Best Young Scot Podcasts (2024)

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193. Empire of Numbers: The Indian Origin of Arabic Numerals 46:01

13h ago46:01

46:01

Often called Arabic numerals, the modern number system we use today actually originates in India. Whilst in the west they were using Roman numerals, in India they were using numbers 1-9. Then, the great Brahmagupta in the 7th century made one of the most monumental developments in human history. He invented zero in its modern form. Therefore, these…

1
Episode 13: Exit Wounds_Unpacking the Hidden Costs of Leaving Cults 1:05:15

4h ago1:05:15

1:05:15

Summary The conversation explores the concept of exit costs in cults, focusing on the United Pentecostal Church International and the Children of God. It discusses the high entrance costs, such as strict dress codes and behavioral expectations, and the financial costs of giving to the church. The conversation also delves into the psychological and …

1
192. Native American Chiefs, the Founding of Canada, and the KKK: Scots in America 41:12

1d ago41:12

41:12

From India to Africa, the involvement and influence of Scots in the British Empire has been profound. In both arenas, they rose through the ranks as soldiers, merchants and bureaucrats, to carve out, govern and lead the empire overseas. But what of America? Here too the Scottish presence was enormous. From the Scottish diaspora in the Caribbean, wh…

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191. Slave, Slaver, Abolitionist: Three Scots in Africa 45:14

6d ago45:14

45:14

The extraordinary lives of three Scotsmen - John Henderson, Richard Oswald, and David Livingstone - encapsulate the polarities of the Scottish experience in Africa prior to the 20th century. Henderson, formerly a soldier for the Swedes and the Danes in Europe, was captured and enslaved by the Arabs of Zanzibar in the Mediterranean. Before long thou…

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Episode 12: Breaking Free: The Emotional, Financial, and Psychological Costs of Leaving a Cult 1:01:17

8d ago1:01:17

1:01:17

The conversation explores the concept of exit costs in cults, focusing on the United Pentecostal Church International and the Children of God. It discusses the high entrance costs, such as strict dress codes and behavioral expectations, and the financial costs of giving to the church. The conversation also delves into the psychological and emotiona…

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190. Rags to Riches: The Scots in India 53:07

8d ago53:07

53:07

In the wake of Culloden, much of Scotland was on its knees. Crippled by defeat and the subsequent backlash of the British government, along with famine and poverty, they were in dire need of new horizons. The nascent British Empire would provide it. The Scottish Highlanders had developed a fearsome reputation during their struggles against the Engl…

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189. Culloden: Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Last Stand 1:02:56

13d ago1:02:56

1:02:56

Few battles in history have been remembered as powerfully, nor been as mythologised, as Culloden on the 16th of April 1746. Under the leadership of Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie, ‘the Young Pretender’ - the Jacobites fight to the death upon Culloden Moor to place their own king on the British throne. Outgunned, outnumbered, the kilt…

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Episode 11: Free Will or Control? Film Director on Cults, 'Holy Water,' and the Battle for Authenticity 44:51

15d ago44:51

44:51

Summary Lucas Moctezuma discusses his upcoming film 'Holy Water' which is inspired by cults and explores the concept of free will within a cult setting. The film is set in a jury room where the jury deliberates the guilt of a religious cult leader who incited a mass suicide. The jury debates whether the cult members had free will or if they were co…

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188. Bonnie Prince Charlie: The Young Pretender 53:44

15d ago53:44

53:44

In 1688 the Stuart King James II was ousted from the throne by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, in what is called the Glorious Revolution. This momentous change would set in motion decades of unrest across the British Isles, as the supporters of James Stuart; his son the ‘Old Pretender’ James, and his flamboyant grandson, ‘Bonni…

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187. The Birth of Britain 55:12

22d ago55:12

55:12

With the accession of James I and VI in 1603, Scotland was assimilated into the composite monarchy of the United Kingdom. James, an eccentric, insecure and rambling figure, preoccupied with witches, was himself an alien in his new English court. Even at this stage though, it seems unlikely that the two nations would be legally combined under one pa…

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Episode 10: Nobody Wants to Work Hard Anymore (Exploitation of Labor) 1:01:31

23d ago1:01:31

1:01:31

Summary The conversation explores the exploitation of labor in cults and its impact on individuals. It delves into the reasons why labor is at the center of cults, including the pursuit of power, financial gain, and the whitewashing of cult activities. The discussion also highlights the role of labor in high control religious groups and the manipul…

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186. Scotland: A Nation in Crisis 55:25

24d ago55:25

55:25

When charting the rise of Scotland’s global influence, few events have been as tragically remarkable as the Darien Scheme of 1698, which saw woefully unprepared Scottish pioneers attempt to settle and colonise the Isthmus of Panama. Scotland during this period was a country bound to England under one crown, originally that of James I and VI, though…

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185. The God Kings of Angkor Wat 55:20

29d ago55:20

55:20

In the 9th century AD, two years after the Holy Roman Empire was established in Western Christendom, another world-shaking empire was rising in the east, more powerful even than that of Charlemagne and far wealthier. Born in what is today Northern Cambodia but long before the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, the mighty Khmer empire dominated most of mai…

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Episode 9: We Are the Best, Down with All the Rest (Us versus Them Mentality 1:08:55

1M ago1:08:55

1:08:55

Summary In this conversation, Daniella and Scot discuss various topics including Daniella's recent trip to Portugal, the us versus them mentality, and the experience of visiting a nude beach. They explore the influence of group norms and how they shape our behavior and perceptions. They also touch on the binary thinking prevalent in American cultur…

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184. The Buddhist Merlin 35:17

1M ago35:17

35:17

While in the West the legends of King Arthur were being born, a Buddhist tantric magician of immense magical powers - Vajrabodhi - was enshrining himself as the Merlin of first India, and then China. Undeniably one of the most extraordinary characters of the 8th century, Vajrabodhi would play a crucial role in transporting Buddhism to the Chinese c…

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183. The Poet Kings: Taking Hinduism to Southeast Asia 50:35

1M ago50:35

50:35

India’s transformation of the ancient world is indisputable, and tangible evidence of this can be found in the magnificent Hindu and Buddhist temples scattered across the landscapes of South East Asia. But what was the process by which India transported its vast empire of art, culture, architecture, technology, religion and even writing to South Ea…

1
Episode 8: Cult Speak and Clichés; Unpacking the Language of Control 1:02:11

1M ago1:02:11

1:02:11

Summary In this conversation, Daniella and Scot discuss the use of specialized language or vernacular in cults and high control groups. They explore how cults develop their own language to create a sense of belonging and isolation from the outside world. They also discuss the impact of language on communication and the difficulty of finding communi…

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182. The Lady Macbeth of China 53:16

1M ago53:16

53:16

Having garnered absolute power through bloody means, Empress Wu Zetian begins seeing apparitions, haunted by her violent schemes. With her husband incapacitated, the Empress at first held counsel on his behalf from behind a curtain. But she soon officially proclaimed herself a divine ruler. Working alongside a prominent Buddhist monk, she built tem…

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After the Garden Festival, with Lex Lamb, Gordon Barr and Kenny Brophy 1:13:01

1M ago1:13:01

1:13:01

The 1988 Garden Festival changed how the world saw Glasgow, and how it saw itself. It lives on only in people’s memories as the buildings, objects and artworks from this temporary event are gone forever – or are they? Urban Prehistorian Kenny Brophy, Project Leader Lex Lamb, and Holder of the Official Garden Festival Umbrella Gordon Barr for a conv…

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181. The Dragon Empress: China’s Game of Thrones 36:14

1M ago36:14

36:14

The inculcation of Buddhism from India as the state religion in China was enabled by the violent rise of China’s only ever woman Emperor. Raised by pious Buddhist parents, Wu Zetian left a trail of bodies in her wake as she charted a path to absolute power. From a lowly ranked concubine in the imperial harem to the corridors of power, she used Budd…

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180. Gold & God: Connecting India & Ancient Rome 43:09

2M ago43:09

43:09

It was actually India, not China, that was the greatest trading partner of the Roman Empire. During this era, it’s clear that sea travel was the fastest, most economical and safest way to move people and goods in the pre-modern world, costing about a fifth of the price of equivalent land transport. The Golden Road of early east–west commerce, in ot…

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Brutal Glasgow, with Rachel Loughran and Natalie Tweedie 1:19:28

2M ago1:19:28

1:19:28

This week we explore Glasgow's love-hate relationship with brutalism and discuss our upcoming Brutal Glasgow exhibition with digital curator Rachel Loughran and Glasgow based illustrator Nebo Peklo (Natalie Tweedie), who’s work will be displayed in the interactive, multimedia exhibition. The idea for the exhibition arose from Rachel's admiration of…

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179. The Golden Road: Rise of the Indosphere 43:58

2M ago43:58

43:58

For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific. Listen as Anita and…

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178. The Vietnam War: Nixon, Vietnamisation, and the Fall of Saigon 57:13

2M ago57:13

57:13

With Richard Nixon now in the White House and not wanting to have his presidency consumed by Vietnam like his predecessor’s was, he begins to search for ways to disentangle America from the war. It begins with Vietnamisation and an attempt to reduce South Vietnamese reliance on the Americans, but soon he goes to China and starts making moves on the…

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177. The Vietnam War: Lyndon Johnson, Americanisation, and Operation Rolling Thunder 58:57

2M ago58:57

58:57

With the death of JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson took over the Presidency and immediately had to wrestle with America’s relationship with Vietnam after the killing of Diem. Right from the start he prophesised that it would be his downfall and so it was. He consistently resented it and the distraction it was from his domestic agenda, the Great Society. Over…

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Restoring the Relationship With the Land, with Luna Amanita from The Wash House Garden 50:00

2M ago50:00

50:00

In this episode, Fay meets Luna Amanita, co-director of the Wash House Garden - a groundbreaking community enterprise rejuvenating the land behind the historic Parkhead Wash House. The garden, once a local focal point, continues to prioritise community, seamlessly weaving together the well-being of both people and the environment, cultivating endur…

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Episode 6: Take One for the Team (Self-Sacrifice of Members 1:09:01

2M ago1:09:01

1:09:01

In this episode of *Cults and the Culting of America*, hosts Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek Young delve into the complex dynamics of self-sacrifice within cults and high-control groups. Drawing from their personal experiences and extensive research, they explore how cults exploit their members’ labor under the guise of a transcendent mission, enf…

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176. The Vietnam War: The Rise of Ho Chi Minh 1:04:10

2M ago1:04:10

1:04:10

Vietnam, or Indochina as it was known, had been under French colonial rule since the nineteenth century. This was until the Vietnamese nationalist group, the Viet Minh, took on the French in 1946. Ho Chi Minh, son of a Confucian scholar, former chef in Boston, and lover of French literature, was at their head. The fighting came to an end in 1954 wi…

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175. The CIA vs Fidel Castro 56:06

2M ago56:06

56:06

Following the fall of Batista, the Cuban revolution took a more radical turn. Castro was not a communist to begin with, but as those around him became increasingly Marxist, the CIA’s desire to regain control of the island grew. With the failure of JFK’s Bay of Pigs invasion, events escalated into the Cuban Missile Crisis as the USSR brought nuclear…

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A Place for Stories with Bash Khan 1:01:52

2M ago1:01:52

1:01:52

Filmmaker and visual artist, Bash Khan has been working across Glasgow for over 15 years. Growing up in the city he developed a love for the buildings surrounding him, but more importantly he developed a love for the people and communities that used these spaces. In this episode, Bash talks to Niall and Fay about how he came to be interested in pho…

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Episode 5: The Transcendent Mission 1:01:39

2M ago1:01:39

1:01:39

### Summary of Cults and the Culting of America Podcast - Episode on Transcendent Mission In this episode of "Cults and the Culting of America," hosts Scot Loyd and Daniella Mestyanek Young delve into the concept of the transcendent mission within cults and high-control groups. They discuss how cult leaders use vague, life-and-death missions to man…

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