Hello, I'm Virginia Heffernin and welcome to this is Critical, the Cultural Criticism Show

where we live to surprise and we don't worship idols of any kind.

Each week we're going to look into all the things we think we know.

Ideas big, small, serious, unserious that we don't even think to question anymore because

they just seem like such a given. Beliefs like Bruce Springsteen is a god and the Hallmark

channel is a joke and catfishing is a sin.

Now what about polyamory? Is it liberating or does it just re-inscribe some of the same

gendered power dynamics from those old hippie free loved days?

And why are three ways always to win? Never mind. We'll get to that with a former Congresswoman.

Join me on this quest to look at our cultural creeds with relentless curiosity.

I have only two rules. Nothing is off limits and that includes cussing.

Though of course I don't want anyone canceled here so we're staying mindful and gentle

personally and nothing is dumbed down. Expect a French intellectual or two,

some insufferable Latin phrases. I love that stuff and some very insider reviews of Tiktok or

ketamine.

All right, so let's get into our very first episode. This week we're giving Trash Talk another

look by someone who doesn't and he's good at it. It seems to me our culture freaks out about Trash Talk.

I mean look at the NFL right now. The football field is a lush Trash Talk garden.

All right come back again. Come back again. You're so weak. You're a waste of my time.

Hey 75 I need some more of that. Come on. You don't think that's a good bliss?

You don't think that's a good bliss, Orlando?

But this season it's more like a Trash Talk garden that's been overweated.

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