Hemming and Hawing: Recent Episodes
Sean Thompson
Best friends Sean and Brett check in weekly to talk about the world, their friendship, and philosophy. From joking about current events to discussing their emotional growth, their conversations can go almost anywhere or nowhere at all.
Brett and Sean discuss changes in education and work, including how people their age relate meaning to their jobs. They also talk about Twitter being bought and how interesting it is as a platform.
Sean and Brett are back after a 3 month break to discuss the future of the podcast and a new, more structured format. They also talk about feeling old to the point of enjoying quieter nights, sticky social situations, and more.
Sean and Brett talk about dogs, being messy, and climbing extreme mountains. They also discuss tragic historic events, philosophy, what they want out of life, having kids, and more.
Recorded 7/24/22
Sean and Brett discuss weddings, including what Brett envisions for his wedding. They also talk about keeping up meaningful connections with old friends, and get a little heated over their personal friend group situations. The conversation then shifts to sources of fulfillment in life, and a quick discussion of recent abortion rulings.
Recorded 6/26/22
Sean and Brett reflect on their tone and attitude while discussing certain topics, specifically about not being too negative or cavalier. Brett clarifies some points about his thoughts from last week, and then they talk about people's niche passions, putting yourself in the other's person's shoes in a conversation, and more.
Brett and Sean discuss weddings, new dogs, the history of Brett venting to Sean, the real attitude of destigmatizing mental health, how to go about having sensitive conversation about mental health without coming across as an idiot and a jerk, and more.
Sean and Brett sit down after a break to talk about how fascinating and broad history is, just not the kind they learned in class, whether people would actually prefer to read a quality newspaper or if they prefer the current product, why everyone is a parrot who hates when other people are parrots, and on the more humorous side, Brett gives Sean a few jokes to tell to his friends at comedy night.
Sean and Brett discuss college, the future of the virtual world, empowerment, shootings, and more.
Sean and Brett discuss Sean's newish friend, what they'd do with a few million (or if that's too poor for you, a few hundred million) dollars, what really makes Sean glow and Haley's role in that, and more.
Without a proper intro or ending, Brett and Sean discuss the CCP, coming across new ideas, the US's nefarious intelligence community, and more.
Brett calls Sean from the airport to have a quick talk about what really makes them feel alive and what puts that huge electric smile on their faces.
Sean and Brett discuss beer, NBA activists, radical protesters, comedians who aren't funny, and the future of energy.
Brett calls in from his drive through South Dakota to check in with Sean. Apologies for the low quality, spotty audio.
Sean and Brett talk about moving to a new place of residence. They also spend a while on gun rights, ownership, and the future of firearms in the US. They also discuss the future of social media and what laws make sense on it. They also touch on another exposed fool in the NFL. Finally, they talk more about how having conversations with people and keeping them productive.
Sean and Brett discuss a neighbor's wild "alternative facts" on Covid and more reasonable opinions. They also talk about a national story of murder from Florida and how the media swings from important to meaningless stories. Other topics include closet assholes on the internet, ridiculous politics, and low effort opinions touting popular narratives. They finally discuss being positive and how they can turn to more positive things in their lives. Finally, Brett buys a soda.
Sean and Brett reunite after a week off to discuss wedding engagements, drugs, comedy, and more.
Brett and Sean discuss comedy, TV shows, music tastes, what band they'd see if they could travel in time, artists from their childhood that will still be listened to in twenty years, and addiction. Later, they talk about their personal lives, including friendships, housing, discussing money with their significant others, and weddings.
Sean and Brett reflect on reaching twenty episodes and how podcasting has changed their conversations. They share their sadness over the events of pulling out of Afghanistan and what it means to be American. The pair discuss each other's strengths and weaknesses and then analyze Sean's even-keeled personality.
Brett and Sean discuss whether buying expensive things really brings you more enjoyment, as well as the expensive tastes of those protecting us all from symbols of hate, like 42 ton rocks.
Sean and Brett discuss their work situations and looking for a new job. The conversation then focuses on Brett's down mood the previous week, including strategies to overcome the blues when everything feels harder than normal. Inspired by an article sent by a college friend, Sean summarizes his deep dive into the future of global energy. They then talk about different kinds of relationships and keeping up with old friends. They end discussing how the evolution of cats hasn't yet led them to be more agreeable towards humans.
Sean and Brett discuss diversity, real 21st century racism, farming, politicians, and what kinds of content they are exposing themselves to and how that effects their mood.
Sean and Brett discuss Brett's adventures with making new friends post-pandemic. They also talk about Brett's social drive and their desired breakdowns of social versus alone time. Next, they analyze what things they don't talk about as friends and if there are any topics they should talk about more to strengthen their relationship and improve themselves as people. The conversation then moves on to student debt, small government, and what businesses should be allowed to do and when they should be checked by laws. Finally, they talk about whether journalism is as important as everyone acts and Sean's interest in going to a gun range to better understand guns.
Sean and Brett are back, talking about petitioners who have taken to the streets in Denver to try and pass certain legislations. Moving along, they discuss how many people have such wildly different views about the world that it is hard to even find a common ground to start a conversation. Their discussion moves to the hypocrisy of the progressive race and gender viewpoints and how at some point the nonsense will have to break. Brett and Sean then joke about coming out as transspecies and a controversial case of transracial hate. Finally, they marvel over the early days of social media and how much it has transformed and become mainstream underneath everyone's noses. Bonus material at the end includes Brett's travels in Utah and the infinite comedy of Mormonism.
Sean and Brett discuss drinking and Brett's feelings on his level of drinking. They also talk about getting old and becoming out of touch with society. Sean then presents his thesis for saving the world through better education. The conversation then turns to Sean's trip to see Brett, focusing on the hour of conversation Brett and Sean had to themselves, especially a discussion about their personal relationships. They return to a question Brett asked Sean about what makes Haley special enough to him to marry her.
Sean and Brett talk with their college friend and roommate Nick about cyberattacks, ransomware, and security. They discuss the differences in private companies and governments in their ability to scale security and create a culture around best practices. Next, Brett and Sean ask for Nick's opinions on China, foreign relations, and the two-facedness of American corporations. Brett presents his case that publicly we are questioning truths we've known and hashed out for centuries without understanding that others have thought deeply about these topics. They transition to a fun thought experiment about gambling your life for large sums of money. Finally, they discuss their personal living situations and how it feels to be a full-fledged land owner.
Sean and Brett talk about how much progress is made over many decades, yet in the current age there always seems to be so much wrong. They also disagree about extending human lifespans and spanking children, reuniting their opinions to make light of how horrible child abuse and the Israel/Palestine conflict are. Brett then shifts gears to talk about his personal experiences with anxiety, and he and Sean talk about strategies for coping with the losing streaks when everything seems to be down in your life. Brett then shares a story from college about microaggressions, and they gently debate the balance between sensitivity to difficulties and the necessity of toughness. They end with excitement about next week's in person episode with a college friend guest.
Sean and Brett pull back the curtain and talk about their current philosophy and process of recording episodes. They then talk about the craziness around politics with China and the differences between the Chinese populace and Chinese Communist Party. They also share their (strong) opinions on thinking for yourself, liberal and conservative labels, and their default assumptions about news sources. Finally, they switch to a purposefully silly conversation about a poll on which animals the average person thinks they can beat in a fight.
Sean and Brett talk with their first guests, their significant others Haley and Sam. They start by talking about social issues like policing. Then they discuss implications of gender on how your opinions and behavior are perceived. Haley and Sam tell about their experiences in the work place and their perception of being a woman. Brett and Sean respond with how their own experiences have differed and the way they are treated as men. In the last hour, they talk about their romantic relationships and how their backgrounds affected their expectations going into their current relationships, setting the stage for future conversations.
Sean and Brett talk about careers, money, and living for the weekend. They also analyze their own personal happiness with what they are doing with their lives. They return to race, discussing with levity the racial cash machine and the heaviness of violence in the news, including how no one wants to talk about the true sources of horror and hardship, simply using white supremacy as a scapegoat instead.
Sean and Brett talk about controlling their attention and spending time thinking about the ideas that are really worth their attention. They also discuss talking to people with different opinions that really seem wrong and trying to stay openminded. After some self-analysis, they try to understand their own egos and how ego plays a role in their interactions. They also spend some time wildly speculating on the neurology and psychology of the process of someone changing their mind and behavior.
Sean and Brett hit a wide range of topics, starting with Brett complaining about his first world streaming service problems. The duo then talk about friendship in depth, including whether or not everyone should want a friendship like the one they have. They also reminisce on college and friendships gone wrong. They then turn to deeper topics like religion and free will and discuss their large disagreements. Finally, they return to talking about race and whether antiracism or colorblindness are stable, productive philosophies for the future.
Sean and Brett talk about how they would teach their kids about alcohol, and Sean argues that we are never taught some of the most important things in life by the education system. They also talk about the merits of learning from older generations, and Brett shares how hard it has been for him to recently lose the last of his grandparents. Brett tells a story about debating Christian denominations with a young adult on a plane ride and how different the conversation would have been if he too had been in his late teens. Lastly, they realize their conversations often become too serious and out of character for their friendship and get back to shooting the shit about life events.
Sean and Brett talk at length about whether government or communities are better at fixing local and national problems. They also wonder about the culture around philanthropy and how different social and cultural norms could be better for the world. Brett argues that these cultural shifts can be achieved through reworking tribalism to form better human connections, while Sean expands on the idea to claim that we can learn empathy for people very unlike ourselves by first showing it to people mostly like us. They finish with a discussion about feeling at home and finding their homes in the future, as both moved across the country after college.
Brett takes a short break from shoveling snow to talk with Sean about how having wild animals as a pet sounds cool, but only if you're crazy. They also point out how much room there is for the government to do a better job, and if either party actually cared, they could dominate most positions in the government.
Sean and Brett start by talking about love languages and communication in their relationships. They move on to anti-racism, learning to be more open-minded, and staying true to the world they want to live in even in the face of annoying rhetoric. The conversation also wanders into mental health and whether or not we are having the right conversations about this hot topic.
Sean and Brett talk about developing their emotional intelligence and hash out some of the past shortcomings of their friendship for the first time. They end the conversation back on their usual BS with a masterplan for a billion dollar news organization.
In their first ever episode, best friends Sean and Brett talk about how cancelling is stupid and how individuals and corporations pretend they really care about doing good but are often only in it for the money and influence. Also, Brett shares a story about a crazy experience with a new neighbor whose social norms have evaporated due to Covid isolation.