Do you watch reality shows? No really. You can admit it. We won't tell. We want to let you in on a secret. We actually watch some. In fact, we watch a bunch of them. And like... we're smart! in fact, being smart is sort of the entire point of this show. And yet, we watch some of the admittedly most mindnumpingly dumbest TV shows possible. Regularly! On this episode Mav and Monica are joined by returning guest, psychologist Stephanie Siler to talk about reality shows and why anyone likes them anyway. Or at least why we do. We examine the manipulative nature of reality TV production, the psychology of why we might enjoy watching it even if we think it's bad, and the role of exhibitionism and voyeurism in...
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e331. Understanding the Syllabus: Learning Frameworks and Inclusive Practices
We’re quickly running out of summer and as we do the new school year is even more quickly approaching. That means, for those of us who teach classes… or who take classes, we’re starting to get busy with preparations, hoping to get them all done before the last minute. If you’re a professor, like Mav,…
Call For Comments: On Bouncing Off the Fourth Wall
From Mav: A couple weeks back, my friend Mikey Wood made a Facebook post about writing a superhero story and that in said story he had characters use the colloquial phrase “dynamic duo” NOT to refer to Batman and Robin. He then questioned whether that reference made sense in that world. Because would the phrase…
e330. The Immortal Legacy: Aging Actors and Endless Franchises
If you’re a fan of geek media, you likely noticed two important things from Marvel Studios last week. One was the long-awaited release of Deadpool & Wolverine. The second was the San Diego Comicon surprise that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to take on the role of Dr. Doom.…
e329. Biographies, Blockbusters, And Biden! What a Week!
It’s been a hell of a week. Ok, let’s face it… it’s been a hell of a summer. This is a pop culture show and so we try to stay current on what’s happening, but the world has been moving so fast that we have been trouble keeping up, so on this week’s show, Mav…
e328. What’s the Deal with Presidential Assassinations?
It’s been a weird week of American politics. And we can’t really keep up. Yeah, we know something big happened this week (the whole shakeup of the democratic nomination) but we recorded this episode last week after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. It oddly feels like old news now. But the thing is, we’re…
e327. Decoding Literary Criticism: From BookTok to Shakespeare
Recently an 18year old college student who calls herself alisha not alihsha posted a vlog where she argues in favor of what she calls “being a hater” in her video essay “Booktok, brainrot, and why it’s okay to be a hater” Somehow she went viral and became the topic of conversation for a bit on…
e325. So You Have To Write a Prospectus? Now What Is It, Exactly? (and can an ointment clear it up?)
One of the best parts about being an academic is that you “get summers off.” One of the worst parts of being an academic is “your off days are just a time to do more homework.” That’s where Monica is, as she is currently knee deep in trying to write her PhD prospectus. But that…
e324. Unpacking Bridgerton Season 3: Penelope, Queerness, and Fandom Reactions
It’s that time again… we’ve had another year of Bridgerton and of course we had to analyze it. Think about it, it’s a show about British regency society. In some ways this might be the most cultured and sophisticated thing we ever do. Also, there’s a lot of sex. On this week’s episode of VoxPopcast,…