Why is there so much anti-elite sentiment in the world today? Is it the fault of the elites themselves, or cultural trends they can't control? Joseph Holems and Nathan Clarkson talk to culture critic and author Aaron Renn on their latest episode.

Defining elites:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elite

https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-soc-071811-145542?

American trust in institutions at all-time low. https://news.gallup.com/poll/712436/confidence-institutions-remains-near-time-low.aspx

Global trust decreasing from fear to grievance: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer

Anti-elite sentiment worldwide: https://www.ipsos.com/en/populism-remains-strong

Christopher Nolan on democracies and greatness: https://singjupost.com/transcript-christopher-nolan-interview-with-podcaster-zhong-shu/

Low trust makes problems harder to solve: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/how-americans-see-problems-of-trust/

Tyranny of merit hypothesis: https://pitchforkeconomics.com/episode/the-tyranny-of-merit-with-michael-sandel/

Democratization of information hypothesis: https://www.discoursemagazine.com/p/revolt-of-the-public-10-years-on

Elite overproduction hypothesis: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-elite-overproduction-hypothesis-994

Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

Are we addicted to outrage? Why does everyone seem so angry? Is social media making us angrier or making us overperceive our anger? And if we are angrier, is that a good thing because we have so much to be angry about? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes discuss the theories and science behind outrage culture on the latest episode of The Overthinkers.

References and resources

Do most Americans think politics is worse today? https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/americans-feelings-about-politics-polarization-and-the-tone-of-political-discourse/

Does negativity drive news consumption? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01538-4

Does high emotion drive news consumption? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1509/jmr.10.0353

Does tribal signalling drive engagement? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8256037

Does moral grandstanding increase status? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/papa.12075

Does status seeking predict outrage? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6795490/

Do we overestimate how much outrage there is? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01582-0?

Does social media amplify outrage? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8363141/

Is outrage good?: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37000374/ Websites

The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

There's a movement to make America's towns and cities more walkable and less car-dependent. But is that actually what's best for the people who live there? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes discuss.

Walkable cities definition and case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wai4ub90stQ&t=832s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPbfdcvv0to&t=676s

https://archive.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/2/14/why-so-difficult-build-walkable-places

Critiques of the walkable cities movement

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/debunking-portland-city-doesnt-work

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/transit-urban-parasite Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

There often feels like there's a conflict between creative people and religious people, and even between creativity and religion itself. But does there have to be? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson talk to Anne Miranda and Scott Magie, filmmakers behind the documentary series "Creative Icons". Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes Creative Icons: https://www.creativeicons.tv/?pgid=kve8eguz-308c5bdf-f231-4a9f-9ec1-5980ab1ade3e

American culture is experiencing a decline in deep, lasting friendships. Why is this happening, and what can we do about it? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes discuss based on their own experiences and what the data says.

Friendship definition: https://www.apa.org/topics/friendship

Friendship decline: https://nypost.com/2025/02/24/opinion/friendship-in-america-is-in-freefall-and-its-killing-us/ Loneliness in America: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2025/01/16/men-women-and-social-connections/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

One of the toughest questions religious people face is the question of "Divine Hiddenness". Simply put: if God is real and loves us, why isn't he more obvious? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes give their own perspective as overthinking Christians.

References and resources: Divine hiddenness definition: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/divine-hiddenness/ Christian counterarguments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO4-cSNIUAg&t=295s Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

Has there been a vibe shift in American culture where we're tired of cynical stories and want more optimistic ones? Are we tired of deconstructing the culture and want to start repairing it? If so, why, and what do we do about it? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss with cultural theologian and author Paul Anleitner his new book: "Based on a True Story: Vibe Shifts, the End of Deconstruction, and the Reboot of Meaning" Websites Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes

Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes talk about their experiences of traveling and what they think its benefits are--and where it can go wrong. References and resources Travel and tourism are growing: https://wttc.org/news/global-travel-tourism-growth-to-outpace-wider-economy-by-1-5-times-over-the-next-decade

https://www.aei.org/commentary/passport-to-springfield/ American demographics of tourism: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/06/americans-who-have-traveled-internationally-stand-out-in-their-views-and-knowledge-of-foreign-affairs/

History of tourism: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479723019114?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Travel builds empathy:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-empathy/202210/pack-your-bags-and-travel-its-good-for-you

https://www.aei.org/commentary/passport-to-springfield/

https://qz.com/763433/want-your-children-to-grow-into-more-empathetic-adults-travel-with-them

Overtourism explained: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479723019114

Travel creates memories (particularly with others) and therefore more lasting happiness than possessions: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00472875211064631

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/buy-experiences-instead-of-possessions-to-build-social-connection

Instagramification of travel: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2025/05/10/tourism-in-the-age-of-tiktok-and-instagram-how-social-media-has-transformed-vacations_6741113_19.html

Wendell Berry on problems with travel: https://aleteia.org/2025/07/27/wendell-berry-and-what-it-means-to-love-a-place

Websites The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me Joseph Holmes: linktr.ee.com/josephholmes