Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Rabbi David Wolpe, the Max Webb Senior Rabbi of Sinai Temple, sits down with Bridget to discuss the complexity of human beings, learning how to be okay with people being upset with you, the advantage of getting older, how social media is turning adults back into teenagers, the difficulty of staying away from politics at the pulpit in today's social climate, and why we need more windows and fewer mirrors. They also discuss Rabbi Wolpe's strategies for tolerance and listening to someone he disagrees with, his belief that this extreme political polarization will not last forever, the importance of being authentic and connecting with people, how to make your losses and struggles matter in your life, the seduction of the instantaneous, how we're a lot more resilient than we give ourselves credit for, and why the conviction that you're 100% right makes you wrong.  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

Briahna Joy Gray is the former National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders campaign, and the host of Bad Faith podcast. She and Bridget cover Briahna's background as a corporate lawyer, the truth about the way most corporate laws are written and the system we've inherited, how she became interested in politics, and how she wound up working for the Bernie Sanders campaign. They also discuss their willingness to have their minds changed, the importance of making your point in a way that can be heard by people who don't agree with you, the wealth disparity that most people don't understand, how class is weaponized against poor people, the basics of democratic socialism, and the reality of sensitivity training in corporate culture.  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

Former US Presidential Candidate, Andrew Yang, sits down with Bridget to discuss his decision to leave the Democratic Party, the unexpected reaction and fallout as a result, his founding of the Forward Party, why a two party system doesn't work at all, and the importance of ending the duopoly if we have any hope of solving the problems this country faces. They cover the importance of an independent media, the difficulties of galvanizing the "mushy middle" into action, why Americans should travel more, restructuring unemployment benefits, Universal Basic Income, the decline of the labor rate, and building a new tribe to give people who feel disenfranchised a place to belong. Learn more about the Forward Party here . 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

Jesse Morton was once an American born, jihadist propagandist who ran Revolution Muslim, a New York City-based organization active in the 2000s and connected to a number of terrorism cases. He and Bridget talk about his upbringing, how he discovered Islam and the process of his radicalization, and then the slow evolution of nuance creeping back into his life and what eventually caused him to reexamine his belief system and deradicalize. They cover the work he's doing now with his organization Parallel Networks to intervene with jihadist, far-right and far-left extremism and prevent reciprocal radicalization. They discuss the role the NYPD police officer who incarcerated him played in his deradicalization, whether censorship on social media platforms is effective in combatting terrorism, why differentiating between hate and violent extremism is so important, and Jesse's work trying to create a national program that has a public health, trauma-informed design that would not only help prevent terrorism, but get to the root of the hyper-polarization dividing our society. For more resources check out lightuponlight.online.  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 Drew Lynch drops in to talk about his latest stand-up special, Concussed. He and Bridget discuss overcoming life's adversities including the head injury he suffered a decade ago, how it led him to comedy, what it taught him, and how at the end of the day it's how you respond to life's adversities that determines your character. They cover the grind of feeding the algorithm, how social media can rob you of things that used to be fulfilling, boxing yourself into your own brand and getting stuck there, addictive personalities, the ins and outs of running your own business, struggling with imposter syndrome, and why Drew's mom and Bridget think Yellowstone is so good.  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, writer & actor Aida Rodriguez stops in to discuss Fighting Words her new special streaming on HBO Max and her desire to give people perspective on what's going on in the world. It's easy to talk to people who think like you and talk like you, Aida hopes to push people outside the bounds of their own experiences and perhaps connect them to others in a new way. She and Bridget discuss the weird time we live in where comedians are held to a higher standard than public officials, why it's impossible and toxic to try to please everyone, why comedians should defend their right to be hyperbolic, and how stand-up saved them both. They also cover how political divisions merely get in the way of actually making changes, why artists can't possible be held responsible for all the different interpretations of their work, the fact that we're so busy policing each other that nothing is getting resolved, and what has helped Aida through the darkest times in her life.  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

Katherine Brodsky was doxxed, harrassed and threatened because of a job posting on Facebook. She and Bridget discuss what happened, why she refuses to apologize, how it shifted the way she interacts with the world, and the private messages of support she received from people who were too scared to say anything publicly. They cover the toxicity of cancel culture, the long term effects in can have in your life, how other people's silence makes you feel even more isolated and alone, and how the incident gave Katherine the ability to be honest about where she was politically. They also discuss the importance of primary sources, how difficult it is for an institution to regain trust once it's been lost, the job of comedy in this day and age, Rogan as a gateway podcast, and the etiquette of heckling at a comedy show. Check out Katherine's substack Random Minds . 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

Ben Shapiro is back and he and Bridget cover a range of topics including his move out of California to Florida, what the breaking point was that made his family leave the state, the massive divide right now between the red states and the blue states, how to restore the credibility and moral authority of public health officials, the long-term effects of masks on children, why risk is unavoidable, and why we're all susceptible to being mini petty tyrants. They also discuss how corporate heads are not true believers when it comes to the woke agenda - they're just afraid, the activists who want to tell you what to do in the most private spheres of your life, making decisions with your feet, and why you should try to treat people who are on the other side with a baseline level of respect, but politicians don't count. Be sure to check out Ben's latest book, The Authoritarian Moment.   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

Batya Ungar-Sargon stops in to discuss her new book, Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy . She and Bridget discuss the history of American journalism and how it was once a crusader for the poor and the working class, when and how that changed, and the vast disparity that exists between the classes now. They explore how Liberals who see themselves on the right side of history are divorced from the working class, but that does not mean that Conservatives are speaking for them either. They also cover why AOC's Met Gala dress is the perfect encapsulation of wokeness as a smokescreen that perpetuates inequality, the mistake in measuring economic health in terms of purchasing power rather than the dignity of labor, and why having an under class who's underemployed while the people in power spend all day sneering at their values is dangerous. 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

Coleman Hughes sits down with Bridget for a conversation about why Critical Race Theory is an interesting but misguided philosophy, where it came from, what it's doing to our society, and why he's an advocate of color-blindness. They discuss the importance of viewing people as individuals rather than as groups, how efforts to fight racism often wind up treating black people like children rather than adults, and why it's good that a conversation about race has been started, but that there's a different, healthier message that needs to happen. They also cover why Hollywood execs don't want the black characters in comedies to have any flaws, why Joe Rogan isn't as famous as he should be, how the Occupy Wall Street movement was redirected into the race debates, why human flaws and human selfishness should be accounted for the the systems we build, and why you kind of sound like an asshole if you're an optimist. Check out Coleman's podcast Conversations with Coleman.  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