Against the Grain

Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost

How the right is remaking America. A podcast hosted by Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost.

  1. How the Democratic Party Lost Its Soul

    2 MAR

    How the Democratic Party Lost Its Soul

    If Donald Trump is a dangerous and unpopular extremist, why hasn’t the Democratic Party’s opposition to him yielded a sustainable majority? Matthew and Julia talk to Alicia Nieves, a veteran of pro-immigrant activism and Democratic Party politics. Nieves argues that the party has lost touch with its working-class identity and that if present trends hold, it will cease to be competitive at the federal level. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    57 min
  2. The Epstein Skeptics

    18 FEB

    The Epstein Skeptics

    The release of the Epstein files has been met by an outpouring of paranoid speculation—and a growing chorus of expressing justified skepticism. Matthew and Julia welcome the newcomers to the party and rebuke the holdouts. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    11 min
  3. Melania Mania

    2 FEB

    Melania Mania

    Amazon Studios’ documentary about Melania Trump exceeded box-office expectations in its first weekend, despite being panned by critics and review-bombed by (non-)viewers. Matthew and Julia discuss the First Lady as style icon, fashion-industry professional, and culture-war flashpoint. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    49 min
  4. Close Encounters with Ross Douthat

    20 JAN

    Close Encounters with Ross Douthat

    Are we living in a secular age? Organized religion has suffered decades of decline. But belief in conspiracies is on the rise, amid UFO disclosures, satanic panics, and lab-leak theories. Among intellectuals and elites, the New Atheism of the Aughts has been replaced by a trend toward traditional belief. Ross Douthat, New York Times columnist and author of Believe, joins Matthew and Julia. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    23 min
  5. Norman, Conqueror

    1 JAN

    Norman, Conqueror

    Orgies, amphetamines, stabbings, and an even more scandalous turn to the right: Matthew and Julia discuss how Norman Podhoretz survived the sixties and defined the decades that followed. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    55 min
  6. Jacob Savage on the Lost Generation

    16/12/2025

    Jacob Savage on the Lost Generation

    In 2014, prestige institutions decided they had to become much more diverse—and quickly. They didn’t purge established Boomers. Instead, they did everything they could to avoid hiring white millennial men. Jacob Savage joins Matthew and Julia to tell the story of a generation derailed by DEI.  For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    24 min
  7. How Hipsterism Led to Trumpism

    01/12/2025

    How Hipsterism Led to Trumpism

    Millennial Brooklyn may be left-coded, but with its nostalgic masculinism, organic food obsessions, and rural white aesthetics, the hipster era anticipated the MAGA right. Matthew and Julia explain the connection by digging into the life and influence of the original millennial-era hipster, the alternative magazine publisher Jim Goad. For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    59 min
  8. The Great Helenization

    24/11/2025

    The Great Helenization

    Are women ruining the workplace? Are meme-makers ruining conservative intellectual culture? Is our literature better off without litbros like David Foster Wallace? Matthew and Julia talk with Helen Andrews, author of the viral Compact essay “The Great Feminization.” For more like this, become a member at patreon.com/againstthepod.

    12 min
See All (19)

About

How the right is remaking America. A podcast hosted by Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matthew Schmitz and Julia Yost
  • Show Website
    Against the Grain

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