Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy

Helen Pluckrose, one of the three authors of the Grievance Studies and editor-in-chief of Aero magazine, sits with Bridget to discuss the much richer role for women in history than the lenses by which we’re viewing them today, the contradictions in feminism and social justice activism, the argument against post-modernism, and the inherent problems with intersectionality. Helen talks about her own journey from a care assistant in hospitals, to getting a Masters in Early Modern Literature with a focus on religious writing by and about women, her conversion from a Christian to an atheist, and how she met James Lindsay and became involved in the Grievance Studies. It’s a fascinating conversation covering complex topics with a true master of critical theory. Helen helps breakdown the fundamental contradictions within intersectionality and offers Bridget a way to formulate a compassionate and rational response to the intersectional argument.Full transcript available here: WiW50-HelenPluckrose-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

Comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan stops by to discuss the long and painful journey to a career in the entertainment industry, from studying finance at Georgetown, to taking improv classes so he can overcome his fear of speaking in meetings at the advertising agency where he worked, to falling in love with stand-up and watching everyone else in his comedy class find success before he did. Jim talks why failure is such a great teacher, getting lost in other people’s expectations, the creepy thing about doing press, and why he doesn’t want power. In his new movie, American Dreamer, he gets the chance to play against type with a complex character in a disturbing thriller, and he shares how he could relate to the delusions of his character, the American fantasy of the “quick fix,” and the rewards of being able to explore a dark character. He and Bridget marvel at Joe Rogan’s abilities, commiserate over the repressed rage of comedians, and reflect that more dangerous than cancel culture, is the growing trend of leaving people out of the discussion altogether.Full transcript available here: WiW49-JimGaffigan-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

Bridget and Peter Boghossian have a conversation under the Colorado stars about the search for ultimate meaning in life, the denigration of reason, the loss of being able to wonder publicly, figuring out the best type of life to lead, and teaching people how to value the right things. Peter explains how bales of hay, lifting weights, and prison inmates got him started on his career path and led him to question whether you can fundamentally change the way people think about problems and the way they view morality. They cover street epistemology, the truth about “pecking orders,” the difference between rationalizing and reasoning, and the glorification of violence in our society. His book, How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, co-written with James Lindsay, is a distillation of decades of study and offers the best ways to approach and have conversations with people who have different opinions and foster a climate of civility.Full transcript available here: WiW-PeterBoghossian-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

Story Hour with Bridget Phetasy is a segment where Bridget reminisces with cousin Maggie and tells stories explaining who she is and how she got here. Full transcript available here: WiW47-AccidentalPundit-TranscriptThis week Bridget covers how she went from being the Playboy Advisor to an accidental pundit on Ben Shapiro’s Election Special. She can trace every opportunity she’s had since leaving waitressing behind to one thing – Twitter. The realization that Twitter is just like high school, with its cool kids and its cliques helped her understand it and how to use it to her advantage. She discusses using it to hone her writing and her wit, being blocked by Demi Moore, the wrath of Dane Cook and her first mobbing (you can read the essay here), and how Twitter helped her get sober. Hear about her first taste of virality with her essay Bill Cosby Raped Me… Kind Of, how she built her following and created her own community of people who offer support in some of her darkest moments. Her journey from Playboy to the Federalist was a direct result of the paradigm shift that occurred after Trump won the election. She honestly had no idea what she was getting into when it came to political commentary and being caught in the crossfire of the culture war. She wonders as much as anyone “How did I get 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

Glenn Beck is a conservative political commentator, radio host and television producer. He and Bridget discuss the early evolution of his career, his love affair with radio, the transition from CNN to Fox News, attending Yale at age 30, and mistakes he’s made along the way. They delve into the value of struggle and overcoming hardship, the cultural celebration of “victimhood,” how tribalism and the culture wars trick people into thinking that the problem is outside themselves, and the dangers of buying into your own fame. They explore the importance of being able to say “I don’t know,” the loss of compassion that occurs when we stop seeing the humanity of the people we disagree with, Glenn’s surprising conversion to Mormonism, and what he found in the depths of his most recent dark night of the soul.Full transcript available here: WiW46-GlennBeck-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

Noah Rothman is an MSNBC and NBC New contributor, Associate Editor of Commentary Magazine, and author of the book Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America. He and Bridget have a fascinating conversation about the origins of the social justice movement, the fact that “social justice” as a term defies definition, the paradox of treating individuals unequally in order to achieve equality, and whether or not it’s just tribalism with a fancy name. They cover Noah’s early career in radio, how he got started as a writer, advice to writers seeking to make a career for themselves, dealing with imposter syndrome, and the ridiculousness of the office air conditioning sexism debate. They discuss the “outrage economy” cultural politics, bad faith interpretations of common idioms like “real man,” and how a self-destructive movement can do a lot of damage before it self-destructs.Full transcript available here: WiW45-NoahRothman-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

Corinne Fisher is a stand-up comedian, co-host of popular podcast Guys We F@#ked, and co-author of the book F*cked: Being Sexually Explorative and Self-Confident in a World That’s Screwed, with creative partner, Krystyna Hutchinson. She and Bridget have a conversation that is surprisingly not all about sex, though that’s certainly covered. They also talk the small world of stand-up comedy, the joys of bombing during a stand-up set and the hidden skill involved, the impetus for the podcast and how it evolved into its anti slut-shaming message, what Donald Trump’s podcast would be like if he had one, the lunacy of “post-comedy”, and Corinne’s rule about cutting any joke from a set that gets more “clappter” than actual laughs. They delve into body dysmorphia, shame, society’s view of women in their 40s, experiencing second-hand trauma, and the dangers of the body positivity movement. Find out why Corinne is the Jane Curtain of sexuality and how the words “I’ll try anything once…” have led Bridget astray. 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

Ethan Nicolle, Creative Director at the Babylon Bee, stops by to talk the pros and cons of going viral, how virality does not automatically equal dollars, the never-endingness of being a parent, the bubble within a bubble within a bubble that is LA, and Ethan’s theory that fighting with bears is the struggle for manliness. They discuss the comic Axe Cop which Ethan created with his 5 year old brother, Malachai. Malachi provided the ideas and story, Ethan illustrated. He delves into finding success and moderate fame with Axe Cop, and what happens after the fame. They theorize on why dogs choose to poo where they do and the fact that it might be responsible for keeping the Earth on its axis, why Bridget wants to get milkshaked, and why Ethan had trouble talking to strangers after his band broke up. Don’t miss Ethan’s new book, Bears Want to Kill You. 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

Marshall Herskovitz, writer, director and producer (thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Dangerous Beauty), drops by to talk about how he got his start in Hollywood, when he decided he’d rather fail and leave the business than keep writing things that didn’t feel like him, the TV movie that kick-started his and partner Ed Zwick’s careers into high gear, and what kind of reboot he would do for thirtysomething if the opportunity arose. Learn why he, Ed, and Winnie Holzman wound up sobbing when they had to do the DVD commentary for the My So-Called Life pilot, why they were terrified of Claire Danes, and why the way we define risk is so destructive in our society. Marshall shares how making Dangerous Beauty (one of Bridget’s all-time favorite films) was his all-time favorite experience in the business, what the film meant to him, and the reason for its incredible longevity after initially bombing at the box office. They discuss everything from the extreme the changes in the movie and television industry in the last 10 years, to the truth about climate change, how Democrats are getting the messaging wrong, the difference between investment and cost, and how the economy is like a bottle of wine. Don’t miss Bridget’s story about Jared Leto and Marshall’s story about Brad Pitt. 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

Andy Levy, American commentator and humorist, is a former panelist on S.E. Cupp’s Unfiltered and Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. He drops in for a conversation with Bridget about why Twitter is like Soylent Green, hanging out in LA waiting to be discovered, Bridget’s secret desire to knock popcorn out of people’s hands at the movies, their shared dream of becoming private island owners, and what to do if you’re having a bad drug trip. They discuss why Andy would make a great serial killer, why men roll their eyes when it comes to astrology, and why therapy is great for people who don’t like talking about themselves. Bridget gives Andy some career advice and suggests WWOOFing on a horse farm in New Zealand, Andy analyzes Bridget’s vision board and marvels at the 5 year old child that lives inside her who she’s constantly struggling to keep in check. 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