Unjerked Podcast

Unjerked Podcast

We are Unjerked - the podcast aimed at fighting echo chambers in a fun way. We are affiliated with jabde.com - a purposely fake satire website which publishes fake academic journal articles. We thought it would be a great idea to create an inverse platform, which focuses on finding the truth behind ”common knowledge” found on websites like Reddit or Twitter. We will do the best we can to focus on academic research as the basis for our podcast, along with other reputable sources. We’ll probably start out as a semi-monthly podcast, and see how things go. Stay tuned for more!

  1. JAN 6

    Unjerked E47 Urban Design Part 3

    Unjerked Podcast

    33 min

  2. 11/13/2025

    Unjerked E46 Urban Design Part 2

    [0:00:15] Introductions and overview of the podcast and urban design series continuation. [0:00:30] Discussion of vehicle accident statistics, especially fatal intersection crashes from studies. (1) [0:01:31] Analysis of types of road collisions, side impacts, and their fatality rates. [0:02:21] Road category statistics for crash frequency (rural vs. urban, arterials, and collectors). (2) [0:03:07] Importance and risks of arterial and collector roads compared to highways/local roads. [0:04:04] Evaluation of raised safety platforms and their effect on reducing accidents and speeds. (1) [0:06:28] Introduction of "daylighting" intersections as a traffic visibility and safety method. (1) [0:08:17] Effectiveness of roundabouts in reducing injury and fatality crash rates. (1) [0:10:49] Dangers of slip lanes at intersections and general intersection design safety improvements. (1) [0:12:18] Summary of research on urban vs. suburban street designs, density, and their impact on traffic safety. (1) (2) (3) [0:14:35] Downsides of arterial roads lined with commercial activities related to increased crashes. (1) (2) (3) (4) [0:16:42] Findings on strip commercial activity and pedestrian safety, particularly with alcohol venues. [0:17:56] Additional research about collisions involving older drivers and pedestrians on arterial roads. [0:18:55] "Strodes" as problematic street types and their depiction in media and research. [0:19:10] Comparing city layouts (Atlanta vs. Boston) regarding street configuration and accidents. (1) [0:19:33] Relationship between urban sprawl and increased crash rates. (1) [0:20:08] Benefits of dedicated bicycle lanes for reducing bicycle accidents. (1) [0:22:32] Shift to discussion about urban heat and environmental sustainability in city design. (1) (2) [0:23:04] Review of techniques like reflective pavement and green infrastructure for mitigating heat islands. (1) [0:24:32] Emphasizing the cooling and sustainability benefits of urban greenery and trees. [0:24:38] Brief mention of right-sizing infrastructure and development strategies based on context. (1) [0:25:24] Incremental vs. large-scale development—pitfalls of planned, oversized urban projects.

    27 min

  3. 09/18/2025

    Unjerked E45 Urban Design Part 1

    B McGraw and William Henderson talk about best practices in urban design. What are the best principles of good urban systems? How do we reduce externalities related to urban life? This is part 1 of 2 episodes. First we talk about the difference between urban design and housing or transit policy. Then we go over different externalities to manage. This includes urban heat, noise, mental health, traffic, carbon emissions, and more. We then talk about ways to minimize traffic accidents, the importance of grid pattern streets, and optimal zoning reforming. We then discuss densification of housing, dedicated bus lines, and the best ways to reduce noise. After this, we talk about policies that optimize mental health. Overall, the key principles of good urban design include grid patterns, dense housing, public transit friendly streets, and lots of greenergy. 0:45: What is Urban Design? (vs. Housing & Transit) 3:16: Externalities that need to be managed 4:51: Traffic Accidents (2) 8:48: Grid patterns (2) 14:45: Zoning reform (2) 16:30: Densification (2) 17:00: Dedicated bus lanes 19:05: Noise (2) 22:40: Mental Health (2) (3)   This is the Unjerked Podcast!

    30 min

  4. 08/18/2025

    Unjerked E44 Political Compass Part 2

    Unjerked Podcast

    36 min

  5. 06/27/2025

    Unjerked E43 Political Compass Part 1

    Unjerked Podcast

    29 min

  6. 05/02/2025

    Unjerked E42 Agriculture Subsidies Part 2

    Summary William Henderson and B. McGraw discuss U.S. agriculture subsidies—what they are, how they work, and the tradeoffs they create. The conversation covers the history and structure of these subsidies, as well as political and economic consequences. Agriculture Policy We begin by examining the political durability of subsidies, driven in part by the disproportionate influence of rural states in the Senate. Despite the shrinking number of farmers, these programs remain deeply entrenched. Next, we look at who benefits—mainly large agribusinesses—and contrast supply-side subsidies with programs like SNAP. We then explore New Zealand’s decision to eliminate subsidies in the 1980s, which led to higher productivity and stable employment. We also consider national security arguments for supporting domestic food production, as well as the impact of consolidation, automation, and contract farming on labor and ownership. Later, we question whether private markets (futures, insurance) could manage agricultural risk without government support. This leads into a discussion of grocery prices, inflation, and whether “greedflation” or broader economic forces are driving costs. Finally, we touch on the unintended effects of subsidies on public health and the environment—like their contribution to obesity and monoculture farming—and explore climate policy, water use, and immigration’s role in farm labor. The episode closes with a look at whether the current system is effective policy—or simply politically untouchable. Timestamps 00:00 — Intro and political feasibility of removing subsidies 01:56 — Distributive effects and difficulty of reform 02:39 — Comparison to New Zealand’s reforms 03:03 — National security as justification 06:16 — Industrial consolidation and automation 04:20 — New Zealand outcomes and productivity Cato Institute on NZ Reform 06:00 — Market price stability and crop insurance 7:44 — High prices and greedflation 09:27 — Inflation and COVID supply shocks 10:12 — National security and industrial policy 13:07 — Obesity and health outcomes 14:56 — Conspiracy theory 15:54 — Regenerative agriculture 21:52 — Environmental damage 23:58 — Subsidies and food prices 24:23 — Desert farms 27:47 — Immigration and labor supply issues   This is the unjerked podcast!

    30 min

  7. 04/14/2025

    Unjerked E41 Agriculture Subsidies Part 1

    William Henderson and B. McGraw talk about agriculture policy. What kind of subsidies exist and why? This is part 1 of 2 episodes? We first briefly discuss the different types of farming, to include a completely free-market farming, subsidized farming, and collectivized soviet-style farming. Then, we discuss the comparison of subsidy levels between different countries. New Zealand is the lowest with a near 0% level of agriculture subsidies. On the other hand, many countries with high levels of subsidies include Iceland, Japan, and Norway. We then go over an article which discusses New Zealand's decision to pull subsidies in the 1980s. This led to an increased efficiency in farm production and did not lead to reliance on imports for food. After all of this, we go over the farm bill and similar policies which help shape the system of farm subsidies in the US. This includes price loss coverage and agricultural risk coverage, which help pay farmers if commodity prices get too low. Marketing assistance loans are similar and involve lending money when prices get low. Crop insurance helps cover for issues like severe weather, crop failure, etc. Various conservation programs incentivize the use of environmentally friendly practices. We then talk about disaster assistance programs, specialty crop support programs, and biofuel programs.   4:20 collective farming  6:38 OECD white paper with country comparisons 9:57 CATO article on total subsidies 13:43 Farm bill (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) This is the Unjerked Podcast!

    30 min

  8. 03/31/2025

    Unjerked E40 Transportation Part 2

    William Henderson and B. McGraw talk about public transportation. What forms of transit make the most sense? This is part 2 of 2 episodes.   We first discuss gas taxes, both at the federal and state level, and how these are used to fund highway maintenance. We then discuss rail funding, which lacks a dedicated trust fund and is more volatile in availability. Then we talk about factors which increase rail transit use demand, to include neighborhood density. We then discuss congrestion prices, and the role they plan in controlling externalities associated with driving. Similarly, we go over the topic of dynamic parking pricing, which helps adjust demand for street parking. We go over whether or not adding extra lanes is an effective method of reducing traffic. Then, we talk about various methods to reduce traffic accidents, to include more mass transit use, bicycle lanes, and fewer "stroads". Then, we discuss potential technology innovations in transportation. Finally, we go over the conspiracy theory of "15 minute cities", and whether or not this is a fair argument against walkable cities. 1:30 gas taxes (2) 6:40 rail funding 12:47 density, transit, expenditures bureacracy culture 20:33 congestion pricing  24:25 dynamic parking pricing 28:00 adding lanes 31:43 traffic accidents (2) (3) 41:10 technology 46:11 conspiracies   This is the Unjerked Podcast!

    51 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

We are Unjerked - the podcast aimed at fighting echo chambers in a fun way. We are affiliated with jabde.com - a purposely fake satire website which publishes fake academic journal articles. We thought it would be a great idea to create an inverse platform, which focuses on finding the truth behind ”common knowledge” found on websites like Reddit or Twitter. We will do the best we can to focus on academic research as the basis for our podcast, along with other reputable sources. We’ll probably start out as a semi-monthly podcast, and see how things go. Stay tuned for more!

Information

  • Creator
    Unjerked Podcast
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Unjerked Podcast