Rebecca McInroy

Gary Younge (Ep. 2)

In his interview with Gary Younge, editor at large for The Guardian, UT Austin Professor Ben Carrington begins with a reflection on Younge’s article following Stuart Hall’s passing entitled, “Stuart Hall: A Class Warrior and a Class Act.” Younge praises Hall for not being interested in sounding clever or performing academic stardom.

This is particularly notable because, according to Younge, it is common for academic stars in the current era to say things that are catchy, “like dangling baubles that make people sit up and think you’re clever.” On the contrary, Hall had a “soft and nurturing presence” and wanted to be useful rather than dominating.

This was evidenced in the way that Hall would “almost appear without a trace when he came into a room.” Younge first became aware of Stuart Hall when he was 7 or 8 through Hall’s position at the Open University, but then became more familiar with his work reading Marxism Today, especially “New Times.”

In addition to the relevance of his ideas, Younge reflects on how meaningful it was to see a black man as an intellectual who could say what he had to say but also keep his integrity intact. For Younge, it was significant that Hall did not appear embittered or insecure, that he “seemed happy in his skin” and that “he didn’t have to put someone else down in order to build himself up.”

Younge remembers his last communication with Hall, which was an exchange over Younge’s “Ethical World Cup.” Commenting on the loss of Hall, Younge states that while “there was never a time where we didn’t need him… arguably we need him now more than ever, though I guess that was always true.”

-Maggie Tate

Election Results 2016

No matter which party you voted for last Tuesday, this election has revealed a lot about the psychology of our country. There is a lot of anger, alienation, and fear on both sides and it will take hard work to recover and move forward.

We might not be ready to do so now, and that is okay. We are all feeling the effects of the aftermath, and it can be tough to get a sense of perspective; in either victory or defeat.

However, in this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, offer a few words of advice on how we can repair, forgive, and move on.

Spin: Anna Lappé (Ep. 20)

“There isn’t a single aspect of what we eat that is not touched by industry spin.” -Anna Lappé

There are so many logistical barriers to healthy, fresh, ethically produced and farmed foods — from food deserts to our busy daily schedules — that managing to eat well is a challenge. But there is another layer to the story of our food and that is “Spin.”

Companies spend billions of dollars on messaging to convince consumers that their products are good for us, even when they are packed with everything from high-fructose corn syrup to saturated fat and salt.

In this edition of The Secret Ingredient Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy talk with the award winning founder of the Small Planet Institute and The Small Planet Fund and author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It, Anna Lappé about the work she is doing to combat “Spin.”

Polarization

Have we evolved into a nation of extremes? In an election season like this one (as if we’ve ever seen anything like this) we may think that there is no middle ground, and there’s a reason for that.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about why we’ve become more polarized politically in the last 30 years.

Voting

We get it, voting requires effort and it’s a choice, but that doesn’t predispose it to being something people just don’t do, so why don’t more people go to the polls when it comes to voting?

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take on the psychology of voting.

Les Back (Ep. 1)

Situated on Goldsmiths, University of London campus, this conversation between Ben Carrington, Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin and Les Back, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmith’s, University of London, considers the contributions that Stuart Hall made to the field of cultural studies and the loss that has been felt since his passing.

The discussion between Carrington and Back touches on topics such as the complimentary relationship between Stuart Hall and Richard Hoggart, Hall’s role as an interpreter of British culture and Back’s experience in the making of “At Home and Not at Home: Stuart Hall in Conversation with Les Back.”

Back emphasizes Hall’s intellectual generosity, his practice of collaboration, and his ability to engage the big issues through both commonplace cultural practices and extraordinary political events. Ending in front of the New Cross Inn, the conversation turns to why Hall remains a relevant intellectual figure both for cultural studies and for the increasingly limited possibilities within academia to do critical work.

The interview draws to a close with Back’s thoughts on what he misses most about Stuart Hall, including his understated sense of humor.

-Maggie Tate

Sugar Op-Ed: James K. Galbraith

The story of sugar in the Western world is sordid and bitter, however this past gets quickly candy coated in our day-to-day lives as consumers. In this special op-ed from the eminent economist, writer and historian James K. Galbraith, we get a peak into the sickly underbelly of the sociopolitical and economic past of sugar.

Protecting Your Brain As You Age (Rebroadcast)

Whether we like it or not, time marches on. And as it does, we age.

One of the most challenging realities for everyone to face in life is that we are all, inevitably, destined to grow old (if we’re lucky, that is).

Aging correlates to a steady decline of functional abilities, both physical and mental. Memory and cognition peak in our early twenties, and we begin a very slow, steady decline of those functions as we near our senior years.

After age 80, many bodily functions – including brain function – seem to have reached the average limit of their operation. So what can we do to preserve our brains for as long as possible?
You know what they say: use it or lose it. The more you think now, the more you will be able to think later, as you age. Activities that are interactive and intellectually rewarding, like having good conversations with people, are not only enjoyable – they’re also good for your brain.

The next time you spend too long talking to someone, lost in a good conversation, there’s your excuse – you were exercising your brain. And by the same token, physical activity and fitness help preserve brain function. After all, your brain is a part of your body – so you have to take care of your body to take care of your brain.

So: think a lot, move a lot, and live a lot if you want to live longer. Drs. Art Markman and Bob Duke give you more of the details.

You’re only as old as you feel: Continued activity – both physical and mental – protects you as you age.

Popularity

We might consider ourselves pretty savvy. We choose the “best” toothpaste, bottled water, or television set. We go to the movies we “want” to see, and listen to the music we like because it’s “good”. What we might not take into consideration is how popularity fits into our value judgments about everything, from people and products to ideas and beliefs.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of popularity.

Brain Briefs Book Launch [Part Three]

It’s a three-part discussion with KUT’s 2 Guys on Your Head, celebrating one great book! Join KUT’s Rebecca McInroy in conversation with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke to talk about their new book Brain Briefs: Answers to the Most (and Least) Pressing Questions About Your Mind. We’ll talk about everything from how to overcome writers block, to why time seems to speed up as we age.

Link to Part One.

Link to Part Two.

Brain Briefs Book Launch [Part Two]

Link to Part One.

Link to Part Three.

Brain Briefs Book Launch [Part One]

Link to Part Two.

Link to Part Three.

School Food: Alexa Delwiche (Ep. 19)

“As the food movement has gotten stronger and stronger, and people have been asking many more questions, not just about, where is my food coming from? But, how is it produced? Who’s being harmed along the way? Food service directors have been asking those same questions.” -Alexa Delwiche

When you think about school food, certain repressed memories might bubble to the surface – boneless BBQ rib patties, mystery loaf, blocks of government cheese, or expired chocolate milk. But today’s food consumers are proving to be a little more savvy than those of us who fell for ketchup as a vegetable back in the day. Students and their parents are asking not only about the quality of the food they’re eating, but also about the choices food purchasers are making when it comes to how this food is produced.

In this edition of The Secret Ingredient, Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy speak with Alexa Delwiche about ethics when it comes to food purchasing and the school system. Delwiche is the executive director of the Center for Good Food Purchasing (CGFP). The work she and her team are doing in the Los Angeles public school system serves as a model for ethical food purchasing for the nation.

Value

We humans are interesting animals. We may take for granted the card we swipe at the grocery store when we buy food. We might look at our bank balance and not even think of how unique it is that we can translate those little numbers into experiences and things. It’s merely one of the benefits of having big brains.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of how our brains determine value.

Home

When we suffer the loss of a home, we may ask why the trauma is so deep. Why are we so devastated by the loss of “things”? A listener asked us this very question on Facebook after she lost her home in the Bastrop County fires of 2011.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology of home, and how losing a home affects many aspects of our being.

Fear and Motivation

When we are afraid we typically act! We run away, we shout, we lash out, we do. Fear is a great motivator, but as Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about in this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, there is a downside to acting out of fear alone.

Dissonance and Behavior

How does dissonance effect behavior? In this episode Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke use the example of climate change to explore how we deal with dissonance in our lives and beliefs.

TSI Live: Feeding Austin’s Hungry

In this special edition of Views & Brews, KUT’s Rebecca McInroy joins the hosts of The Secret Ingredient, Raj Patel and Tom Philpott, as they talk with guests Edwin Marty, the Food Policy Manager for the City of Austin, and Erin Lentz, from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, to ask: Why are people starving in one of the foodie capitals of the world? And what can be done about it? It’s a look at Feeding Austin’s Hungry.