Escape From Plan A

Escape From Plan A

Escape From Plan A is an ongoing discussion of life and politics in America from the perspective of Asian people living here.

Episodes

Ep. 634: American vs Asian vs European Cities (ft. Scott)

October 13, 2025 • 65 mins

Back from a 5 month world tour, Twitter moot Scott (@alreadydawn, born in Taipei, raised in SoCal) talks with Teen about his world city rankings. What makes a city great (Osaka) versus loathsome (ahem LA)? And what exactly constitutes a city even?

See Scott's city rankings at: alreadydawn.substack.com

Part 1 of 2

For Part 2 and access to bonus pods: patreon.com/planamag

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Ep. 632: NYC-HK Express (ft. Steve)

October 2, 2025 • 60 mins

Steve joints Teen from Hong Kong to catch upon buying Chinese EVs, the surreal political landscape of the US, and using real cameras again.

Part 1 of 2

For access to bonus pods: patreon.com/planamag

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Ep. 630: Careerism after Harvard Business School (ft. @fredsoda)

September 20, 2025 • 66 mins

Fred (@fredsoda on X) joins Teen to talk about starting out his career after just graduating from the famed HBS, and what life and work looks like at the beginning of the high arc track. What do these people actually want? What are they willing to do to get it?

Part 1 of 2

For access to part 2: patreon.com/planamag

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Ep. 628: Book Discussion of "The Abolition of Man" (ft. Chong and Fred)

September 2, 2025 • 67 mins
Two humanities professors -- Fred (poli sci) and Chong (literature) -- join Teen to discuss C.S. Lewis's "The Abolition of Man", a short book from 1943 that has found renewed currency in America in the wokeness debate and 'trad' values. Pt. 1 of 2 For Part 2 and all bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 626: Taiwan Inc. vs America (ft. Angelica Oung)

August 27, 2025 • 65 mins
Angelica Oung (https://taipology.substack.com/) talks with Teen about recent changes in Taiwanese political consciousness and its attitudes towards China vs. America. Also, Angelica talks about going to fancy private schools, and the great Chinese real estate develeraging.] Part 1 of 2 For access to Part 2 and all bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 624: A Southeast Asian Centered World (ft. John Pang)

August 17, 2025 • 61 mins
John Pang joins Teen from Kuala Lumpur to catch up on world affairs, especially the growing importance of Southeast Asia and the way ASEAN is becoming the hub of a new world order. Part 1 of 2 For Part 2 and bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 621: Meet the Parents (ft. Kyle)

August 3, 2025 • 57 mins
Kyle returns to talk with Teen about getting ready to have the first child, and traveling to Korea to meet his birth parents and siblings for the very first time. Part 1 of 2 For access to bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 619: The Utter Hypocrisy of the West's Human Rights Project (ft. Q. Anthony Ali)

July 27, 2025 • 66 mins
Q joins Teen from Tianjin, China to catch up briefly about the first few months of living in China, the hypocrisy of the West's human rights rhetoric for China vs Israel -- including the recent genocide denialism of Bret Stephens -- and an extended talk in the bonus about the potential dangers for Jewish people in the West presented by Israel's atrocities. Part 1 of 2 For access to bonus pods: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 617: The Anti-Modernity of the Young and the Old (ft. Jess)

July 19, 2025 • 64 mins
Jess and Teen rail against modernity, a tendency it seems of the young and the old, but not of those stuck in the fat middle slog of life. The retreat of culture from physical real estate, the Hobbesian all-against-all ethic of the social media era, and how none of this is new, it's just getting worse. And an extended discussion in the bonus around pro-/anti-natalism against the backdrop of a society spiraling out. Part 1 of 2 Fo...
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Ep. 615:The Human Zoo (ft. Jess)

July 8, 2025 • 60 mins
Jess joins Teen to reflect on 8 years of friendship through working on Plan A, the endless treadmill of careerism, and how we all live in a Human Zoo. Made by and for humans. Part 1 of 2 For bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 613: Set the World on FIRE (ft. Jess)

June 28, 2025 • 60 mins
Jess and Teen talk about a long running theme on this podcast: the trap of professional managerial class careerism, the cognitive traps built into it, and potential ways to get out of playing the squid game. Part 1 of 2 Bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 611: Why This Is Not Iraq Redux

June 22, 2025 • 27 mins
Shorter pod today where Teen gives his thoughts on why we aren't facing Iraq War Redux, and why liberals are engaging in mass self-deception as a form of covert therapy rather than an assertion of their (completely discredited) world view. Bonus pod this week is a discussion with Carl Zha about initial impressions of the US bombing of Iran, as well as how life is going on 6 years after abandoning life in the United States. To acc...
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Ep. 609: What If We Just Fade Away? (ft. Steve)

June 14, 2025 • 62 mins
Steve joins Teen from HK to talk about soft retirement plans. What if instead of working your ass off like a chimp until you earn the brass ring (FAKE), we just hit a target number and fade into 'maintenance' mode? Part 1 of 2 For access to Part 2 and bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 606: Asia's Utopian Tech Futurism (ft. John Pang)

June 4, 2025 • 80 mins
John Pang joins Teen to discuss the contrast between America's dark vision of tech leading us into a dystopain near-future, while Asia dreams of a tech utopia. And theories on why China is building data centers in space. Part 1 of 2. To get access to bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 604: Taiwan's Rootless Cosmopolitans (ft. Angelica Oung)

May 18, 2025 • 61 mins
Angelica Oung joins Teen from Taipei to talk about perfect bilingualism, wayward Taiwanese politics, and Noah Smith's weaboo fixations. Pt. 1 of 2 Bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 602: Father-Mothers (ft. Shan)

May 10, 2025 • 61 mins
Shan and Teen talk about Evgenia Kovda's epic multi-day Twitter rant against stunted American adults who refuse to grow up, have children, and become 'tethered to life'. Do only parents experience the primal source of love? Can only parents be trusted to save the world? Why is the Pope an unmarried, childless bachelor? A married couple tackles these question. Pt. 1 of 2 For bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 600: So How Did Moving To China Go? (ft Q Anthony Ali)

May 5, 2025 • 64 mins
Q Anthony Ali joins Teen from Tianjin to talk about leaving Toronto, starting a new chapter in life in China, and the small things about adjusting to life in China. Pt 1 of 2 To access bonus pods: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 597: The Dog-Eat-Dog World (ft. CS Taniguchi)

April 24, 2025 • 61 mins
CS Taniguchi joins Teen to talk about trying to live your best life in an objectively bad era. Part 1 of 2 To get access to Part 2 and all bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag
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Ep. 595: The Asian American-ness of Jewish Movies (ft. Trevor Beaulieu)

April 15, 2025 • 67 mins
Trevor joins Jess and Teen to follow up on the discussion of Jewish American culture and its under-appreciated impact on American culture overall (see ep. 586). This time with a focus on the films 'Annie Hall' and 'Quiz Show' and how the Asian American experience echoes these earlier works, but in ways that don't often get expressed in Asian American culture. Pt 1 of 2 To get access to pt 2 and bonus episodes: patreon.com/planama...
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Ep. 593: L-Day Has Cometh (ft. Mike)

April 7, 2025 • 34 mins
Mike joins Teen to break down last week's "Liberation Day" against the whole world, the stock market meltdown, and what kind of sense can be made of what seems to be economic seppuku by the United States. What does any of this shit mean? Part 1 of 2 To access bonus pods: patreon.com/planamag
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