Critical Babe Theory

Comedian and actor Ben Zimmer (@benjimanzz on IG) comes on the show to talk about the Joe Rogan comedy ecosystem—and whether Rogan is a clueless shill or an active op for Silicon Valley, handed the keys to the kingdom by the tech elite in their quest to destroy legacy media. Also discussed: Shane Gillis is a Republican for pay, death of the monoculture, how the libbed-out left  play into hack come...

Jasmine Vojdani—a senior editor at New York Magazine and writer of the newsletter Book Gossip —comes on the show to talk about her piece “The AI Agents Begging Editors to Keep Them Alive” and the wild weird world of AI agents gone rogue—not to commit crimes, but to get published in literary magazines.  Also discussed: how literary prizes are at the front line of AI plagiarism scandals, Francesca’s...

Brian Wedeking, a lifelong Democrat and two-time Bernie supporter turned fiscal conservative, got into a comments fight with Francesca that spilled into the DM’s—so she invited him on the show. They debate billionaires, taxes, and corporate power—and Brian explains why he stopped voting blue. Also discussed: don’t let anyone read your bible for you, how the ultra-rich borrow against their stock po...

Anya Kamenetz—journalist, author, and host of the podcast ZERO REJECT —comes on the show to discuss New York City’s pubic school system and how Carter cases (where families sue the DOE for private school tuition for their kids with disabilities) are demonstrative of the problems in public education today—and what it would take to build a school system that serves everyone. Also discussed: Carter c...

Molly Crabapple, author of the NY Times bestseller Here Where We Live Is Our Country, comes on the show to discuss her book on the Bund—the revolutionary Jewish socialists in the former Russian Empire—and what their successes and failures can teach us about the left today. Also discussed: Zionist fragility, what America does to its immigrant kids, how everyone saying they feel “unsafe” destroys di...

Political strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder Reed Galen comes on the show to explain why both the Democrats and Republicans are bleeding supporters; nearly half of Americans now consider themselves independent. We discuss how the Democrats don’t keep their promises to working people, because the donor class—not the base—is calling the shots. Also discussed: Reed explains how the Lincoln Pro...

Writer and cradle Catholic Jack Hanson (author of the Harper's cover story "Holy War" and the newsletter “Phantom Heresy” ) joins host Francesca Root-Dodson to break down liberation theology: a "preferential option for the poor" built on the idea that God is most present among the marginalized, the church should stand in solidarity with common workers (rather than the elite...

Artist and self-described peace influencer Lucia Ribisi (@lucia4peace) joins host Francesca Root-Dodson to break down her philosophy of hot girl environmentalism—an eco-bimbo manifesto built on the idea that sustainability, empathy and passion for the planet are hot, that dreams do come true, pleasure is primary, and that peace is possible (if you're willing to fight for it). Also discussed: L...

On this episode of Critical Baby Theory, host Francesca Root-Dodson sits down with childhood friend Anna Durrett, a New York City-based communications consultant, to unpack how billionaire wealth has quietly redefined what it means to be a "moderate" Democrat—particularly in the hothouse of San Francisco tech politics. Also discussed: tracing San Francisco's arc from pandemic-era &qu...

The first half of my conversation with Adam de Picot—founder of the international youth advocacy and policy making group MESA—about the brave new world we’re entering, and how the 1.2 billion young people on the planet can shape it. Also discussed: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, proud globalism, the eating practices of the Maasai Mara, soft alphas, being a part-time apiarist, the Cockroach Revolutio...

Justin Charles—former member of the national board of the Democratic Socialists of America—comes on the show to discuss the recent congressional victory in New York City and what it means for the future of the left. Also discussed: white people crying after the 2016 Trump win, why socialism is still a scary word, Sarah Palin is the only woman who could ever have become President, Obama governed in...

To finish our Hetero Month programming, we go back to the beginning of the war of the sexes: the prehistorical suppression female-centered religions and the casting of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute by the early church. Bri O’Reilly—Irish cradle Catholic—comes on the show to discuss how the sex wars are as old as history itself, and how we can approach true egalitarianism in our faith and in our r...

In the third installment of Hetero Month, filmmaker Shervin Nassi and I have a frank conversation about dating—and we find that men and women are having the same problems in relationships, and explore what we mean when we say true partnership. Shervin's film ONLY GOOD FEELINGS will be premiering this fall in NY & LA, for screenings and more information, please visit  Onlygoodfeelingsfilm.c...

In the second installment of Hetero Month, Dani Druz—actress, producer, and mental health advocate—comes on the show to discuss the new era men find themselves in, and how we as women can relate to them better.  Also discussed: “there is a plague of low T men terrorizing women,” testify for peptides, Rosie the dog digestive drama, what we love about junkies, did Kelloggs put chemicals in the food...

The first half of my conversation with Brock Colyar, features writer at  New York Mag , about their recent article “The Big Little Penis Panic”—and how size anxiety is dominating the American male psyche. Be warned: this episode is  very NSFW. Also discussed: catching print, is skinny to women what dick size is to men?, growers vs showers, get good at the native sex you’re having, pleasure-maxxing...

The first half of my conversation with Carrigan Miller, writer and editor of  KGB Lit , about the looming schism in the Catholic Church between traditionalists and reformers—and how SSPX, Peter Thiel and conservative American bishops are emblematic of the tensions in Rome post-Vatican II. Also discussed: “you have a soul, act like it,”only fools want schism, fifth base is letting the person you’re...

The Democrats claim to be the “moral” party—that’s why they abandoned Platner. But is a party that facilitated the genocide in Gaza, allowed Ted Kennedy to serve in the Senate for 47 years after killing a girl, and is led by Nancy Pelosi—who clearly engages in insider trading—really the party that can demand their candidates be pure? An argument with political strategist and former Congressional s...

Murtaza Hussain, senior reporter at Drop Site News, comes on the show to talk about the war in Iran. But (of course) we end up talking about Israel—and how they’re scrambling to keep war in the Middle East going at any cost. Nota bene: this was taped on July 3rd. Since then the ceasefire between the US and Iran—in so much as there was one—has collapsed. Also discussed: when the goal is the creatio...

Former pro wrestler and natural bodybuilder Max Barsky comes on the show to talk about wrestling, labor organizing, and patriotism. Plus we have an honest conversation about getting cancelled—and how it doesn’t have to make you swing to the right. Also discussed: bodybuilding categories, “cancellation doesn’t exist,” the moral obligation to run for office, the #speakingout movement, labor organizi...

The first half of my conversation with writer and organizer Caroline Debnam about the recent hit pieces on Graham Platner in the NY Times —their questionable sources, AIPAC-awarded journalists, and the real issue: legacy media is terrified of a viable populist candidate. Also discussed: the liberal discourse on the insurgent left, standing for the real America, letting go of “believe women,” DC te...

The first half of my conversation with Rev. Dr. Andrew Blume—the rector of Saint Ignatius of Antioch in New York City—about what it’s like to be part of a church community grounded in traditional worship while also having an inclusive, open-door policy—and how angry that makes the tradcath trolls online. Also discussed: Francesca forsakes frivolity for more serious concerns, defining Anglo-Catholi...

The first half of my conversation with guest Zoe Dubno—author of the novel  Happiness & Love —on her recent article for  NY Mag  about whether we’ve gone too far in celebrating plastic surgery & extreme beauty routines. Also discussed: there's nothing new under the sun, corporate slop gyms, parents who force their ED on their kids, being allergic to cheap things vs being a snob, the obviou...

My conversation with porn historian Noelle Perdue on the censorious attempt to regulate pornography today—and our heated debate about what a moral society owes its citizens. Also discussed: “pornography is neutral but our sexual culture is not,” box dye heritage, wanting to see things you can never unsee, “The Entertainment” in Infinite Jest , choking in porn is now illegal in the UK (!), vibes-ba...

A wide-ranging conversation with writer and filmmaker Sean Wilsey about literature, the left, and his film IXXI that’s premiering at Tribeca this week. We discuss how hard it is to hold on to your values, orthodoxy as a means to protect yourself, and how radicals have lost the ability to cooperate. Also discussed: translations that are funnier than the original, “it’s really easy to throw people u...

The first half of my conversation with health and wellness journalist Leigh Weingus about GLP-1’s—and what it means for Americans to empty themselves of desire in pursuit of a fix-all miracle drug. Also discussed: optimization culture, Francesca’s time as a fat girl, how our food system is set up to be addictive, drug use in the UC system, thriving in moderation (Leigh is the human GLP-1), a hard...