YOU OUGHTA KNOW BETTA

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We’re taught to be polite, respect authority, and keep the peace. But what happens when “peace” really means silence? This week, we’re digging into conformity, forced silence, and why speaking up can come with a price. Know Betta. Do Betta. Be Betta. 💖 #YouOughtaKnowBetta #PoliticalUnicorn #Politics #PodcastTok #ThinkForYourself #Substack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss thi...

Who gets to decide who deserves help, grace, a second chance…or even empathy? In this episode of You Oughta Know Betta, we’re getting into why we can see the same struggle and have completely different reactions depending on who is experiencing it. We’re digging into the psychology, history, and politics behind deservingness, from attribution theory and the “aesthetic of poor” to the policies we b...

What happens when an idea becomes so familiar that we stop questioning where it came from? Psychology. History. Politics. In this episode, we're digging into how “common sense” is formed, how it shapes political decisions, and why curiosity matters. 🎙️  The Invention of Common Sense | You Oughta Know Betta Because if an idea deserves the power to become policy,  it deserves more than three wor...

Every atrocity in history had an audience. Nobody wakes up one morning believing an entire group of people deserves fewer rights. So how do ordinary people come to accept extraordinary injustice? In this episode of  You Oughta Know Betta , AJ Miller investigates the stories that shape our beliefs and the powerful role narratives play in history, politics, and everyday life. From propaganda and pub...

Episode 7: The Lie That Keeps You Home "My vote doesn't matter."  It's one of the most common beliefs in American politics, but is it true? In this episode of  You Oughta Know Betta , AJ Miller puts that claim on trial. Using history, psychology, political science, and real election data, we examine why so many people believe their voices don't matter and what the evidence ac...

Why do political messages rooted in fear spread so easily? In this episode of  You Oughta Know Betta , AJ Miller explores the neuroscience and psychology behind fear, framing, and confirmation bias, and why these concepts have shaped political messaging throughout history. From historical case studies to modern communication strategies, discover how fear influences what we notice, what we remember...

What happens when evidence collides with identity? This week, I examine why conversations about systemic racism usually get derailed by deflection instead of focused on the policies and outcomes that matter. Drawing on history, political psychology, and public policy,  The Wrong Question  challenges listeners to stop arguing over intentions and start investigating the receipts.

We're told that hard work, discipline, and good choices are the keys to success. But what happens when the numbers tell a more complicated story? In this episode of  You Oughta Know Betta , I examine the gap between the American promise of meritocracy and the realities of wealth, opportunity, housing, hiring, and workplace outcomes. Through data, history, and lived experience, we investigate a...

From adultification to self-defense, this episode explores how perception shapes justice and what happens when Black children are seen as threats before they’re seen as children.

"13 percent of the population. 50 percent of the crime." Few numbers in America have shaped public opinion more. But statistics don't speak for themselves, people do. In this episode, Unicorn investigates one of the most debated statistics in modern America through the lens of crime data, policing, exonerations, drug enforcement, history, and public policy. Because a statistic can be...

Most Americans can tell you what the 13th Amendment did. Far fewer can tell you how the sentence ends. In this episode, AJ Miller examines one of the most debated words in the Constitution:  EXCEPT Why did Congress abolish slavery while allowing an exception for punishment after conviction? What did lawmakers intend? What happened immediately after the amendment was ratified? And why are states st...

The constitution is a battlefield. Let's navigate the timeline and decisions that got us here.