Non-Toxic

In this follow-up to Episode 1's conversation on incels (involuntary celibate men) and their obsession with the idea of the alpha male, we drill into the origins of the alpha — and discover it's all pretty much a myth. Our guest is Connor Meyer, a PhD student at the University of Montana who has been studying Yellowstone National Park's wolves, the animal the incel community seems most...

In the first of this two-part series, we're talking about the myth of the alpha male, where it came from, how it's developed, and why it has remained so prevalent in our culture, despite the fact that a lot of research has overturned the idea. Perhaps the group most obsessed with the idea of alpha males are incels (involuntarily celibate men), who have adopted an elaborate pseudoscientific...

Non-toxic is a new podcast dedicated to exploring the intersection of masculinity and the climate crisis, hosted by critic and cultural journalist Daniel Penny. Every week, we’ll be looking at climate through the lens of culture, politics, media, and everyday life to understand what researchers call "the eco-gender gap." Join us for conversations with experts, journalists, and regular gu...