Lexicon Valley

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: amore, but make it anti-racist. Honoring interracial marriage has only been the law of the land for a few decades in this country; there are couples alive today whose relationships were illegal within their lifetimes.  There are now more mixed-race couples – and children – in the U.S. than ever before, and interracial love is overwhelmingly supported by all Americans. But is that an indication that we’ve actually made progress toward racial equality?  Jamilah Lemieux, writer and contributor to Slate’s Care & Feeding, argues no: and that unless a couple has done the work to be truly anti-racist, their children will pay the price. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top o

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: housing the nation.  We have an affordable housing problem — and an affordability problem, period, but that’s another show.  When we talk about solutions to homelessness and cost burden for renters and homeowners alike, many progressives lean toward government intervention… because capitalism seems to have failed us. But has it, really? Or is for-profit development the surprising answer to affordable housing? Jon McMillan of TF Cornerstone – and author of a chapter in Housing The Nation – joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: getting the jab. Vaccine hesitancy is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but it is a growing one… particularly in conservative Evangelical circles.  At the same time, there’s a lot for all of us to dislike, and distrust, about the American healthcare system. So, for those of us who have a hard time working up any sympathy for the vaccine-skeptical crowd, it’s worth asking: what if this is a symptom of the problems we’re all experiencing? Johanna Richlin of the University of Maine joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: talk it out. Talking about therapy isn’t taboo anymore — and that’s great, because everyone deserves help when they need it. The question is… do you really need it? Dr. Richard Friedman of Weill Cornell Medicine wrote a piece for The Atlantic last month, headlined ”Plenty of People Could Quit Therapy Right Now.” So why is that the case… and what are the consequences of getting therapy when you don’t need it?  Dr. Friedman joins us to discuss. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: the purity test. Purity, in political science, doesn’t have anything to do with morality. It has to do with whether your policy aligns with your principles.  From “Bernie Bros” to the uncommitted vote against Biden, we’ve seen progressives protect ideological purity… and punish stances that don’t align. An all-or-nothing stance on issues like universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness might sound appealing to voters. But does it doom progress, practically, if an increment isn’t good enough? Shaniqua McClendon, VP of Politics for Crooked Media, joins us to argue against progressive purity politics. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Parliamentary America? It’s Super Tuesday, and the process by which we elect a president is on full display (warts and all). Americans on both sides of the aisle agree that the electoral college has to go. But what should replace it?  Maxwell Stearns, author of Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy (out 3/5/2024), presents his case for restructuring American government to look more like a parliamentary system — and, in the process, to take presidential elections out of the hands of voters and conventions and into the hands of elected coalitions. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… are journalists killing democracy? Mainstream news outlets are starting to move away from horse race election coverage and toward policy substance. Though it’s a slow change, it’s heralded by much of the news industry as a good one. But what if the horse race was never really the problem?  Journalist and writer Chris Cillizza joins us to defend the horse race. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… making (fourteen) points.  A piece in this month’s issue of the Atlantic argues that it’s time to re-evaluate the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson was indisputably a productive president — but he’s now reviled by the left as a racist and the right as a tyrant. Is there room to meet somewhere in the middle? David Frum of the Atlantic joins us to argue that, yes: it’s time to un-cancel Woodrow Wilson.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On our second C&F After Dark episode: we know that Valentine’s has come and gone. But we’re not done talking about grownup stuff!  Elizabeth, Zak and Lucy each sit down with their spouses — Jeff, Shira and Geno — to talk through a problem they’ve had as a co-parenting couple. The hosts chime in on each others’ problems, too. It’s an advice extravaganza… and, dare we say, a love-fest? Then, we’ll wrap up by testing how in-sync our hosts are with their spouses. It’s time for a round of the Newlywed Game!  Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/c

Though most Americans have problems with the way this country is run, the Constitution remains popular — and untouchable, in our nation of laws. But it’s often difficult to solve 21st century problems with an 18th century document. Aaron Tang, author and professor of law at UC Davis, joins us once again to argue that, instead of aligning with the Constitution, courts should try to cause the least permanent harm possible. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday, a jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the mass-shooting carried out by her son Ethan at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.  How will this conviction change the way school shootings are prosecuted? Can future violence be prevented by holding the parents accountable? Guest: Quinn Klinefelter, host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET in Detroit. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… dear colleague.  The way universities and colleges handle sexual assault cases has changed a lot in the last 13 years. Part of that is because of the sheer vastness of the higher education system; everyone does everything differently. But federal guidance has also shifted with each of the last three administrations… and our guest today argues that none of those systems have worked. In fact, they’ve all been unmitigated failures. Lara Bazelon of the University of San Francisco joins us to argue that existing systems should be burned down — and replaced with restorative justice.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… folie à deux (again). A few weeks ago, Frank Buckley joined us to argue that Trump voters aren’t delusional. And a lot of you disagreed. One of you, though, turned out to be an expert in the nature of delusion. So who better to join us, and make the case that we got it wrong? Barry Mauer, a Hear Me Out listener and associate professor at the University of Central Florida, joins us to argue that the pro-Trump movement isn’t just delusional — it’s dangerous, it’s a cult, and it has to be called what it is. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… which wave is this, anyway? There’s no denying that the feminist movement looks different now than it did 50 years ago — and in some ways, that’s a good thing. But there’s an argument to be made that the modern movement skews politically progressive… so much so that it’s leaving some women, and some issues, behind.  Phyllis Chesler, author and second-wave feminist, joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode Elizabeth Newcamp, Zak Rosen, and Lucy Lopez weigh in on a classic question: what school is right for your family? Our letter writers’ kid is gifted and their family has fallen in love with a local private school — but they’re also grappling with some guilt. How important is it to give your kid the best, if it also means putting them in a privilege bubble?  They also share some products and activities they’re loving right now. Then, if you have Slate Plus, is yelling actually useful?  Recommendations:  Zak: De-icing your car in the winter with a warm bag of water.  Lucy: Quarterly family vision boards! Elizabeth: Sushi Monster App  Reading:  The Truth About Yelling by Emily Edlynn  How (and why) to stop yelling at your kids by Shannon Shelton Miller Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… yas, queen? It’s been hard to avoid an onslaught of memes about bad people lately. People like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and George Santos have been punished for their misdeeds in one way… but now, it seems, they’re being rewarded by the attention economy. The question is: is it our fault? Rachel Greenspan, writer and social strategist, joins us once again to argue for discretion in memeing. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… delusion is not the solution. Welcome to a presidential election year, where everyone will surely be cool and normal. We know, we know — the prospect of dealing with electoral discourse is one that most of us aren’t looking forward to. But we’re here to prove that it’s possible to talk.  For Democrats, and liberals writ large, it’s hard to understand why anyone would want another Trump presidency; and it’s tempting to chalk that desire up to delusion, idiocy, or gullibility. But is that a good-faith assumption? Author and professor Frank Buckley joins us to defend the 2024 Trump voter — as someone who earnestly believes the other side is worse. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… new year, new you?  If you’ve resolved to make 2024 your happiest, healthiest, most organized, most peaceful, etc. year yet? You’re not alone. And if you’re pretty sure the people who have made resolutions are doomed to abandon ship before January is over… you’re not alone, either. Nor are you wrong, exactly. In the season of giving, getting, and evaluating self-improvement advice, there’s a line between over-optimism and self-limiting skepticism. And our guest wants to help you walk that line.  Zak Rosen, host of The Best Advice Show and co-host of Slate’s Care & Feeding, joins us.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… ‘tis the damn season. Break out the glitter and the ugly sweaters. If you’re on social media, you’ve probably seen a lot of minimalist holiday décor this year — from celebrities, influencers, and DIY-ers alike. It seems trendy to try “class up” the holidays and eschew the bright and gaudy for the monotone, the understated, or the expensive-looking… but does living in fear of committing a faux pas maybe miss the point?  Kristen Meinzer, culture critic and cohost of The Daily Fail, joins us to defend the tacky — as not only counterculture, but as the real reason for the season. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… cen-suspicions. We’re a little over six years away from the next national census. It’s understandable that this might not be at the top of your mind, but for a small group of academics and activists, it absolutely is.  Race isn’t a real thing, scientifically speaking. But we still live in a heavily racialized society, and the Census sets the stage for many, many policy decisions that impact race equity. So, if race isn’t real, why does the Census act like it’s a simple, immutable fact? Carlos Hoyt, an author and speaker, joins us to propose a more dynamic way of self reporting – and recording – race.  If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com Podcast production by Maura Currie. You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice