Jason apologizes to listeners for not landing the interview with Lesley McKenzie this week (in Japanese!), gets a crash course on Americanized surnames, and then tackles a quiz on education and colleges.
Then the two speak to Sydney University's Michael Anderson, Ph.D., about how even though education is a shadow of what it could be, there are ways to transform it that are happening now.
Jason & Chris have a conversation with musician and creative coach Carrie Akre who fronted the bands Hammerbox and Goodness and then contributed on vocals to the Rockfords with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and went on to a solo career. She has opened for Iggy Pop, Oasis, & Pearl Jam. Jason presses Carrie for stories from Seattle's crazy music scene in the 1990s, and Chris inquires about what subcomponents of being a musician are soul-filling and what is soul-killing--stumbling into a story about Elliot Smith and musicians who have "that thing." Then the three get into discussing introspection, surrender, and life direction to improve creativity and performance. Carrie can be found at https://www.carrieakrecreative.com/, and her Podcast is Between You and I. ...
Jason and Chris interview Chanel Contos, who has recently come to prominence to launch Australia’s me-too movement. Chanel discusses how discussions with her friends developed into a questionnaire asking others if they had experienced sexual assault and how in 24 hours, hundreds of people said yes. She then goes into some of the cultural elements that foster these experiences--including three things contributing to toxic masculinity. The three explore the parallels to, and the problems with, the defensive reactions to Chanel’s petition akin to the “all lives matter” responses to the “Black lives matter" movement. Chris asks Chanel how she balances out the stress and strain of processing so many painful stories. She answers that question and discusses some of the research she is currently pursuing before debunking a myth. The three then explore the question of what can be done to make things better, including exploring the question, “is empathy teachable?” and finish up by identifying how black and white thinking contributes to the problem and how healthy intimacy can be a part of the solution. Chanel closes with a tip on how anyone can make things better. Listeners are welcome to read testimonies, add testimonies and sign the petition at https://www.teachusconsent.com/. ...
After Jason returns from a trip to the largest monolith in the world--Uluru, Chris gets a report, leading to a discussion about the 5 largest monoliths on the planet. Jason asks Chris about jury consulting in America and how the American justice system differs from the UK/Australian system. The conversation shifts to propaganda within democracies and their inhibitors such as the previous USA "Fairness doctrine" and their contributors, large well funded private media empires. In the process, the "Illusion of Truth" effect is discussed. ...
