The Antidote to Despair [First Half]

Life in Beige [First Half]

The first half of my conversation with health and wellness journalist Leigh Weingus about GLP-1’s—and what it means for Americans to empty themselves of desire in pursuit of a fix-all miracle drug. Also discussed: optimization culture, Francesca’s time as a fat girl, how our food system is set up to be addictive, drug use in the UC system, thriving in moderation (Leigh is the human GLP-1), a hard pitch for intuitive eating, the drug-addictification of America, “being fat was good for my personality,” the finite nature of will power, how dieting itself creates obesity, marriage is a business transaction where putting out is part of the contract, GLP-1’s as another numbing tool, Ozempic face, everything is a treatment for pre-death these days, and the perennial question: would you take a drug if it made your everything in your life perfect? Articles referenced: "Life in Beige" [https://www.thecut.com/article/glp-1-weight-loss-drugs-ozempic-sex-drive-side-effects.html] - NY Mag "How Weight-Loss Drugs Can Upend a Marriage" [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/magazine/weight-loss-side-effects-sex-ozempic.html] - NY Times "The Ozempic Economy Is Here: Are We Entering A Workplace Doping Era?" [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwingard/2026/03/19/the-ozempic-economy-is-here-are-we-entering-a-workplace-doping-era/] - Forbes (Fact check on 40% of GLP-1 weight loss is from lean muscle mass — there seems to be conflicting research, but see here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12322565/ [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12322565/] ) The first half of every episode of CBT is free wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to become a subscriber and hear the second half, please go to www.patreon.com/criticalbabetheory. Thank you for your support xo

New York Was Better Then [First Half]

Native New Yorker Alex Brook Lynn comes on the show to talk about the city in the 90’s—and what’s lost when only the rich can afford to live and work in NYC. We discuss the demise of rent controlled apartments, marking art when the stakes aren’t high, and how close to life Larry Clark’s Kids was (pretty close). Also discussed: middle class drug dealers, how the out-of-towners are the city’s own migratory bird population, “graft for the people,” we forget that Eric Adams was the Curtis Silwa candidate of 2020, when heroin addicts were good old-fashioned heroin addicts, the days when you could pee in Central Park, white kids using the n word, having a beeper, children buying hard drugs at bodegas, the moral stain of Riker’s Island, “the 90’s were cheap enough that you could be free,” and how a rent controlled apartment is it’s own kind of trust fund. The first half of every episode of CBT is free wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to become a subscriber and hear the second half, please go to www.patreon.com/criticalbabetheory. Thank you for your support xo Articles referenced:  Jerry Saltz’s photos of 90’s New York: https://www.vulture.com/article/jerry-saltz-new-york-art-world-1990s-slideshow.html [https://www.vulture.com/article/jerry-saltz-new-york-art-world-1990s-slideshow.html] RealPage NYC Landlord price fixing: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/technology/realpage-doj-settlement.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/technology/realpage-doj-settlement.html]

Right Wing Women [First Half]

My very fun and very discursive talk with Sam Adler-Bell, journalist and host of leftist podcast “Know Your Enemy.” We discuss his recent viral article “The Women Leaving the New Right” in New York Mag, liberalism’s lack of meaning, the (more) vile aspects of the New Right—and how the left drove women into their arms in the first place. Also discussed: “It’s China over here,” nebbish-maxxing, influencer-occupied government, social credit scores, serving two masters, the death drive of Israel, conflict between elites, Nick Fuentes keeping men small, Christopher Hitchens & cirrhosis, “you can die or become part of the petite bourgeoisie,” Francesca’s journey to the One True God, bone-deep hatred of women, inculcating virtue, and the greatest political sin: being annoying.  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/young-women-leaving-maga-new-right.html [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/young-women-leaving-maga-new-right.html] The first half of every episode of CBT is free wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to become a subscriber and hear the second half, please go to www.patreon.com/criticalbabetheory. Thank you for your support xo

American Berserk [First Half]

A surrealist interview with sign-based comedian and beloved internet denizen Alan Wagner (@truewagner) about the critically reviled Ari Aster film Eddington—and how it exposes the berserk heart of America.  Also discussed: the (unofficial) Eddington Preservation Society, a direct plea to Donald J Trump, basketweaving, Eddington as lighthearted romp, unwitting consumption of art, the final word: algorithms are bad, when Antifa comes to town, how social media negatively effects the way people on the left communicate (duh), Austin Butler just wants to play weirdos, and the three givens: death, taxes, and True Wagner. The first half of every episode of CBT is free wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to become a subscriber and hear the second half, please go to www.patreon.com/criticalbabetheory. Thank you for your support xo

The Antidote to Despair [First Half]

In commemoration of Earth Day, climate activist Matthew Menzies comes on the show to discuss his nonviolent protest and civil disobedience with the climate group Extinction Rebellion—and how we can avert climate crisis, build community, and envision a better life. Also discussed: how climate change is not your fault, whether podcasts steal your soul, permaculture, how oil=corn=flesh, chimpanzee civil war, the benevolent dictatorship of parenthood, Eric Adams going where it’s warm (Albania, apparently), the true antidote to apathy, the Fed crackdown on peaceful protest and free speech, being on the domestic enemies list (Francesca says: pretty fab), martyrdom as the pinnacle of spiritual achievement, the normative vs pejorative state, Trump as scammer from Queens, and the age old question: can we be fruitful and multiply without oppression? The first half of every episode of CBT is free wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd like to become a subscriber and hear the second half, please go to www.patreon.com/criticalbabetheory. Thank you for your support xo