E66. Meghan Daum Believes We Have Lost the Ability to Sustain Complex Arguments

Meghan Daum is the author of The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars, in which she examines her own cognitive dissonance as a liberal and a feminist, and her feeling of alienation in today's cultural climate. She and Bridget discuss how society has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, the gulf between Gen X and Millennials, coming of age in a culture where there's a conversational chokehold happening and what the effects might be, and the death of cultural gatekeepers. They dive into the minefield of being writers in the age of social media when a provocative piece can get you cancelled, reminisce about growing up reaping the benefits of the feminist movement that came before them, explore why learning to stick up yourself is such an important skill for a woman to have, and wonder what happened to the "life isn't fair" philosophy that they were raised with. It's a fascinating conversation between two women on the front lines of the culture war who still believe that nuance is something that should not be vilified. Full transcript available here: WiW66-MeghanDaum-Transcript