Episode 502: Us & Them

It’s not left v right, it’s us v them. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:27 AI Lawsuit and the Return of “Technology Panics” 01:04 The “Werther Effect” and Historical Media Fears 04:47 Does AI Cause Harm or Reflect the User? 07:46 Should AI Come With Warnings? 12:05 Hungary Politics and Viktor Orbán’s Defeat 15:29 Foolishness of the Week: Conspiracy Theories and Flat Earthers 18:14 Artemis II and the Persistence of Irrational Beliefs 20:28 Partisanship, Audience Reactions, and Perceived Bias 24:10 Why Both Parties Drift Toward Authoritarianism 28:55 Are Democrats and Republicans Actually Different? 32:37 “Them vs Us”: The Political Illusion 36:24 The Feedback Loop of Polarization 40:35 Debate Culture, Civility, and Online Discourse 43:23 How to Argue Without Attacking People 47:38 Final Thoughts: Be Skeptical, Be Civil, Be Kind Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 502: Us & Them is an episode from Words & Numbers by CiVL.

This episode is 55:29 long.

This episode was published on Apr 15, 2026.

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