LOCKED: Vanessa's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
On the heels of multiple awkward interactions, Vanessa drags Adaam out for a walk and asks: is our podcast making things worse?
Hello lovely, magnanimous, shiny paid subscribers —
Vanessa, here. If you’re a long-time listener to Uncertain Things, you know that I’m newer to this world of “heterodoxy” than Adaam. Until I started the podcast, I was a liberal happily ensconced in my liberal bubble. And while I still consider myself a lefty with lefty values, I’ve now talked with enough conservatives and moderates that I have a new “spidey sense” for the liberal talking points/narratives that are performative, extreme, problematic, and even intolerant of others. And I’ve heard enough stories to be worried about saying the wrong thing in a liberal crowd.
We started this podcast in the pandemic — so, until now, I’ve only had to navigate these differences remotely, and largely at my own pace. With the return to physical interactions, I’ve having to navigate these in-person, complicated social dynamics for the first time. It’s not easy.
The other day, I asked Adaam to go on a walk with me (on a beautiful fall evening) to discuss a day chock-full of awkward interactions — and whether our podcast is making our world better or worse.