Tatter
Asks, "What would Fox & Friends do?"; tries to always do the opposite
About the show
Hosted by social psychologist Michael Sargent, this podcast has become a place for conversation about policy and politics, where Sargent talks with people who nerd out on the topics, bringing extensive knowledge, including knowledge of the limits of their knowledge. These nerds don't have the pocket protectors and social awkwardness of nerd stereotypes. They have wit, a love of fun, and most importantly, an understanding gained from the tattered pages of journals, books, and printouts of statistical analyses, or they've been tattered by experience. As host, Sargent isn't above asking dumb questions, because he knows we all learn from the answers.
If you're looking for overconfident, ill-informed (or misinformed) bloviation, this isn't the place for you. (But maybe Fox & Friends is.) If that's the opposite of what you want, then stick around.
Tatter on social media
Episodes
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Episode 51: Engaging Power (w/ Eitan Hersh)
April 15th, 2020 | 45 mins 10 secs
activism, political science, politics, slacktivism, social change
My conversation with Eitan Hersh, as we discuss "political hobbyism" (sometimes also called "slacktivism"), but also some stories of deeper political engagement.
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Episode 50: Wrong Tool for the Job (Brian Kalt, on the 25th Amendment)
March 20th, 2020 | 43 mins 38 secs
25th amendment, presidency, president, succession, trump
My conversation with Michigan State's Brian Kalt, as we discuss the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Section 4.
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Episode 49: "Fuck You" Money, And Then Some (Azari & Wood, on Campaign Finance)
March 9th, 2020 | 1 hr 59 secs
campaign finance, campaigns, elections, money, political parties
A discussion of campaign finance, and more, with Julia Azari and Abby Wood.
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Episode 48: The Episodic Man (Discussing Donald Trump w/ Dan McAdams)
February 10th, 2020 | 1 hr 3 mins
big five, narrative, personality, presidency, stories, trump
Discussing the personality and narrative of Donald Trump, with Northwestern University's Dan McAdams.
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Episode 47: Above and Beyond (Respectability Politics, w/ David Crockett)
January 27th, 2020 | 57 mins 41 secs
consumer behavior, marketing, race, respectability politics, stigma
A discussion of respectability politics--particularly within Black communities--with David Crockett of the University of South Carolina
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Episode 46: Measure for Measure (Wil Cunningham & Uli Schimmack Discuss the Implicit Association Test)
January 13th, 2020 | 1 hr 6 mins
iat, implicit association test, implicit bias, race, racial bias
Psychologists Wil Cunningham and Ulrich Schimmack discuss what we know about implicit bias and the Implicit Association Test, and what claims and practices are appropriate in light of that knowledge.
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Episode 45: Correctional Training (w/ J. Pfaff & M. Rocque)
August 22nd, 2019 | 59 mins 7 secs
criminal justice, jeffrey epstein, mass shootings, mental illness, prisons
A conversation with law professor John Pfaff and sociologist and criminologist Mike Rocque, about the theories surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, prison conditions, mental health and mass shootings, one prominent presidential candidate, and more.
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Episode 44: Interim Ad Infinitum (On The Use and Abuse of Presidential Appointment Power)
August 6th, 2019 | 30 mins 8 secs
acting heads, cabinet, congress, president, trump, vacancies
Under current law, U.S. presidents often have great latitude in filling senior-level vacancies, but abusing that freedom can create problems, as I discuss with UT-Austin law professor Stephen I. Vladeck.
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Episode 43: Trash Talk (w/ Jeffrey M. Berry)
June 24th, 2019 | 30 mins 8 secs
incivility, media, outrage, politics, rhetoric
My conversation with political scientist Jeffrey Berry, co-author of the book The Outrage Industry.
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Episode 42: Grace Under Pressure (An Abortion Provider In The South)
May 21st, 2019 | 45 mins 52 secs
abortion, arkansas, reproductive health, roe v. wade
My conversation with a clinic director at an Arkansas abortion provider, and also my friend.
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Episode 41: Judgment Call (The Impeachment Episode)
May 16th, 2019 | 52 mins 52 secs
impeachment, political science, presidency, trump
A conversation about Trump and impeachment, with political scientists Julia Azari and Seth Masket.
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Episode 40: Up That Hill (Women in Congress)
May 6th, 2019 | 58 mins 3 secs
congress, intersectionality, politics, women, women of color
My conversation with political scientists Nadia Brown and Barbara Palmer, discussing women in legislatures, including women of color.
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Episode 39: Pocket Protection (Compensating College Athletes)
April 24th, 2019 | 54 mins 29 secs
basketball, college, compensation, football, pay to play, sports
I talk with Eastern Michigan University professor Rick Karcher about the law (and economics) of paying college athletes.
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Episode 38: Just Theory (w/ John Jost & Jim Sidanius)
March 28th, 2019 | 53 mins 58 secs
empiricism, justice, social justice, social psychology
A conversation with social psychologists John Jost and Jim Sidanius, in which we discuss the relevance of social psychology to the pursuit of social justice.
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Episode 37: Level Up (Advancing Foreign Policy Through Feminism)
March 11th, 2019 | 57 mins 12 secs
feminism, foreign policy, girls, sweden, women
My conversation with Jamille Bigio, Alexandra Bro, and Rachel Vogelstein, all of the Council on Foreign Relations, as we discuss feminist foreign policy.
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Episode 36: Vet the Technique (w/ Jonathan Haidt & Aaron Hanlon)
March 4th, 2019 | 57 mins 22 secs
academia, free speech, heterodox, trigger warnings, viewpoint diversity
In a conversation with Jonathan Haidt (NYU's Stern School of Business) and Aaron Hanlon (Colby College), we discuss the ultimate purposes of colleges, universities, and academic disciplines, as well as the ways that viewpoint diversity, trigger warnings, and free speech each help or hinder the achievement of those purposes.