50 States of Mind

If you’re looking for a good deep dive into the insights of the many sides of the United States that takes an unbiased approach to seeing why things are the way they are this is the podcast for you. Ryan is very good at exploring all the crevices of the United States and really makes it enjoyable to explore with him. You’re really missing out if you’re not listening to this!

This was the first and only episode of your podcast I’ll listen to. So much for learning anything about New Mexico. Your naivety could have gotten you into this situation in any of the 50 states.

What a myopic slant on America and our politics. If you are trying to alienate listeners you’re doing a fab job. Getting an American history review from someone who lives in another country and clearly doesn’t understand our democracy is a waste of time. (Georgia episode). I won’t be recommending or listening further.

I love this podcast. Ryan does a phenomenal job of interviewing people and asking thought-provoking questions. This podcast does two crucially important things: 1. It focuses on different people with a range of political ideologies. It’s very easy to say that a person is bad because they have a certain political leaning. People have reasons for the things that they believe. When Ryan conducts these interviews, he allows us to listen to people who might believe different things than we do - and see how they got to that point. The experiences of people make them who they are, and these interviews allow us to see the people behind these ideologies. 2. It asks non-Americans their views about the USA and Americans The idea of American exceptionalism puts the country on a pedestal. This results in Americans seeing themselves as superior to other nations. It also results in Americans developing a blind spot in regards to the country. The USA has done some spectacular things, but it isn’t perfect - far from it. It has failed spectacularly in many areas. It’s a good thing to hear the thoughts and experiences of non-Americans. Their insights might help us think differently about the way we perceive situations. A non-American viewpoint is just as valid as ours and is a much-needed one for us to be able to understand the viewpoints of others. We shouldn’t exist in ideological vacuums - a well-informed person is someone who can listen to others and consider their views. This podcast is an excellent start towards achieving that.