In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael sit down with author and journalist John Florio to explore the anthropology of America’s true belief system: sports. We dive into: • The explosion of prop bets and whether players should—or shouldn’t—rig their own stats • The slow creep of AI…
In a 200-person lecture hall, Dan watched half the football team cycle in and out of the bathroom during a blue-book exam. Turns out there was a toilet paper cheat scroll hidden in the handicapped stall — unrolled for answers, rolled back up like nothing happened. Michael is equal parts…
Thinking about quitting? Don’t. Just do what half of Silicon Valley allegedly does: get a second job. Maybe a third. They’ll never know—as long as you master the sacred art of laptop juggling. #PeopleStuff #Overemployment #WorkFromHome #TechLife #CareerTok
AI image fails have entered the scientific literature. Yes, really. Here’s why academic publishing is drowning in slop—and rats with unfeasibly large everything. 🎧 Listen to the full chaos at people-stuff.com #PeopleStuff #AnthropologyTok #AcademicHumor #AIArtFails #AIDoesWhat #PeerReviewProblems #ScienceTok #AICulture #AcademicLife #ScholarTok #MemeResearch #TechFail #AIWeirdness #InternetCulture #PodcastClips
“If you hire a sorority rush consultant… won’t the sorority just know?” Apparently not— not if you’ve hired the right consultant. We are through the looking glass, folks. More at: https://www.people-stuff.com/ #collegeconsultants #sororityrush2025 #greeklifetok #friendshipcoach #collegesatire #peoplepodcast #comedypodcast #anthropology #campusculture #classanxiety #parentsfundingchaos #lolhelp
Dan and Michael welcome anthropologist Steve Black to ruin the economy — emotionally, spiritually, and academically. We unpack the $30k car delusion, sorority-rush consultants, the medieval logic of letters of recommendation, and why academic publishing is drowning in AI-generated rat-penis slop. This is the economy as people actually feel it.…
Remember when the U.S. tax code wasn’t a hedge fund cosplayer in a suit? Back in the early ’60s — Kennedy hair, Cold War vibes — the top tax bracket was 92%, carried interest wasn’t a thing, and billionaires were basically a mythological species. Scott tries to explain this to…
This week, Dan and Michael bring on guest anthropologist Scott Freeman to talk about violence: historical, political, equestrian, parental, billionaire, and medieval sword-related. Chapters: 00:00 - Intro: Violence Week 04:11 - Utah Mom Names, Linguistic Chaos, & Tradwife Aesthetics 14:40 - Question 1: Horses, Violence, and The Right to Roam…
Silicon Valley has officially gone full Vatican. Michael and Dan discuss why “hard tech” still obeys the laws of physics — and why that’s a problem if your investors think God is personally backing their startup valuation. Featuring: • American exceptionalism in pitch decks • Defense-tech cosplay • Peter Thiel’s……
Startup founders now need two pitch decks: one for normal investors, and one for VCs who think the Earth is 5,000 years old and climate activists are in league with the devil. Dan and Michael explain why consultants are already telling founders to “lean into the fascist vibes” if they…
Your car isn’t just a car — it’s your second skin, your private fortress, your suburban god. This week, anthropologists Dan and Michael dive into the anthropology of parking rage, Uber guilt, and Elon Musk worship. From HOA vendettas to the myth of “efficiency,” from the Hyperloop to gift-giving aggression,…
AI might be impressive, but can it beat electricity? Michael argues that economist Robert Gordon was right — innovation has literally run into the limits of physics. From oil to internal combustion to air conditioning (yes, really), the big leaps happened between 1870 and 1970. Everything since? Mostly rearranging the…
Remember The Simpsons “Monorail” episode? Turns out it’s the perfect metaphor for modern innovation. In this clip, Dan and Michael trace the lineage from The Music Man to Elon Musk’s tunnels — and discover that sometimes the only person making sense is Marge. 🎧 From the full episode of People…
Are you a “blue brain,” a “Phoebe,” or just someone who didn’t ask to be color-coded? 🎨 This week, Dan and Michael go full anthropologist on the bizarre world of personality tests, IQ exams, and pop-psych nonsense. 🧠 What’s Inside: 00:00 — Peter Thiel, Greta Thunberg, and the End Times…
Remember Liver King — the guy who got famous eating raw meat on Instagram? 🍖 Turns out, he wasn’t just powered by liver… he was on steroids the whole time. Anthropologists Dan and Michael unpack what the Liver King reveals about masculinity, mythmaking, and why gym culture might be the…
If a public restroom costs $3 million to build… what if, instead, we just paid businesses to let people use theirs — and held a competition for the nicest bathroom in town? It’s public infrastructure meets reality TV. From People Stuff, where anthropologists Dan and Michael (and friends) explore the…
American pizza? Sorry, that’s not pizza — that’s a deep-dish casserole with identity issues. In this clip from People Stuff, anthropologists Dan and Michael debate the essence of pizza, authenticity, and why California pizza might just be late-stage capitalism in food form. Turns out, anthropology can explain your food fights.…
What happens when a pandemic sourdough hobby turns into full-blown suburban permaculture madness? In this clip from People Stuff, anthropologists Dan and Michael break down how a harmless “grow your own veggies” project spirals into prepper-level food ideology. Turns out, being “off the grid” might just be the new keeping-up-with-the-Joneses.…
Can you get jacked without eating raw meat like a 14th-century Viking who lost his fridge? Yes. Do some people think steroids + steak = enlightenment? Also yes. So we brought anthropology to the gym and asked: Why are grown men throwing raw meat at each other — and calling…
Are you what you eat — or are you just annoying about it? Anthropologists Dan and Michael ask genetic counselor Saanchi Shah why people turn food into identity, morality, and chaos. 🍖 Paleo diets & evolutionary nonsense 🥩 Raw-meat gym bros 🥕 When “growing your own food” becomes a personality…
Dan argues that superheroes replace democratic politics with “one magic dude who fixes everything with lasers.” Michael says they’re less Mussolini, more “Charles Bronson in spandex.” So… are capes secretly killing democracy, or are we just all one bat-signal away from giving up on voting? 🦸♂️🗳️ Drop your answer in…
Ever feel like you’re constantly in a fight — about health, politics, parenting, or whatever the “issue of the week” is? Dan and Michael break down the anthropology of why you can’t turn every disagreement into a battle and still expect to live a normal life. It’s not about giving…
What’s in a name? A lot more than you think. This week, Dan and Michael—anthropologists with a sense of humor—dig into the deep cultural and psychological meanings of naming things. From a doomed bar called “Stacy’s Mom,” to a gun club on the verge of becoming a militia, to a…
This week on People Stuff, anthropologists Dan and Michael dive into the modern work dilemma: college vs. trade school, blue collar vs. white collar, AI vs. human labor. They cover: ⚙️ Why college might not be the rite of passage it used to be 👷♂️ What’s really happening on factory…