Are you really mad? What can you do about that?

Civics 101

NHPR

History, Government, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad about something. By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change. This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New York State Assembly, and Eric Schwartz, of the National Film Preservation Foundation. Here is Eric's piece on the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. Here is our episode on Who REALLY Writes Bills. Here is a video of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie complaining about the soap opera effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	And it's not going to succeed, but I'm talking to a policymaker tomorrow.
0:03.2	So you're calling on Congress to call on Congress.
0:06.6	I want to call on Congress.
0:06.7	Well, it's the time, it's the time.
0:10.1	You and Al Pacino.
0:11.0	Me and Al Pacino.
0:12.1	He's going to get up there.
0:13.5	It doesn't look anything like I thought.
0:16.4	I knew it was you freedom.
0:23.6	I want all of you to get up out of your chairs I want you to get up right now
0:25.4	and go to the window
0:26.7	you want the moon
0:27.6	just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around and pull it down
0:31.1	and like any good liberal I should question
0:33.7	everything right so I should question this instance, when did I last make a
0:40.2	stand? I don't care whether I'm alone or not. It's my right. But what do you want? I say
0:46.1	is guilty. You're listening to Civics 101. I'm Nick Kepadija. In today's episode,
0:53.7	I kind of have an existential crisis about my
0:57.0	job. I'm going to talk about what you can do when you get mad. Stick around. My name is
1:07.9	Sherlock Holmes. It's an unusual name. Introducing Young Sherlock, a new Guy Ritchie series.
1:13.6	What game I would play today?
1:15.6	Discover the origins.
	...

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