The World According to Jen & Carolyn

Send us Fan Mail *Sorry about the audio on this one, folks! Things got a little wonky!  Today’s episode is… heavy. We’re diving into something that sounds like a sci-fi dystopia, but is very real: The Dark Enlightenment. Also known as NRx, or neoreactionary thought. And if you’ve never heard of it before, you’re not alone—but its influence is quietly growing in tech, politics, and online spaces. T...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is about a movement that has spent years operating on the political and cultural fringe, but is increasingly influencing mainstream conservative politics, religious institutions, online radicalization spaces, and even parts of the federal government. It’s often called the “masculinist” movement — a loose coalition of Christian nationalists, authoritarian traditiona...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you know we usually live in the deep end of… everything. Politics, policy, democracy on fire, institutions crumbling—you know, light, breezy stuff. And look—we’re not abandoning that. The world is still doing whatever this is. But every once in a while, for our own sanity—and frankly, yours—we need a break. Not a “head in the s...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is… unhinged. Truly. We are diving into some of the wildest conspiracies on the internet—Lizard people. Secret cabals. Pizza-based espionage, and the sprawling universe of QAnon. But we’re not just laughing at them. We’re asking: Why do people believe this? What’s happening psychologically, socially, historically…and what does it say about us as a society?

Send us Fan Mail Happy belated Women’s History Month! Every wave of feminism promised liberation — so why did it keep leaving the same women behind? The feminist waves we were taught to celebrate were not failures of reach — they were strategic choices to maintain proximity to patriarchal power. That choice required the consistent sacrifice of women of color, queer and trans women, and working-cla...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Jen & Carolyn are diving into something that is often framed as a private pain but may actually be one of the most significant public health and political threats of our time: loneliness. And not loneliness as a vibe. Not “I wish I had brunch plans.” We’re talking about chronic social isolation — the kind that alters brain chemistry, distorts threat perception, and erod...

Send us Fan Mail We tend to talk about violence in politics as something abstract. Policy violence. Structural violence. Metaphorical violence. But today, Jen & Carolyn are talking about literal violence. As in: people who ran for office, held office, advised presidents, or built political movements-and also murdered people. And what’s disturbing isn’t just that it happened—but how often power...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode, Jen & Carolyn ask the question on everyone’s mind: Is AI coming for your job? With rapid advances in artificial intelligence — from automated text tools to industrial robots — many workers are wondering if their livelihoods are safe. We’ll break down the facts, the fears, and the future — and help you understand what’s real and what’s speculation. Equities clo...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode, Jen & Carolyn explore a topic that hits home for many: how intense political and ideological divisions in the United States are shaping the modern dating landscape. We’ll talk about how politics influences who we date, how couples navigate differences, and what it all means for relationships in an era of polarization. Garcia, J., & Gesselman, A. (2025)....

Send us Fan Mail The United States in 2026 is not Nazi Germany…yet. But history doesn’t only warn us through identical repetition. It warns us through patterns—through early signals, institutional stress, and social dynamics that recur under different conditions. In this episode, Jen & Carolyn ask a difficult but important question: What happens when we compare the United States today—not to N...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen & Carolyn explore the relatively new phenomenon of bots. They’re everywhere online — but what are they doing to our elections, our beliefs, and our politics? Artificial accounts that look like real people… automated armies flooding social media… AI chatbots that can change minds . Are bots influencing elections? And if so, how much? Brashier, N. M., &...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dig into the implementation of Project 2025 — the 900+-page blueprint created by The Heritage Foundation and other conservative organizations for remaking the federal government and policy agenda. What parts have already been actioned? What remains pending? What are the risks, and where are the potential levers of accountability? We’ll review data from trackers...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen & Carolyn dive into the phenomenon of leaders who surround themselves not with the best and brightest, but with the most loyal and the most sycophantic. Yes-men. Lapdogs. Toadies. Whatever you call them, they have shaped history — and often brought down the very leaders who empowered them. Our jumping-off point is a recent column by Robert Reich, former U....

Send us Fan Mail So there we were, at the Anne Rice Vampire Ball in New Orleans, surrounded by people in Victorian goth attire, fangs, and elaborate costumes...and thinking, "Yeah, we're definitely the weirdos." We fit right in!  But you know what? That's exactly the energy we need for today's episode. Because Jen & Carolyn are talking about an organization that's...

Send us Fan Mail Today, Jen & Carolyn are diving into something that's going to make you rethink everything you thought you knew about political violence in America.  We're going to connect three stories that on the surface seem completely unrelated: a Netflix series about a 13-year-old murderer, the assassination of a conservative activist, and a teenager who used ChatGPT to plan hi...

Send us Fan Mail What do Emperor Norton, Steve Silver, Wyatt Earp, and William Randolph Hearst have in common? They’re all buried in Colma, CA — the city of souls! 💀 Join Jen & Carolyn as we take you on a video journey through the resting places of San Francisco’s most iconic figures. Happy Halloween, y'all! 🎥✨ Watch now 👉 https://youtu.be/ebYqZM1fQLM?si=XM-tEIImb_mdtnqx

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s episode, Jen and Carolyn explore the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants, both documented and undocumented. We'll examine not only the fear and disruption these enforcement efforts are causing in communities, but also the broader economic consequences of dramatically reducing immigrant labor. Office of Justice Programs Tax Payments by Undocumen...

Send us Fan Mail Join Jen & Carolyn as we dive into the intriguing world of public figures who have recently veered toward conservative, MAGA politics. From Hollywood stars embracing Republican identity, to Gen Z influencers mobilizing youth conservatism, we'll unpack why these shifts matter and what they reveal about politics, fame, and identity. The Times EW.com The Times The Guardian E...

Send us Fan Mail He was a financier, a socialite, a convicted sex offender. He had a private jet, a private island, and friends in the highest places — presidents (including our current one), princes, and billionaires. But behind the wealth and glamour, Jeffrey Epstein ran something darker. A system of abuse. A network of silence. And a web of power that shielded him for decades. Join Jen and Caro...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen & Carolyn tackle a question that more and more Americans are asking as Donald Trump begins his second term: “What can I do to defend democracy?” It’s a ridiculously difficult moment, no doubt. But history—and real change—reminds us: the power doesn’t start at the top. It starts with us . Join us as we take you on what we hope will be a hopeful and illumina...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen & Carolyn tackle one of the most persistent and damaging myths in modern medicine: that vaccines cause autism. Despite being thoroughly debunked by decades of research, this false claim continues to drive vaccine hesitancy across communities. This has only been made worse by RFK, one of the loudest voices in the world of vaccine skepticism, being appointed...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen & Carolyn explore a force that’s shaped revolutions, shaken regimes, and spoken louder than speeches: art and media. From protest murals in Chile, to Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-winning rap about Black America, to viral TikToks calling out injustice—art is activism. And media? It’s the megaphone. MoMA: Emory Douglas – Museum of Modern Art retrospective Emory...

Send us Fan Mail In honor of pride month, Jen & Carolyn are amplifying the achievements of transgender people — individuals who have broken barriers, shattered stereotypes, and made history in ways that inspire us all. Jen & Carolyn recognize that transgender people have always been part of the human story — and today, we’re lifting up some of their most notable contributions across activi...

Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re tackling a question that’s come up repeatedly since 2016: Which parts of the Constitution has Donald Trump violated—or is alleged to have violated? Now, let’s be clear: There’s no official, court-verified list of constitutional provisions Trump has been found guilty of violating. But over the years, a range of legal scholars, watchdog groups, and even Congress have ra...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jen and Carolyn are tackling one of the most urgent and controversial topics in American politics: Taxing the Rich. From record-breaking billionaire wealth to working families living paycheck to paycheck, America’s wealth gap has never been wider. But what can we actually do about it? And what does it mean to 'tax the rich' in policy terms—not just as a...