BROADCASTS.com

On this week\u2019s show, Slate culture writer (and Very, Very Good Friend of the Show, a.k.a. VVGFOP) Nadira Goffe sits in for Dana Stevens. The three begin with Civil War, writer-director Alex Garland\u2019s (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men) dystopian travelog starring Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura that imagines a burned out, bombed out America in the throes of a raging internal conflict. But who is fighting whom? Our panel discusses. Then, they examine Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, an eight-part series on Max depicting a very different civil war. Here, the exemplary sit-down stand-up comedian goes to war with himself, his public image, and the very nature of \u201creality.\u201d It\u2019s \u201cSeinfeld meets reality TV meets Sylvia Plath,\u201d and is a painfully naked confessional that begs the question: \u201cIs Jerrod Carmichael trolling us?\u201d (Read Nadira\u2019s fantastic piece, \u201cWho Did People Think Jerrod Carmichael Is?\u201d Finally, the trio turns to \u201cgaslighting,\u201d the pop psychology term up for debate in Leslie Jamison\u2019s essay for The New Yorker, \u201cSo You Think You\u2019ve Been Gaslit.\u201d Merriam-Webster\u2019s Word of the Year in 2022, is \u201cgaslighting\u201d a handy term used to describe harmful behavior? Or has \u201cgaslighting\u201d become so ubiquitous, it\u2019s lost all meaning? The panel gets into it.\xa0\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore stuffed animals (including but not limited to: Squishmallows, Jelly Cats, and \u201clovies\u201d), the difference between a blanket and blankie, and the joys of embracing one\u2019s inner child, inspired by Valerie Trapp\u2019s essay for The Atlantic, \u201cWelcome to Kidulthood.\u201d\xa0\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\nOutro music: "200 Dont's" by Conditional\nEndorsements:\nNadira: (1) The Wiz revival on Broadway.\xa0\n(2) Costco!\xa0\n(3) Willow Smith\u2019s new song, \u201cb i g f e e l i n g s\u201d off of her upcoming album, empathogen.\xa0\nJulia: G. T. Karber\u2019s book of puzzles, Murdle: 100 Simple to Impossible Mysteries to Solve Using Logic, Skill, and the Power of Deduction. \u201cIt\u2019s a cross between an LSAT logic puzzle and a murder mystery.\u201d\xa0\nStephen: Becca Rothfeld\u2019s debut essay collection, All Things Are Too Small: Essays in Praise of Excess. (Becca will be on the show next week to discuss! For extra credit, grab a copy of her book and come prepared.)\nPodcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\xa0\nHosts\nNadira Goffe, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices