Culture

  • Butts (with Dr. Jeanne Bovet)

    Why do we have such big butts? Why does society admire women's butts more than men's? And what does race have to do with all this?

    Featuring Jeanne Bovet, senior lecturer at Northumbria University in Newcastle.

  • Disability (with Emily Ladau)

    It affects 1 billion people worldwide, so why is disability considered a niche issue? How can we make life easier for people with disabilities? And what does any of this have to do with As Seen on TV products?

    Featuring Emily Ladau, disability rights activist and author of the new book, “Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally.”

  • Critical Race Theory (with Janel George)

    Are kids really learning critical race theory in class? What IS critical race theory, anyway? And why is it so uncomfortable to talk about race?

    Featuring Janel George, associate professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center and founding director of the Racial Equity in Education Policy Clinic.

  • Money (with Ted Klontz, Ph.D.)

    Why is it impolite to talk about money? Why are many of us uncomfortable with our own money habits? And how do we change things?

    Featuring Ted Klontz, Ph.D., director of the Financial Psychology Institute and associate professor of Practice and Financial Psychology at Creighton University.

  • Ageism (with Dr. Hannah Swift)

    It's one of the most experienced forms of discrimination. It's also one of the most accepted. Here's how to fight it.

    Featuring Dr. Hannah Swift, a senior lecturer in Social and Organizational Psychology at the University of Kent in the UK.

  • Cannibalism (with Bill Schutt)

    Why do humans have such an aversion to eating each other? How many cultures really practice cannibalism? And does cannibalism happen in the Western world anymore? (Yes. The answer is yes.)

    Today's guest is Bill Schutt, zoologist and research associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He's also the author of the book "Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History."

  • Profanity (with Benjamin K. Bergen)

    What makes a word profane? Why are my swear words different from my parents'? If swearing is so bad, why do we do it? And what can a culture's swear words tell us about the things they hold taboo?

    Today's guest is Dr. Benjamin K. Bergen, professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego and author of the book "What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves."