notice you're self-censoring, the potential for being de-platformed, how quickly our brains deny the reality of something terrible happening, how Jews are the obvious victims of antisemitism but the wider victim is the society infected by it, intersectionality, race, the dangers of focusing on whiteness, and why Bari believes that the fight of our lifetimes is the fight against illiberalism. Don't miss Bari's podcast Honestly .[Note: This is a previously broadcast episode that we decided to rebroadcast in honor of the Twitter files.]Sponsor Links:FIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Matt Taibbi, author and journalist, drops in to discuss the state of modern journalism, why it's increasingly difficult to source news you trust, "soft" censorship, link rot and stories that disappear, the instinct to conformity that is an epidemic in newsrooms right now, and why eventually the mob will always come for you. They cover Matt's background, how he comes from a family of reporters, what he learned from his dad about how to treat sources, his 10 years in Russia running his own newspaper, how Americans don't have any sense of what it means to lose their ability to speak openly, the evolution of Substack, when the "subscriber bubble" will burst, the disincentives to doing in-depth, long form reporting these days, an audience's ability to parse nuance, their willingness to question their own motives, and why the problem with the rhino is the problem with everything. Check out Matt's Substack here.  [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode that we decided to rebroadcast in honor of the Twitter files.]Sponsor Links:The Jordan Harbinger Show - https://spoti.fi/3LhJBTPFIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Zak Williams is CEO and founder of neurotransmitter health company PYM , and is passionate about developing products for supporting optimal mental wellness and alleviating anxiety. He and Bridget sit down to talk about the concept of mental hygiene vs. mental health, dealing with the suicide of a loved one, not knowing how to manage depression and anxiety, discovering mental health advocacy, realizing that if you’re seeking to truly heal through service you have to take care of yourself, exploring nutrition for mental well being, and his goal to expand the toolkit to help people manage their mental health. They discuss his company PYM, the quick jump to medicate when there should be a gradient and spectrum of care, why we need research around diet, exercise, sunlight, sleep, and connection - supporting them as factors in our mental well being and care, how men are more resistant to talking about depression and mental health, why we need to develop resilience in our communities so that we can better manage stress, and why knowing his life's mission is his path to happiness. Sponsor LinksLomi - https://bit.ly/lomiWiWVegamour - https://bit.ly/vegamour-walkinsAG1 - https://bit.ly/AG1-WiWFIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Noam Blum, Chief Technology Officer at Tablet magazine, sits down with Bridget for a conversation about Twitter and the online space. Known on Twitter as @neontaster, Noam talks about having his identity revealed, the different versions of online anonymity, and the consequences of not revealing himself on his own terms. They discuss online activism, how Twitter is a concentrated version of the diluted opinions that live in regular society, news cycles about Twitter posts and Twitter reactions to news stories, how partisanship is a bigger corollary to whether or not you're gonna share something online rather than whether or not you think it's accurate, dealing with negative comments, and people who they used to like but have become terrible because of what society incentivized them to lean into. They also cover Elon, Trump, dating apps, Sam Harris, therapy, blue checks, and the awkwardness of seeing someone in real life who’s blocked you on Twitter. Check out Noam's podcast The Ambitious Crossover Attempt. Sponsor Links: Lomi - https://bit.ly/lomiWiWThe Jordan Harbinger Show - https://spoti.fi/3LhJBTPFIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Heather Pasternak, stand-up comic and old friend of Bridget's, stops in to talk about her new comedy special Slay At Home Mom. She and Bridget discuss being new moms, being neurotic and having a child, feeling both terrible and magical when you're pregnant, how being a parent is a double edged sword, the pressure in the Mommy World - particularly on Instagram, and why getting back to work after having the baby made her feel like her again. They cover how Heather wants her comedy to help people to feel less alone, the focus on quality over quantity in your work, how finding a way to make it joyful is the only way it’s sustainable, how she uses the stage to process where she is at the moment, and they commiserate over the feeling of failing at being a mom and working and having to be okay with not doing both of those things perfectly.Sponsor Links: FIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwProgressive Insurance - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show

Rina Raphael is a journalist and author who covers health, wellness, and women's issues. She sits down with Bridget to discuss her new book The Gospel of Wellness , where she looks at the recent explosion of the wellness industry, the fads, the gimmicks, the marketing strategies, and what lies underneath it all. Rina is a reformed wellness addict herself, and became aware of the dark side of an industry that's constantly telling you what to buy next in order to feel better. They cover how liberal, affluent women in coastal cities and big cities have really adopted the aspirational reinterpretation of wellness, why they might turn to alternatives out of desperation because the healthcare industry is not working for them, how control is a huge part of the wellness industry, how wellness culture is driving people to extremes and making them more stressed, what overidentifying with your choices means about you as a person or a parent, and how aware Gwyneth Paltrow is of the Goop grift. Sponsor Links:Storyworth - https://bit.ly/storyworth-wiwVegamour - https://bit.ly/vegamour-walkinsFIRE.org - https://bit.ly/thefire-wiwAG1 - https://bit.ly/AG1-WiWJustWorks - https://bit.ly/justworkswiwProgressive - https://pgrs.in/3Dp5ZIW This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.phetasy.com/subscribeSupport the show