Explain It to Me
Is my dentist scamming me? Why do political campaigns cost so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement?
Explain It To Me is the hotline for all your unanswered questions. Sometimes explanations are hard to find, misinformation is rampant, and those internet searches and AI asks can come up empty. Call 1-800-618-8545 with what’s on your mind, and host Jonquilyn Hill will be your friendly guide to the answers you're looking for — and maybe even the ones you don’t expect. New episodes every Wednesday starting September 18.
Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
1
Is it okay to go to the zoo?
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
31 min
2
Why do I say “like” so much?
In defense of the supremely useful and unfairly maligned word
41 min
3
Is my dentist scamming me?
There’s a reason why going to the dentist can feel so shady.
40 min
4
Introducing Explain It to Me
2 min
5
Our next chapter
There are some big changes coming to this feed, and we need your help with them!
2 min
6
How we Got Milk
And why the government wants you to drink it.
37 min
7
Those pesky delivery fees
Nobody is happy with delivery apps right now
36 min
8
Panic! At The Drugstore
The panic about the crime rate really is just a panic.
37 min
9
A new era of cannabis research
What rescheduling cannabis could mean for science.
34 min
10
Are baby bonds a good investment?
A unique policy program that could help close the racial wealth gap
35 min
11
Alexa, is Amazon a monopoly?
Antitrust is back, baby!
31 min
12
Is homelessness a crime?
The Supreme Court weighs in on the homelessness crisis.
29 min
13
Abortion and the erosion of privacy
Do Americans still have a right to privacy?
36 min
14
What is “fetal personhood”?
The legal definition tearing the anti-abortion movement apart.
32 min
15
A safety net’s poverty trap
What would you do if you could only save $2,000?
31 min
16
Let’s fix child care together
The real issue blocking universal child care? Politics.
40 min
17
Bringing back the SAT
Four years after a pandemic pause, some colleges and universities are again requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores.
23 min
18
The AI election
Will we be able to spot the deepfakes this election season?
38 min
19
The case for banning...millionaires?
Sean talks with political philosopher Ingrid Robeyns, whose new book Limitarianism makes the case for imposing limits on personal wealth.
51 min
20
How racism ages Black people
Racism and the long-term health effects of weathering
34 min
21
Skipping the broom
Why the marriage rate for Black women is falling
38 min
22
Eviction: the scarlet E
What we can learn about eviction from Black women and children
37 min
23
Let’s fix retirement together
An economist’s take on policy fanfiction
40 min
24
How to be a (realistic) climate optimist
A data scientist who’s cautiously optimistic about the climate
37 min
25
How celebrity fandom explains Trump
When “stanning” goes mainstream.
39 min