KERA's Think

With all the TV commercials for treatments for hay fever to eczema it’s clear that many people suffer from allergies. Theresa MacPhail is a medical anthropologist and associate professor of science and technology studies who researches and writes about global health, biomedicine and disease. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why allergies are getting worse and what the world’s best allergy clinicians are doing to combat them. Her book is “Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.”

We are all scheduled to the gills, but actually setting aside time dedicated to nothing in particular is key to both maintaining relationships and your health. Sheila Liming teaches at Champlain College, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we need to ditch the calendars and find time to just sit with friends and strangers – and how that strategy is a potential solution to our epidemic of loneliness. Her book is “Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time.”

During the early years of the Cold War, the Washington press corps was quick to deliver the U.S. company line without much public skepticism. Kathryn J. McGarr is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why the media after WWII often presented a monolithic view of the world while keeping their readers and listeners in the dark about the truth. Her book is “City of Newsmen: Public Lies and Professional Secrets in Cold War Washington.”

Models of macho masculinity are everywhere —but for young, gay men, are they meant to be how-to manuals or merely thirst traps? Manuel Betancourt is a queer culture writer and film critic, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his upbringing in Colombia and how that shaped his views on being a man and his deconstruction of modern male toxicity. His book is “The Male Gazed: On Hunks, Heartthrobs, and What Pop Culture Taught Me About (Desiring) Men.”

Nature is full of imposters – from animals that impersonate other animals down to genes and even individual cells that get by through dishonest means. Lixing Sun is a distinguished research professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Central Washington University, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the role of deceit in the lives of plants and animals. His book is called “The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World.”

Gen Z-ers are more likely to identify as gender fluid, trans or nonbinary than older generations. The question is: Why? Jean M. Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the various theories as to why this generation seems more comfortable with an array of identities. Her book is “Generations: The Real Difference Between Gen Z, Millenials, Gen X, Boomers and the Silent Generation.”

We all go through dark periods – it’s an experience that connects us as humans. Mariana Alessandri is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about reorienting out mindsets so that we don’t feel bad about feeling bad and instead interpret our suffering as a sign that we’re sensitive and in touch to the world around us. Her book is “Night Vision: Seeing Ourselves through Dark Moods.”

Some of the simplest questions have the most complex answers. Among them: What makes a good life? Ryan McAnnally-Linz is associate director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, and he joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how we can assess our daily lives to discern if we’re making the most of the time we have – and about how we can right the ship if we’ve strayed off course. His book, written with Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun, is “Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most.”

Bullying, unfortunately, doesn’t end when we leave the playground. Megan Carle is founder of Carle Consulting LLC, where she gives workshops on handling workplace bullying. She joins host Krys Boyd to talk about why bullies act the way they do and how we can keep them from derailing our careers. Her book is “Walk Away to Win: A Playbook to Combat Workplace Bullying.”

Our daily lives are filled with ethical dilemmas – from what we eat to where we shop and how we move about the world. As the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values, Peter Singer thinks about these conundrums for a living. He joins host Krys Boyd to talk about how we can make choices that lead to what he calls “maximum good.” Singer is the author of numerous books, including “Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed” and “Ethics in the Real World: 90 Essays on Things That Matter.”

As the prices for luxury goods rise, so does the shadow industry happy to fill the demand for cheaper knockoffs. Amy X. Wang is assistant managing editor of The New York Times Magazine, and she joins host Krys Boyd to talk about the market for imitation purses, shoes and other hot items – and about how it’s increasingly tough to tell the difference between the fakes and the genuine article. Her story “Inside the Delirious Rise of ‘Superfake’ Handbags” appears in The New York Times Magazine.

The nation faces a default of its debts as soon as June 1. Robert Hockett is a professor of law at Cornell University, an adjunct professor of finance at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a senior counsel at Westwood Capital. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the repercussions of a debt default and the political and legal maneuvers available to avoid it. His New York Times Opinion piece is “This Is What Would Happen if Biden Ignores the Debt Ceiling and Calls McCarthy’s Bluff.”

There’s a reason a Slack notification can trigger anxiety — these days WFH means not a moment off. Fred Turner is Harry and Norman Chandler Professor of Communication at Stanford University and a 2022 Guggenheim fellow. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the established workday patterns that the pandemic upended – and how workers can wrestle back control of the clock from their employers. His article in the New York Times is “You Call This ‘Flexible Work’?”

A nail in your tire isn’t just a pain to repair but a potentially devastating financial hit when the bill comes due. Michael Grabell is a senior editor with ProPublica. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the rise in tire prices — 21.4 percent over the last two years — and how tires offer a window into stubborn inflation and supply-chain issues that continue to hamper the global economy. His article is “Overinflated: The Journey of a Humble Tire Reveals Why Prices Are Still So High.”

Defending the 2nd Amendment is one of the bedrocks of conservative politics – to the point that gun culture and conservative culture are nearly one and the same. Jennifer Carlson is associate professor of sociology and of government and public policy at the University of Arizona. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her in-depth interviews with gun sellers to better understand how they market a certain brand of American individualism – and we’ll hear about the rise in gun ownership among liberals. Her book is “Merchants of the Right: Gun Sellers and the Crisis of American Democracy.”

Like introversion, being highly sensitive offers extraordinary and under-appreciated traits. Jenn Granneman, author and founder of online communities Sensitive Refuge and Introvert, Dear, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the joys of sensitivity, from creativity to intelligence, and offers ways for the sensitive to navigate through a harsh world. Her book, written with co-author Andre Sólo, is “Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World.”

Women who choose not to have children are not abnormal. Peggy O’Donnell Heffington is an instructional professor of history at the University of Chicago, and she joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the many reasons women live childless – from infertility to lack of social support to a desire to live a different life than society prescribes. Her book is “Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother.”

For some people, using slang is, like, not the vibe. But for others, it’s hella easy to embrace in everyday life. Valerie Fridland is a professor of linguistics in the English department at the University of Nevada, Reno. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why she thinks we should embrace our changing language — slang, vocal fry, and all — and celebrate its ingenuity. Her book is “Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English.”

To be an elite athlete, you need to follow the latest science and training routines — which, unfortunately, are built for men. Journalist Christine Yu joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the gender gap in sports science and how the rise in women’s athletics is finally changing the game. Her book is “Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes.”

There’s an American myth that with enough self-determination we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps in hard times. Alissa Quart, executive director of the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why we’ve put so much effort into the ethos of DIY independence, and the need for a larger social safety net to address poverty. Her book is “Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream.”