meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Invisibilia

The Power Of Categories

Invisibilia

NPR

Personal Journals, Society & Culture, Social Sciences, Science

4.522.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2015

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Power Of Categories examines how categories define us — how, if given a chance, humans will jump into one category or another. People need them, want them. The show looks at what categories provide for us, and you'll hear about a person caught between categories in a way that will surprise you. Plus, a trip to a retirement community designed to help seniors revisit a long-missed category.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From NPR News, this is Invisibiliya.

0:02.4

And today, we're going to start with a question that was recently asked

0:06.0

of the customers of the rise coffee shop in Midtown Manhattan.

0:10.2

Lulu, what's the question?

0:12.3

It's a very hard-hitting question.

0:13.9

It is. Do you like puppies or kittens?

0:19.4

Puppies are cute. Don't know everybody like puppies?

0:22.0

Kittens. I like kittens. I think they're cuter.

0:25.3

Oh, for sure puppies.

0:26.7

Puppies. The dog is always happy to see you.

0:29.7

It's just these waxed tails. Cats, man, they won't.

0:33.5

They come here. Come here, Joe. Come here.

0:36.3

Nothing.

0:37.1

Now, the reason these people are talking about this is because up at the register at this place called rise,

0:42.3

they always put out two tip jars, two big glass jars with little chalkboards in front.

0:47.6

And every day they write on the little chalkboards two different categories to choose from.

0:51.5

So one day it might be cassette tape versus vinyl.

0:54.8

Another day it might be Samsung versus Apple or kittens versus puppies.

1:03.8

Puppy's all the way.

1:04.9

I'm a kitten person. I am definitely a cat person.

1:07.6

Sure, puppies, I hate cats.

1:09.2

There's been one cat that's like more of a dog than a cat.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.