Serious Inquiries Only

Latest Episodes:

SIO169: Panel on Neil deGrasse Tyson Allegations, Part 1 Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

I'm joined by Chantelle Boduel and Kristi Winters as the nation's favorite astrophysicist and host of the reboot of Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson, has been accused of sexual harassment by (at the time of recording) 3 women (and 1 more shortly after recording, see here.) The oldest accusation is of a horrifying date rape in college, the other two involve a woman who says he touched her inappropriately and an assistant who has an alarming story of Tyson attempting to seduce her. We go over the facts, Tyson's response, and discuss how we feel about the accusations and work our way through some deeper #metoo issues.

HuffPo article on deeper history of 1st accuser; Tyson's statement; Patheos article

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SIO168: Tear Gas Was Used Under Obama, and More Rants Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

And some listener email. Some topics: climate change is going to kill us; simply being 'not a Republican' is more than enough; comparing Obama and Trump on the border; Avenatti the liberal version of Trump; listener not voting for Democrats because they are too cozy with Islam; and mansplaining mansplaining mansplaining!

Tear gas fact check; Trump's border crisis

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SIO167: Studying Sexism and Video Games with Johannes Breuer Nov 22, 2018

Show notes

Johannes Breuer is the co-author of a study which looked into the relationship between sexist attitudes and video game playing. To be as precise as possible and not misrepresent it, here is what they found in their words: “We found that the amount of overall video game use at time 1 was not predictive of sexist attitudes/beliefs about gender roles at time 2 (i.e., 2 years later) and that (sexist) beliefs about gender roles at time 1 were equally not predictive of video game use at time 2 (for sample of German players aged 14 and older)." So that's the bland tl;dr version, but we talk through the study, methodology, and what the implications are. We also talk a lot about what this study does NOT show, which is equally important and is easy to lose track of sometimes.

Here are the links to the book chapters where Johannes's work is featured, and here's a good writeup on the original study.

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SIO166: Evidence Based Mental Health Panel at QED Nov 15, 2018

Show notes

Really proud to have been a small part of this excellent panel at QED! The discussion centers around mental health challenges, de-stigmatization, communication, and which treatments actually work.

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SIO165: Blue Wave Meets Red Wall Nov 08, 2018

Show notes

The moment we waited 2 years for finally happened. I talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

SIO164: Listener Voicemail! Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

October was a great month for my voice inbox! I was very happy about that until I realized it's probably because the news was so bad... But still, some amazing calls this month, topics ranging from #metoo stories probably Kavanaugh inspired, to Elizabeth Warren, to voter suppression, and third parties. Thank you so much and keep the calls coming!

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SIO163: Live at QED with Emma McClure on Prison Reform Oct 25, 2018

Show notes

For those who weren't able to make it to the incredible, bar-setting skeptic conference that is QED in Manchester, here is the audio from my first ever live SIO I did there! Joining me was Emma McClure, a solicitor who, among many other things, has represented very serious criminals in parole hearings. We talk about what prison should be for, what it actually is for, and lots of ways the justice system is really not doing the job it should be.

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SIO162: In Defense of Elizabeth Warren Oct 18, 2018

Show notes

And also it's the end of the world as we know it, in like 2040, due to climate change. Shouldn't that mean we maybe vote democrat to have a chance for our kids to not die in the climate wars?

After that I do an in-depth analysis of the Elizabeth Warren situation, from the beginning. Many people, including some Native American groups, have been very critical of her DNA test promotion. I think they've been very unfair and in fact completely ignored most of what she said. Critiques that I referenced are linked below.

Vox Article; Atlantic Article by Native Geneticist; Cherokee Nation Response; Warren Video; Politifact on the DNA Test; Politifact on Warren Native History

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SIO161: Mandisa Thomas, President of Black Nonbelievers Oct 11, 2018

Show notes

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mandisa Thomas, the president and founder of Black Nonbelievers! Mandisa talks about her fascinating background and the work she's doing, and then we go on to talk about the black experience, some of the history involved, and how it is unique within atheism. We talk about what organizations might do to better serve a diverse community. For all the challenges we've faced as a country lately, Mandisa does have some optimism about the future and talks about why. Make sure to check out her Patreon here!

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SIO160: The President Mocked A Sexual Assault Survivor Oct 05, 2018

Show notes

And all I've got for you this week is rage. Warning: this is an explicit podcast and involves yelling. I break down the horrible news from this week, from a sexual predator being confirmed to the Supreme Court and Trump mocking his victim, to the Trump crime family committing fraud and avoid hundreds of millions in taxes. And NONE of this has any consequences. Because we didn't vote. Democrats didn't excite us.

The Incredible NYT Investigation

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