Reasonably Optimistic
Enough with the doom and gloom — we’re ready to talk about how America can thrive. Hosted by Washington Post Opinion columnist Megan McArdle, “Reasonably Optimistic” is your weekly conversation about how America can get unstuck and build a better future. Stop feeding your rage and start embracing our possibilities. Episodes drop Wednesdays.
Episodes
Political parties keep asking voters to overlook scandals, bad judgment and unstable behavior because the other side is worse. Senate candidates Graham Platner and Ken Paxton are only the latest examples. Host Megan McArdle argues that character still matters in politics — and that voters are not helpless victims of polarization.
Is empathy destroying the West? That's the provocative claim at the center of Gad Saad's new book, "Suicidal Empathy." Host Megan McArdle is joined by Saad, a professor at the University of Mississippi, to discuss the trade-offs societies make in the name of compassion and whether America has the capacity to absorb differences.
Subscribe to The Washington Post ...
Eating food cooked at home has traditionally been considered a cheaper option to ordering takeout. So why are so many in Gen Z choosing food away from home? Host Megan McArdle explores how convenience, changing expectations and the modern economy have transformed the way we eat.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here Read more
Are humans alone in the universe? The answer is more complicated than science fiction might suggest. Scientists have discovered billions upon billions of potentially habitable planets. But if life is possible elsewhere, why haven’t we found it?
Host Megan McArdle talks with astrophysicist Adam Frank, author of “The Little Book of Aliens.” They discuss the search for alien life, why intelligent civilizations may be ...
The average wedding now costs $36,000, and many couples feel like they are being taken for a ride. From weekend bottlenecks and customization to family dynamics and the pressure to get everything right, the answer is more complicated than simple price gouging. Host Megan McArdle explores why modern weddings have become so expensive.
Subscribe to The Washington Post
The average American household is now worth more than $1 million. Yet Gen Z is increasingly pessimistic about its economic future. Why does it feel like so many people are falling behind? Is homeownership out of reach? And how can young people build wealth in an economy that seems both richer and more uncertain than ever?
Megan McArdle talks with Ed Elson, co-host of Prof G Markets, about wealth inequality, housing affordabili...
Peptides are suddenly everywhere — touted by influencers, biohackers and longevity enthusiasts as the next breakthrough in wellness. But what exactly are they, and how much do we actually know about the risks?
Host Megan McArdle talks with physician and Washington Post columnist Dr. Leana Wen about the booming peptide economy, the rise of gray-market injections and why so many people are turning to online health communities in...
Trust in public health institutions has fractured since the covid-19 pandemic began, even as the threat of new outbreaks remains. Ebola is spreading in parts of Central Africa. Hantavirus has left some cruise ship passengers under quarantine. Neither is a repeat of covid-19 — and public health officials say the risk to most Americans remains low — but even distant outbreaks now provoke fear, skepticism and debate.
Host M...
Europe promises a life many Americans envy: longer vacations, universal health care, beautiful cities and a slower pace. But those benefits come with trade-offs.Host Megan McArdle looks past the usual America versus Europe arguments to explore what economic indicators reveal about quality of life.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here Read more
Boys and men are struggling across some of the most important measures: education, employment, family life and mental health. But too often, attempts to talk seriously about these problems get pulled into a culture-war fight. So, what’s actually happening, who is struggling and how we can help them without the conversation being framed as men versus women?
Host Megan McArdle is joined by Richard Reeves, author of "Of Boys and ...
Host Megan McArdle explores the rise of the celebrity candidate, from Ronald Reagan to Arnold Schwarzenegger to Trump himself. She explains how parasocial relationships shape modern elections, and why Trump’s success depended on a unique mix of media savviness, outsider status, timing and luck that may be impossible to replicate. And she argues that if America wants a more stable political future, it will need to return to a ...
Prediction markets are having a moment. But what are they actually good for? Economist Robin Hanson has been thinking about this for decades. Long before betting markets went mainstream, he argued they could do more than forecast the future — they could help us make better decisions.
Host Megan McArdle talks with Hanson about how prediction markets work, why they often beat other forms of forecasting and how today’s vers...
The hantavirus outbreak has reminded many about the mistakes of covid-19. In this episode, hosts Adam O'Neal, James Hohmann, Carine Hajjar and Kate Andrews discuss whether the confirmed cases on the Hondius cruise ship should cause concern — or if the media and public are overreacting.
Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York on a platform of taxing the rich, proposing new levies targeting billionaires. Host Megan McArdle argues we’ve seen this kind of rapid shift before.
In the 1970s, New York spiraled into crisis as rising spending, a shrinking tax base and economic change led to crime, population loss and near-bankruptcy. Those lessons still matter today, especially as remote work and mobile wealth ...
Social media is designed to keep us scrolling. But is it also keeping us angry? Rage bait is rewarded and amplified. It’s easy to react and even easier to get pulled in. Over time, this has changed how we interact with the world — and with each other. But is this just bad behavior, or something closer to addiction?
Read more
Scroll through enough retro photos or vintage ads, and it’s easy to convince yourself that life used to be simpler, even happier. But why does the past look better the farther away it gets?
Host Megan McArdle unpacks how nostalgia distorts our view of history — from the food people ate to the cost of everyday life — and why forgetting the hardships can shape how we think about the present.
From politicians to Silicon Valley, a growing chorus is sounding the alarm and calling for more babies. But the story behind America’s declining birth rate is more complicated than headlines and political talking points suggest. Is this just a temporary trend, or something deeper — and what does it mean for the kind of society we’re building?
...
From overdone plastic surgery to open-concept floor plans, we’re designing our lives to look good on camera instead of optimizing for what we need. Influencer culture — and our constant exposure to curated, edited and optimized images — has reshaped the way we see the world and ourselves. But chasing the perfect image can leave real life feeling strangely hollow.
Host Megan McArdle unpacks how we got here — a...
The Supreme Court is supposed to be above politics. But these days, it doesn’t feel that way. From high-stakes rulings to increasingly bitter confirmation hearings, the court has become one of the most divisive institutions in American government. So how did this happen?
Host Megan McArdle is joined by Supreme Court analyst Sarah Isgur to break down what the justices actually do, why the court's breakdown isn’t as simple...
Anxiety around artificial intelligence is reaching a fever pitch and sparking real-world consequences. Recent violent incidents tied to opposition against data centers highlight growing public backlash, while Anthropic’s new model, Mythos, raises alarms with its ability to uncover hidden software vulnerabilities across critical systems.
Host Megan McArdle is joined by Damir Marusic, an op-ed editor at Post Opinions, to discuss...
Popular Podcasts
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.