8 Pod Takes: Provocative Thoughts From This Week's Podcasts

1) “If you can be liked for 30 seconds in 2018 America, you’re doing something right.”

Listen: Pardon My Take: Cubs Anthony Rizzo and Jaguars CB AJ Bouye (6:07)

• The person doing right in the eyes of America? That would be Sister Jean. No matter what happens in the Final Four, she wins March Madness.  

• Yet even she’s not immune to the plague of backlash against those with a high profile online. The PMT bros’ standing when it comes to hot takes is questionable, but they come to Sister Jean’s defense in their look at the Final Four.

• Also: Go Loyola-Chicago!

2) “Enjoy the moment and follow your passion.”

“And don't listen to your mother.”

Listen: Men in Blazers: Heimir Hallgrímsson (18:59)

• That’s Iceland National Team manager Heimir Hallgrímsson (quote #1) and MIB co-host Roger Bennett (quote #2). Hallgrímsson’s another feel-good sports person you need to know.

• The part-time dentist-turned-leader of the underdog Iceland World Cup soccer squad tells Bennett his mother was skeptical when he gave up root canals for full-time coaching.

• Since the U.S. didn’t qualify for the World Cup, I’m on the bandwagon: Go Iceland!

3) “It is a luxury to be able to be disgusted.”

Listen: Hidden Brain: Crickets and Cannibals (28:09)

• Rachel Herz breaks down why disgust — humans’ defense mechanism against potential contaminants — isn’t the same for everyone. Some people must eat crickets or other things that some people think are disgusting. It’s about survival.

• Also, disgust evolves. Lobster used to be considered “vermin of the sea.” Now you have the privilege of standing in line and forking over more than $20 for a lobster roll at Red’s Eats.

4) “We’re okay with privacy violations until it helps with something that we’re opposed to.”

Listen: Channel 33: Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica Problem, a Goldilocks Story in Pro-Trump Medialand, and the Buyer’s Guide to Sports Illustrated | The Press Box (3:59)

• That’s David Shoemaker, who agrees with co-host Bryan Curtis that the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica data scandal angered many not because of the breach of privacy, but because the breach potentially helped Trump.

5) “You cannot pay your gas bill with wokeness.”

Listen: The Indicator From Planet Money: Dollars for Data (6:19)

• That’s Cardiff Garcia, heroically putting his foot down against the word “cyberwoke.” A guest believes we all need a cyberwokeness in our lives to understand how tech companies use our data.

• They put forth and debate an interesting question: Should everyone who uses free services like Google Maps and Facebook be paid? Is it actually work?

6) “Japan is not Narnia. Japan is not Hogwarts.”

Listen: Pop Culture Happy Hour: Isle of Dogs (11:15)

• That’s Linda Holmes, leading the PCHH crew through a nuanced discussion about a burning hot pop culture topic: How problematic is Wes Anderson’s cultural appropriation of Japanese culture in his new movie?

• Adds Holmes: “You can’t just make it up and say, ‘Well, this is my fictional idea of Japan.’ and not expect people to have an issue with that.”

• The general critical consensus: Anderson’s appropriation is problematic, and his use of signifiers from other cultures is a thread that runs through many of his films.

7) “It feels good to hear something outside your body that reflects the way that it feels inside your body.”

Listen: This Song: Dessa (7:03)

• That’s Dessa, articulating what draws her to certain music during a conversation about the impact Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” had on her life and art.

• Dessa’s analysis is a reminder of the brilliance of “Fast Car,” and of how great art can keep surprising us as it ages.
   

8) “There is a market for being an asshole in the Republican Party.”

Listen: Pod Save America: “Choose your own obstruction” (9:15)

• So says Dan Pfeiffer, in the wake of Fox News’s Laura Ingraham’s mocking of shooting survivor David Hogg’s college application rejections.

• Ingraham’s learning that being an asshole can have consequences. Advertisers are pulling spots from her show. 

One Episode That Mesmerized Twitter

Today, Explained: The Survivors

• Survivors of shootings in Chicago, Marjory Stoneman High School and Columbine High School talk about coping with their shared tragedies.

• “Exceptional” —@lindaholmes

• “Truly great work” — @tebbytater

• “Holy fuck” — @ThePodPlaylist