
RABBITHOLE
On this podcast we plumb the depths of often-obscure debates that divide people along unexpected political lines, questioning fundamental assumptions about things like money, school, consent, and courts.
Your non-expert hosts will interview a series of actual experts to learn what is up for debate, and to try to come to some conclusions for ourselves.
Follow us down these rabbit holes. It won't be graceful, but you might enjoy the trip.
Latest episodes

May 11, 2022 • 1h
Is School Good? #3: Derek Gottlieb
In our second interview of the Is School Good? series, Sparky and Pete are joined by Derek Gottlieb, assistant professor at the University of Northern Colorado Shool of Teacher Education and author of the book "A Democratic Theory of Educational Accountability: From Test-Based Assessment to Interpersonal Responsibility," to ask one of the biggest questions they can ask: what is school for? How do our methods of schooling reflect our politics and our ideas of what 'a good life' can be?Derek Gottlieb's books, including 2020's "A Democratic Theory of Educational Accountability: From Test-Based Assessment to Interpersonal Responsibility", can be purchased here.This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon.

Apr 27, 2022 • 1h 5min
Is School Good? #2: Jack Schneider
For the first interview of our new deep dive into school, Sparky sits down with Jack Schneider, Ph. D., associate professor of education at UMass Lowell, author, and cohost of the podcast Have You Heard, to discuss the history of taxpayer-funded public education in America. How did we end up with public school, and what is it supposed to be doing?Listen to Jack's podcast with Jennifer Berkshire, Have You Heard, at haveyouheardpodcast.com.Jack's most recent book, co-written with Jennifer Berkshire, is A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Education and the Future of School. Read more about the book at wolfattheschoolhousedoor.com.Find more of Jack's information, and links to purchase his books, here. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon.

Apr 13, 2022 • 1h 23min
Is School Good? #1: Introducing Is School Good?
Join the Rabbithole crew as they sharpen their #2 pencils, open their three-ring binders, and begin a new deep dive into the topic of education! In this series, hosts Oren Nimni, Sparky Abraham, Vanessa A. Bee, and Pete Davis will discuss the ups and downs of formal education and its alternatives. Is public education good despite it so often being frustrating and unfulfilling to students? *Should* a good education system be occasionally frustrating? What civic value is there to having a shared educational experience? Why are the most 'prestigious' academic institutions often the least strict? Is freedom from compulsory education an anarchist dream or a libertarian nightmare? In this introductory episode, our intrepid hosts start planning how to answer these and other deep questions about the uses and misuses of education.This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon.

Mar 30, 2022 • 54min
Is MMT Real? #16: Yeva Nersisyan
In today's episode, Pete and Sparky sit down with Yeva Nersisyan, a Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and an Associate Professor of economics at Franklin and Marshall College, to discuss an MMT-informed approach to making the Green New Deal a reality, and to go over some 'MMT 101'-related questions.Read Yeva Nersisyan and Randall Wray's policy brief "Can We Afford the Green New Deal?" at https://www.levyinstitute.org/publications/can-we-afford-the-green-new-dealThis episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon.Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Mar 16, 2022 • 59min
Is MMT Real? #15: Trevor Jackson
Continuing their “Is MMT Real?” discussion series, Pete and Sparky sit down with Trevor Jackson, assistant professor of economic history at George Washington University and author of the forthcoming book Impunity and Capitalism: Afterlives of European Financial Crisis, 1680-1830, about the history of money and critiques of MMT from the left.Read Trevor’s Dissent article “Future Monetary Theory” here: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/future-monetary-theoryProfessor Jackson’s book Impunity and Capitalism: Afterlives of European Financial Crisis, 1680-1830 is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon.Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Mar 2, 2022 • 1h 5min
Is MMT Real? #14: Colin Drumm
Pete and Sparky welcome Colin Drumm (@drumm_colin), a Ph.D candidate in History of Consciousness at UC Santa Cruz, to discuss critiques of MMT as a theory from the perspective of monetary and economic history.Find more of Colin's critiques of MMT on his Substack: https://trialofthepyx.substack.com/This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon. Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Feb 15, 2022 • 1h 2min
Is MMT Real? #13: Elias Crim
Sparky Abraham and Pete Davis are back with further interviews in the “Is MMT Real?” discussion series! In this episode, Pete and Sparky talk with Solidarity Hall founder Elias Crim (@CrimElias) about his “lost years” as a financial journalist in Chicago, where he witnessed the rise of supply-side economics. We examine the founding myths and pop-cultural resonance of supply-side economics, and consider whether MMT is poised for a similar moment in the mainstream soon.
Elias Crim’s writing can be found at https://solidarityhall.org/contributor/crim-elias/ Listen to Elias and Pete’s podcast, Dorothy’s Place, at https://solidarityhall.org/podcast/ This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon. Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Feb 15, 2022 • 56min
Is MMT Real? #12: Fireside Chat
In this episode, Pete and Sparky discuss what they've learned from their previous eleven interviews, compare where they stand on MMT so far, and look ahead to the questions yet to be answered. This episode was originally published on May 14, 2021 on the Current Affairs podcast feed, and is being republished now as the Rabbithole podcast picks up the question of "is MMT real?" Please excuse any outdated references, and stay tuned as we continue our investigations down the rabbithole. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon. Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Feb 15, 2022 • 50min
Is MMT Real? #11: Patricia Pino
The boys speak to Patricia Pino (@PatriciaNPino), Research Fellow at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and co-host of the MMT Podcast, getting into the weeds of inflation, debt, bonds and the other building blocks of economics. This episode was originally published on April 9, 2021 on the Current Affairs podcast feed, and is being republished now as the Rabbithole podcast picks up the question of "is MMT real?" Please excuse any outdated references, and stay tuned as we continue our investigations down the rabbithole. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon. Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham

Feb 15, 2022 • 1h 10min
Is MMT Real? #10: Fadhel Kaboub
Thus far, the MMT series has focused mainly on the United States, home of the world's reserve currency. How would MMT work in the Global South? The boys turn to Fadhel Kaboub (@FadhelKaboub), president of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and professor of economics at Denison University. This episode was originally published on December 2, 2020 on the Current Affairs podcast feed, and is being republished now as the Rabbithole podcast picks up the question of "is MMT real?" Please excuse any outdated references, and stay tuned as we continue our investigations down the rabbithole. This episode was edited by Dan Thorn (@danieljtvthorn) of Pink Noise Studios in Somerville, MA, and it features theme music by Danny Bradley. If you liked the podcast, please consider supporting our investigations on our Patreon. Find Pete on Twitter at @PeteDDavis and Sparky at @sparkyabraham