Working In Childcare: The Heavy Cost of Raising Someone Else’s Kids
We speak with two experts about the growing early childcare gap in the U.S. and why bettering the sector starts with valuing these workers more.
Finding Employment After Incarceration
In the U.S., there are roughly 19 million people with felony convictions. For this population, finding stable work can be a tumultuous and draining process. Without a job, it can be all too easy to slide back into a past life and end up behind bars once again.
The Mounting Student Loan Crisis
Federal student loan debt has ballooned in recent years. In 2007, debt totaled $642 billion dollars. Fourteen years later, this number has risen to close to $1.7 trillion. More than 43 million Americans have student loan debt, with the average person owing around $39,000.
The Landscape of Food Insecurity as Food Prices Continue to Soar
In 2020, nearly 40 million Americans lived in food-insecure households. With food prices rising across the country, food insecurity is only set to worsen, disproportionately affecting minority populations. How can people help?
Are You Addicted To Your Phone?
The average American checks their phone about 90 times a day, according to a 2019 survey from tech research firm, Asurion. How often would you say you check? Every hour? Once every 20 minutes? Do you ever panic when your phone isn’t right next to you?
Culture Crash: The Beauty of TikTok
The social media platform, TikTok started in September 2016. There have been many critics over the years that have doubted the lasting popularity of the short-form, video-driven service. But, fast forward five years later and it’s still booming. What sets TikTok apart from the graveyard of dead platforms like Snapchat and Vine?
Culture Crash: The Tumultuous Legacy of Tiger Woods
HBO’s new documentary Tiger chronicles the roller coaster golf career and personal life of Tiger Woods. Is It overhyped or worth the watch?
The Unending Toll of Discrimination
Segregation not only divides cities but leads to divided people as well. It fuels biases against people who may look or act different than us, leading to generations of inequity and discrimination. Viewpoints speaks with social justice activist, Tonika Johnson about the many impacts segregation has had on the city of Chicago.
The World of Cults
When you think of a cult, what image pops into your head? Is it one of violence or extremism? Is it people in all white praying and worshipping a guru? We answer these questions and more this week on Viewpoints.
The End of Ice
Journalist and author Dahr Jamail exposes how climate change is affecting our ecosystems and natural landscape, including the melting and disappearance of massive ice glaciers. We discuss the long-term consequences of global warming and what we can do as a society to reverse the damage.
First Impressions & Their Pitfalls (2019)
We all get gut instincts when we walk into a room of strangers. Do we fit in here? Do these people seem friendly? Snap judgments are simply a part of how we function. But Princeton University psychology professor Alexander Todorov says that while these first impressions are natural, we should try to resist them.
Culture Crash: Sketch Comic Becomes Movies’ Hottest Horror Director
Jordan Peele used to be best known as a sketch comic, but his second film as a director, “Us,” is showing that the success of his first, “Get Out,” was no fluke.
Shame and Bullying
In the social media era, the techniques bullies use are getting more public and crueler. We look at bullying, the shame it can cause, and how it can stick with us for life.
Body Image and Weight Problems
Body image, food addiction, societal pressure, and obesity can be tricky problems to talk about. Author Kristan Higgins tries to do just that in her novel Good Luck With That. She talks about her experiences, her research, and how we can approach discussing these pressing, but difficult, issues.
The Sex Offender Reintegration Crisis
Sexual offenders have to live by a very particular set of rules. They can’t live near playgrounds, they’re on a registry for life. These rules exist to make everyone safer. But they also can limit a reformed criminal’s ability to reintegrate into everyday life and be productive members of society.
Serious Play: Using tactical performance as protest (2018)
We all love a good theater performance. But are theater and performance good strategies to affect social change? Our guest thinks so. He’s a performer, writer and educator who uses serious play and theater to help change people’s minds and change society for the better.
How Comedy Became King
Comedy is all around us: all over social media, in advertisements, even on church signs. Former Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings says that while it can be fun, it does come at a cost when jokes are made in arenas where they're inappropriate. We discuss the history and impact of jokes on our culture.
The Rise of Confrontational Politics (2018)
Politicians have always stirred up controversy, but no politician has ever done it as often, or as well as Donald Trump. We talk to two experts about the attraction to these politicians.
Using Tactical Performance as Protest (2016)
This week's guest, Larry Bogad is a performer, writer and educator who uses serious play and theater to help change people’s minds and change society for the better.
