54 min listen
Why the "Need for Chaos" Is Eating American Politics
Why the "Need for Chaos" Is Eating American Politics
ratings:
Length:
36 minutes
Released:
Mar 1, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Today’s episode is about one of the most interesting pieces of research I’ve read in the past year. It's an idea called "need for chaos," and the truth is that I literally cannot stop thinking about it as I follow American culture, politics, and media. Very briefly, it is the observation that many Americans today embrace conspiracy theories and nihilistic burn-it-all-down messages, not because they are partisans of the left or right, but rather because they've become hopelessly cynical (sometimes for very good reason!) about all elite and all major institutions of power. Today’s guest is the Danish political scientist Michael Bang Petersen, who coauthored the paper that introduced this idea.
If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.
Host: Derek Thompson
Guest: Michael Bang Petersen
Producer: Devon Baroldi
Links:
https://politicalsciencenow.com/the-need-for-chaos-and-motivations-to-share-hostile-political-rumors/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/need-for-chaos-political-science-concept/677536/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.
Host: Derek Thompson
Guest: Michael Bang Petersen
Producer: Devon Baroldi
Links:
https://politicalsciencenow.com/the-need-for-chaos-and-motivations-to-share-hostile-political-rumors/
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/need-for-chaos-political-science-concept/677536/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Released:
Mar 1, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
The Bad Guys Are Winning by Plain English with Derek Thompson