Inappropriate Questions

Inappropriate Questions

18 episodes

Have you ever been curious to know the answer to a question that might be intrusive or too personal for other people? On their biweekly podcast Inappropriate Questions, now in its third season, cohosts Elena Hudgins Lyle and Harvinder Wadhwa make a space for curiosity where guests can unpack the tricky questions they get asked and learn stories about them—whether they ask if polyamorous people cope with jealousy in relationships, if Indigenous people are full Native, or brave the dreaded “have you lost weight” assumption. Created by Hudgins Lyle alongside producers Sabrina Bertsch and Cindy Long, the podcast was built out of a school project while they were studying Media Production in Toronto, Ontario. Bertsch, who’s mixed-race, had been asked a lot of questions about her background and ethnicity after studying abroad for a semester. Long and Lyle, both LGBT, would also get frequently asked about their identity and sexuality. Even if these frustrations served as a jumping-off point for them, they quickly realized that they could also learn about a variety of topics from others too—especially from their parents and older generations. So they auditioned a “dad-like” figure to be a counterpart as co-host. Wadhwa, a project manager with an engineering degree, was the unanimous choice. “Harv was the very first interview we did,” Lyle says. “After the interview, he was like, ‘All right, how many more of these do you have to go?’ You know I'm it, right? You can stop now.’” In each episode, guests share stories about being asked the week’s specific inappropriate question. Though, occasionally, they'll have an expert or academic who can break down more of the historical and social aspect of the question. Both Hudgins Lyle and Wadhwa bridge together their different generational perspectives to challenge themselves and their guests, having casual, yet meaningful conversations that are engaging, unpredictable, and humorous. “Though I've been in Canada for over 20 years, I consider myself an immigrant coming from India,” Wadhwa says. “So, what the show is also trying to do is also bring the balance. Because if everybody's thinking the same way, then we lose out a lot.” Even if they sometimes step into difficult territory, what they both hope to provide with each episode is a starting point for listeners to ease into these topics. “It could be that we've left you with some new ideas and perspectives from the guests who have this lived experience,” Lyle says. “You don't need to change and develop overnight, but hopefully, we've given you a starting place where you can then do your own research or reflection.”


Podcasts

Inappropriate Questions Introduces: Tai Asks Why - Season 4

Published: April 20, 2022, 6:51 p.m.
Duration: 4 minutes 29 seconds

Listed in: Culture

Answering your questions and looking back on Season 3

Published: Nov. 24, 2021, 9:10 a.m.
Duration: 17 minutes 23 seconds

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Is What are you going to do now? good small talk?

Published: Nov. 17, 2021, 9:10 a.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 41 seconds

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Is it okay to ask an autistic person Are you sure?

Published: Nov. 3, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 33 seconds

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Should we ask Where are they now? about former child actors?

Published: Oct. 20, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 46 seconds

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Is it okay to ask formerly incarcerated people Why did you do it?

Published: Oct. 6, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 48 seconds

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Is it helpful to ask a blind person Do you need help?

Published: Sept. 22, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 50 seconds

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Should I ask someone with depression/anxiety Have you tried _____?

Published: Sept. 8, 2021, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 24 minutes 38 seconds

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Can I ask a sex worker What was your worst experience?

Published: Aug. 25, 2021, 11:10 a.m.
Duration: 37 minutes 52 seconds

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Should I ask someone Why are you single?

Published: Aug. 11, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 45 minutes 21 seconds

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Can I ask a Black friend How can I do better?

Published: July 28, 2021, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 38 minutes 33 seconds

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(Re-release) Why dont you drink?

Published: July 14, 2021, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 42 minutes 31 seconds

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Is it okay to ask an adoptee Do you know your real parents?

Published: June 30, 2021, 11:10 a.m.
Duration: 47 minutes 51 seconds

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Introducing: Telling Our Twisted Histories

Published: June 23, 2021, 8:10 a.m.
Duration: 23 minutes 18 seconds

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Can I ask a polyamorous person Do you get jealous?

Published: June 16, 2021, 11:10 a.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 48 seconds

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Should I ask my coworker How much do you make?

Published: June 2, 2021, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 37 minutes

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What does it mean to ask How are you? in a pandemic?

Published: May 19, 2021, 11:10 a.m.
Duration: 20 minutes 49 seconds

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Is asking Where are you from? appropriate small talk?

Published: May 5, 2021, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 5 seconds

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Is it okay to ask an amputee What happened to you?

Published: April 21, 2021, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 15 seconds

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Season 3 is getting even more inappropriate!

Published: April 14, 2021, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 2 minutes 15 seconds

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Introducing: Tai Asks Why Season 3

Published: Jan. 26, 2021, 5:10 a.m.
Duration: 24 minutes 3 seconds

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Can I speak to your manager?

Published: July 21, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 34 seconds

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How old are you?"

Published: July 14, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 54 seconds

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“Have you tried _____?”

Published: July 7, 2020, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 16 seconds

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Have you tried _____?

Published: July 7, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 34 minutes 15 seconds

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Are you full Native?

Published: June 30, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 36 minutes 33 seconds

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How did you get pregnant?

Published: June 23, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 29 minutes 36 seconds

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How are you?

Published: June 16, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 32 minutes 38 seconds

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Have you lost weight?

Published: June 9, 2020, 12:10 a.m.
Duration: 35 minutes 30 seconds

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Were back with Season 2!

Published: May 26, 2020, 4:10 a.m.
Duration: 2 minutes 14 seconds

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Bonus: Asked and Answered:

Published: March 18, 2019, 12:02 a.m.
Duration: 15 minutes 26 seconds

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"Why don't you have kids?"

Published: March 11, 2019, 12:03 a.m.
Duration: 27 minutes 49 seconds

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"Why do/don't you wear a headscarf?"

Published: March 4, 2019, 12:04 a.m.
Duration: 28 minutes 33 seconds

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Bonus: "How did we get here?"

Published: Feb. 25, 2019, 12:05 a.m.
Duration: 17 minutes 38 seconds

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"Why don't you drink?"

Published: Feb. 18, 2019, 12:06 a.m.
Duration: 41 minutes 40 seconds

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"Can you have sex?"

Published: Feb. 11, 2019, 12:07 a.m.
Duration: 29 minutes 6 seconds

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"What are you?"

Published: Feb. 5, 2019, 12:08 a.m.
Duration: 24 minutes 31 seconds

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"Have you had the surgery?"

Published: Feb. 4, 2019, 12:09 a.m.
Duration: 31 minutes 13 seconds

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Episode 0: Trailer

Published: Jan. 21, 2019, 5:10 a.m.
Duration: 2 minutes 38 seconds

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