I like the blend of high and low culture and humor in this show. I could do without the sports but I guess that aspect caters to a certain demographic that’s valuable? Idk. At the same time, sports seem to be important to most people so in a way I’m glad to get exposure to it through this vehicle. It’s medicine, at least in terms of sports.
Sports are not even a big part of this pod, I’m just leading with a criticism because I read a few other reviews that were critical so I’m in that frame of mind. Because I generally love the pod. It’s true I kind of fell off after Tammy left. If podcasts were worlds, the leaving of Tammy was like a collapse of the structure of that world. So the devoted listenership were understandably crushed when she left.
I dabble in the Discord here and there and everybody is interesting and doing revolutionary things in their own way. It seems like with all its faults, the podcast has formed something of a community. A community with a lot of potential.
Mainly I like the funniness and rakish asides that give me a sense of where people who are like me, except more successful and with access to echelons I don’t have. So I think people who so harshly diss on this podcast are kind of ‘hating.’
I initially started with this pod because of the Asian American thing. Not because I’m super into it but it was Covid times and my Asianness became salient in a disturbing way. The pod helped me contextualize that, and laugh in the meantime. I connected with Asians like me for the first time, and that felt radical. I feel like I’m expected to apologize for that, but I won’t. It was truly watershed for me.
Now the pod has veered away from the AA angle and is more a critical culture pod. I’m happy about that, because it can include the POCs and white people who could benefit from the pod.
True, there’s an academic tenor to Tyler the co-host who replaced Tammy, which ignites the frightened student in me who seeks the approbation of Western rationalism. I recall a similar knowing tone in my philosophy professor friend, whose vocal delivery packaged authority according to the rhythms of academic discussion, as I’ve perceived in some grad seminars, where I was petrified to speak. So I conjecture that’s what might be behind the critical views of the new co-host.
All in all the pod delivers a lot, helps paint the cultural landscape in a way that doesn’t take itself so seriously (I mean, look at the name, time to say goodbye?? Confusing for search results to say the least) and it’s free. I truly don’t know how they put out a show every week like this. So I give it four stars. I would give it five, especially with the discord, but I think the pod is still finding its voice, its heart, so we’ll see.
