I appeared as a guest again on After Dark with Rob and Andrew. Both have been guests on This Sustainable Life and I’ve appeared on their show before. They invited me this time after my post, Why do so many people lecture me on what it’s like to be a straight white male?.

You’ll hear Rob does most of the talking, about a war on men. I spoke less and when I did, haltingly. I feel strongly about many sex and gender-related issues, especially ones where men suffer, but I’ve become afraid of talking about it because I rarely receive support or understanding. Generally the opposite. Still, I think I made some important points.

I suspect more of my blog readers and podcast listeners are more politically left than Rob and Andrew. Unlike the mainstream American trend these days to restrict speaking to people we agree with, I value speaking with people I disagree with. You’ll hear us see similar issues differently and speak differently, but agree on other points and learn from each other.

I learned to seek out with difference views from podcast guest Jonathan Haidt. His research and my personal experience have shown me that people who don’t talk outside their bubbles restrict themselves all over in life.

First, a different podcast for context

Before listening to Rob, Andrew, and me, I recommend this other podcast with two other people, neither of whom I know, but that spoke about male suicide and culture around it. One is a researcher in the field who is doing a massive study. She passionately and eloquently described how her world changed when she opened herself to seeing how society mistreated men without its members recognizing doing so. Those members are most of us.

I suggest listening to it first to hear a thoughtful approach to listening, honoring, and empathizing with men in ways our society teaches us not to. Rob and I mostly talked opinion, so I think it helps to hear that our experience, however personal, is backed up by research, not just anecdote.

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Now, our podcast

Now, here’s me, Rob, and Andrew:

Episode notes

A brief glimpse at Josh Spodek’s world, one would conclude him to be a successful Ph.D., MBA Ivy League-educated, tall, blonde, blue-eyed white male, who is a bit of a fitness buff and concerned about the environment. He’s quite possibly the quintessential eligible bachelor, and for some would make an ideal husband or boyfriend. Interestingly as it might be, his impressive background, which many would covet, no longer seems to carry the same weight it use to in society. Unfortunately, his whiteness and gender, are viewed by a woke society today as being toxic and privileged. He, on the other hand, doesn’t view himself that way.

Spodek returns to “After Dark” to discuss an article he recently authored “Why do so many people lecture me on what it’s like to be a straight white male…?” Listening to him talk about his life story is anything but a privileged life. As he explains to the hosts, like so many others he’s had challenges in his life and had to work hard for what he has achieved. He says the life individuals ascribe to him is “invariably unlike” the life he has lived and is living. 

Website: joshuaspodek.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spodek

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