20 episodes
The Control Variable with Kim Cutter Atomic Whale Studios
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- Society & Culture
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4.9 • 85 Ratings
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The Control Variable with Kim Cutter is a weekly podcast series that takes a deep look at the many problems plaguing our fractured country and talks to the people who are offering solutions to help us evolve as a society. Hosted by journalist Kim Cutter, the weekly series picks up from Kim’s five-part investigation into the propaganda that led to the attack on the Capitol and continues to examine the myths we’ve been telling ourselves since the founding of our country and how these myths continue to polarize our society. Each week, Kim talks to people from all professions, and all over the political spectrum, who help unravel fact from fiction around the greatest challenges of our times: the limitations of our two-party system, the widening wealth gap, the inequity baked into the American meritocracy, gun violence, the perils of climate change, the hunger for God amidst religious corruption, and many other issues. Join Kim for in-depth, always enlightening, and humorous conversations with the people who are trying to put our world back together.
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Episode 013. Jeanna Kadlec: American Heretic
As this season of The Control Variable comes to a close, Kim sits down with former evangelical Christian Jeanna Kadlec to discuss her gripping new memoir Heretic. Together, they explore how Jeanna escaped the church's cult-like grip, her struggle to create a new identity, and her horror as she recognized the profound role fundamentalist Christianity played in the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Both Kim and Jeanna want to know: How do we confront the evangelical church's centuries-old toxic influence on American society--and what might a more inclusive, more compassionate American story be?
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Episode 012. Busy Philipps: A Dance with Joy and Responsibility
The wonderfully hilarious actress, writer, producer, director and activist Busy Philips (Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, Busy Tonight, Girls 5eva) joins Kim on The Control Variable to detail her journey in reproductive rights activism and bring some much-needed humor to some deeper topics in our society.
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Episode 011. Diane Benscoter, Mike Rothschild and Janja Lalich: On the Cult of QAnon
In the wake of a sudden resurrection of QAnon in Trump’s midterm election campaigns, Kim revisits the haunting investigation into the cult-like political group from episode 4 of American Propaganda. What role did QAnon play in the January 6th insurrection? How did so many fall prey to this bizarre cult-like phenomenon? As she seeks answers to these questions, Kim interviews cult experts and deprogrammers (including a former member of the Moonies) and learns about the psychological manipulation methods, cult leaders use to keep a tight grip on their followers.
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Episode 010. Saul Schisler - On the Pleasures and Problems of Gun Ownership in America
Why do so many Americans love guns? What would it take to end our epidemic of gun violence? On this week’s show, Kim—a lifelong “gunophobe”—explores these questions and more with her friend Saul Schisler—a hunter, gun collector and artist. Both Kim and Saul want to know: Can a country that loves its guns as deeply as America ever hope to stop mass shootings?
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Episode 009. Craig McNamara - Part #2: Because Our Fathers Lied
The conversation continues between Kim and Robert McNamara’s son Craig McNamara - author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied. This time Kim wants to know: Is Craig still haunted by his father's legacy in Vietnam? Does he consider his father a war criminal? Where does Craig himself come out on the question of war? Are there any conditions under which he’d be willing to fight?
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Episode 008. Craig McNamara - Part #1: On War & Peace
Kim sits down with writer, activist, and farmer Craig McNamara (author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied) to discuss his complicated relationship with his father, former secretary of defense Robert McNamara, the thread of the Vietnam War in his life, and what a new kind of American patriotism might look like.
Customer Reviews
An essential podcast for healing the world
The news is often a thin slice of reporting on the details of a day, an event, a catastrophe, but rarely do we get historical, cultural, theological, philosophical, psychological, and/or spiritual insight in one place. Kim Cutter and her guests, leaders in many fields, give us a more complete understanding of how we arrived at this devastating moment and what we must do no as individuals and community. Sometimes the show makes me cry, but I always leave with hope and appreciation of our ‘beautiful messy world.’ I leave fueled to join others and be part of a worldwide effort to restore health to all of us, all beings, the earth, the universe… Highly recommend listening for all.
Big Questions—with Brilliance & Warmth
Kim Cutter brings a unique nimbleness and radiance to all the big questions. These episodes go deep without leaving a compassionate sense of humanity behind. Reporting and inquiry can be generous and incisive!
So necessary
Thankful that this podcast exists. I’ve had a hard time understanding how we got to this place of loathing and violence in a country that once seemed pretty unified around topics like not storming our own Capitol or threatening our own lawmakers and civil servants with bodily harm. Sadly, there’s a reason we are where we are and Kim Cutter, Bryan Blattstein and crew break it down for us flawlessly (if, depressingly) in the Control Variable.