Colin Woodard posits that America is not really a country, it's a dozen or so distinct nations with their own cultures and ideologies which are constantly battling for supremacy. His new book "Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America." In it he argues that

argues that deep-seated cultural divisions, stemming from different colonial settlement patterns, are the root cause of modern American political polarization, inequality, and threats to democracy. The book uses historical and data-driven analysis to show how these regional cultures clash on issues like gun control, immigration, and abortion, and proposes a renewal based on the unifying ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

"America is Eleven Different Countries"

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/america-is-eleven-different-countries/id1439837349?i=1000646222225

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Rudyard William Lynch is the host of WhatifAlHist, a popular history channel on YouTube.

He joins to discuss how the origins and circumstances of America's regions permanently imprinted on its cultures and political outlooks.

Colin Woodard's Map: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-nations-of-the-united-states-2015-7

Rudyard's Map: https://preview.redd.it/cultural-map-of-america-done-by-whatifalthist-on-youtube-v0-7clddg9nunpa1.jpg?auto=webp&s=663b38b9434bdf7791fac983f0d5e5beb643b779

Relevant Book: American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, by Colin Woodard

What did people in the Dark Ages think about economics? Why did poverty exist, and how do you alleviate it? To find out, I took my time machine to 1282 and 1314, to speak to barflies and a priest.

Fr. Richard Kirby is a fourteenth century prior of Whitby Abbey and formerly the sacrist of St. Mungo's. He is a specialist in Just Price Theory, and joins the show to discuss how his fellows in the Dark Ages approach economics.

Clayborne Carson is the Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education institute, and hand-picked by Coretta King to publish the letters of his late husband. He's one of the foremost historians on MLK and his legacy. He joins to discuss King, color blindness, and the three approaches of the Civil Rights movement.

Or... how to host a party if you have Asperger's.

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and an author living in Austin, Texas. I met him roller skating. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. His YouTube and short videos have been seen by over 55 million people. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of "culturally significant parties."

Leading him to write the book, "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings." You can find that book, as all books discussed on this program, by going to mightyheaton.com/featured.

Nick Gray's PersonalWebsite.org and PersonalWebsites.net

Nick Gray's Patron View donor database

Nick Gray's Website and Blog

Patron View Patron Leaderboards

The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray

Friendship Recession

How did Venezuela become an economic basket case? Not socialism. Or capitalism. Venezuela is a textbook example of a petrostate in the thrall of the Paradox of Plenty, or "the Dutch Disease."

Bonus: Norway's Big Bucket of Oil Money

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/bonus-norways-big-bucket-of-oil-money

Why Trump Wants Greenland

https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/why-trump-wants-greenland

What Happens when the Ayotallah Falls

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-happens-when-the-ayatollah-falls/id1439837349?i=1000724729486

College students are increasingly registering as disabled–particularly at high-end universities, which often entails longer test times and extensions on papers. Does the growing rate of accommodation mean American universities are simply better at identifying disabilities; evidence of students and their families gaming the system for advantages; or a cultural shift wherein students increasingly believe they are disabled, but aren't?

Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy (a former university educator) and Michael Ira Kaplan (a parent) weigh in.

Our Annual Christmas Comedy Special. In which, our intrepid heroes must save Christmas from a debauched algorithm, navigate treacherous honeypots, and escape a federal penitentiary in this modern yuletide spy epic.

Happy Holidays!

Starring:

Andrew Heaton

Josh Jennings

Andrew Young

Austin Bragg

Justin Robert Young

Kourtni Beebe

Brian Brushwood

Anna Gorisch

Brett Weaver

Brian Sack

Jack Helmuth