The Mean: Recent Episodes
Presented by Arc
In which Ryan, Nic, and Rick discuss ways to approach a conversation or debate with civility and reason.
In which Nic, Ryan, and Rick discuss how vast the spectrum of political ideologies of Christians can be.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss THE SHINING, Kubrick, fan theories, Native American oppression, demon possession, feminism, and more.
In which Ryan and special guest Rob Joustra discuss the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE and Rob's book "How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World."
In which Ryan and special guests Colonel Tim Mallard and Marc LiVecche, managing editor of Providence Magazine, discuss just war theory and pacifism, the ethics of war fighting, the effects of combat on soldiers, and the treatment of veterans returning from war.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss the Pepsi commercial heard 'round the world, commercials as entertainment, the Super Bowl as a money loser, and more.
In which Nic, Ryan, and special guest Dan Tracy discuss feeding the world, the Green revolution, population concerns, local and organic food movements, and the "evil corporation" Monsanto.
In which Nic and Ryan talk about the return of The Mean, the Trump Administration as postmodern phenomenon, the imperial presidency, and the biggest surprises of the Trump administration so far.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss AGENCY, blaming it on the alcohol, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" ruining people's lives, "American Pastoral," and Hillary Clinton's e-mail intentions.
In which Ryan and special guest Tim Davis talk HAMILTON, race on Broadway, theater and politics, the nature of history, and musical genius Lin Manuel Miranda.
In which Ryan and special Guest Evan Parke discuss THE GET DOWN, working with people like DiCaprio and Tarantino, what it takes to "make it" in the film industry, balancing work and faith, NYC in the 1970s, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss SPARKLY VAMPIRES, how we got here, Romanticism, Twilight, Keats, Wordsworth, Gothic literature, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss T SWIFT PR, the Kimye-Taylor Swift blood feud, social media exposure, authenticity, and in which Nic discovers, to his bafflement, that there is a person named North West.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss HIllaryLeaks, WikiLeaks, LEAKS ON LEAKS, Trump and Putin, vigilante justice, and Angela Merkel's bathroom habits.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss raising AWARENESS, social media, sin as ignorance, and the differences between old school causes like the Civil Rights Movement and newer causes like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss SCIENCE BOYS, Neil deGrasse Tyson and his #Rationalia tweet, empiricism vs. rationalism, modern philosophy, and Philistines.
In which Nic, Ryan, and guest Mike McCann discuss NOSTALGIA, how it fueled Bernie Sanders' campaign, how it still fuels Trump, how it has invaded media and culture, and whether it can ever be a good thing.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss definitions of GENDER, sex, masculinity, 80s hair metal, and who should qualify to compete in the Olympics as a woman.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss PARODY, observational comedy, what makes satire great or sloppy, the fall of Weekend Update, the rise of Rick and Morty, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan return from hiatus to talk about PULSE, the conversations surrounding the Orlando shooting, talking about Islam, words and violence, gay people, conservative Christians, ideological systems, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan talk BEYONCé's SHIRT, Blake Lively's Butt, hard core Marxist interpretations of industrialization, and more. Sir Mix-A-Lot would enjoy the size of this episode, as there is a very serious critical reading of large sections of "Baby Got Back" towards the...rear of the podcast.
In which Nic, Ryan, and guest host Mike McCann discuss Captain America: Civil War, Batman vs. Superman, Marvel vs. DC movies, and what it all means for us.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss GENTRIFICATION, making it in the big city, Chicago, LA, coffee shops, and burritos.
In which Nic and Ryan ask special guest Chris Flowers about his solar power research at Cal Tech, climate change, the evils of the oil industry (PB invested in solar?), the history of solar power in America, and when we should all get solar panels on our houses.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss Metal music and culture, RINOS, latinos, purity, Kant, Hegel, and the role of absolutes in our ideologies and identities.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss DRAG QUEENS, identity, performance, cultural critique, gender, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss why we're not a democracy, but A REPUBLIC, how Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders compare to the sophists of Plato's day, the philosophical arguments and compromises that founded the USA, and more.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss their favorite formal and informal FALLACIES, internet arguments, Trumpian and Clintonian fallacies, and how to have an actual debate.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss REALITY TELEVISION, the OJ Simpson trial, Donald Trump, and the higher stakes at play in our increasingly entertainment-driven culture.
In which Nic, Ryan, and guest Mike McCann discuss their video game bios, the meaning of video games in society, and the good and evil of the games we play.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss OPPRESSION OLYMPICS, categories of oppressed people, intersectionality, racism, and who actually deserves the gold medal for being oppressed in the USA.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss SCOTUS, political fighting between Obama and the Republicans in the Senate, the separation of powers, and pizza-catered gay weddings.
In which Ryan and Special Guest Ryan Collman discuss THE FINER THINGS, Living in Scotland, Beer, Cigars, Whiskey, Wine, Haggis, and Kanye West's $53 Million in personal debt.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss the CONSPIRACY THEORY, Beyonce, the illuminati, YouTube black holes, the X Files, and more. The truth is out there.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss the OSCARS, racism in Hollywood, what awards mean, how math works, and what change in the industry might look like.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss the JUSTICE SYSTEM, the Netflix Documentary "Making a Murderer," due process, and people not doing their jobs.
In which Nic and Ryan discuss SPOILER ALERTs, Star Wars, Literature, plot, and how to read stuff.