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This week on The Deep Dive: The limits of finding a middle ground, a gripping explanation behind why humans don’t have tails, Juul’s fall was just in time for China’s rise and now everyone vapes, a look back at the disappointing ending of How I Met Your Mother, and Girl Defined’s deconstruction arc is so shocking I think I might make a literal u-turn.

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CULTURE

how liberalism exploits the Culture Wars by Alice Cappelle (18:20)

If you’ve ever found yourself watching a Jubilee video on YouTube and feeling good about the supposed middle ground two groups on either side of the spectrum of a specific issue were able to reach, you’re not alone. But what do we lose when we prioritize empathy above all else, the same way contemporary liberalism seems to love capitalizing on it? In this video, Alice Cappelle makes the case against debate-style conversations with people who disagree on human rights-related issues, especially if one side of the debate happens to hold genuinely harmful opinions. What is deference politics? Why should we be expected to hold all anger (and extremism) equally? And when we show empathy, who are we most likely to extend it to?

Out of my own curiosity – if you’ve ever successfully changed someone’s problematic views about an issue through dialogue, conversation, or debate, feel free to hit reply and share your story with me. I’ve been struggling with this on a personal level recently and would love to hear your thoughts.

SCIENCE

Why did We Apes Lose Our Tails? by Gutsick Gibbon (33:43)

No but actually, why don’t humans have tails? And I don’t mean tailbones – you and I both know that doesn’t count. In this video, Gutsick Gibbon’s passion for evolutionary biology shines through with this explanation of not only why, but how we lost our tails. Did I get nervous when this video started busting out academic journals I knew I wouldn’t be able to follow? You bet. Did I get lost a few times? Sure. Did I learn something new about primate evolution? 1000%. Did I have more fun watching this video than I ever did in AP Bio? Absolutely. I’ve also never been more proud to be a gentle, modern (and strong) ape. 🥹

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