Podcast
Reason Bound
Hosted by Ryan Michaels · ENGLISH
Recording from Tokyo, I have on guests to discuss social issues, politics, and what's happening in the world. It's not what people believe, but why they believe it that I find most interesting.
53episodes
Episodes
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#50: Japan Bound
Dec 3102:53:55Tap to summarizeRyan welcomes guests Andrew Echeverria and Jennifer Shumaker, two friends he first met while studying abroad in Japan. One of the most frequent topics Ryan gets questions about is his time overseas, which is why he's brought on Jennifer and Andrew to discuss their lives overseas as well. This episode provides lots of information from different perspectivies about what it's like to live in Japan, how these three have gotten work in the country, different paths they all took in order to live there, and everything in between. Episode 50 is Japan Bound!
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#49: Fanatical Thinking
Nov 1402:30:46Tap to summarizeAward winning Birtish journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to talk about the bane of their existence: unhinged fans. The term "celebrity worship" gets thrown around a lot, but it's very real and it causes very real cognitive issues. While there isn't an abundance of research on people who transition from fans to radical fanatics, Ryan and Charles discuss a study titled: "Cognitive Skills Revisited: Applying Cattell's Two-Factor Theory Of Intelligence In a Cross-Sectional Study". The results of the study demonstrate celebrity worship has a direct association with poor performance on cognitive tests that cannot be accounted for by demographic and socioeconomic factors. Charles and Ryan discuss fandom as a way to establish identity, the impact of fan behavior on the legacy of artists, and what types of toxic behavior fanatics engage in to ascend to positions of authority within particular fandoms. Of course, no episode with Charles would be complete without revisiting Michael Jackson and some of the extremes of his fanbase, including perhaps his most extreme fans of all: his detractors.
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#48: Canceling Culture
Oct 1601:49:47Tap to summarizeAstucious Aussie, Ben Holford, returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about various controversies and how public attitudes have shaped the surrounding narratives. They discuss the concept of over-shaming having a backlash effect and if the level of "cancelling" makes others to be more or less likely inclined to apologize when they recognize they've offended someone in some way. Offense itself can be difficult to navigate as they discuss where lines of respect are reasonably drawn. What is the utility of digging up transgressions of years gone by if the person who transgressed doesn't even hold their antiquated attitudes present day? People and controversies discussed include Prince Harry, Lizzo, and CM Punk. This interview is an in depth discussion on all things related to bounds of reason, lines drawn for acceptable behavior, and ultimately achieving social cohesion.
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#47: Practical, Personal Freedom
Sep 1700:50:30Tap to summarizeDenise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to join Ryan for a discussion on what shapes our identities in relation to our politics and/or voting habits. Denise discusses the balancing act some immigrants to the U.S. face in trying to retain cultural aspects from their home country while assimilating into their new society. Even finding a place amongst people from the same cultural background can be difficult, as Denise shares why her family bestowed her with the title "lioness" due to her fighting conventional ideas of how she should act. Finally, Denise discusses an important book for her that she calls "a mentality shift" authored by Don Miguel Ruiz titled: "The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom". Denise and Ryan go in depth on each of the four agreements: Be impeccable with your word, do not take anything personally, do not make assumptions, and always do your best. They also discuss the famous Trolley Dilemma and utilitarian v.s. deontological judgements.
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#46: Of Multiple Minds
Aug 1301:26:50Tap to summarizeAbraham Holloman returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about a documentary called "Crazy, Not Insane". The documentary features noted crime psychiatrist Dorothy Otnow Lewis examine aspects of the brain. Specifically, Dr. Lewis has spent years studying the psychology of murders with a focus on Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder). In keeping with Reason Bound's attempt to find the "why" behind what motivates people, it was a great film to better understand the psychology of those affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and why they sometimes commit horrendous acts. Abraham and Ryan likewise found the film insightful to what Abraham calls the levity, light, and brightness of Dr. Lewis as she leads the audience through case study after case study. Despite disturbing subject matter, the film leaves the viewer feeling they have a foundational understanding of some of the factors that lead to a person becoming, though perhaps not crazy, clinically insane.
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#45: Tradition Twist
Jul 1500:50:35Tap to summarizeMike Hubbard returns to Reason Bound to discuss how he views the relationship he has with his wife and the value it brings to their home. Mike prefers to be out making money and hustling on the side to provide financial support, while his wife prefers to stay at home and raise their children herself. Mike discusses his thoughts on the importance of both roles, the importance of both parties consenting and wanting the roles they have, and how in their case it has resulted in a happy, healthy, functioning home life. While acknowledging his partnership with his wife can't work for every couple, he does a great job of articulating why he and his wife have chosen their relationship, best described as tradition with a twist.
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#44: Trade Ideas
Apr 8, 202501:35:12Tap to summarizeA lontime friend Andy Connel joins Ryan on Reason Bound to discuss something we both with we had more of and less of: options. In a supermarket it can be overwhelming with 40 different flavors of Cheerios, but what about in life? One option many have been conditioned to not consider, is picking a skilled trade for a career. Andy discusses his own history that led him to a career in the trades as well as many things learned along the way. Using The Hechinger Report and others as a reference, they discuss the future of the U.S. economy, jobs, and ultimately why choosing a skilled trade for a career is coming into fashion.
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#43: Generational Mental Health
Mar 9, 202500:59:02Tap to summarizeDenise Johnson joins Ryan for this episode of Reason Bound to discuss generational mental health. When people are faced with trauma, getting professional help up to and including medication management can have an extremely positive effect on their lives. In spite of this, having mental health issues is still often stigmatized, with some going so far as to suggest depression, etc, doesn't exist or sum up mental health problems as: "white people issues". A guide for dealing with mental health needs from the American Psychological Association is discussed as well as home/school life and ethnic group differences in navigating mental health issues. The importance of breaking the cycle of generational dysfunction before bringing children into this world is heavily emphasized via a piece in Scientific American titled: "How Parents' Trauma Leaves Biological Traces in Children".
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#42: Drag Queen Controversy
Jan 5, 202501:38:06Tap to summarizeAn Aussie named Ben joins Ryan to discuss the big drag queen issues that have been in the news the last several years seemingly nonstop. On this (weirdly) very heated topic, sober and reason-bound commentary seem sparse. Ben and Ryan discuss what exactly "drag" is, what its components can be and what its components don't have to be. As they say: "context is king", and exploring context is a good way to avoid sounding like a frothing at the mouth lunatic when discussing this issue.
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#41: Balancing On Life's Penny Board
Nov 29, 202401:22:31Tap to summarizeTej Singh joins Ryan to discuss work life balance and reminisce on their time together in Japan during the global pandemic. Tej worked for years as a career coach and shares suggestions for a good cover letter and resume/cv format in the discussion of critical things to consider when deciding what line of work to enter into for a career. Balancing work and life is one of the healthiest things one can do and as the only one to work with Ryan in both corporate and creative work environments, Tej is the perfect person to discuss how to optimize a lifestyle that deals with both.
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