Derek Thompson

go over to people's houses on Friday night in order to have wine and chicken and steak or whatever. So I do recognize there's a collective action problem here to solve. But I also think it's really important not to overcomplicate this by suggesting that it requires some enormous cultural shifts.

go over to people's houses on Friday night in order to have wine and chicken and steak or whatever. So I do recognize there's a collective action problem here to solve. But I also think it's really important not to overcomplicate this by suggesting that it requires some enormous cultural shifts.

go over to people's houses on Friday night in order to have wine and chicken and steak or whatever. So I do recognize there's a collective action problem here to solve. But I also think it's really important not to overcomplicate this by suggesting that it requires some enormous cultural shifts.

I think that our little decisions, the little minute-to-minute decisions that we make about spending time with other people, these decisions can scale. They create patterns of behavior. And patterns of behavior create cultural norms. And those cultural norms can scale as well, and they can create ages. And right now, I think we're in an age of anti-socializing. We're in an age of withdrawal.

I think that our little decisions, the little minute-to-minute decisions that we make about spending time with other people, these decisions can scale. They create patterns of behavior. And patterns of behavior create cultural norms. And those cultural norms can scale as well, and they can create ages. And right now, I think we're in an age of anti-socializing. We're in an age of withdrawal.

I think that our little decisions, the little minute-to-minute decisions that we make about spending time with other people, these decisions can scale. They create patterns of behavior. And patterns of behavior create cultural norms. And those cultural norms can scale as well, and they can create ages. And right now, I think we're in an age of anti-socializing. We're in an age of withdrawal.

We're in an age of, it's totally fine to be at a party and look down at your phone for 30 minutes. I think that a different kind of future is possible and that future rests on, is built on these tiny little decisions. Should I text a friend when I have a little bit of time or should I go on Facebook? Should I hang out with my friend or should I just text them?

We're in an age of, it's totally fine to be at a party and look down at your phone for 30 minutes. I think that a different kind of future is possible and that future rests on, is built on these tiny little decisions. Should I text a friend when I have a little bit of time or should I go on Facebook? Should I hang out with my friend or should I just text them?

We're in an age of, it's totally fine to be at a party and look down at your phone for 30 minutes. I think that a different kind of future is possible and that future rests on, is built on these tiny little decisions. Should I text a friend when I have a little bit of time or should I go on Facebook? Should I hang out with my friend or should I just text them?

Should I make some date for a bunch of people who are on a group text and live in the same town but never get together to actually see each other? And so we're constantly in a state of catching up but never in a state of hanging out. These are all things that everyone listening knows how to do. My wish is that a few actions here and there could actually trigger a behavioral cascade.

Should I make some date for a bunch of people who are on a group text and live in the same town but never get together to actually see each other? And so we're constantly in a state of catching up but never in a state of hanging out. These are all things that everyone listening knows how to do. My wish is that a few actions here and there could actually trigger a behavioral cascade.

Should I make some date for a bunch of people who are on a group text and live in the same town but never get together to actually see each other? And so we're constantly in a state of catching up but never in a state of hanging out. These are all things that everyone listening knows how to do. My wish is that a few actions here and there could actually trigger a behavioral cascade.

It was a real pleasure. Thank you.

It was a real pleasure. Thank you.

It was a real pleasure. Thank you.

Today, our second episode of Plain History kicks off with a fun, if impossible, question. Who was the most successful president in American history? I'd say we start with the obvious nominees here. George Washington defeated the British Army and then led the country born through his military accomplishment. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union and its slavery.

Today, our second episode of Plain History kicks off with a fun, if impossible, question. Who was the most successful president in American history? I'd say we start with the obvious nominees here. George Washington defeated the British Army and then led the country born through his military accomplishment. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union and its slavery.

Today, our second episode of Plain History kicks off with a fun, if impossible, question. Who was the most successful president in American history? I'd say we start with the obvious nominees here. George Washington defeated the British Army and then led the country born through his military accomplishment. Abraham Lincoln saved the Union and its slavery.

Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office when the U.S. was facing one of its worst economic crises ever. And more than a decade later, he'd remade the federal government and the U.S. economy with the U.S. bestriding the planet on the verge of total victory in World War II at the pinnacle of our geopolitical power. Those are three excellent, excellent choices.

Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office when the U.S. was facing one of its worst economic crises ever. And more than a decade later, he'd remade the federal government and the U.S. economy with the U.S. bestriding the planet on the verge of total victory in World War II at the pinnacle of our geopolitical power. Those are three excellent, excellent choices.