Picks of the week
The Enchancment Affiliation
On first impressions, the most recent podcast from the makers of Serial appears to be like set to be a riveting, gradual burn story of US election fraud, in the identical means that their latest hit Good White Mother and father was a riveting, gradual burn story of continued segregation within the US colleges system. In Bladen County, North Carolina, absentee ballots result in the election of the primary black sheriff in 2010. However what, if something, did this must do with the congressional race in Bladen in 2018, voided on account of fraud? Zoe Chace investigates. Hannah J Davies
How’s Work? with Esther Perel
The brand new collection of this podcast hosted by {couples} therapist Esther Perel affords a peak in to an “unscripted one time counselling service” about work. Her first case is a health care provider whose spouse who works for the federal government, and each halves of the wedding are burnt out after a yr of Covid. As their tales unravel, there’s frustration, household strain and extra points that Perel expertly attracts out. She’s not the kind of therapist to sit down on the fence, unleashing her evaluation all through, so by far essentially the most fascinating bit is her recommendation for the “two individuals who have reached the restrict”. Hannah Verdier

Chosen by Charlie Phillips
Conspirituality is a well timed podcast that investigates the place the “wellness” business and different seemingly-progressive teams cross over with conspiracy theories about shadowy powers. Consider individuals just like the QAnon Shaman, however extra insidious, charismatic, and profit-driven.
It’s hosted by three affable hosts who all have expertise within the yoga/new age/spirituality worlds, and famous early within the pandemic that the isolation caused by Covid-19 might remodel eccentric different well being practitioners and followers in to extra harmful threats to international public well being. Throughout practically 50 lengthy, discursive episodes, they replace listeners on the most recent outbursts of ‘catastrophe spirituality’ – an ideal time period – and interview visitors who’ve both been a part of, or are consultants on, on-line cult-like communities the place a need to stay extra naturally has change into a type of paranoia.
Every episode is dense with info but additionally accessible to the newcomer to this unusual world. You quickly come to recognise a revolving forged of a small variety of topics, a few of whom have been not too long ago labeled the “disinformation dozen”, and who’re accountable for a considerable amount of all on-line Covid conspiracy theories.
A selected spotlight was their post-Capitol episode which featured a few of these they’d been warning about. However the true usefulness of this podcast isn’t understanding who would possibly storm authorities buildings, however slightly why your hippy uncle is spreading misinformation on Fb – and the place he received it from.
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