In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a broken thesis? Unfortunately it turns out he is a secret third thing that takes one hour and six minutes to explain.Special thanks to Julia Valdés for her help with this episode!Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Thesis That Drove American Politics Crazy: The Emerging Democratic Majority What’s the Matter with What’s the Matter with Kansas?Class is DismissedThe White Working Class and the Democratic PartyIt’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.How the diploma divide came to dominate American politicsThe 'Diploma Divide': Does It Exist for Racial and Ethnic Minorities?Blind Retrospection: Why Shark Attacks Are Bad For DemocracyNationally poor, locally rich: Income and local context in the 2016 presidential electionDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive GovernmentIdentity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of AmericaPolitical Landscapes of Donald TrumpThe White Working Class and the 2016 ElectionPartisanship by family income, home ownership, union membership and veteran statusThe Elites Had It ComingWhat Explains Educational Realignment Among White Americans?Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
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1:05:33
Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"
Peter and Michael discuss the book that launched the phenomenon of New Atheism and asked the question: What if we hated Muslims, but in a secular way?Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Views of ViolenceCarnival Booth: An Algorithm for Defeating the Computer-Assisted Passenger Screening SystemThe same motive for anti-US 'terrorism' is cited over and overDoes intuitive mindset influence belief in God? Terrorism science: 5 insights into jihad in EuropeAnalytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal beliefWhat Is "Islamophobia"?Essays In Defense of ProfilingTo Profile or Not to ProfileChapter 2 The Making of Jihadist Social Actors in Europe inWho are the new jihadis?Disbelief - Prometheus Books God and the Ivory TowerReligion’s evolutionary landscape: Counterintuition, commitment, compassion, communionThe Evolution of Religion: How Cognitive By-Products, Adaptive Learning Heuristics, Ritual Displays, and Group Competition GenerateTalking to the Enemy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
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1:09:58
Who Moved My Cheese?
What should workers do when they get laid off? In 1998 a bleak, asinine bestseller told them to find another whey. Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining AmericaDownsizing in AmericaTemp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became TemporaryThe Disposable AmericanSpencer Johnson, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ Author, Dies at 78What was the New Economy?Boss, Employees Share Large Cheese PlatterTarpon's big cheese has aides readingWhy doesn’t downsizing deliver?On the Battlefields of Business, Millions of CasualtiesShareholder Value and Workforce Downsizing, 1981-2006Long-Term Earnings Losses Due to Job Separation During the 1982 RecessionDoes Employee Downsizing Really Work?Layoffs, Top Executive Pay, and Firm PerformanceEmerging Conceptions of Work, Management and the Labor MarketA Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Why Organizations DownsizeOrganizational Downsizing: Constraining, Cloning, LearningThe Decline and Fall of the Conglomerate Firm in the 1980s Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
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1:09:12
UNLOCKED: Eric Adams
New York’s favorite criminal is in the news, so here is our episode about his ridiculous life.To hear all of our bonus episodes, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod
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59:28
Glenn Kessler Retire B*tch [TEASER]
Is fact-checking a legitimate enterprise? Is America's most famous fact-checker nothing more than a dweeb? Michael and Peter discuss.To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod