Reason Bound Ryan Michaels

Denise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to discuss blending cultural identities centered on what it means to be Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, and so on. Denise talks with Ryan about connecting with roots, hertiage, and how one's own culture can interact with another. It's a good conversation between long time friends that sparked ideas about what it means to be identity X or Y.

Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan's Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teachers fined per lesson if they become unable to teach, which could even result in a negative paycheck. In addition to demanding an end to the qualified invoice system requirements, Gaba Instructors, who have not received a raise since 2008, are fighting for a modest raise of 200 yen per lesson ($1.33 U.S. as of the currency exchange rate on 11/06/23). Ryan and the panel discuss the importance of unions, past victories Tozen has achieved for workers, and how Gaba instructors as well as counselors can join the union and strengthen bargaining power in the fight for fair working conditions. Tozen union panel guests include the Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Executive President Musashi Sakazaki, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union General Secretary Mitch Brown, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Member Paul Bowen, and Tozen Union Deputy Finance Officer and Organizer Louis Carlet.

Returning from overseas ventures, Michael Hubbard returns to the U.S. and Reason Bound to discuss Cultural Appropriation with Ryan. Cultural Appropriation seems to have different meanings to different people. Where is the line between what is acceptable and not in social behaviors that cross cultures. Mike and Ryan on a reason-bound discussion on everything from food to clothing to Halloween costumes.

Award winning journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to discuss reality as people seem to be navigating it. Fake news, false information, and outright lies are inundating the populace more than Charles and Ryan can ever recall. Where can truth be found? How should claims be evaluated? From British politicians lamenting "Oh, we've had enough of experts" to formerly respected journalists jumping on leaving reality-land railroad jobs, truth is now out of style in favor of confirmation bias.

Manny Militello joins Ryan for the third installment of the War and Peace series. Having both met in an international law class at Waseda University in Tokyo, Manny and Ryan have had quite some time to study the history and narratives of actions taken against Japan during the second World War. They discuss history leading up to the U.S.'s involvement in the war, the fire bombings of Tokyo, and the wanton acts of using nuclear weapons on a country that was willing to surrender. The Hague Conventions are discussed as the authority in determining the legality of the bombings, and an analysis of the court's findings in the case of Ryuichi Shimoda et al. v. The State further serves to expose the illegality of the atrocities.

The last year has put a spotlight on issues surrounding women's reproductive rights and whether or not it's appropriate for women to have control over their own bodies. Rachel Cannon joins Ryan to discuss various aspects of abortion from legislative history to positions influenced by belief in and devotion to religion. It's a sober conversation on a crucial health and family issue that, for the time being, is as unresolved as ever.