Dan and Michael Are Trivial (feat. Mike Dawson) | Trivia, Fandom, Fascism & the Meaning of Useless Knowledge

Dan and Michael welcome Jeopardy Tournament of Champions contestant Mike Dawson to explore trivia, fandom, history class suffering, tarot cards, fascist coups, and whether useless knowledge might secretly run society.

Season 3 of People Stuff is arriving soon — theoretically. Dan and Michael read off-season listener mail, confront accusations of academic indolence, hear from a trucker philosopher, and discover what happens when teenagers start demanding anarcho-syndicalist households. Anthropology advice returns…

Stress is biological, cultural, symbolic—and everywhere. Dan, Michael, and guest scientist Michelle Rensel tackle hunting anxiety, high-school panic patterns, the cult of self-discipline, and why everyone feels one layoff away from catastrophe. Smart, funny, and a little too real.

Dan and Michael sit down with author and sports historian John Florio to dig into the strange, brilliant, and often chaotic world where sports, culture, and business collide. From the myths we tell about athletes to the politics that shape games on and off the field, this episode cuts through the n…

This week, Dan and Michael accidentally dismantle the U.S. economy with the help of linguistic anthropologist Steve Black. We talk about why everyone thinks a new car should cost $30k (it shouldn’t), why letters of recommendation are medieval hazing rituals, and why quitting your job feels like a m…

“Why are the horses allowed to hit us?”