Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

John Wood Jr. comes by to talk about Braver Angels, the largest grassroots bipartisan organization in America, focused on the work of political de-polarization. Along the way he and Bridget have a fascinating conversation about his experience being raised by a mother who’s a liberal black Democrat from inner city LA and father who’s a conservative white Republican from Tennessee, and how his white father emphasized the greatness of black culture in the context of the greatness of America and made him proud of being a black man.  He and Bridget bond over their similar experiences dealing with their parents’ divorces. They cover how you can engage conflict without suffering the debilitating impact of hatred in your own psychology, being chameleons growing up and learning to integrate all the different parts of themselves as they grew older, how important it is to see the human behind the opinion – especially when it’s one you don’t agree with,  what’s truly noble and redeemable in all of our American traditions, and whether Trump is actually racist. 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

Yascha Mounk is the founder of Persuasion, an online community and publication for people who believe in the importance of the social practice of persuasion, and are determined to defend free speech and free inquiry against all its enemies. They seek to persuade people who disagree with them, rather than to mock or troll them. He and Bridget discuss the rise of the populism, why status anxiety is the strongest predictor of populist movement in society, the idea of white fragility, and why exhorting whites in the US to take on a strong collective racial identity is not the way to build a fair, multi-ethnic democracy in this country. They look at how many authoritarian leaders have come to power in the last 20 years, share their hope for the future, and examine the idea that many Americans don’t want to win the culture war, they want the culture war to go away.  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

Thomas Chatterton Williams (Losing My Cool, Self-Portrait In Black and White) talks with Bridget from France and discusses the view of America from another country, the European response to Covid-19 vs. the US’s, and why the Unites States plays a central role in the imagination of the whole world. Thomas explains how he wound up “accidentally” writing a memoir about the difference between the black culture his dad grew up in from the one he grew up in, America’s historic attitude about race, and how his having his daughter who “looks like a Swedish child” led him to reassess what he’d previously written and his thoughts about the “construct” of race. He and Bridget cover why the hyper focus on racial difference is not the way to get past our divisions, the narcissism in the idea that whiteness in itself is responsible for all that’s wrong, why emigrating to another country was the hardest thing he’s ever done, and what he misses most about America.Full transcript available here: WiW88-ThomasChattertonWilliams-Transcript 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

Chloé Valdary (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic) returns to discuss her new course Theory of Enchantment an innovative social-emotional, learning course that teaches character development, resilience and love. Her background in international diplomacy and conflict resolution led her to want to create a framework that teaches people how to love each other. The aspirational course blends pop culture and ancient wisdom to teach social and emotional learning and Chloé felt it was necessary as an antidote to the deconstructive ideology that’s permeating our culture right now. She and Bridget discuss why having no reverence for the past leaves us with no way to measure our progress, why we should see suffering as a gift, how people stereotyping others means they also stereotype themselves, and why the world is ending when people no longer dance with each other.Full transcript available here: WiW87-ChloeValdary-Transcript 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

Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters, sits down with Bridget for a fascinating, in-depth and controversial conversation about the wave of transgender-identifying females sweeping various countries around the world. For the first time in history the predominant demographic of people identifying as “transgender” is teenage girls with no childhood history of gender dysphoria. Abigail and Bridget discuss how we got here, where this came from, and the social, educational and cultural influences playing a part in this unprecedented trend. They cover the role of teachers, therapists, social media influencers and activists, as well as the dynamics of teenage girl friend groups that make them particularly susceptible to the unconscious pressures and social rewards of coming out as “trans.” They discuss the long-term physical and mental damage that can result from a system that demands immediate affirmation from professionals, rather than a careful and considered approach to a complicated topic which can have permanent consequences.Full transcript available here: WiW86-AbigailShrier-Transcript 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

In 2018 Nikki Mark’s 12-year old son, Tommy, went to sleep one night and never woke up. In an inspiring and heartbreaking conversation with Bridget shares her immediate reaction, what she’s learned, why she said yes to everything that came her way, the project she channeled her grief into, her family’s bond, and the incredible outpouring of support they received from their community. She and Bridget discuss how we’re not taught to deal with death or support someone who is struggling with tragedy, and how if we learned a little bit more about death we’d learn how to live. Her fierce determination to share the lessons her son taught her, her belief that she can turn the pain into something else and rise up to live in a way that honors her son, the knowledge that we should all be playing more and that life is supposed to be fun, and her ability to see the beauty in overwhelming tragedy, is an inspiration and motivation for anyone struggling through darkness. Support the TM23 Foundation to honor Tommy’s memory & legacy.Full transcript available here: WiW85-NikkiMark-Transcript 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

Yesha Callahan (Essence Magazine) and Bridget bond over their shared fear of being trampled in a crowd, their mutual disdain for agents, and marvel at the spectacular idiocy of people behaving badly in public in the age of camera phones. Yesha covers growing up poor in a house full of extended family, what led her to a career in HR, and how she jumped into a career as a writer on a late night talk show. She shares her darkest moments after being laid off and struggling to support her son, working as a freelance writer, and taking the advice of a best friend to “act like a white lady” and ask for a job at The Root. She and Bridget discuss Black Lives Matter, why she loves TikTok, why she doesn’t believe that struggle makes you stronger, how white people are afraid of saying anything wrong, and the least racist country she’s ever traveled to.Full transcript available here: WiW84-YeshaCallahan-Transcript 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

Andrew Heaton (comedian, author, political satirist, podcast host) drops by for a fun and wide-ranging conversation covering everything from dogs vs. cats, why he wants to live on a compound, why comics make the worst audience members, the over-sensitization of language, and the thankless task of being a voice of reason in a tribal world. He and Bridget discuss their fear of living alone for too long and the worry that their weird habits will calcify, why living in New York City only works if you’re really hot, really young, or really rich, how humans are evolutionarily designed to be members of a tribe, the difference between thinking someone is wrong and thinking someone is evil, the death of nuance, the outrage economy, the decline of mainstream media, and why people are less concerned about what you think than about the wording you use to communicate it. Keep up with Andrew on his website MightyHeaton.comFull transcript available here: WiW83-AndrewHeaton-Transcript 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

Coach Tea is back for a frank conversation with Bridget about George Floyd, the protests, the riots, the looting, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the concept of white privilege. They discuss the frustration that a real issue has become a Trojan horse for all sorts of other agendas, how the movement has been co-opted, why solutions need to be personal and not legislated, and the problem with the argument “if you’re silent, you’re part of the problem.” They cover how capitalism fights racism, why the phrase “for the greater good” is so terrifying, how insanity is always louder than sanity, and the underlying insult inherent in white people apologizing for their privilege.**Warning** This episode is not for the easily offended and is more explicit than usual. Full transcript available here: WiW82-CoachTea-Transcript  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

Nathan Edmondson is a writer and President of EDGE, an ambitious counter-poaching and conservation organization devoted to the innovative preservation of African wildlife. They bring new technologies and US special operations tactics and expertise to develop counter-poaching initiatives. He returns to the podcast to discuss the impact of the global pandemic on rhino poaching, what it will mean for the immediate future, and how you can help support their efforts to protect African wildlife. They cover the way poaching operates, the growing influence of poaching syndicates in Africa, the increasing sophistication of poachers’ gear and weapons, how they work with locals to deliver the support that is needed, what success looks like, and the legacy Nathan hopes to leave for his children. You can support EDGE here.Full transcript available here: WiW81-NathanEdmondson-Transcript 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