We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say) podcast

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1:15:36

In this episode, we welcome back David French, columnist for The New York Times , former constitutional attorney, and author of Divided We Fall . We discuss the current state of American democracy, the challenges of political division, and how we can engage in civil discourse despite deep ideological differences. David also shares a personal update on his family and reflects on the profound trials and growth that come with adversity. 📌 What We Discuss: ✔️ How David and his family navigated the challenges of a serious health crisis. ✔️ The rise of political polarization and the factors driving it. ✔️ Why distinguishing between “unwise, unethical, and unlawful” is crucial in analyzing political actions. ✔️ How consuming different perspectives (even opposing ones) helps in understanding political dynamics. ✔️ The role of Christian values in politics and how they are being redefined. ⏳ Episode Highlights 📍 [00:01:00] – David French’s background and his journey from litigation to journalism. 📍 [00:02:30] – Personal update: David shares his wife Nancy’s battle with cancer and their journey as a family. 📍 [00:06:00] – How to navigate personal trials while maintaining faith and resilience. 📍 [00:10:00] – The danger of political paranoia and the pitfalls of extreme polarization. 📍 [00:18:00] – The "friend-enemy" paradigm in American politics and its influence in Christian fundamentalism. 📍 [00:24:00] – Revisiting Divided We Fall : How America’s divisions have devolved since 2020. 📍 [00:40:00] – The categories and differences of unwise, unethical, and unlawful political actions. 📍 [00:55:00] – The balance between justice, kindness, and humility in political engagement. 📍 [01:00:00] – The After Party initiative: A Christian approach to politics focused on values rather than policy. 💬 Featured Quotes 🔹 "You don't know who you truly are until your values are tested." – David French 🔹 "If we focus on the relational, we can have better conversations even across deep differences." – Corey Nathan 🔹 "Justice, kindness, and humility—if you're missing one, you're doing it wrong." – David French 🔹 "The United States has a history of shifting without repenting. We just move on." – David French 📚 Resources Mentioned David French’s Writing: New York Times David’s Book: Divided We Fall The After Party Initiative – More Info Advisory Opinions Podcast (with Sarah Isgur & David French) – Listen Here 📣 Call to Action If you found this conversation insightful, please: ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion 🔗 Connect With Us on Social Media @coreysnathan: Bluesky LinkedIn Instagram Threads Facebook Substack David French: 🔗 Twitter | BlueSky | New York Times Our Sponsors Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com Prolux Autogroup: www.proluxautogroup.com or www.granadahillsairporttransportation.com Let’s keep talking politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️💡…

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say) explicit

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Arnie and his guests, Steve Waltien and Rush Howell, have three conversations in a row. Arnie asks if, using time-travel, you could stop 9/11 in one year. Steve asks if we use humor to distance ourselves from people. And Rush brings up a Magic Man scenario.

10 episodes

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say) explicit

updated 13 years ago

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10 episodes

#Comedy #Improv #Chicago #Talk #Arnie Niekamp #Conversations

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We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

1
WWA #16: Spencer is Terrible

13 years ago

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Spencer Ham, Evan Jacover and Ryan DiGiorgi guest. Evan asks a urinal stall etiquette question. Arnie wants to talk about being the butt of a joke. Ryan poses a Back to the Future III scenario. And Spencer hates wacky photo booths. Listen here and find out why Spencer is the worst.

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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WWA #15: Comedy Names Are Hard

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Nate Fernald and Adal Rifai guest. Nate argues that teenagers should not be allowed on the internet. Adal wants to talk about out-moded social mores. And Arnie mentions the name of every group in the Chicago Sketchfest to underline the impossible task of coming up with a good comedy group name. Listen here and participate in the internet.…

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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WWA #14: Waiting For Third Guest

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Kate Duffy and Rachael Mason guest. Rachael asks what’s wrong with America? Duffy wants to talk about 2012 and the end of the world. Arnie calls an audible and changes his topic to discussing if the third guest will show up in time and speculating about where she might be. Click here and listen while you wait.…

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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WWA #13: We Eat Candy Bars

13 years ago

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Mike Hall and Rush Howell guest. Arnie has everyone bring candy bars to eat and discuss. Mike asks for awkward dating stories. Rush asks an ethical dilemma question involving an expensive Civil War plate. Click here to listen and eat some candy bars with us.

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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WWA #12: 4 Years at Babbages

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Jeff Hansen and Matt Young guest. Jeff asks what TV show we’d want to live in for a month. Arnie wants to talk about Gay Dumbledore. Matt brings up a topic about eternal life and a van full of naked people Then Jeff tells the story of living a lie while working at Babbages. Click here to listen and get into the van!!…

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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WWA #11: Let’s Blow Hitler!

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Beth Melewski and Rich Sohn guest. Beth asks the classic question: pie or cake? Arnie wonders if dogs can really sense if we’re good people. Rich poses the question, if you could timetravel and stop Hitler with a bj, would you do it? Click here and listen if you dare!

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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We Wrongly Assume #10: Francis and Meredith

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Jeff Griggs and Jeannie Cahill guest. Jeannie asks what person from middle school you wanted to be. Jeff asks what movie you’d want to live in. Arnie asks what things make a place a home. Listen here for free!

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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We Wrongly Assume #9: Fat Vampires

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Bill Cochran, Megan O’Neill and Mike Johnson guest. Arnie asks what vampire rules are good/bad. Mike keeps the vampire talk going by asking about fat vampires. Bill asks what skill we’d want if we could NEVER use it to make money. Megan asks what year of our life we’d want to relive (without changing anything). Listen here and accept this cursed gift.…

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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We Wrongly Assume #8: What It Means To Be Real

13 years ago

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Blaine Swen, Joey Bland and Martin Wilson guest. Martin asks what’s so great about Facebook. Blaine asks two questions, one that is about Duck Tales. Arnie wants to talk about horrible job stories. Joey asks what sports moment from our childhoods had the most impact. Listen here to be real!

We Wrongly Assume (People Care What We Say)

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We Wrongly Assume #7: Poop Coins

13 years ago