Top Society & Culture Podcasts

The Shawn Ryan Show

1

The Shawn Ryan Show

Shawn Ryan
The Determined Society with Shawn French

2

The Determined Society with Shawn French

Shawn French
Stuff You Should Know

3

Stuff You Should Know

iHeartPodcasts
The Ezra Klein Show

4

The Ezra Klein Show

New York Times Opinion
The Walkers: The real Salt Path | Tortoise Investigates

5

The Walkers: The real Salt Path | Tortoise Investigates

The Observer
This American Life

6

This American Life

This American Life
Sword and Scale

7

Sword and Scale

Sword and Scale

2D AGO

1

George Saunders on Anger, Ambition and Sin

George Saunders is tired of being the “kindness guy.” Saunders is one of my favorite fiction writers, and a friend of the pod; I talked to him back in 2021 and 2022. He also has a reputation as a kind of guru of kindness, thanks to a viral commencement speech he gave back in 2013. We talked about kindness on the show before. But with the publication of his new novel, “Vigil,” I noticed that something about Saunders seemed to have shifted. He was pushing back against that public persona, and wrestling with darker themes. “Vigil” follows an oil tycoon who, on his deathbed, is visited by angels and people from his past asking him to reassess his life. And you can feel a tension in that book that is also very alive in Saunders himself — between recognizing how much of our lives are conditioned by our circumstances and the need to pass judgment to reckon with the truth. In this conversation, I discuss that tension with Saunders. I ask him about his relationship not just to kindness but also to anger; how he defines sin; whether he believes in free will; and what he thinks lies beyond kindness. This episode contains strong language. Mentioned: Vigil by George Saunders “What It Means to Be Kind in a Cruel World” by The Ezra Klein Show “George Saunders Convocation Speech 2013” “A Tough Question Indeed” by George Saunders East West Street by Philippe Sands “When Is It Genocide?” by The Ezra Klein Show Book Recommendations: I Will Bear Witness, Volume 1 by Victor Klemperer Red Cavalry and Other Stories by Isaac Babel The Place of Tides by James Rebanks Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota, Efim Shapiro and Isaac Jones. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Aman Sahota and Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

2d ago

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1h 27m
3D AGO

2

Kindness of Strangers

An episode from our show's early days: Stories about what happens when strangers are kind — and when they're not. Prologue: Brett Leveridge was standing on the subway platform when a man walked by, stopping in front of each passenger to deliver a quiet verdict: "You're in. You're out. You can stay. You—gotta go." Most people ignored him. But Brett found himself hoping for the thumbs up. (5 minutes)Act One: New York City locksmith Joel Kostman tells the story of an act of kindness he committed, hoping for a small reward. (13 minutes)Act Two: In 1940, Jack Geiger, at the age of fourteen, left his middle-class Jewish home and knocked on the door of a Black actor named Canada Lee. He asked Lee if he could move in with him. Lee said yes. In Lee's Harlem apartment, Geiger spent a year among many of the great figures of the Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Wright, Adam Clayton Powell. (11 minutes)Act Three: How two next-door neighbors start treating each other badly, and how their feud becomes an all-consuming obsession. Paul Tough reports. (14 minutes)Act Four: For five weeks, a singer named Nick Drakides stood on a stoop in the East Village, singing Sinatra songs late at night to the delight of his neighbors. The cops didn't bust him; the crowds behaved. It was his gift to New York. Blake Eskin tells the story. (12 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices.

3d ago

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1h 1m
3D AGO

3

#278 Ro Khanna - Why is Congress Afraid to Subpoena Every Name in the Epstein Files?

Ro Khanna is the U.S. Representative for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley) since 2017, serving his fifth term as a Democrat. In this episode, Shawn and Ro discuss the recent drop of the Epstein Files and the two tier system of justice in America. Follow the market here - https://polymarket.com/event/will-anyone-be-jailed-over-epstein-disclosures Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Go to helixsleep.com/SRS for 27% Off Sitewide. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you! New customers can save 35% on your first month of subscription by going to https://dosedaily.co/SRS or entering SRS at checkout. Learn a new language and get up to 55% off your subscription at https://babbel.com/SRS Rules and restrictions may apply. If you’re ready to upgrade your daily routine with BUBS MCT Creamer and Collagen, head to https://bubsnaturals.com/SRS and use code SHAWN for 20% off your order. Ro Khanna Links: Website - https://khanna.house.gov Campaign Site - https://www.rokhanna.com X - https://x.com/RoKhanna FB - https://www.facebook.com/RepRoKhanna IG - https://www.instagram.com/rokhannausa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3d ago

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1h 46m
2D AGO

4

How Cognitive Biases Work

Humans have all sorts of weird quirks that cause us to do silly things and make bad decisions. It’s not our fault though. Our brains are wired that way. Learn about the psychology of cognitive biases in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2d ago

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56 min
2D AGO

5

THE EPSTEIN FILES, EXPLAINED: Everything You Need to Know (Amanda’s You’re Not Gonna Believe This B.S.)

In this special episode of You’re Not Gonna Believe This B******t, Amanda lays out decades of the history, facts, and reporting of the Epstein case—clearly, chronologically, and in one place. This is not about conspiracy theories or salacious details. What we have instead is a documented record showing how, for more than a decade, the justice system worked to protect Jeffrey Epstein and his associates while survivors and advocates and journalists fought to expose the truth. Amanda walks through who Epstein was, how he became so powerful and untouchable, how his crimes were uncovered and buried, and what the Epstein files reveal—and still conceal—about power, accountability, and justice. This episode is a speaking meditation for justice, honoring survivors and those who never stopped pushing for the truth. Note: This episode references Epstein’s crimes only as necessary to explain the systemic injustices involved. Please take care while listening. Don't miss the second episode of the series: EPSTEIN SURVIVORS’ ATTORNEY WHO EXPOSED GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY: Brad Edwards Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠ TikTok — ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@wecandohardthingsshow⁠

2d ago

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1h 21m
1D AGO

6

Short Stuff: Aztec Death Whistle

In the late 90s, a strange musical instrument was excavated under the streets of CDMX. Listen in to learn all about the Aztec Death Whistle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1d ago

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12 min
2D AGO

7

Meet Me in Mamdanistan

Hasan, Austin, and Jen go down the blueanon rabbit hole. 🎉 Pre-order Jen's new book Not Today, Fascists @ https://linktr.ee/ivehaditpodcast Thank you to our sponsors: Jones Road Beauty: Use code Hadit at https://jonesroadbeauty.com to get a Free Shimmer Face Oil with your first purchase! #JonesRoadBeauty #ad Branch Basics: Get 15% off Branch Basics with the code Hadit at https://branchbasics.com/Hadit #branchbasicspod Wild Grain: Right now, Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box - PLUS free Croissants for life - when you go to https://Wildgrain.com/HADIT to start your subscription today. RoBody: Go to https://RO.CO/HADIT to see if you’re eligible for the new GLP-1 pill on Ro. Follow Us: I've Had It Podcast: @Ivehaditpodcast Jennifer Welch: @mizzwelch Angie "Pumps" Sullivan: @pumpspumpspumps Special Guests: Hasan Piker ⁨@HasanAbi⁩ & Austin Show ⁨@AustinProductions⁩ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2d ago

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1h 7m
6D AGO

8

We Didn’t Ask for This Internet

Ragebait, sponcon, A.I. slop — the internet of 2026 makes a lot of us nostalgic for the internet of 10 or 15 years ago. What exactly went wrong here? How did the early promise of the internet get so twisted? And what exactly is wrong here? What kinds of policies could actually make our digital lives meaningfully better? Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu have two different theories of the case, which I thought would be interesting to put in conversation together. Doctorow is a science fiction writer, an activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the author of “Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.” Wu is a law professor who worked on technology policy in the Biden White House; his latest book is “The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity.” In this conversation, we discuss their different frameworks, and how they connect to all kinds of issues that plague the modern internet: the feeling that we’re being manipulated; the deranging of our politics; the squeezing of small businesses and creators; the deluge of spam and fraud; the constant surveillance and privacy risks; the quiet rise of algorithmic pricing; and the dehumanization of work. And they lay out the policies that they think would go furthest in making all these different aspects of our digital lives better. Mentioned: Enshittification by Cory Doctorow The Age of Extraction by Tim Wu “Fighting Enshittification” by Josh Richman Book Recommendations: Small Is Beautiful by E. F. Schumacher Manipulation by Cass R. Sunstein The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams Little Bosses Everywhere by Bridget Read Jules, Penny & the Rooster by Daniel Pinkwater Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Will Peischel. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Isaac Jones and Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Michelle Harris, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Natasha Scott. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6d ago

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1h 27m
6D AGO

9

Episode 338

In East Cleveland, Ohio, Diane Madison - a mother and grandmother - was also a woman remembered fondly by her neighbors. In 2019, she woke to a knife at her throat, and the assailant was her very own grandson, Jalen Plummer. Years earlier, another tragedy had unfolded just steps from her home involving a man who killed three women, ranging in age from 18 to 38. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

6d ago

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1h 8m
1D AGO

10

IT WAS A HOAX w/ Terry Schilling

Tim, Phil, and Elaad are joined by Terry Schilling to discuss reports that jail guards used a fake body for Epstein after his death to fool the media. They also cover the wild story of a man named Adolf Hitler winning an election in Africa, how feminism is allegedly ruining the modern workplace, and new proof suggesting Trump was pleased that police were "stopping" Jeffrey Epstein. Hosts: Tim @Timcast (everywhere) Phil @PhilThatRemains (X) Elaad @ElaadEliahu (X) Producer: Serge @SergeDotCom (everywhere) Guest: Terry Schilling @Schilling1776 (X)

1d ago

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2h 2m

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