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Groucho, Zeppo, Gummo, Chico, and Harpo--also known as The Marx Brothers--not only changed the way we think of comedy, but they helped shape our modern notions of cinema as well. Does their biting wit and chaotic humor hold up today? I absolutely think so. In fact, I think we need a lot more humor today to help us break the tensions that we feel on a daily basis--and our guest agrees. Dr. Robert Weir is a retired history professor who most recently taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He's a former senior Fulbright scholar to New Zealand, a past president of the Northeast Popular Culture Association, and the author of 11 books and numerous other academic works. We talk about comedy today, do college-age students get the humor of the Marx Bros, the anti Semitism that they faced, and the origins of their rise to stardom. If you have never seen a a Marx Bros. film, drop everything and go check out A Night at the Opera or my personal favorite, Horsefeathers. In fact, you stay here and I'll drop everything and go watch a Marx Bros. film.

If you want to join our growing community and support our efforts to bring civility back to mainstream discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, leave a thoughtful comment for me and my guest, and share the show with a friend. As always, your support is greatly appreciated.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Book link: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/th...

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

01:16 Introduction

03:22 Start of conversation

06:25 How did the Marx Bros. become a cultural interest?

10:17 Did the humor catch on with your college students?

16:08 My approach to education with my students

19:15 How did their mother impact the Marx Bros. showbusiness careers?

23:46 Pioneers in "talkies" or early cinema with sound

28:27 Some feedback from the Catholic Telegraph for the Cocoanuts. (It sounds like the setup for a great Groucho zinger.)

33:51 How did anti-Semitism impact their careers?

45:54 Before Jim Halpert was breaking the wall, Groucho was showing how it is done by bringing in popular culture.

49:02 The Marx Bros. did NOT want the music in the film, which sounds absurd.

52:15 Why was Harpo silent?

58:23 Margaret Dumont reminds me of Bea Arthur--owning every scene she is in with nothing more than a look.

1:01:06 Why was Horsefeathers an unpleasant film to make?

1:04:14 Is the speakeasy in Horsefeathers a reflection of reality or a political statement?

1:06:56 What did writing this book teach you about comedy?

1:10:09 I get asked about my favorite form of comedy. Things get chaotic.

1:11:40 Concluding thoughts and I even throw in a few of my own Marx Bros.-inspired jokes.

// WEBSITE //

Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //

1. ChatGPT, Cheating, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Humanity and AI | Dr. Teo Susnjak #65? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Z6n...

2. What we don't hear about incel culture | Drs. Sarah Daly & Shon Reed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdp...

3. Why not violence? Dr. Duane Armitage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht...

4. Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin - https://youtu.be/P8FvlKD6Y9Q

5. Crisis in Men, Anger and Alienation in boys, What is Going on? | Dr. Robert Tyminski - https://youtu.be/cwFMjuXf5xI

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse. Head over to the website to find out how you can support our mission.

comedy #grouchomarx #humorous

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

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We are growing increasingly more nervous about how the digital tools around us are able to gain more access to our information and to our lives. Whether we are thinking about simple things like malware and viruses to more complex applications like deep fake technologies and artificial intelligence. Even with my computer science background, I find these topics to be incredibly complex. That is why I have asked Dr. Daniel Graham on the show. Daniel G. Graham is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. His research interests include secure embedded systems and networks. Before teaching at UVA, Dr. Graham was a Program Manager at Microsoft in Seattle, Washington. He publishes in IEEE journals relating to sensors and networks. In this episode, we talk about ransomware, malware, ethical hacking, multi-layered threats to our infrastructures, and why we should take a beat and think about how much of our culture we want to digitize into the future. If you want to support our mission to bring civility back to discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment for me and my guest. The support is always appreciated.
// EPISODE LINKS //Guest's website: https://danielggraham.com/ethical-hacking-a-hands-on-guide-to-breaking-in/
// EPISODE OUTLINE //00:00 Teaser00:45 Introduction02:12 Start of conversation02:32 How did you get into cybersecurity?07:04 What is ethical hacking?10:32 Bug bounty hunting11:44 Is there a strong community who want to help companies find these exploits?14:39 How does ethical hacking help us defend our infrastructures24:00 Can you envision a multilayered attack to our infrastructure in the USA?32:07 How should we look at digital artifacts from a civilization perspective?37:10 Why should we think of hacking people and not machines?44:10 Should we be more worried about deep fake technology than we are?48:46 Why is ransomware so successful?53:52 Does the celebritization of hackers help or hurt our ability to stay ahead of threats?59:53 What is one thing that makes you hopeful about the field and one thing that scares you?1:06:01 Closing thoughts// WEBSITE //Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //1. ChatGPT, Cheating, Critical Thinking, and the Future of Humanity and AI | Dr. Teo Susnjak #65? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99Z6nUr-1Pg&t=0s2. What we don't hear about incel culture | Drs. Sarah Daly & Shon Reed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s3. Why not violence? Dr. Duane Armitage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s4. Visual Thinking, Rebuilding the Trades, Animal Consciousness, Training AI | Dr. Temple Grandin - https://youtu.be/P8FvlKD6Y9Q5. Crisis in Men, Anger and Alienation in boys, What is Going on? | Dr. Robert Tyminski - https://youtu.be/cwFMjuXf5xI
Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.
1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications. 2) Then, hit the like button.3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with. 4) Watch another video on the channel.5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast. 7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

hacking #hacker #ethicalhacking #deepfake #ai

--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joemeyer/message

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For many people, the emblematic scene from Todd Philipps ' The Joker is Joaquin Phoenix 's iconic dance on the steps. If you've seen the film, however, you know that Arthur Fleck dances throughout the entire movie. What does it mean? Sprinkled throughout the violence, the struggles to figure out how we can better help support mental health struggles, and the overwhelming feelings of detachment and anger, we find an individual in Arthur Fleck who wants to be good, to do good in the world. However, he is trapped in virtually all aspects of his life. It is only in dance that Fleck / The Joker seems to be his most free. But, with that freedom comes choice, and when Fleck becomes the Joker, he makes the choice to bring chaos and destruction upon the world. We cannot turn a blind eye to this. Trying to figure out where the line is between empathy for what Fleck is experiencing and disavowing his move toward destruction is incredibly difficult, which is why we're having a discussion about this film with our guest: Liz Wayson. Liz has written a wonderful article on The Joker entitled, "“Walking and Dancing in Gotham City: The Marginalized Flaneur, Mental Health Activism, and the Spectacle of Violence in Todd Phillips’s Joker." As always, if you enjoy the conversation, consider supporting our movement to bring civility back to discourse. Subscribe, hit the like button, and consider leaving a kind comment for me and my guest. As always, your time is appreciated.

// EPISODE OUTLINE //00:00 Teaser00:38 Introduction02:09 Start of conversation02:59 What was it about Phillips' The Joker that made you pursue this study?05:46 What is a Flaneur and how does it connect with the Joker?08:58 Is the Joker and activist or is he just viewed as an activist?10:39 Were you able to reconcile the honesty of mental health concerns with the problematic depictions of mental illness and violence in The Joker?12:11 It's important to differentiate mental health and mental illness to better serve everyone14:47 We need to have difficult conversations about mental health and diagnosed mental conditions.17:51 How does Gotham City dictate movement and body composition?21:49 People are so disconnected in Gotham, even Thomas Wayne.23:22 How does dancing help Arthur comprehend chaos?28:45 Arthur understands his role in society35:54 Has Arthur lost all agency to become his own person?42:14 How did you read the relationship between Murray ( Robert De Niro ) and Arthur?47:02 How do we read women and mothers in this film?52:29 We need better mentors for young people55:28 Final thoughts

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations?

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications. 2) Then, hit the like button.3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with. 4) Watch another video on the channel.5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast. 7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

joker #joaquinphoenix #batman #thejokermovie #desensitizing #brucewayne #toddphilips #toddphillips

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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ChatGPT has been discussed on quite the continuum: everywhere from a positive force for human evolution to the beginning of the end of humanity. Where do I stand on this issue? Well, I hope I make that clear by the end of the episode. Whether you stand on the positive side of the opinion spectrum or the negative, ChatGPT is undeniably ushering in something new in terms of technology. I have played around with it quite a few times and I find it to be incredibly fascinating--and so does our guest this week: Dr. Teo Susnjak. Teo Susnjak is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Computer Science and IT at Massey University in New Zealand where he teaches courses in Data Science. He has authored a fantastic article on ChatGPT and online exam integrity entitled, "ChatGPT: The End of Online Exam Integrity?" We use this article in this episode as our way into discussing ChatGPT and what it is capable of doing. We also talk about the pros and cons of ChatGPT. Finally, we give our overall opinions on our feelings regarding the trajectory of AI and the human species. As always, if you want to support our mission to bring civility back to mainstream discourse, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment for me and my guest.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Article: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2212.09292.pdf

Article Information:
Susnjak. (2022). ChatGPT: The End of Online Exam Integrity? https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2212.09292

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:38 Introduction
02:35 Start of conversation
03:25 What is ChatGPT?
08:49 Why did you pursue this study of exam integrity and ChatGPT?
11:39 Were you expecting ChatGPT to fail your tests?
12:41 What were your aims for the study?
14:40 Are students really cheating online or not?
24:11 Can ChatGPT help us to write better code?
29:47 Is ChatGPT a critical thinking entity?
32:42 Does plagiarism detection software work on ChatGPT?
39:35 What about educating students on the ethical problems of cheating?
44:09 ChatGPT is asked how it would secure online exams
48:29 There needs to be a change in the culture of education
50:14 What were your conclusions?
53:31 What do you think about the future of humanity and AI?
59:50 Final thoughts

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

chatgpt #ai #educationmatters #artificialintelligence #chatgptexamples #chatgptexplained

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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What is visual thinking? Are we devaluing the trades today to our own peril? Do we need to do a better job of getting our children out and playing with tools? My guest this week thinks so, and I largely agree with her. I'm humbled and honored to have Dr. Temple Grandin on my show this week. Dr. Grandin is incredibly well known for her work in the fields of Autism, thinking, and animal welfare. She has just finished a brand new book: Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. We spend quite a bit of our time discussing aspects of the book and the ways that we can better utilize the various skills that we have as a people. If you want to support our movement to bring civility back to discourse, hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a kind comment or rating where applicable; and share the show with a friend.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Dr. Grandin's Website: https://www.templegrandin.com/
Dr. Grandin's book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3E1qgnx

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:35 Introduction
02:07 Start of conversation
02:45 How do visual thinkers differ from verbal thinkers?
05:02 How did discovering thinking on a continuum change your thoughts on visual thinking?
09:08 We're eliminating futures because of one class.
09:55 Too much testing today, not enough learning
12:57 AI is exciting and horrifying at the the same time.
19:27 We're not valuing the trades well enough
22:44 What role did working with animals play in your understanding of thinking?
26:08 Most difficult part of your job working with animals and machinery?
27:53 "I would have been a video game addict" had I been born 30 years later.
30:09 We need to get back to building things beyond Legos
35:06 Working with large animals and teaching them manners
40:25 AI and privileging language
47:16 Computers will not replace us
50:45 What makes you hopeful about how we look at visual thinking in the future?
52:02 My closing thoughts

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s
   Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

templegrandin #visualthinking #skills #psychology #chatgpt

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Should we fear how much authority Amazon has over our culture? It's a difficult question. On one hand, you cannot deny what Jeff Bezos has done--bringing a company from nothing, and taking risks that could have easily gone badly, and turning it into a juggernaut. On the other hand, it has become so large that it has almost become a public utility. My guest, Dr. Emily West, and I discuss the ramifications of the rise of Amazon. Although the tone of the conversation might seem negative, in reality, the more important point that I think we're both trying to make is that there is something about the rise of Amazon that should at least warrant our attention. I still use Amazon for books, electronics, and even to look up reviews--as we mention in this discussion. The late, great George Carlin used to talk about the slow reduction of choices in American culture through the consolidation of market powerhouses. I think it's worth having a conversation about. I hope you do as well. If you want to support our continuing efforts to bring civil discourse back into the mainstream, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and share the show with a friend.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Emily's Book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/978026254330...
Twitter: @westemilye
Website: www.emilywestphd.com

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:57 Introduction (having a little fun)
02:49 Start of conversation
03:34 What does ubiquitous presence mean in relation to your study?
07:02 How was Sears, in some ways, a kind of Amazon?
12:33 Why is Amazon a more pressing conversation than Walmart or Google?
18:04 How was Amazon so early on understanding the need for consumer interaction?
24:35 Why not let Amazon and companies like it handle distribution?
30:18 George Carlin and the reduction of choices where it matters
37:07 How did Amazon gain enough power to negotiate with the Post Office for Sunday delivery?
43:48 Could we shift the culture of desire to a more manageable one for the sake of workers?
49:48 What was your Amazon fulfillment center tour experience like?
55:41 Amazon is phenomenal at gathering just the right data
59:35 Apparently, I never owned that Christmas special.
1:07:03 Amazon is a distributor of ideas as well--with some pros and cons attached to that model
1:12:50 Final thoughts on the matter

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1...

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdp...

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht...

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLH...

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL1...
   Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am ge--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Is there a crisis in men and young boys? If so, what is causing this crisis? This week, our guest is Dr. Robert Tyminski. Robert has written a book that explores this question, and for him, one of the primary causes is the ways in which we approach our digital spaces. We discuss feelings of alienation, omnipotence, masculinity and femininity, breaking through the inner world of men, James Baldwin's hypermasculinity in public, what constitutes reality, and how this phenomenon did not simply appear in the 21st century. As always, if you find the conversation interesting, consider supporting our efforts to bring civil discourse back to the mainstream by clicking the subscribe button, hitting the like button, and leaving a thoughtful comment for me and my guest. As always, we appreciate your taking the time to listen.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Routledge Press: https://www.routledge.com/Male-Alienation-at-the-Crossroads-of-Identity-Culture-and-Cyberspace/Tyminski/p/book/9781138065406
Amazon (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3kisV5c

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser (did this crisis appear out of nowhere?)
00:46 Introduction
02:45 Start of conversation
03:19 Why did you take on this study of male alienation and mental health?
08:35 Did this crisis appear out of nowhere or has it always been with us?
11:41 Does a man's inner world differ from a woman's inner world?
14:48 James Baldwin's hyper masculinity when speaking
17:48 How do you approach reconciling the femininity within the masculine?
23:18 How often do you have to negotiate what "reality" means with young men?
28:09 I relay advice that I heard about burying bad Tweets. (I don't recommend this approach, but I can see how it might work today.)
30:29 Do we have a language problem or communication problem in texting?
34:40 Will we eventually see the anxiety of thoughts getting people canceled?
36:50 Is there even a difference between a digital identity and a "real" one?
39:33 Why is encouragement so important for young people?
41:17 Why is simple information and encouragement important for young men in puberty?
47:07 Young people are having problems vocalizing/verbalizing issues meaningfully
49:28 Why was Brad (from the book) struggling so much, and how did he find some measure of social success through a penpal?
54:50: What does Freud mean by bodily ego and how does this connect with video gaming avatars?
59:26 What would you tell parents/guardians/individuals who want to move toward a more positive footing on this issue?
1:01:30 My closing thoughts

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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If you love philosophy, this is the episode for you. Our guest for this episode is Dr. Joel Smith. He's a philosophy lecturer at the University of Manchester. He's written a fantastic book: Existentialism: A Philosophical Inquiry. I've read quite a few books on philosophy over the years, but I particularly enjoyed Joel's because of its clarity and stated goals from the outset. Joel wants to reclaim existentialism to a degree--to bring it back from being little more than slogans like, "existence precedes essence." Don't worry; we're going to be talking about that particular statement and what Sartre actually mean. We wrestle with names like Sartre, Nietzsche, Kant, Kierkegaard, Hegel, de Beauvoir, Hume, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few more. As always, if you appreciate the work here, let me know by hitting the subscribe button, the like button, and sharing the show with a friend. Join our growing community of individuals who care about civil discourse.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Routledge Press: https://www.routledge.com/Existentialism-A-Philosophical-Inquiry/Smith/p/book/9780367466367
Amazon (Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/3CfqLth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MancPhilosophy

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser on Nietzsche
00:38 Introduction--I miss teaching philosophy
02:35 Start of conversation
03:15 How do you approach existentialism in your book?
09:01 What role did Kant and the Enlightenment play in developing existentialism?
16:20 Kierkegaard and the relationship between truth and value
25:32 How do you approach teaching the value of truth in class?
32:09 Did your students find comfort in philosophy during the height of the pandemic?
35:38 Why was Nietzsche interested in suffering and how it related to gods?
43:30 How does Nihilism emerge in Nietzsche's mind?
55:29 How did existentialists like Sartre and de Beauvoir respond to Nietzsche's worries about Nihilism?
1:01:45 What is de Beauvoir's story of Monique and how does it teach us about living in bad faith?
1:14:09 How do we live in self-deception?
1:23:01 My thank you to Joel
1:24:48 My closing thoughts: I'm brining in Rousseau and the chains--you know what I mean

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.
1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast. 7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

exis--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Dear viewers, you're in for a treat today. We've got friend-of-the-show Led Bradshaw on to kick off season 3 of the podcast. Led has been on the show before to discuss his Jake Jetpulse comic series that he writes and illustrates with his son Jake. That was one of the more popular episodes of season 2 of The Neutral Ground Podcast. Well, Led is back and as you can tell from the length of our conversation, we had a lot to catch up on and talk about. We discuss the death of our Batman ( Kevin Conroy ); the end of Henry Cavill as Superman in the Zack Snyder Snyderverse; we talk about whether or not Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns storyline still holds up today; we mildly disagree on Matt Reeves and The Batman; we get into a little bit of the X-Men and the nuance of Magneto as a villain; and we get an update on Jake Jetpulse. If you enjoy the episode, make sure to hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a thoughtful comment for me and my guest; and share the episode with a friend. We're bringing civility back to discourse one conversation at a time, and we need your help.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jakejetpulse/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JakeJetpulseStudios
website: www,jakejetpulse.com
Tik Tok: Jake_Jetpulse

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
01:19 Introduction
02:51 Start of conversation
03:41 What prompted you to start the Jake Jetpulse comic series?
15:42 Your comic is an amazing tool for all parents
22:12 What comic characters or storylines drew you into the world of the hero?
29:09 X-Men taught me how to see villains and evil in a different light
33:31 When you think of Batman, who or what comes to mind?
37:29 Who will be able to step in and become the voice of Batman?
40:29 We disagree a bit on the Matt Reeves The Batman Film.
51:43 Does Frank Miller's Dark Knight Saga still hold up today?
1:01:08 What do you think of Henry Cavill leaving the Superman role behind?
1:10:12 The Snyderverse will be known for wasting acting potential
1:15:36 Is there any other option for the Snyderverse?
1:20:51 I think we need one more Cavil Superman film (Man of Steel 2) and then call it quits.
1:25:50 Just give the fans what they want to love
1:29:28 How can people support your amazing work?
1:30:45 Closing thoughts.

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music.

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Happy New Year, everyone. It's the time of year where people--including myself--set goals to help make them better people. We need to have objectives in life and strive toward them. However, in this message, I talk about two very important concepts when setting your goals for the new year: setting achievable sub-goals and embracing challenge. You'll need both if you want to be successful. We kick off season 3 of The Neutral Ground Podcast on January 10th. Our first guest is a familiar friend of the show. We catch up a little bit and then get down to business. I think this could be our best season yet, so if you have not yet done so, hit that subscribe button and join our community of people who believe in the value of civil discourse. And check out some of my more popular conversations using the links below. As always, thank you for taking the time to listen.

// WEBSITE //

Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //

1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

2. What we don't hear about incel culture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

3. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

4. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

5. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.

7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music.

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

successmotivation #embracechange #suffering #challenges #goalsetting

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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It has been quite a year for us at The Neutral Ground Podcast. In this first part of our year in review, I talk about the growth of our community, my goals for the next year, and I introduce the first of two themes that I want to end the year on: Literature in Conversation. My literature episodes have produced quite a bit of interest in the second season, and so I wanted to highlight some of the interesting conversations and thoughts that came through in our second season. We talk about Bram Stoker's Dracula, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, John Milton's Paradise lost, and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I'll be back with new episodes on January 10th. However, if you have not had the opportunity to check out the full episodes, you can use the links I've provided below. Also, make sure you are subscribed to the podcast. We're building a special community here, and we can always use more people. Thank you for a wonderful year. I could not have done any of this without you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

// EPISODE LINKS //
1. Salvation for the monstrous and the horror of being | Dr. Jon Greenaway #33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlHFk99ad60&t=3s
2. Paradise Lost Book 4 Satan's Soliloquy Analysis | Dr. Joe Meyer #30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfYT4CRl96U
3. Tolkien, Psychoanalysis, and the Importance of Enchantment Today | Dr. John Rosegrant #47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a90edupEJLU&t=6s
4. Moby-Dick's Captain Ahab, and a Warning We Need for Today| Dr. Joe Meyer #34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a60nYRCpyRE&t=1842s
5. Why James Joyce's Ulysses Matters 100 Years Later | Dr. Sam Slote #43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixXPo6RriYg&t=1683s
6.Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol - Why You Should Read the Actual Text | Dr. Joe Meyer #59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3IIod2BNWo&t=2s

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Introduction
03:19 Bram Stoker's Dracula
08:51 Milton's Satan from Paradise Lost
15:40 Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
27:00 Chapter 135 of Moby-Dick
30:28 James Joyce Ulysses
43:45 Jacob Marley and Dickens' A Christmas Carol

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s
   Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music.

literature #ahab #milton #dracula #greatbooks #joyce #jamesjoyce #charlesdickens

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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It's the season for Dickens' A Christmas Carol. With all of the various adaptations (Alistair Sim, Patrick Stewart, Muppets and Michael Cain) which one should you choose this year? Well, I'm going to make the case that you should be reading A Christmas Carol instead. I'm going to talk about three aspects of Charles Dickens' a Christmas Carol that are often neglected: Jacob Marley's true cause for suffering; Fan meeting Ebenezer Scrooge at the school; and how time functions in the story. We get different accounts of time from Jacob Marley, the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Does this miracle actually happen all in one night, or is Charles Dickens doing something more interesting here with time? We talk about Cain and Abel, Milton's Satan, and I make my plea for people to stop letting politics get in the way of family. If you find the discussion interesting at all, consider subscribing to the channel. We're trying to bring civility back to discourse one conversation at a time. And, we can certainly use your help.
// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

//MUSIC//
From YouTube Audio: DJ Williams

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Introduction
01:37 My favorite adaptation: Alistair Sim 1951 Christmas Carol
02:34 The three sections we need to look at
03:07 Brief summary of A Christmas Carol
03:54 Section 1: Jacob Marley's Visit and why he's really suffering
05:10 Am I My Brother's Keeper? The Cain and Abel Story
08:31 Marley and Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost
14:43 Section 2: Fan visits Ebenezer Scrooge at school
21:20 A New way to view Fred, Scrooge's Nephew
24:02 Section 3: What is going on with the time in A Christmas Carol?
30:36 My quick plea to those of you who are not talking to loved ones because of politics
32:41 My closing thoughts

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50sWould you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.#christmascarol #scrooge #dickens #christmas #christmasmovies #christmasspecial

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Are we holding this conversation in the Metaverse? No? Oh, okay then. This week we're going to be discussing dwelling in the Metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg's notion that it is inevitable, some philosophy by Martin Heidegger and Charles Taylor, and we talk about how we sense a bit of resignation to a tech future in which we have little say or agency. Our guest for this discussion is Dr. Tim Gorichanaz. Tim is a faculty member in the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University. He is interested in how technology is changing the human experience. He teaches courses in user experience and tech ethics and writes and conducts research on these topics, often from a philosophical perspective.

// EPISODE LINKS //
Dr. Gorichanaz' Article: https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s43681-022-00198-w.pdf
Dr. Gorichanaz' website: https://timgorichanaz.com/

// WEBSITE //
Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //
00:00 Teaser
00:44 Introduction
02:36 Start of conversation
02:54 What did you think of social platforms prior to your study?
04:45 Just a couple of guys reminiscing over MySpace. Nothing to see here.
05:29 What is Heidegger's Four-fold concept of dwelling?
9:57 The four-fold and Musk, Bezos, and Branson: the great space race
13:36 Are young people struggling with differentiating reality from digital representations?
16:22 What is social imaginary?
20:30 Can the metaverse provide a stronger sense of identity?
24:11 Why is civil discourse, say on such platforms as The Neutral Ground Podcast, important for building group identity?
27:59 Promoting group discussion in a tech class? That's awesome.
29:48 Is the problem with these platforms the technology, the commercialization, or the human element?
33:42 What kind of research did you do for this section on digital platforms?
34:43 How does Metaverse technology exacerbate misinformation and privacy problems?
38:09 Can you see an entire generation of people pushing back against technology in the future?
42:16 Let's talk about Mark Zuckerberg's 6 themes for the Metaverse
47:06 Which of the 6 is potentially the most detrimental to us, and which has the most potential to be positive for us?
50:34 What should people be thinking about when approaching metaverse technology?
53:28 My final thoughts

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS //
1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s
   Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
2) Then, hit the like button.
3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.
4) Watch another video on the channel.
5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/
Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.
7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of tho--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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What made those first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe connect with people so much? Well, if you're familiar with The Neutral Ground Podcast, you might know my answer, but I have a special guest today in Dr. Michael Nichols, and we are going to geek out over his book: Religion and Myth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We talk about some of the prevalent themes in the first three phases of the MCU: sacrificial fathers, mortality, good vs. evil, and a lot more. You're not going to want to miss this one. Remember, we're on a mission together. We're bringing back civilized discourse, and with each subscriber, we get the word out to more people. So, hit that subscribe button, leave a kind comment or thought for me or my guest, and share the episode with a friend on your social media accounts. As always, I appreciate your taking the time to listen.

// EPISODE LINKS // Dr. Nichols's book: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/religion-and-myth-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/

Amazon (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/3VoqDPc

// EPISODE OUTLINE // 00:00 Teaser 00:40 Introduction 01:58 Start of conversation 05:17 How do you define "myth" for your work? 09:09 How do we preserve uniqueness of cultural myths and celebrate what binds us together as a species? 13:30 Myth allows us to see that every human being is born with an inheritance and legacy of suffering and triumph. 16:15 Why is it important for us not to see the Marvel superheroes as gods? 21:47 Captain America stands alone before Thanos, but he does so in place of us. 25:30 Why did the MCU in the first three phases push a theme of sacrificing fathers for the sake of the sons: I'm thinking of T'Chaka, Odin, Yinsen, Yondu, etc. 30:49 Milton's Satan reference! Why create sympathetic villains like Killmonger and Gorr, the god butcher? 35:37 Thanos is a much more complex villain than we give him credit for. 39:59 Captain America: Civil War fought the battle of postmodern skepticism and neomodern narrative assurance: am I way off base here? 44:21 What role does Julia Kristeva play in your understanding of the MCU? 48:10 How do Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier teach us about purity/impurity? 52:16 I made my case for why I think Thor:Ragnarok was terrible. My guest is much better at discussing it. 56:08 How does Gilgamesh's exploration of mortality connect with the MCU? 1:03:04 Are Marvel films and shows becoming too geared toward an older audience and closed off to younger people? 1:04:36 What did you learn from your family when you all re-watched the Marvel films together again? 1:06:50 My closing thoughts: the love and the thunder

// WEBSITE // Head over to the website to learn more about me and to contact me. https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE SUGGESTIONS // 1. Why we crave narrative? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVqv1TIwLU4&t=129s

1. What we don't hear about incel culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynYdpuhqjLw&t=43s

2. Why not violence? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhht-zwNaU&t=1010s

3. The need for the heroic narrative - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCLHOpM03o&t=202s

4. Why are we fascinated with psychopaths? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQgL13gP9ZE&t=50s Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications. 2) Then, hit the like button. 3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with. 4) Watch another video on the channel. 5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts 6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Norman Cousins might just be the most important man of the Cold war that many have never heard of before. He was a pacifist who understood when war was the only way; he saw how the use of Atomic weapons would eventually lead to a kind of feeling of political paralysis among nations with access to such weapons; he believed in the power of language and used it to bring his readers into his world through The Saturday Review. Cousins' was often ridiculed for his belief that the greatest weapon the United States could use against The Soviet Union was strong relations. I admit at the beginning of this conversation that I was almost completely ignorant of just how important of a figure Norman Cousins really was to the 20th century. However, I learned a great deal from my guest's book: Norman Cousins: Peacemaker in the Atomic Age, by Dr. Allen Pietrobon. If you enjoy the conversation and want to support our building of a community of civil discourse, let everyone know by hitting the subscribe/follow button, leaving a kind comment/rating, and sharing the episode with a friend. As always, thank you for taking the time to join us today.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Pietrobon's book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Norman-Cousins-Peacemaker-Hopkins-Contemporary/dp/1421443708/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=norman+cousins+peacemaker+in+the+atomic+age&qid=1668918008&sprefix=Norman+Cousins%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:41 Introduction

02:47 Start of conversation

09:36 Why was pacifist Cousins moved to bring war on Hitler and the Nazis?

19:11 Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project scientists lean on Cousins for support

23:16 Are our discussions on artificial intelligence similar to the conversations surrounding atomic weapons in the 60s?

28:23 Can you talk about Cousins' humanitarian efforts after World War II?

37:22 Why did Cousins' program to help Japanese young women not work as successfully as the children adoption program?

41:30 Was there pushback against Cousins' efforts to create better relations with the Soviet Union?

47:22 What were the goals of Cousins' treaty?

54:52 Cousins' meet Albert Schweitzer and a Declaration of Conscience is formed.

1:02:21 Cousins' drive is tested.

1:04:21 Cousins' words in the mouth of President John F. Kennedy at the Commencement Address, June 10, 1963

1:15:52 Closing thoughts

// Website //

https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.

7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

jfk #nuclearwar #sovietunion

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Can Greek mythology teach us about drug addiction? Or, can Homer help young adults today find their narrative direction? Although these are complex issues, I think the answer is yes--and so does my guest. This week on the Neutral Ground Podcast our guest is Dr. Joel Christensen. We talk about generation z, how we've lost our narrative way, why we need stories, and other topics. For those of you who are interested in neomodernism, I think this is a good episode for you. It's all about yearning for narrative stability in the wake of postmodern destabilization. If you enjoy the episode and you want to show some support for our mission of bringing back civil discourse, hit the subscribe button, leave a kind comment, and hit the thumbs up. As I always, I appreciate your having listened to our discussion.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Places to get Dr. Christensen's book:

Cornell University Press: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501752346/the-many-minded-man/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Many-Minded-Man-Odyssey-Psychology-Therapy-ebook/dp/B08765DBPM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1668172461&sr=8-1

Check out the podcast website:

https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:51 Introduction

02:16 Start of conversation

03:15 What started you on your Homeric book quest?

16:03 When I realized I need to pursue literature

17:20 Confession: I did not always like the Odyssey

27:04 Greek Nostos and no return for Frodo in Lord of the Rings

29:23 Can we draw knowledge from Homer to help with drug addiction today?

37:18 Getting to the source of the pain in addiction

42:11 Here is where I show I am not a classical Greek scholar. How do you pronounce that?

43:54 Why can't young adults see themselves within a narrative framework?

50:26 My age is showing. Remember when you didn't have to answer a phone?

55:55 Telemachus lacks narrative sources and so do young people today

1:03:17 What projects are you currently working on?

1:07:12 Closing thoughts.

1:07:48 Does anyone get the joke? Let me know in the comments.

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe/follow button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave a comment for me to use on the podcast.

7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #homer #odyssey #greekmythology #neutralgroundpodcast

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Incel (#incel) is a word that is thrown around a lot today, and, like many of the words we throw at each other today, what is behind the language is much more complex than we give it credit for. In this episode, Dr. Sarah Daly and Dr. Shon Reed break down what the term incel actually means, where it originated, why does it exist, and we talk about ways that we can help these young men today who believe that this is their best option for social connectivity. We also talk about actress/director Olivia Wilde and an interview she did about her movie Don't Worry Darling where she mentions incels and accuses Dr. Jordan Peterson ( #jordanpeterson ) Peterson of being the king of the incels. Is what she said helpful or harmful? I learn about red pilling, black pilling--all kinds of pilling that we can do. It's a fascinating conversation. If you enjoy it, make sure to hit the subscribe/like button and let me know.

// EPISODE LINKS //

References: Main Article: https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s11199-021-01250-5?sharing_token=ca7tb2roItaxc5mX7-0tMfe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY7e50ReLpcZaYvt7Te4sgtbn8i0UMjWgsqOwUjPWbPVEFbawO72IkVriX6cgu2nHmxELq7SFeGtPVJUdjFmUj2XF6V7_-4wnwhik7La1Gc_g10qpQLT5yGZztiuR-swqRo=

Incel suicide: https://www.qualitativecriminology.com/pub/z1961qto/release/1?fbclid=IwAR2HXCoM5_mImhM-1TexLkbFlM8W8ju8hrzuU9vzj62CLnnljXBKHDCtmF0 Reflexivity and incel interviews: https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/3932?fbclid=IwAR289fZOSX51UuM1nq180UdHvW1ioGGPa2xO90JXUp5GXNiLhyTBAdw3Mv0

Dr. Sarah Daly:

website: drsarahedaly.com

Twitter: @sarahdalycj

Dr. Shon Reed:

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shon-Reed-2

// EPISODE OUTLINE // 00:00

Teaser 01:04 Introduction

03:07 Start of conversation

03:50 What is an incel?

06:58 Origins of incel as a culture

09:38 Cultures growing in incel communities

13:49 Red pilling, blue pilling, and black pilling

17:28 It's not just about women; there is male resentment as well through Chads

22:23 Is there a Nietzschean will to power dynamic going on here?

27:13 Conversations about violence

32:15 How did you keep potential biases in check for your study?

38:54 Interviewing self-identified incels and the problem with language

45:08 What is your take on Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling interview where she mentions incels and Jordan Peterson?

52:23 We need to provide meaning for these young men and purpose

58:51 How do we prevent this community from growing?

1:05:59 My final thoughts on the matter

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

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I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #incel #incels #oliviawilde #neutralgroundpodcast

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Hello, everyone and welcome back to neutral ground. In this notes from the Neutral Ground, I have some research updates, a thank you for two special listeners of the show, a call for people who want to start building our community, and I talk about some upcoming brand new episodes of the show. I've got conversations about incel communities (we have a great talk about Olivia Wilde's comment from her film Don't Worry Darling), the crisis of masculine identity in young men, Todd Phillips' The Joker, mythology and the human condition, and we discuss atomic energy and the Cold War through the eyes of a fascinating man named Norman Cousins. I can't wait to bring these conversations to you. Don't forget to subscribe, hit the like button, and consider leaving a comment to start building up our community of civil discourse.

// EPISODE LINKS //

https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Hello, everyone!

00:20 Update on my research

02:39 Thank you to those who reached out to me

03:22 Why it's important to start having conversations

05:36 New podcast episodes coming in less than a week!

06:15 Learning about incel communities

07:15 Todd Phillips' The Joker. Enthralled and terrified.

07:57 Mythology and the human condition

8:07 The man I never knew I needed to know about: Norman Cousins

9:00 Closing thoughts

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse. 1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications. 2) Then, hit the like button. 3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with. 4) Watch another video on the channel. 5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts 6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast. 7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

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I am continuing to receive some good feedback about my research on awe and Neomodern despair. Recently, I heard from someone connected with a good peer-reviewed journal who suggested that I should submit my paper after I have finished editing it. That doesn't mean that it will get accepted--it just means that it has at least likely passed the initial eye test, which is still good news. I have to hustle to try and finish this paper by the end of the summer, so I will be taking a break from the podcast for the month of August. I will start scheduling people again in September. Wish me luck.

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Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

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5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

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Do video games cause people to become more violent? This is a question that continues to come up whenever we deal with tragedies involving young people (especially young men) with a history of playing violent video games. Our guest this week, Dr. Alexander Kriss, a clinical psychologist, is skeptical of such claims. In this episode, we discuss how video game choices can help us better understand our own psychological state; we talk about why open-world games like MMORPGs are so popular; and we dissect the stigma of being a "gamer kid." We also talk a little bit about the following games: Myst, Everquest, Silent Hill 2, and even a little Resident Evil 2. So, hit the start button; choose your character; and join us for this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast with me Dr. Joe Meyer.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Kriss' book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3OvzcnuDr.

Kriss's website: https://alexkriss.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:22 Introduction

01:26 Start of conversation

03:34 I talk a bit about a student who felt lost

5:00 Thinking of gaming as skillsets

8:22 Is building a relationship to a character healthy?

11:41 Anyone remember Everquest? Yeah? Well, let's get a party going.

13:30 Uncovering anxieties through gaming

17:44 Are there benefits to playing open world games?

20:50 When was the last time you loaded up Myst?

22:55 What can we learn from a game like Depression Quest?

27:16 Can you talk about the role that D.W. Winnicott plays in your study?

33:10 Is there just as much value in virtual play as there is in environmental play?

37:55 What is the relationship between violence and violent video games?

48:05 What are games telling us about ourselves?

50:05 What advice would you give to parents?

55:44 Closing thoughts. Go on a quest already. What are you waiting for?

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Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

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5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts.

6) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #videogames #gamer #psychology #addiction #gaming

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Our society is growing more polarized, despite our efforts to bring down the tension--and avoiding difficult discussions is simply not the answer. So, what can we do? Our guest, Chloé Valdary, has an answer: enchantment. What I like about Chloé's theory is that it places the value of the human being above all else; it seeks out the ways in which we are similar and highlights that we are at our best when we work together. In this episode, we discuss the three main parts to the Theory of Enchantment; we talk about whether or not these conversations should be comfortable or not; and we talk about an African proverb from Chloé's podcast. You're not going to want to miss this discussion.

// EPISODE LINKS //

https://theoryofenchantment.com/

https://chloevaldary.org/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser - Enchantment

00:25 Introduction

01:39 Start of conversation

02:25 What did you see in the world that led you to start the Theory of Enchantment?

04:26 How did a professor inspire you to think differently about the world?

07:52 How do you understand the term "enchantment" in relation to your program?

12:09 Do the conversations need to be comfortable?

15:22 Tenant 1: Treat people like humans, not political abstractions

19:30 Are we overcomplicating Maslow's hierarchy of needs today?

22:12 Tenant 2: Criticize to uplift and empower

27:05 We get Nietzschean and talk a little will to power

28:55 Tenant 3: Root everything you do in love and compassion

30:58 Hell is the abandonment of hope. Dante said it, and it still rings true today

35:37 Kendrick Lamar and understanding suffering

40:26 I give my own theory: "future tired." It isn't nearly as impressive as Chloé's

42:44 How do you use the arts in your theory to get your message across?

47:36 Is it difficult for people to recognize internal manipulation within themselves?

50:34 I tell a sad story about a conversation I had with a woman in the grocery store.

51:45 How can we disagree with someone and still express a feeling a love with them?

55:18 Ending the conversation

56:03 Closing thoughts

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS//

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Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

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5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

diversity #theoryofenchantment #psychology #neutralgroundpodcast

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Plato talked about how society will be in a better position when kings become philosophers or philosophers become kings. However, what exactly is it about philosophy that would make for great leadership? Our guest this week, Jason Merchy, believes the answer lies in wisdom. He has written an excellent book on the topic: Wisdom: A Very Valuable Virtue that Cannot be Bought. We talk quite a bit about this topic through Jason's book. We discuss the important role that wisdom plays in discerning right from wrong; we share our concerns about the metaverse; and we talk about what gives us hope through some Star Trek. This is a fascinating episode. You're going to want to check out Jason's book as well, which is full of wonderful quotations to make you think about life.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Wisdom: A Very Valuable Virtue that Cannot be Bought (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3nULHOH

Values and Ethics (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3Pj7OKf

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser (A Moby-DIck reference. I swear I didn't prompt it.)

00:31 Introduction

02:12 Start of conversation

06:41 I'm layback, but I have my moments

10:07 How does wisdom help us discern right from wrong?

13:25 Should our leaders be pursuing more wisdom over power?

16:04 Wisdom vs intelligence

21:36 Were you always questing for wisdom, or did it come with age?

25:38 What are some of the connections between wisdom, intuition, and self actualization?

30:31 Are you excited about the possibility of living in the metaverse?

42:50 Let's talk about conspiracy theories

44:26 How do we differentiate healthy skepticism from unhealthy obsessive pattern searching?

46:52 What gives you hope?

48:26 Final thoughts

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS//

https://linktr.ee/neutralgroundpodcast

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #wisdom #philosophy #conspiracies #neutralgroundpodcast

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I can't believe this is episode 50 already. Time goes very quickly. As many of you know, I have been working on my book about Neomodernism. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I read a conference paper that I recently presented at the 2022 Psychology and the Arts conference. The paper is titled: "Breaking through the Neomodern Despair: How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Produced a Moment of Awe." It practically falls off the tongue, doesn't it? The paper has three goals: 1) I touch upon Keltner and Haidt's research on awe; 2) I define Neomodern despair through warnings that were given about the loss of narrative knowledge by Jean-Francois Lytard and Agnes Heller; 3) and finally, I dissect the scene from Avengers: Endgame where Captain America (Steve Rogers) is shown finally wielding Mjolnir (Thor's hammer). As I say in my introduction, I had to hack this paper down from its 20+ pages to 11, so some things probably read more rushed than they should. I hope you enjoy.

// EPISODE LINKS //

https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 teaser on Neomodern despair

00:25 Introduction

01:57 Title of paper and beginning

05:32 Let's talk about awe

06:27 Keltner and Haidt's 2003 study

07:19 Mental health crisis and Generation Z

08:45 What is Neomodern despair?

14:36 Good news in terms of awe

16:11 Begin the discussion of Avengers and Captain America

18:15 Why does this scene from Avengers: Endgame work?

19:57 Keltner and Haidt's five additional themes connected with awe

21:14 Does this scene produce awe?

21:43 Final thoughts on why this is so important for us

23:08 Closing words

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS//

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Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

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3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

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5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast. 7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #captainamerica #awesome #generationz #psychology #neutralgroundpodcast

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This is a brief Notes from the Neutral Ground. We won't have a traditional episode this week because I will be delivering a paper entitled "Breaking through the Neomodern Despair: How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Produced a Moment of Awe." I talk briefly in this message what the goals are for my paper, and I'll be recording myself reading the paper for the next episode of the podcast. It is also with great sorrow that we say goodbye to one of our special guests: Jonathan Haber. He taught us about critical thinking and talked about the importance of his family. My condolences and prayers go out to his family. He was a very special person and a good teacher. I thank him for sharing his time and thoughts with us.

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// SUPPORT THE PODCAST //

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.

2. Leave a kind rating/comment wherever applicable.

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4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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It seems to be getting more difficult to find reasons to laugh today, so let us do it for you. Our guest this week on The Neutral Ground Podcast with Dr. Joe Meyer is PJ Wehry of the Wehry Dads podcast and Chasing Leviathan, both of which are fantastic shows. In this episode, PJ and I talk about a potential crisis in young men and why mentoring is important; we discuss the importance of establishing positive relationships between parents and children; we give our take on a disturbing video that caused me great concern. (the link of the video is at the end of the description). One of the questions we try to answer has to do with whether or not we truly are getting worse as a society. I like PJ's answer, and I think you will as well. Make sure you hit the subscribe/follow button, and leave a kind rating and/or comment where applicable. Every little bit helps.

// EPISODE LINKS //

You can find both of PJ's podcasts at his main website, Candid Goat Productions: https://www.candidgoatproductions.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser about moral vs physical harm

00:30 Introduction 02:01 Start of conversation. Did someone say, free sandwich?

03:50 What prompted you to start Wehry Dads podcast?

13:01 What is one trait in young men today that needs more mentoring?

18:49 The importance of creating moments for bonding wit

31:20 The disturbing video on the subway and why it bothers me

34:53 PJ's reaction to the video

44:20 Have we become a herd of prey animals?

48:05 PJ and I give our best fighting advice when on a subway.

52:19 Are negative videos on the internet causing more of a disconnect between us and humanity?

55:44 What is the #1 reason married couples sight as the reason they go through with divorce?

58:52 I give marriage advice to my college students 1:07:42 I thank my guest

1:08:23 Closing thoughts

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Link to disturbing video on subway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT5urVtkaOA

// SUPPORT THE PODCAST //

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.

2. Leave a kind rating/comment wherever applicable.

3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.

4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

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Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

humanpsychology #philosophyoflife #humanity #neutralgroundpodcast #wehrydads #pjwehry

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Millions of people are consuming podcasts, tv shows, and movies about the psychopathic killer. What does it mean? What is a psychopath exactly, and are they always malicious killers? You might be shocked to find what our specialists have to say about that question. This week, we have two guests: Dr. Sheldon Itzkowitz and Dr. Elizabeth Howell. They have published a fascinating--and, at times, horrifying--book on psychopaths and why it is so important for specialists to take the threat of psychopathy seriously. We talk about why we are so interested today in psychopathic killers and why we are throwing watch parties for True Crime podcasts. I learn a valuable lesson about language, and I tell them about a terrible video involving a man on the subway in NYC that came across my YouTube feed. This leads us into a conversation about whether or not we have become a herd of prey animals who are only happy when we know we are not the ones being hunted. As always, if you like the conversation, hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a positive comment. I really appreciate the support.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Shelly and Elizabeth's book from this episode (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3Qh5RQ0

The Dissociative Mind in Psychoanalysis(affiliate): https://amzn.to/3mD6ohB

The Dissociative Mind (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3mDpowe

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS //

https://linktr.ee/neutralgroundpodcast

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser on evil

00:31 Introduction word of warning

01:55 Reading from Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

03:20 Introductions for our guests

05:16 Start of conversation

6:04 Were there parts of the study of psychopathy that needed further clarification?

7:02 How does psychopathy differ from Sociopathy?

15:18 Can we say psychopaths are making decisions if their neurology only shows them one pathway of thinking?

18:00 I say something "brilliant." Wait for it...because I'm about to ruin it.

19:21 I make the very mistake I just "brilliantly" uncovered in my prior comment.

21:06 I admit my mistake and learn a valuable lesson.

21:38 Why we need a framework for understanding evil in the world

22:44 Did professional colleagues push back at your use of the word evil?

24:15 Throwing out the word "evil" can shut down a conversation very quickly

26:59 Does our interest in the psychopathic killer through podcasts and True Crime shows tell us something about ourselves?

34:57 Should we be worried about our interest in consuming psychopathic killers in our entertainment?

37:46 I talk about a terrible video I saw of a man on the subway. Are we becoming a herd of prey animals?

44:07 We are receiving physiological signals from our bodies when we engage with psychopaths

54:21 Sometimes, we have to be decisive and forthright with people

56:13 Closing thoughts

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
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4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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Fans of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have long known about their ability to connect with individuals on a level beyond simply plot and character development. In fact, Tolkien even had a word that he coined to help him account for moments in a story that can cause great emotional and spiritual connection: eucatastrophic. This week, our guest is Dr. John Rosegrant. Dr. Rosegrant is a clinical psychologist, and he has written a fantastic book about how Tolkien's works connect psychoanalytically with many of the concepts that help ground us in our humanity. The title of Dr. Rosegrant's book is Tolkien, Enchantment, and Loss. This is an exceptional book for Tolkien fans who want to learn more about how Tolkien is able to connect with us through the human condition. We talk about the importance of creativity; how we must be consciously aware of when we are becoming gollums; how Galadriel and Shelob are manifestations of feminine power; the role that mirrors play in reflective our true selves; and why we need to approach the abject with honesty and playfulness. Make sure you leave a comment, like the video, and hit the subscribe button. This is a great episode and we have more to come, so consider supporting the podcast.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Rosegrant's Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3NFR92J

Author's website: https://www.johnrosegrantauthor.com/

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:37 Introduction (I'm reading from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings)

4:00 Beginning of conversation

4:31 I only ask question; I never ax questions.

4:55 What effect did the Hobbit have on you at 6 years old?

6:10 Anecdotal story of a friend of mine who at a very young age chose to read the Hobbit over coming out to play.

7:21 How do you define enchantment and disenchantment in your study of Tolkien?

9:00 What was causing this threat in the Modern world to enchantment?

12:02 Is the potential loss of creativity also a part of this discussion within Tolkien's world?

13:55 What happens to the individual who loses the locus of creativity?

15:38 What do you mean when you say that enchantment can be disenchanting?

17:15 Does not engaging in enough enchantment or play in the individual have potential ramifications on the maturation process?

20:43 Are you seeing a lack of enchantment in our young adults today?

22:22 Can you talk about D.W. Winnicott's role in your book on Tolkien?

27:33 what happens if you become trapped in the two worlds Winnicott mentions?

29:31 Let's get abject for a moment with Julia Kristeva and Tolkien

32:13 Does a lack of honesty and playfulness with the abject lead us to become a type of Gollum?

33:37 How did Tolkien come up with the first line of the Hobbit?

38:55 How were Galadriel and Shelob representations of female empowerment in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings?

43:32 Is Tolkien commenting on motherhood and the ability to spark adventure and crush it?

46:54 What do Tolkien's reflective objects reveal to us about humanity?

52:16 What is your Eucatastrophic moment from Tolkien's works?

55:03 Closing thoughts

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS//

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Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.<

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First and foremost, I would like to give my thanks to the veterans who have served and to the families of veterans who have served on this Memorial Day. There are links in the episode notes for those of you who might be struggling to find your way back home from your service. Remember, there is no weakness in seeking help–there is only strength in the recognition that we accomplish the most as a species when we work together. So, if you need help; reach out for it. It is there for you. Now, as for the podcast information: there is not going to be a full episode this week. I have been away for a few days at a family member’s wedding. I just couldn’t get the editing finished for the episode, and I didn’t want to rush it. This next episode is going to be epic–as the kids like to say. It focuses on a book by clinical psychologist Dr. John Rosegrant and his reading of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Honestly, it’s a fascinating conversation. I enjoyed it very much and I’m looking forward to bringing it to you all next week. So, hit the subscribe/follow button and turn on notifications so you can be in the know for when it goes live next week. Until then, try to keep one foot firmly planted on neutral ground, and have a great day.

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information: We have a list of apps focused on wellness and mental health and another page on relaxation techniques that our therapists often recommend to our clients. I also recommend linking to Military OneSource's list of mental health resources, as well as this resource list from Rand. Finally, CVN has some great educational resources, like their Tools for Stress and Worry - a free online curriculum for military/veteran families.

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information: We have a list of apps focused on wellness and mental health and another page on relaxation techniques that our therapists often recommend to our clients. I also recommend linking to Military OneSource's list of mental health resources, as well as this resource list from Rand. Finally, CVN has some great educational resources, like their Tools for Stress and Worry - a free online curriculum for military/veteran families.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine:

Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html

Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/

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Algorithms are everywhere. It's likely that one brought you to this video. And, depending on whether or not you like this episode, it might bring this video to someone else who will enjoy it, or the algorithm could crash it right into the place where content goes to die--or to be eaten like Stephen King's Langoliers. Let's hope that you enjoy it enough that it can stay amongst the living. Our guest this week Dr. Elena Esposito, and she has written a fantastic book that studies algorithms and their impact on communication. The title of her book is Artificial Communication: How Algorithms Produce Social Intelligence (Strong Ideas). In this episode, we talk about how algorithms preserve a kind of immortality, our enjoyment of the muddiness and work that goes into human communication, and we even bring Nietzsche into the discussion as well. This is a fantastic episode with an amazing guest. Make sure you feed the algorithmic gods by liking the video, subscribing to the podcast, and leaving a kind, thoughtful comment. Enjoy the episode.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Esposito's Book: https://amzn.to/3MG0NSP

// EPISODE OUTLINE //

00:00 Teaser

00:18 Introduction

01:57 Beginning of conversation

03:40 Isn't the ability to communicate a sign of intelligence?

06:35 Why is beginning our study of communication with the listener so important?

14:19 The work that we need to put into our communication with another human is valuable

20:59 Why are lists so powerful when it comes to data and algorithms?

23:44 How do algorithms use distance reading?

26:31 Is there a problem with data dictating literary canon? Yes, I think so.

31:42 We have a Nietzsche sighting, so we must explore it.

32:00 Does anyone appreciate my Debbie joke? No? I understand.

32:36 Is the imperishability of data on the web a Faustian agreement for immortality?

35:32 Personal story about teacher certification back in 2003-04, I think.

41:01 Business communication through algorithms has its own problems

43:01 What should we be mindful of from your study?

44:18 Where can people learn more about your work?

45:25 Closing thoughts

// LINK TREE WITH PODCAST AND SOCIALS //

https://linktr.ee/neutralgroundpodcast

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.

2) Then, hit the like button.

3) Leave a thoughtful/uplifting comment for others to engage with.

4) Watch another video on the channel.

5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts

6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/Once on the website, you can actually go to the contact section and leave an audio comment for me to use on the podcast.

7) You can also subscribe to the podcast on any one of the following platforms as well: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Joemeyer.substack.com

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day. #algorithms #data #humanity #neutralGroundpodcast #elenaesposito

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How did the universe come into being? Was there much of a bang to the Big Bang? Is there a parallel universe out there where I like tiramisu? We answer at least two of the three questions listed above. I won't tell you which two, however. You're just going to have to watch. We're very fortunate this week to have as our guest Dr. Will Kinney from the University at Buffalo. We spend the majority of the episode discussing Dr. Kinney's new book: An Infinity of Worlds: Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe. I highly recommend the book because it does not coddle the reader; it is challenging. I appreciate that. We talk about cosmic inflation; the soundtrack of the universe; multiverses; and the importance of alcohol at conferences when pitching difficult ideas to peers. It's a great episode. If you enjoy the conversation, hit that subscribe button, and leave a kind comment for me or Dr. Kinney. Most of all, thank you for taking the time to listen. I appreciate it.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Kinney's book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/39kXkue

Dr. Kinney's faculty page: https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/physics/faculty/william-h-kinney.html

// LINK TREE FOR PODCAST AND SOCIALS//

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1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.

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3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.

4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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Does language impact our ability to think? George Orwell seemed to think so. I ask this question to our guest this week: Dr. Nick Enfield. Dr. Enfield has written a fantastic book: Language vs. Reality: Why Language is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists. We talk about the problems of framing through a dissection of the Ivermectin debate; we discuss how language can shape reality, but more specifically how it socially coordinates reality; and why it's so difficult to have meaningful conversations when labeling becomes weaponized. This a great episode that is packed with wonderful content. Make sure you let me know by leaving a like, a kind comment, and making sure you're subscribed to the podcast. Thank you for taking the time to be with us today.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Link to Dr. Enfield's book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3l04Kpi

Dr. Enfield's Website: http://nickenfield.org/

// PODCAST INFORMATION //

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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Subscribe/follow the podcast.

Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.

Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.

Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast|

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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2022 marks the 100-year anniversary of James Joyce's novel Ulysses. Why is this text still so widely read? What makes it such a difficult novel to read? I was first introduced to Joyce as an undergraduate, and it was difficult to read through, but incredibly rewarding. You feel like you've accomplished something special when you get through a text like Ulysses or Finnigan's Wake. This week on the Neutral Ground Podcast, our guest is Dr. Sam Slote. Sam is an Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin. His area of specialty is James Joyce, so he's the perfect person to speak to about this topic. We talk about the difficulty in reading Ulysses; how Joyce used multiple genre's within the text; the important role that Shakespeare played in inspiring Joyce's work; why Joyce respected Dante's epic over all others, including the Odyssey; the Bloom's Day phenomenon; the philosophy of Stephen Dedalus; Nietzsche's influence on Joyce; and where Joyce studies are going today.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Slote's Works (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/3KA5Li2

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjoemeyer/

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast|
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

I realize that you do not have to do any of this. Therefore, even f you do just one of those items listed, I am genuinely grateful. Try to keep one foot firmly planted on the Neutral Ground, and have a great day.

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It has been said that the next great world war will not be fought on land, sea, or air. It will be fought in the cyber world. If this is true, we will need all the help that we can get. That leads us to our guest for this week: Dr. Duane C. Wilson. Dr. Wilson has both professional and academic experience in cybersecurity. He has two companies of his own: Wilson Innovative Solutions provides companies with much-needed professional researching in cybersecurity; Wis Education provides continuing education in the field of cybersecurity, training the next generation. In this episode, we talk about the six main goals of cybersecurity; we discuss VPNs; anonymity online; how thieves are able to steal data and leave almost no footprints; blockchain technology and how it is connected to cryptocurrency; domestic and global cyber attacks; and the celebritization of hackers. This is a great conversation. If you enjoy the discussion, make sure you hit the subscribe/follow button, leave a kind comment or rating where applicable, and consider sharing the episode with a friend on social media. We want to bring our message of civil discourse to as many people as possible. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the episode.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Wilson's Book (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/3rMMT96

Dr. Wilson's website: https://www.duanecwilson.com/

Wilson Innovative Solutions: https://wilsoninnovativesolutions.com/

Wiseducation: https://wiseducation.org/

PODCAST INFORMATION: Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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You've heard me discuss the importance of narrative reassurance in a neomodern sense. Our guest, Kevin M. Kraft, is a Neomodern author. He is writing character-driven stories that believe in constructs of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and characters who must face their greatest fears. I am not usually a big fan of modern fiction; however, Doboro and Momo employ archetypal figures that connect with my love of epic literature. This is a fantastic conversation. If you appreciate the work I'm doing, hit the subscribe/follow button; leave a kind comment or rating where applicable; and share the podcast with a friend to spread our Neutral Ground message of meaningful, civil discourse. More than anything, thank you for having taken the time to listen.

EPISODE LINKS:

Kevin's works (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3jLkg81

Kevin's website: https://www.kevinmkraft.com/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JsI480Vh6snrLau889nea

Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NDRlYTBlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cda82070-803d-457b-ad65-bd7ec8502c1e/the-neutral-ground-podcast

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-neutral-ground-podcast

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/644ea0e8/podcast/rss

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjoemeyer/

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast|
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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We all know that it is important to read to children from a young age; however, what we read is also important. It is understandable for parents today to be worried about making sure that children are aware of potentially negative outcomes within the world, but we must also arm children with resiliency and a strong awareness of the good in the world. This week, our guest is Ashley Finley. Ashley is an author of children's literature and owner of JJ Carson Press. Her two books, Jade's Secret Ingredients and No Limits, teach young children to be inquisitive, to be reflective, and to be courageous--but that they also have the loving guidance of their parents. If you're looking for books for your young children, you simply cannot do much better than these. In this episode, we talk about Ashley's background in social work, the importance of positive depictions of fatherhood, and why even young children should spend time learning how to reflect properly for their own mental wellbeing. We spend a little bit of time in nostalgia for Uncle Phil, played by the late, great James Avery from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I also try to sell parenting to Ashley as a heroic call to action, but she is far too humble to take me up on it at full face value. Make sure you subscribe to the channel, hit the like button, and leave a kind comment. We want to bring the Neutral Ground message of civil discourse in front of as many people as possible.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Ashley's Works (Affiliate): https://amzn.to/3JpZgxW

JJ Carson Press: https://www.jjcarsonpress.com/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
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3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

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12 Angry Men is often near the top of many lists of top 100 films. However, it was not always certain that this would become the classic that it has become. This week, our guest is Dr. Phil Rosenzweig. We're going to discuss his book: Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men. We're going to discuss some of the inspiration behind Rose's penning of the play; his early connections with the great Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone; the casting of the film with Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Ed Begley, etc.; the early perceptions of the film; some of the complications that it faced when it premiered; how it has become a great tool for educators; and how it continues to impact how we think of the justice system and what justice even entails. Make sure you hit the subscribe button for this one. We've got more great conversations coming out.

GUEST'S WORK (affiliate link):

Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men: https://amzn.to/3KeZB7F

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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How many roads must a man walk down before you can call him a man? This question remains at the heart of societies and cultures everywhere. Rituals, rites of passages, and cultural norms all attempt to answer this difficult question. In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, my guest (Dr. Marlon Ross) and I talk about the spectrum of masculinity, especially within the African American community, through Dr. Ross' book: Sissy Insurgencies: a Racial Anatomy of Unfit Manliness. We discuss the natural broadening of the spectrum of manliness; James Baldwin's amazing speech at Cambridge during his debate with William F. Buckley Jr.; we talk about the history of gendering black speakers as a means of suppression; Frederick Douglass' powerful message on knowledge; Lil Nas X; the Fab Five from the University of Michigan and their competition with Duke University. It's quite a packed episode. As always, I appreciate your time in listening. If you want to support the podcast, make sure to hit the subscribe/follow button, give it a thumb's up/like, and leave a kind comment or rating where applicable. It is very much appreciated.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Dr. Ross' Book: https://amzn.to/3qLACkG

Faculty profile: https://facultydirectory.virginia.edu/faculty/mr9zf

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JsI480Vh6snrLau889nea

Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NDRlYTBlOC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cda82070-803d-457b-ad65-bd7ec8502c1e/the-neutral-ground-podcast

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-neutral-ground-podcast

RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/644ea0e8/podcast/rss

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjoemeyer/

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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By now, just about everyone has heard of the infamous slap by Will Smith on Chris Rock. What the heck happened? How did we get here? I think I have one way to approach the conversation. It has to do with our growing conscious awareness of Neomodernism. I talk about how stand up comedy might need to change a bit, how Will Smith is trying to assert some control on his own narrative, and Ricky Gervais' hosting of the Golden Globes in 2020. That should have been the moment these events realized that stand up comedians are probably not the best hosts right now.

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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The conversation surrounding video games and violence has continued to be a polarizing topic, which makes Dr. Christopher Bartel's book a perfect addition to The Neutral Ground family. Bartel's book (Video Games, Violence, and the Ethics of Fantasy) takes a much-needed nuanced approach to the discussion. Instead of looking at the games, Bartel asks us to look at the players. Rather than saying this game promotes violence, Bartel asks the players to assert more agency in their gaming experiences--to be more aware of what the game potentially does to you and you alone. In this episode, we talk about how games test our ethics, how they blur the lines of social etiquette, and what parents can do to help make sure their children's gaming experiences are as healthy as possible. I also tell a rather personal story of my father taking me to Funcoland (remember those?) on September 13, 1993--also known as Mortal Monday--to purchase Mortal Kombat on the Sega Genesis. This was significant because it was one of the first games to receive a "mature" rating. I had worked all year cleaning up for a mechanic's shop to save up my money. Did my father let me buy it? Find out in the podcast. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button, the like button, and leave a kind comment to help support the podcast.

PODCAST INFORMATION:

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
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3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
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5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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Is Putin being led by a pull toward narrative? What does that even mean? Putin is a student of history--specifically, he loves to talk about the exploits of various Russian figures in history: Catherine, the Great being a prime example. Does Putin see himself as the next "great"? Is this one of the main reasons why he is doing this? I've discussed on this podcast that one of the defining traits of our Neomodern culture is the urge to create stable narratives, to define one's self and make sense of one's place in history. Although the history and circumstances surrounding the invasion of Ukraine is complex, I do believe that part of the story is Putin's yearning to create narrative. Leaders have been doing this for thousands of years, and they will continue to do it. Why? Is it power? Sometimes. However, I think it often has more to do with the classical understanding of glory. For the Greeks, glory was not riches and lands; glory was a sustainable story of one's deeds that would transcend the life of the individual. Is Putin seeking glory? That might be a part of it. It is for this reason that I have invited Dr. Stephen Norris on the show, the Walter E. Havighurst Professor of Russian history at Miami University-Ohio. In this episode, we talk about narratives, history, NATO, and the people in both Russia and Ukraine who are fighting to end this war.

EPISODE LINKS:

Links for helping the people in Ukraine:

Razom: https://razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/

Voices for Children: https://voices.org.ua/en/

Works by Dr. Stephen Norris: https://amzn.to/3MTg1EB

Faculty site: https://miamioh.edu/cas/academics/departments/history/about/faculty/norris/index.html

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClSW07ZA4XASfPjwUD3Gv7w

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neutral-ground-podcast/id1576798405

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JsI480Vh6snrLau889nea

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

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3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theneutralgroundpodcast
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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Who needs a hero? We all do. In times of great anxiety, depression, and cynicism, the hero reminds us of what is good in the world and what is worth fighting for. This week on The Neutral Ground Podcast, my guest is Led Bradshaw. Led is the illustrator and co-author of Jake Jetpulse comics. Jake Jetpulse is based on Led's son, Jacob. He can fly, fight, and save the world like any other superhero, but there is one thing that separates our hero from Superman, Batman, and Captain America: Jacob has Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, that does not stop him from beating bad guys, helping others, and showing that heart and courage are still the two greatest ingredients that are necessary for saving our world. In addition to Jake Jetpulse, we discover another hero in our midst: the father figure. Led's story for how much he loves his son is truly inspirational. In this episode, Led and I talk about the origin behind Jake Jetpulse; we discuss the importance of embracing chaos at times; and we talk about the importance of the hero in relation to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a fantastic episode. Make sure to hit the subscribe button, and check out Led's works through the links below.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Jake Jetpulse: https://amzn.to/3KnA4ck

Main website: https://www.jakejetpulse.com/

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: 1. Subscribe/follow the podcast. 2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable. 3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. 4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. 5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs

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Captain Ahab is not crazy; he's mad. That's not the same thing. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, we're going to take a look at chapter 132 of Herman Melville's classic Moby-Dick. We'll bring in John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion; the writings of C.G. Jung, including Answer to Job. We'll talk about the abject lineage from Genesis: Cain, Ishmael, and Esau. And we'll discuss one of the most underappreciated villains in the DC Universe: Vandal Savage. What? You've never heard of Vandal Savage? You should. He's pretty interesting. We'll bring in Superman as well to help set the stage. By the end, we'll learn a little bit about what it means to be monomaniacal. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel.

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

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Is there salvation for the monstrous? This is just one of the important questions we explore in this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast with my guest Dr. Jonathan Greenaway. We talk about some familiar characters in this episode: Milton's Satan, Frankenstein's creature, Aliens, Scrooge, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and a little Jekyll and Hyde. At the core of the question is the relationship between the created and the yearning for theology. I think this episode connects nicely with our Neomodern concepts that we've been discussing for some time now. I hope you enjoy the episode.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Jon's book: https://amzn.to/36k9cLo

twitter.com/thelitcritguy

twitter.com/horrorvanguard

Horror Vanguard: https://soundcloud.com/user-317910500

TheLitCritGuy on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JonTheLitCritGuy/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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All the world is a stage this week on The Neutral Ground Podcast. My guest is actress Valorie Hubbard. Valorie has a whole host of credits: Castle, Marvel's Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D; How I Met Your Mother; Glee; American Horror Story; Workaholics; True Blood; 90210; ER; Desperate Housewives; and she even voices “hot” Rhonda in the game Dead Rising 3. In this episode, we dive into a few deep ends: the psychology of acting; trying to keep it together when Adam DeVine and Jack Black are doing their comedic thing in front of you; the dangers of having weapons on a set, a la the Alec Baldwin Rust terrible incident; and how to change the approach of acting to be more like a business. I hope you enjoy the episode. Don't forget to hit the subscribe/follow button for more content.

// EPISODE LINKS //

Actor's Fast Track: https://actorsfasttrack.com/

Valorie's book: https://amzn.to/3sED8JQ

Valorie's IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0399237/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this week's episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, we discuss Dr. Duane Armitage's book: Philosophy's Violent Sacred. In the book, Armitage explores French philosopher Rene Girard's reading of religion as catharsis for the appeasement of group violent tendencies. We discuss the thesis of his book, Heidegger, and Nietzsche's will to power, postmodernism, Milton's Satan, and the concept of turning the other cheek.

EPISODE LINKS:

Works by Duane Armitage: https://amzn.to/3JdgazW

Duane Armitage YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Duane422

Works by Rene Girard: https://amzn.to/3sliP3L

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this extemporaneous reading of Satan's soliloquy from Book 4 of John Milton's Paradise Lost, we take a look at some of the more intriguing lines that show just how much Satan suffers under the weight of his own shame. I hope this solo episode helps to enrich some of the conversations that we are having on the podcast with my guests. Oftentimes, I'll bring up Milton's Satan in a conversation, so I thought I might just do a video on how I read the character. It's one of the greatest poems ever written in the English language, and I highly recommend people read through it at least once--if for no other reason than to just let your mind absorb the sublime language and elevated thoughts that Milton uses throughout. It's truly an amazing work.

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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My guest this week is Dr. Angus Fletcher. Dr. Fletcher is Professor at Ohio State University in the Project Narrative program. He has appeared on numerous podcasts, including Jordan B. Peterson and The Michael Shermer Show. Dr. Fletcher is the author of Wonderworks, a fantastic book that answers the question: do great stories actually affect us on a neurological/biological level? The answer is yes, but how they do so is the enjoyable part of the book. We talk about how narratives like the Iliad, Paradise Lost, and The Lord of the Rings can help us build strength. We also talk about those of us in higher education need to be careful about putting our own egos ahead of the works--I can be guilty of this at times myself. I explain why this can sometimes be the case in the episode. Dr. Fletcher and I really get into some deep conversations here involving trauma, veterans, and why it's time for us to move past the postmodern angst of the late 20th century and embrace a move back to the Humanities as a source of strength. You're going to want to listen to this episode.

EPISODE LINKS:

Angus Fletcher's Works: Amazon Link

Angus' website: Angusfletcher.co

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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The great actor/comedian Harvey Korman made a countless number of people laugh, cry, and cheer with the work that he did in movies like Blazing Saddles, History of the World: Part 1, and television shows like the Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, The Flintstones, and many more. He has been lauded for his work by people like Carol Burnett, Robin Williams, Whoopie Goldberg, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Betty White--and many more. However, it is his son, Christopher Korman, who gives the most important review that Harvey Korman will ever receive--that of being a loving father who supported his children. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I am fortunate enough to speak with Christopher Korman about his book Omg! It's Harvey Korman's Son. In the book, Christopher not only makes us laugh at the various encounters that he and his father have--Pierce Brosnan and Robin Williams are two of my favorite--but Chris also tells us about his own struggles in terms of his personal health, struggling with a life-long learning disability, and how he was able to overcome many of these trials with hard work and the help of supportive parents. If you're looking for a feel-good episode with some laughs, this is it.

EPISODE LINKS:

Chris's book: Omg! It's Harvey Korman's Son

For more information about the Foundation for Neurodiversity, use the links below. You can also contact Ally Dzelilovic, Founder and CEO.

Foundation for Neurodiversity: organization website

Inaugural Winter Gala and Fundraiser: tickets and information

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Instagram: Instagram Profile

Facebook: Facebook Profile

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support t

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Are there ways to reconcile faith and science, and can doing so actually strengthen both? My guest on this episode of the podcast is Dr. Jeff Zweerink. Dr. Zweerink is an astrophysicist, specializing in gamma rays. We talk about the various multiverse theories--even the Marvel Cinematic Universe multiverse. We try to reconcile that there might be multiple versions of ourselves out there and what that means on human and theological levels. We talk about the inspiration of Star Wars and the science behind Luke Skywalker's famous image of the binary star system on Tattooine. I also ask my guest about the moving moment on the Lix Fridman podcast when he asks Elon Musk about the first launch of Space X and how Elon said a prayer for the people on board. Neither my guest nor myself try to pronounce or prescribe any religious belief to Musk, but we both find it to be a moving moment of humanity--with a little more to say on the topic added as well. Finally, we spend a significant time talking about the relationship between philosophy/theology and science and how the two can hopefully strengthen each other. This is a fantastic episode.

GUEST WORKS: (Affiliate Link)

Works by Jeff Zweerink

EPISODE LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/RTBOfficial/

https://twitter.com/RTB_officia

https://www.youtube.com/user/ReasonsToBelieve1

https://reasons.org/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

Reddit: Reddit Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.
5. Patreon tiers with everything from shout-outs to extra content. Patreon Page
6. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this first episode of season 2, we take on a heavy topic: critical thinking. We talk about the Joe Rogan vs CNN rhetorical battle--and why we all lose with this kind of rhetoric; Jonathan discusses modern-day journalism a little bit; we model a bit of Aristotelian logic; I expose my own recent failures in the classroom; we talk about how we can better teach critical thinking in higher education, and how to better gauge whether or not something makes sense logically; and much more.

EPISODE LINKS:

(affiliate link) Jonathan's book: Critical Thinking

https://www.jonathanhaber.org/

http://degreeoffreedom.org/one-year-ba/

https://www.logiccheck.net/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

Reddit: Reddit Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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From the podcasting rhetorics of Joe Rogan to a Holocaust survivor's story, I was incredibly fortunate to have been able to share some time with some incredible guests in this first season of The Neutral Ground Podcast. We talked about the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism, and Neomodernism, psychedelics, sacred space, the Sublime, mental health, obsessive-compulsive disorder, comic books, heroism, meeting Norm Macdonald, helping veterans deal with PTSD and finding their way back home, a lot of philosophy, the Eternal Soldier program, JRR Tolkien, Rock Camp, and so much more. It was an amazing experience. I have some great guests and fascinating discussions ready to go for the next season, so if you have not yet hit the subscribe button, do so.

EPISODE OUTLINE:

00:00 Introduction

00:40 Roll call

01:04 A couple of bugs in the system

01:51 Some highlights

02:53 Introduction to the clips

04:33 Joe Rogan and Bill Burr with Matt Jacobson Episode #9

10:13 The importance of narrative in mental health with Laurie Singer Episode #11

16:29 The question of purpose with Nick Gibson Episode #12

18:59 Meeting Norm Macdonald with Scott Hiam Episode #13

24:05 Leaving Afghanistan with Amanda Huffman Episode #15

27:48 Leaving comfort behind with Ben Killoy Episode #16

31:29 Nostalgia with Dr. Tim Overton Episode #17

33:07 Let them see you hustle with DC Glenn from Tag Team Episode #18

35:33 Imposing order on chaos with Matthew Munroe Episode #19

39:41 The butterfly effect with Pj Wehry Episode #20

42:09 Understanding shame in the Jrr Tolkien world with Dr. Max Brown and Dr. Sheila Murnaghan Episode #21

47:39 Deep fakes/data with Michael Fienen Episode #22

52:44 Entitled athletes or entitled agents with David Fishof Episode #23

55:04 How did you escape a Holocaust death? with Dr. Alex Hershaft Episode #24

59:48 A special message

PODCAST INFORMATION:

Main website: Main Site

YouTube: YouTube Channel

Apple: Apple Podcast Page

Spotify: Spotify Page

Google: Google Page

Amazon: Amazon Page

Stitcher: Stitcher Page

RSS RSS Feed

SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile

Reddit: Reddit Profile

SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast.
2. Leave a rating/comment wherever applicable.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics.
4. Buy me a cup of Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Dr. Alex Hershaft, a Holocaust survivor, can still vividly recall seeing the wall being built in Warsaw, Poland when he was just a young man. To hear his story is to understand the power of the spoken word and the importance of story to our history as a species. In this episode, Dr. Hershaft and I discuss his story of being forced into the Warsaw ghetto; his escape from the guards, with the help of a friend; and his eventual move to the United States where he pursued a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry at UCLA. On a business trip to a slaughterhouse, he was faced with a picture that he wasn't expecting, a sight that would impact the remainder of his life. He co-founded the group F.A.R.M. (Farm Animal Rights Movement). I ask Dr. Hershaft some difficult questions in this episode, including why he believes human beings could be a part of such atrocities as the Holocaust, and if he found any pockets of goodness in the world during his horrifying ordeal. His answers the second question are alone worth spending some time listening to this episode. On a related but somewhat side note, I introduce my wonderful dog Watson to the audience. It seemed fitting, given how much Dr. Hershaft loves animals.

For more information about Dr. Hershaft and his work, check out the following links:

EPISODE LINKS:

https://AlexHershaft.com

https://TheVeganBlog.org

https://farmusa.org/

https://meatout.org/

PODCAST INFORMATION:

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SUPPORT THE PODCAST:

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Reddit: Reddit Profile

SHOW OUTLINE:

00:00 Introduction

02:23 Watson, the greatest dog in the world

03:04 A story of survival

14:22 Three examples of good in a dark world

24:18 What makes a person turn to evil?

33:17 How norms can fan the flames of hatred

34:14 Why pursue a PhD?

36:11 How a trip to the slaughterhouse changed everything

46:13 The importance of finding community

51:12 Final question: what makes you hopeful?

52:11 I receive a compliment I will never forget

52:45 Closing thoughts and thank you

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

• Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.

• Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them

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In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I'm joined by quite the impressive guest: David Fishof. David has led multiple lives. He was a sports agent for the Super Bowl winning quarterback of the New York Giants, Phil Simms, and he negotiated against the Yankees legendary owner George Steinbrenner on behalf of his client Lou Pinella--there's quite a story about that in this interview. Additionally, he is a tremendously successful music producer, having worked with The Monkees, Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Hermans Hermits, and many more. Additionally, David created the now famous Rock fantasy camp, where regular people can rock with the likes of Roger Daltrey of the Who, Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Bill Wyman, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, Kiss, and a whole host of other rock legends. People who attend David's Rock Fantasy Camp often talk about how the experience is life-changing, which is why a move was made to document some of these journeys. Having had a private showing of the movie, I can tell you that Rock Camp is a really heartwarming film. You do not need to be a big rock fan to enjoy it; you just need to be someone who enjoys seeing the human spirit get uplifted. There's fun; there's some comedy; and there are a lot of moving scenes where we're reminded of just how much we can accomplish as a species when we work together. I highly recommend you take a look at the film. I'm truly excited to present this interview with David Fishof.

For more information about Rock Camp, and about how to view the film, check out the following links:

https://www.rockcampthemovie.com/ https://www.rockcamp.com/

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, we're joined by Michael Fienen, a truly unique individual with a lot of experience developing tools for the internet. In Michael's 25 years in web development, he's seen how companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have evolved over the years--and how they came to be what they are. We spend a good amount of time talking about the myriad problems with social media feeding negativity to people. We also talk about we undervalue our personal data, giving it away to places without much consideration to what it's worth. Finally, we talk quite a bit about why it's so important that we make a move toward building a more thoughtful, accessible internet. The more people that we can involve in complex problems that are facing the world, the better our chances are of defeating them. That's going to require some changes, but the good news is that we already have many of the tools that we need to do just that.

For more information about Michael's work, check out the following links:

Podcast site: https://drunkenux.com

Episode on Accessibility: https://drunkenux.com/?s=accessibility

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drunkenux

Everywhere else: https://linktr.ee/drunkenux

For more information about Joe Meyer, check out my LinkedIn profile and send me a message. https://www.linkedin.com/in/theneutralgroundpodcast/

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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This is a special episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast. I have two guests: Dr. Kimberly "Max" Brown and Dr. Bridget Murnaghan. We're going to talk about the important role that ancient cultures play in understanding our modern world; we talk about the difference between warriors and soldiers; and we talk about one of the most important and impressive programs that I've ever come across for helping veterans: Eternal Soldier. In the words of Dr. Brown, "Eternal Soldier is archaeologists, classicists, historians, clinicians and veterans working together to present ancient material on war, warriors, and combat re-purposed for modern Veterans" (eternalsoldier.org/about). What makes this program so unique is that veterans read texts like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey in order see connections between how ancient cultures handled war and the struggle to find purpose back home and how we struggle with it today. It's truly a remarkable program, and I urge everyone to check it out and help out as best as you can. We also talk about one of my favorite characters in the Odyssey that virtually no one ever talks about: Elpinore--well, I talk about Elpinore, but it was wonderful to have two other people to speak with about him. We also take a really interesting turn in talking about the differences between Frodo's and Sam's visions of home in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's a fascinating discussion.

For more information about the magnificent Eternal Soldier program, please check out the following links:

Main website: https://www.eternalsoldier.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EternalSoldierorg

Here is some additional information about me. Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theneutralgroundpodcast/

Key episodes for understanding the show:

1) Postmodernism and a Joke Gone Too Far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szjKBcbAW3I

2) Neomodernism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVHMm2A-fcA

3) Podcasting Rhetorics and Joe Rogan | My Conversation with Matthew Jacobson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsOMhCZORts

4) Fighting the War Not Seen | My Conversation with Tim Overton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjGit4H_Q8

5) Hit Song, Hit Commercial, and Still More to Do | My Conversation with Musician/Actor DC Glenn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DyFYIfEFR4

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am ge

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast with Dr. Joe Meyer, I sit down with PJ Wehry, co-founder of Candid Goat Productions, which serves two exceptional podcasts: Chasing Leviathan and Wehry Dads. This is a particularly jam-packed show. PJ and I discuss a lot of philosophy: from Kierkegaard and Charles Taylor to John Milton and the Romantics. We talk about trying to wrap our heads around the problem of reconciling private and communal suffering, as they relate to Steven Pinker's work on data. We even get into a bit of Star Wars and the DC comics live-action universe. Additionally, we spend quite a bit of time talking about how we're supposed to frame knowledge in the book of Job from the Bible. As I said, there is a lot here for you to digest. It's one of the longer episodes I've done, and with good reason.

For more information about PJ's works, check out the following links:

Candid Goat Productions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTyPKRXmrNrxvbH1p5sNrJA

Joe Meyer Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theneutralgroundpodcast/

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I speak with Matthew Munroe of the Quotations podcast. We talk about the important of language and how it shapes the way we interact with the world around us. Additionally, we discuss how truly great quotations can help us make sense of an increasingly maddening world. In the wake of Postmodern distrust of meaning in language, meaningful phrases can help us reorder our thinking toward meaningful interactions with the world. We also discuss the importance of rereading great works of literature. I tell the story of the great Elpinor from the Odyssey. That's right. I'm sure you've all heard the epic story of Elpinor? I bring up a quotation from Game of Thrones that I really like, even though I haven't seen the show. We have a fantastic discussion with a lot for the audience to consider. This is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Here are some links to find out more information about Matt's work:

Website: www.quotationspod.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuotationsPod

IG: https://www.instagram.com/quotationspodcast/

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I am incredibly excited to sit down with musician and actor DC "The Brain Supreme" Glenn. DC is one part of the musical group Tag Team. In 1993, they exploded onto the music scene with "Whoomp, There it is." To this day, it is physically impossible to sit still when that song is playing. Although I remember rocking that song back in 1993, the song later became a hit again when it was featured in the movie Elf with Will Ferrell. But, music is just one of the skills that DC shares with the world. In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic that was eroding our sense of connection with each other, Geico came out with a commercial featuring a lovely mother figure making dinner, when Tag Team appears in the kitchen to sing a song about ice cream. (Are you singing the song in your head as I type this? Me too.) This commercial would go on to become one of Geico's most popular commercials--and arguably the best commercial of the year. It was positive, high energy, and just made you feel like smiling again. At the end of the commercial, DC yells, "sprinkles!" and the rest is history. Although DC is an amazing entertainer, we talk a lot about life in this episode. How do we stay motivated? How do we impose order on chaos? If you're looking for a fun conversation with some motivation and laughter, this is the one for you.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same things. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I speak with Dr. Tim Overton. We grapple with the reasons why many veterans find it difficult to reach out for help when it comes to mental health; we discuss the various methods of help that are available for veterans; and we even talk about one of my favorite subjects: the important role that narratives play in building resiliency and purpose. Mental health concerns are never the same from person to person; however, I think we do a good job of trying to understand some of the unique barriers that veterans might face from that of civilians. I was pretty shocked by some of the statistics that Dr. Overton provides for us here regarding rates of suicide, ideation, and how much more they can be reduced through therapy. Dr. Overton is an individual and couples therapist for the Cohen Military Family Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Widener University. He completed his postdoctoral residency at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Orleans, where he specialized in the treatment of rural and underserved veteran populations. His clinical expertise includes Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for posttraumatic stress disorder and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for depression and anxiety.

You can find Dr. Overton and the rest of the Cohen Veterans Network through the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/MFCPenn/

https://twitter.com/MFCPenn

https://www.instagram.com/mfcpenn/

www.pennmedicine.org/veterans

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information:

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links:

• Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html
• Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi a

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I speak with veteran Ben Killoy, host of two incredibly important podcasts: The Military Veteran Dad podcast, and The Business of Fatherhood podcast. Ben and I talk about the end of the Afghanistan War; we discuss veteran mental health and the problems with finding purpose out of the military; and, we discuss the importance of fatherhood. We even throw in a bit about Plato's allegory of the cave--and you know how much I love talking about Plato, or anything for that matter. Ben tells us his story of moving from existential crisis to podcast host and now to professional speaker. Ben helps fathers rediscover their purpose in the home and offers some valuable insights into how we can get there.

Check out Ben's podcasts and learn more about his goal to help fathers find their way back home by visiting his website: https://benkilloy.com/

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information:

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links:

• Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html
• Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

If you would like to help bring our message of civil discourse out to more people, consider doing the following:

1. The first and most important one is to subscribe and listen. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast app.

You can subscribe to me through Joemeyer.substack.com for mid-week updates and special notes on upcoming episodes.

You can subscribe to my YouTube channel as well and gain access to my guest appearances on other podcasts as well. 2. Leave a kind rating and comment on Apple podcasts or where available. 3. If you have friends who think might benefit from the podcast and enjoy it, send them a link to the website or to a particular episode. 4. You can also buy me a cup of "ko-fi."

I'm able to continue running The Neutral Ground Podcast because of the kindness of my patrons.

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, I have a conversation with Amanda Huffman. Amanda is a military spouse and veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer including a deployment to Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career. She has been recognized as Hill Vets100 (class 2019), Women Veteran Trailblazer (2021), and was a finalist for the Melissa A Washington Small Business Award. She published her first book in 2019 titled Women of the Military, sharing the stories of 28 military women. In 2019 she also launched her podcast also titled Women of the Military. In our conversation, we discuss the end of the Afghanistan/Iraq wars, the difficulties of transitioning from active to inactive duty, finding your purpose in a post-military-service world, how the military prepares you for motherhood. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Amanda Huffman.

Amanda's book: Women of the Military

https://www.facebook.com/airmantomom

https://www.instagram.com/airmantomom

https://www.twitter.com/airmantomom

https://www.linkedin.com/in/airmantomom/

https://www.patreon.com/womenofthemilitary

https://women-of-the-military.simplecast.com

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information:

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links:

• Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html

• Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to do your part to help bring civility back to our conversations? We need to get The Neutral Ground message in front of more people, and you can help with just a few keystrokes and some clicks of a mouse.

• 1) Start by hitting the subscribe button and turning on notifications.
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• 5) Share the channel or a video with someone else on your social media accounts
• 6) Head over to my website at https://theneutralgroundpodca

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of The Neutral Ground Podcast, we begin our month-long conversation on how we can best support veterans in need of support. With the end of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, one of the most important things that we can do is make sure that we give ears to veterans so that they can begin to build narratives of their experiences. This is vital because having a strong narrative in place not only helps to build closure to one incredibly important part of their lives, but it also builds clarity of thought and a sense of peace. In this first episode of our four-part series, I'm going to lay the foundation for how history and literature have given us the tools to help. We just need to accept that the experiences are there. I go back to Homer and the Iliad and Odyssey to show how the site of glory needs to move at the end of conflicts from the field of battle to the domestic realm. We need to raise the level of communal engagement to the level of heroism. I also talk about James Joyce's Modernist take on the epic hero, and how listening and being there for others becomes a type of heroism. We also dive into arguably the most well-known author-veterans of World War I: Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway gives us a truthful but bleak vision of how difficult it can be for the soldier and the family to try and navigate great trauma in the home. However, I do think there is some hope there at the end. Finally, we take a look at a beautiful letter from a wife to her husband from the World War I era.

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information:

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links:

• Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html

• Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreci

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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This month, The Neutral Ground Podcast is going to take on a very serious topic of discussion--a pressing one: veterans and mental health. Often times, this subject can seem overwhelmingly large, especially when we take a look at the current rates of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicides. However, what I hope to show in my series is that there is hope. There are practical ways that we can help veterans start down a pathway of healing--and it doesn't involve politics, and it doesn't involve budgets. It just involves your time and an open ear. In the conversations to come on the podcast, we're going to speak with people like Amanda Huffman of the Women of the Military podcast and Ben Killoy of the Military Veteran Dad podcast. They will bring their own unique views on how we can help veterans make a smoother transition back to civilian life. You need not have served to find value in these coming episodes. What we're going to discuss applies to all, because, at the end of the day, these are human problems. Join us on this journey.

Statistics taken from The National Council: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/veterans/

If you’re a veteran who is struggling with mental health, or you know someone who is struggling, consider passing on the following information:

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine links:

• Apps that can help: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/mobile_apps.html

• Relaxation techniques: https://www.med.upenn.edu/mfc/relaxation-techniques.html

Military One Source: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/mental-health-resources/

Rand Social and Economic Well Being: https://www.rand.org/well-being/social-and-behavioral-policy/projects/veterans/resources.html

Cohen Veterans Network: https://www.cohenveteransnetwork.org/

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America: https://iava.org/homev3/

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally

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In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, my guest, Nick Gibson, and I discuss a myriad of topics. We hit upon what comic books bring to the cultural landscape; we talk about his current writing projects: "Project Axis" and "2100 Samurai." We also dive into the feeling that you have something creative within you that you need to get out into the world, and how you might have to overcome obstacles to get that creative product out. Nick definitely had his moments where giving up would have been easy, but he fought through it. Things get a bit more serious, however, when we start to talk about purpose. The loss of purpose can often lead to people looking for it in desperate places. One of those desperate places are cults. We dive into that topic a little bit because that's where the conversation took us. I ask Nick about creating trusting characters in his work because we don't see a lot of trusting figures today, and I found his answer to be really interesting. Additionally, we talk a bit about the importance of freedom of speech as well and why we consistently write stories with a dystopian eye for the future.

Here are some places you can go to learn more about Nick's work:

Content Warning: Nick's work is generally made for adults. Keep this in mind.

https://lnkd.in/g4k-Fz4s

https://lnkd.in/gRwNsSxd

https://lnkd.in/gJSRTWtn

https://lnkd.in/g94i4sKv

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Scott Hiam. We're going to take a look at the impact of the life of comedian Norm Macdonald. I will tell my story of the time that I met the comedian in Arizona, and the impact that it had on me--even to this day. We're going to discuss how Norm Macdonald's comedy differed from others, and we talk about what it means to be a "comedian's comedian," and whether or not that tagline actually fit the enigmatic Norm Macdonald. We also spend some time thinking about Macdonald's decision to keep his 9-year struggle with cancer a secret from even many of the people he loved. Although we respect his personal right to do so, we consider how such a decision might impact those who are left to grieve. More than anything, you're going to hear about how two stupid teenage boys went to the movies in 1998 to watch a movie that apparently no one loved at the time, but that is now a "cult classic." I hope our respect for the comedian and the work that he has done comes through in our discussion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those who loved him dearly.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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I do apologize upfront for some of the audio issues. We were having some difficulty maintaining a strong internet connection. In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I'm joined by a special guest: Laurie Singer. Laurie has over 20 years of experience as a board-certified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. Her new book You're Not Crazy: Living with Anxiety, Obsessions, and Fetishes gives both insight into some of the most pressing mental health issues of today and real-world tools to help deal with these issues. We talk about the elevated levels of anxiety in both young people and adults; I ask Laurie to give some advice for parents who are trying to navigate these precarious times in which we live; we discuss the important role that narrative building plays in mental health; the impact of social media on young people and their perceived visions of their bodies; and we talk what people can do to support loved ones who might be struggling--when is tough love the right call? We get into that in this discussion.

You can find Laurie's book on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Not-Crazy-Obsessions-Fetishes/dp/1735944815/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=you%27re+not+crazy+laurie+singer&qid=1631599654&sr=8-1.

You can also learn more about Laurie and the tools that have helped so many people find a new lease on life at https://www.yourenotcrazybook.com/

None of the links above are affiliate links. I just believe that this book can actually help some people.

Please join me in welcoming Laurie Singer to the Neutral Ground Podcast.

Consider becoming a supporter of my endeavor to bring sanity back to civil discourse: https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast

Head over to my website to learn more about exclusive content: https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/

This episode is sponsored by Ninjabuzz.io. If you're looking for an easy way to match sponsors with podcasters, Ninjabuzz.io is the place to go. Check it out today.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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This week, we're going to get sublime. Truly sublime language can move us in ways that we are unprepared for. It's a kind of power that we need more and more of today--we need things that place us in a state of awe and prompts us to reconsider how things are and how they can be. For these reasons, we're going to talk about Longinus's five necessary components for sublime language. We'll take a look at Charlie Chaplain's speech from the The Great Dictator; we'll visit the journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson; I do my best to give the baseball speech from Field of Dreams (although, I certainly can't match the booming tones of the great James Earl Jones); and we sing a song of ourselves with poet Walt Whitman. We'll also dive into some of the research behind the concept of awe in the human condition through a paper from psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt. So, if you're in need of a little bit of inspiration and awe, come on in, and let's get sublime.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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I am excited to introduce the first guest of the Neutral Ground Podcast: Doctor Matthew Jacobson. Dr. Jacobson did his PhD at the University of Oklahoma. His research focuses on podcast rhetoric and how it can influence our engagement with public policy. We talk about how Matt came to study podcasting rhetoric; we'll dive into the three main analytics of podcasting that connect with the audience; and we'll talk about the infamous Joe Rogan episode with Bill Burr from 2020, where the two got into a somewhat tense, but entertaining, discussion about mask mandates. Come on in, and let's welcome Dr. Matthew Jacobson to the Neutral Ground.

You can find Dr. Jacobson on Twitter at @makingarguments And you can send him an email at matthewvincentjacobson@gmail.com

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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This is the final episode of our three-part series on the defining traits of Neomodernism thus far. We're going to talk about the yearning to define and create sacred space for ourselves. Many of the arguments that we are seeing in culture today stem from a deeper yearning to create a sacred space for ourselves. This comes out of the eschewing of sacred spaces in the latter parts of Postmodernism--remember, just about anything was up for mockery in latter stages of Postmodernism. Therefore, it's not all that unbelievable that, in these early stages of Neomodernism, people want to carve out sacred space for themselves, places where joking is not welcome. Although having a sacred space can help us better connect with who we are as a person--and even help us connect with each other, there are, of course, drawbacks. When something is sacred to us, anything that pushes into that sacred space becomes an attack. And if something that we hold sacred is attacked, we will defend it at all costs. It's my belief that this is why we have such a contentious cultural atmosphere today: why we have "cultural wars"--although I absolutely hate that term and find it to something that too easily dismisses the fact that we need difficult conversations, not debates, and certainly not wars. In this episode, I talk about a mistake that I made as a husband. I highlight a fantastic Neomodern poem by the poet Ocean Vuong entitled, "Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong." We'll talk about the path to self destruction, and I'll give you my best Allan Rickman impression--no, really. I'll be quoting from the movie Die Hard. It will make much more sense if you listen to the episode. As always, consider subscribing or following the podcast--and if you do like the podcast, share it with a friend. We're still trying to build our Neutral Ground community. If you have the energy, consider leaving an audio comment for us to think about or giving me a rating. As always, any help is much appreciated.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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This is part two of our important traits of Neomodernism series. We're going to discuss our need to transcend the corporeal (the body). We'll talk a little Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick, some Saint Augustine, and we'll dive into Dr. Roland R. Griffith’s research at Johns Hopkins University on psychedelics. Why does it seem like the research that came out in the 1960s was largely ignored? Whereas, today, the research into expanding the mind through psychedelics seems to be gathering quite a lot of steam? We'll have to think about that and try to answer it in this episode. I talk a bit about Brian Muraresku’s book: The Immortality Key as well and why, even among atheists, it seems like religious language is still the most accurate language from describing psychedelic experiences. And if you start feeling too overwhelmed by the experience, you need not worry. We're also going to talk about meditation and how we try to transcend the body through mindfulness. It all comes together with a section from Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric." Can you ask for a better episode? Probably. But, I can't deliver one as of yet.

Research notes

Gabriel Hess: https://aporia.byu.edu/pdfs/hess-refuting_the_claim_that_augustine_is_opposed_to_corporeality.pdf

David G. Hunter “Augustine on the Body” A Companion to Augustine

Griffiths: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29020861/

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I'm going to start a three-part series where we take a more in-depth look into the three traits that I believe are at the heart of Neomodernism today. For this first episode of the series, we're going to take a look at our need for narrative reassurance. Postmodernism took away much of our assurance in narratives. However, think about this for a moment. How important have narratives been to the evolution of the human species, to the ways in which we organize our lives? It isn't just story that does this; it is the assurances that great stories give us. We learn from the rage of Achilles; we understand obsession when we read of Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick; we know what manipulation looks like when we read about the horrible Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. There are thousands of stories that come from literally all over this wonderful planet, and we need to get back to reading them, telling them, and building more. In this episode, I'm going to talk about what we're lacking in Neomodernism today, and why narrative reassurance is so important for our mental and social health.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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What is The Neutral Ground Podcast? It's a place free from extreme takes, free from trying to make everyone pick a side. My goal is to get all of us to be the best versions of ourselves, and we will use the tools that have been handed down to us for thousands of years: science, history, literature, and philosophy. Join the growing community of individuals who are tired of the noise, tired of the extremes, tired of hot takes that just leave us frustrated and more distant than ever from humanity. Join us on the neutral ground. 

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This is the last episode for our mini series on historical movements. We've finally arrived at the movement of today: Neomodernism. What is it? What does it mean? We've got a lot of ground to cover here. By the end of this episode, my hope is that you walk away with a better understanding of how we arrived at our current cultural climate. We'll take a look at early Neomodern critics such as Habermas, and we'll talk about the role that the Marvel Cinematic Universe--particularly Iron Man and Captain America--played in the emergence of Neomodernism. There is anger, frustration, and contention all around us. That's true. However, there is also great possibility for finding meaning, for learning how to carve out sacred space from which we can learn how to become the best version of ourselves. More than anything, there is great hope in the emergence of humanity. We just need to see it and organize it. I hope you enjoy the episode.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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Does your humor have a line that you won't cross? In this episode, we're going to talk about the pop cultural side of Postmodernism. We'll discuss I Love Lucy, Nat King Cole, Family Guy, South Park, and I'll relay a true story about a woman who I tried to console in a modern museum of art who was crying in front of a particular exhibit. There is so much amazing content that was created during postmodernism, it is clearly a force to be reckoned with. Many of us grew up on things like Saturday-morning cartoons, action hero movies, and stand up comedy. So, what do we do with all of that now that we're in a new historical movement? That's part of the question we're going to think about in this episode.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode, we leave the Modernist world behind and enter into Postmodernism. Postmodernism can be a difficult concept to define because built within it's definition is that it's skeptical of definitions. We're going to take a look at postmodern theorists like Derrida, Lacan, Lyotard and get into the weeds a bit about what postmodern theories entail. Additionally, we'll take all of this to the neutral ground to look at the positives and negatives that emerge out of postmodern theories.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message

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In this episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast with Dr. Joe Meyer, we're going to take a look at Modernism, the historical movement that gave us "the greatest generation." We'll talk about how this movement led to the fracturing of the masses, and we'll talk a little bit about how this movement connects with Postmodernism. This is an important episode because it will help set the stage for when we talk about our current historical movement: Neomodernism. So, you don't want to skip this episode.

Would you like to support the efforts to bring civility back to meaningful discourse? Well, you can, and with little more than a click of a button.

1. Subscribe/follow the podcast on whichever platform you're currently using to listen to The Neutral Ground Podcast.
2. Leave a rating and a comment wherever applicable. This will really help get the message out to more people. Let a friend know about the podcast by emailing them or posting an episode to your social media accounts.
3. Visit the main website for The Neutral Ground Podcast at https://theneutralgroundpodcast.com/ and send me an email or leave an audio message for me with some thoughts or questions about one of our topics. I might end up using it on the podcast for all of us to grapple with together.
4. Buy me a cup of coffee...err...I mean Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/theneutralgroundpodcast. Donations are always appreciated and are useful to help fray the costs of maintaining The Neutral Ground Podcast.
5. Finally, and most importantly, just be kind and patient with others in conversation. Try to model for those around you the difference between conversation and debate. Debate and dialogue are not the same thing. We need more dialogue in our everyday speech, and we need to limit debate to where it is most needed and useful.

Any one of the above items is equally important to me. I am genuinely humbled and moved by the feedback I'm receiving, and the support that I'm getting from all of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

-Joe

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My name is Dr. Joe Meyer. In this first episode of the Neutral Ground Podcast, I take a little bit of time to introduce myself so that you can start to get to know me a little bit better. I’ll talk about my background in education, how I approach teaching in the classroom, and how I view thinking as a process. After that, I start to lay out my theory on what is feeding our current cultural climate of discontent. Spoiler alert: it has a lot to do with history and the pull of historical movements. What is Neomodernism? What is Postmodernism? What role does history play in how we treat each other as a species? If you’ve got a few minutes, and you're interested in a different take than the same old discussions, give the podcast a try, and if you like it, consider subscribing for more episodes. There’s a lot of great topics to talk about, people to interview, and ideas to grapple with. You might as well join us on this journey.

PODCAST INFORMATION:

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SHOW OUTLINE:

00:00 What this show is about

03:28 Let me talk about my teaching a bit here

05:58 Teaching careful critical thinking to young people

6:55 Our culture is broken. We reward arguments, not dialogue

8:39 How to process thoughts for usefulness

14:43 Where did our contentious culture come from?

17:54 Historical movements theory begin

18:28 The Enlightenment

20:11 Romanticism and needing to feel something, whether it is God or nature

24:15 Modernism and reconsidering what it means to be human

32:33 Postmodernism and the age of skepticism

33:31 Is there good in Postmodernism? The answer is yes: the Civil Rights movement

35:48 Neomodernism and the political divide

41:28 Closing remarks

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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/joemeyer/message