Comedy

The Political Orphanage

Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.

Latest Episodes:

The Dictator's Handbook Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Alistair Smith proposes that the only real thing governments differ on is how many selectors are needed for a leader to gain and keep power–everything is window dressing.

He advocates for understanding politics realistically and strategically, and designing our systems around the idea that leaders are self interested.

Also Relevant: "Dr. Jeffrey Pfeiffer on The Rules of Getting and Keeping Power" https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-rules-of-getting-and-keeping-power

SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

Bonus: Ukraine Counterpoint with Kristaps Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

Kristaps Andrejsons is the host of "Eastern Borders" podcast, which formerly explored Soviet History, and is now an in-the-field news report on the conflict in Ukraine.

Kristaps is a big NATO proponent and promotes strong American intervention in Ukraine. I've brought him on to contrast with the positions of this week's guest, Ben Abelow.

Also--Kristaps got banned from Twitter when an argument about Ukraine and Russia got out of hand. We discuss the circumstances.

The Cost of Ukraine Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

We're almost a year into the conflict in Ukraine. What does a conclusion look like? How much is costing in terms of money and lives, and to what end? Author Ben Abelow joins to discuss the situation and his book, "How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to the Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe."

Why America Can't Europe Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

What's the optimum size of a country? As countries get bigger, does the nature of governance necessarily change? In this episode, we explore scaling—how an increasingly large nation-state adapts, or fails, to deliver services competently.

Stanford's Forbidden Words of Hilarious Evil Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Stanford's Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative includes everything from the words "brave" to "crazy." The World's Smartest Podcast Network assembles to read the list and mercilessly laugh at it. Then, turn their attention to the astonishing and hilarious lies of freshman representative George Soros.

LINKS:

SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.Patreon.com/andrewheaton

Episode: "When To Scrap Politically Incorrect Words"

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/when-to-scrap-politically-offensive-words

Stanford's Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative

https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Stanford-EHLI-Harmful-Language-List.pdf

ATA: Hollywood Sermonizing vs. Good Storytelling Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

CROSSOVER EPISODE from Alienating the Audience

When does science fiction get "too political"? What separates a film with a strong point of view from stale publum or Woke pulpitry?

Josh Jennings joins to discuss how political messaging can derail or suffocate good storytelling.

Fix Teenagers By Putting Them to Work Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

America has one educational path: go get a university degree! If you stray from it, you're in trouble. Could shifting the education system towards apprenticeships be a more effective way to help prepare students for life and careers? Noel Ginsburg is the Founder and CEO of CareerWise, following the 41-year stint as the founder and CEO of the manufacturing company Intertech Plastics. He's a national advocate for apprenticeships, and has testified to the U.S. Senate on their effectiveness.

Here's Why Partisanship is Skyrocketing Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

A new study shows that "affective polarization" is on the upswing: negative feelings about enemy parties is on the increase, even if policy positions and ideology are not. What's the main drive behind the increase? Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy joins to discuss the primary factor in partisan rancor.

Morris Fiorina: The Country Isn't Polarized

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/ep-28-the-country-isnt-polarized-guest-morris-fiorina-0

Tim Carney: Loneliness is Worse for Cities Than Godzilla

https://podcasts.apple.com/ng/podcast/ep-109-loneliness-is-worse-for-cities-than-godzilla/id1439837349?i=1000436493673

Amusing Ourselves to Death

https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/amusing-ourselves-to-death

"The Origins and Consequences of Affective Polarization in the United States"

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-polisci-051117-073034

Heaton on Andrea's show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-kKDkeauj4&list=PLoGqAxLE0kqxeilRQgba67-b45UCE9tQw&index=18

Automation Comes for Lawyers and Shrinks Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

Generative AI like ChatGPT and Dall-E 2 are poised to change… everything. Tom Merritt of the Daily Tech News Show and Darren Kitchen of Hak5 join to discuss its ramification, and how automation will free up everybody… or put everyone out of a job. See Heaton's AI artwork from Lensa and Dall-E 2 at www.mightyheaton.com/aiart SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

Inequality and the New Feudalism Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

Joel Kotkin worries that we're careening into a new bout of feudalism. He sees a resurgence of intellectual dogmatism, coupled with inequality and lack of mobility, pushing civilization back into a feudalistic power structure of lords, peasants, and priests. He joins to discuss his book "The Coming Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class"

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