Calmversations

Steve Salerno (@iwrotesham on twitter) is a professor of journalism at the University of Las Vegas, and author of several non-fiction books, among them SHAM: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless. In this discussion we speak about his perspective on the failure of mainstream journalism to adhere to ethical practices of critical thinking and truth seeking, how self-esteem movement has ho...

Jessie Mannisto (@jlmannisto on twitter) is a retired CIA analyst, one-time DSA activist, and now runs an online publication The Third Factor, which publishes works and interviews with a particular sort of person: namely, the peculiar kind. In this conversation we speak about Kazimierz Dąbrowski's "Theory of Positive Disintegration" which postulates a developmental pathway for those who non-confor...

Erin Smith infiltrated antifa during the Trump years and studied their tactics of "direct action." In this discussion, we speak on those tactics, why the Mainstream Media seems to cover for them, and what the conservative movement is lacking with regards to effecting the political process of the United States. Follow Erin on twitter @erinsmithSF   Read more about her research:    ht...

Jason Littlefield worked in public education for several years when he saw Critical Social Justice begin to take root and take over. He left, then got into Social and Emotional Learning, where Critical Social Justice soon took over. Observing the impact that CRT and other anti-oppression doctrines had on the psychological and social well-being of people, he has teamed up with Eric Smith and Zander...

Michelle Naef is an engineer with many years in Canadian Oil, and is now working on her doctorate in organizational theory. In this interview we talk about the "clay layer" of middle management that is gumming up so much of our institutions, and causing failures in public trust and safety. Brilliant woman! Follow her on twitter @Bornforbarn Support this channel by a meagre donation https://www.pay...

In this convervsation, Steven Brust (@StevenBrust on twitter) and I speak about writing—how plot is like a magic trick—how the the imagination and blind luck builds worlds, and then we speak about his parent's involvement in Minneapolis unionization politics over the course of the 20th century.  Steven has so, so many books. I suggest the Vlad Taltos series, but a couple great one-offs are Ag...

Robin Atkins is one of very few mental health professionals specializing in the traumas and stresses of pregnancy and birth—both successful and non-successful. In this interview we speak about her professional philosophy and her personal experience as a mother of four (and more), a wife and a devotee of Life's beautiful and troubling tides. Follow her on twitter @TruthAgape ; contact her via ratki...

Lisa Selin Davis is the author of scores of essays and an impressive number of books, including "Tomboy" (available now). In this conversation, we speak about how she discovered gender was to be spoken about through the New York Times platform, and the consequences of straying off script. We speak about Trump's influence on the media, political homelessness, and are treated to a bit of her banjo p...

Maud Maron speaks about her experience serving as NYC Public School Board member, he time as a defense lawyer, and what she's trying to accomplish by running for NY City Counsel. Support Maud's City Counsel run: https://maudmaron.nyc  Find her on twitter @MaudMaron   Crazy School Board video: https://youtu.be/5vEh3SisyBw  Support this channel: https://www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce Rea...

Erika Bachiochi (@erikabachiochi ) is a legal scholar who has written a fascinating and informative intellectual history of women's rights from the Enlightenment to the present, based on the work of Mary Wollstonecraft. We speak about aspects of her research and what a rational feminism wants for women and from men. The Rights of Women (highly recommended!): https://amzn.to/3k4ZJfA   Find mor...

Josh Slocum runs the Disaffected Podcast (@DisaffectedPod on twitter), where he analyzes current political phenomena through a psychological lens. In this conversation he speaks to me about Cluster B Personality Disorders, how they operate in individuals, families, and on social media. We also get a glimpse into how Cluster B has impacted him personally. Find him across the web at: https://www.you...

Meandering discourse about stereotypes and gender. Lorelei is a real dame. Follow her on the twitter @hatpinwoman   She co-edits The Radical Notion: https://theradicalnotion.org/   Support this channel: https://www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce

Peavy brings her decade+ experience working in the California Public School system to bear on this conversation about challenging the gender ideology that is running through many US schools. Support this channel by singing its praises in aisles 4 or 12 of your local supermarket, or by tipping me at www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce

Returning guest Helen Joyce is a mathematician and editor of The Economist. Over the past few years she's been investigating the cultural phenomenon of Transgenderism, and has recently published Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality, which gives an excellent overview of the ideology, history, and impact of the trans movement. Follow Helen on Twitter @HJoyceGender.  Order her book, Trans: When Id...

Professor Wilfred Reilly speaks to me about contemporary politics through a political science lens. Find him on twitter @wil_da_beast630 and his books at: https://amzn.to/3BxeptV   Support this channel:  https://www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce  Read my writing: http://bit.ly/aliastodream   Sip the Nuance! https://www.teespring.com/boycemug

As a child and into his teen years, Ash had a very difficult time understanding people and getting along with them—especially boys. This lead him, as a freshman in high school, to consider if he was in fact trans. Fast-tracked by his therapist, but held back by his father, a closer, more careful inspection of how he makes sense in the world lead to a diagnosis of autism. Once that connection was m...

Veera is a detransitioned Finnish youtuber who shares a very personal story about struggling to love and care for herself through a life of foster care, anorexia, and other mental and emotional difficulties. Watch her content at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG0-O3zN9yp0jgd5a4-VL2g Support this channel by stuffing url's of your favorite episodes into local church hymnals and those cute little F...

Deborah Fillman is a mother and writer who, shocked by the treatment of her daughters in public education, has done her research and decided that public schools are beyond reformation, and should be abolished. Find her on twitter @insomnochick, on youtube at The Reason We Learn and on locals https://thereasonwelearn.locals.com If you're interested in homeschool resources visit the Homeschool Legal...

I'm not the first to notice symmetries in the political and social arc of The Me Generation (Boomers) and The Me² Generation (Zoomers). Jim Heller talks about his experience in a 70's era cult and how he sees the same thinking going on at present. Jim Heller lives and works in the costal town of Victoria, British Columbia Support this channel by sharing your favorite episodes with your childhood s...

Ella Washington (@rhetorical_joke on twitter) speaks to me about the years she devoted to a child with severe mental health issues, and how she gracefully managed his foray into a trans identity. Support this channel by sharing your favorite episodes, and by tipping via CashApp $benjaminaboyce or https://www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce

Milli Hill (@millihill on twitter) has been writing about women's reproductive health for many years, and was recently shunned and abused for putting women first.  Find her writing at  https://www.millihill.co.uk  "Give Birth Like a Feminist" https://bit.ly/3s1XuMu  "My Period" https://bit.ly/3fCCIOv  Support this channel: https://www.paypal.me/benjaminboyce CashApp $benja...

Elika is a university student whose proclivity for critical thinking, logic, and humor makes her somewhat of an outcast among her peers. We talk about navigating a social landscape that is highly moral, ideological, and vengeful (in the name of fairness, justice, and equity), and how she's coming to terms with thinking out loud and for herself. Find the beginnings of her impressive writing career...

James Esses found working in counseling very fulfilling, and decided to pursue a degree in the field. Three years in to a five year degree, someone complained about his views on the affirmation-only approach to gender issues, and his educational institute unceremoniously kicked him from his program. What follows is his story, and what he's doing to fight back. Find James at @JamesEsses on twitter...

Alexandros is an entrepreneur practice solutions to design-based problems. He's also keen on making sense of the world, in order to optimize human life and ingenuity. Pulled into the controversy surrounding Bret Weinstein's questions of the COVID vaccine and alternatives thereto, Alexandros found a lack of substance in these critics' complains. So he has put together a crowdsource sort of fact che...

Aaron Kimberly (@Aaron_GDAC) is a long time mental health professional and transman. He has been advocating for evidence based trans health care, while Canada is implementing laws that ban people from exploring gender identities in any way other than affirmatively (casting this as "conversion therapy" and outlawing even talk therapy). A vocal advocate for Gender Identity, who has been working nati...