Seemingly Unrelated Podcast

Why does every major communication breakthrough attract ghost stories? In our annual Spooktacular episode, we connect dots between: The transatlantic telegraph engineer who tried to contact spirits through his cables (1860s) The Polaroid cult in Flushing, Queens worshipping instant ghost photos Project December and AI "thanabots" resurrecting the pandemic's dead With guests Michael Johnstone (Walky Talkie Brewing) and sports journalist Janet Eagleson, host Dr. Andrew Johnstone argues that hauntings aren't superstition — they're what happens when technology makes death feel immediate. 🎧 Full episode: patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated 🍎 Premium Apple Podcasts subscribers get instant access #SpookySeason #DeathAndTechnology #Thanabots #VictorianSpiritualism #ArtificialIntelligence #GriefTech #Podcast #SeeminglyUnrelated

What if your favourite team mascot has roots in tragedy, racism, and a whole lot of anxiety? In this episode of Seemingly Unrelated, I'm joined by co-host Alicia Britt (www.aliciabrittpuppetry.co.uk) and returning guest Dr. Rianna Walcott (www.riannawalcott.com) as we pull back the curtain on the surprisingly murky history of sports mascots. We're talking expert analysis delivered with the irreverence and curiosity our listeners expect—and yes, there's plenty of laughter amidst the darkness. We trace the origins of collegiate athletics through the late 19th-century United States, unpacking how "Muscular Christianity" became a vehicle for management to channel student political protest energy into team sports. But here's where it gets complicated: we examine how anxieties around Black and Brown urbanization intersected with white supremacist ideology, and how "race suicide" fears shaped the very institutions that produce our beloved college teams today. 🎧 Want the full story? This is just a taste. Subscribe to our Patreon for the complete episode—including the stories you won't hear anywhere else about baseball's first mascots, the Michelin Man connection, and our infamous half-elephant/half-cactus debate. 👉 patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated Timecodes 00:00:45:19 - Introducing special co-hosts 00:01:40:01 - Mascots chat begins 00:03:37:11 - The term enters the English language via French opera 'La Mascotte' 00:05:00:00 - Official Mascot definition 00:05:26:23 - Muscular Christianity and taming college students 00:09:14:22 - Sports and 'race suicide' 00:14:46:05 - Why the West Indies National Cricket Team is so great 00:19:00:00 - Disabled Mascots and 'Philly Elmo' 00:22:53:07 - Outro 00:25:34:17 - AI Nuke #SportsMascots #HiddenHistory #SeeminglyUnrelated #PatreonExclusive #MuscularChristianity #CollegeAthletics #CulturalHistory #RaceSuicide #DrRiannaWalcott #AliciaBritt

A crossover with Dr. Chris Haswell on World Englishes, colonial legacies, and who owns the English language. 🔗 Find Lost in Citations at https://www.lostincitations.com/ What makes someone a "native" English speaker? According to Dr. Chris Haswell of Kyushu University and co-host of Lost in Citations, the answer is: nothing; the distinction doesn't hold up to scrutiny. In this crossover episode, Andrew sits down with Chris to unpack the field of World Englishes. They cover why a person from Rotherham and a person from New Orleans might be mutually unintelligible despite sharing a "first language," how Japan built an entire writing system just for foreign loanwords, and why the Thatcher-era codified a native/non-native dichotomy that linguists now reject as late-stage imperial thinking. Along the way: frog-giggin in Louisiana, the return diaspora of "anime" back into English, Scandinavian people who speak better English than the English, and why HTML5 might be a better metaphor for language evolution than any prescriptivist academy. This is a free preview of the conversation. The full episode including Chris's research on decolonializing English, language death, and YouTube as a living laboratory for World Englishes is available to Patreon supporters. 🎧 Subscribe to Seemingly Unrelated on your preferred podcast player 💸 Full episodes + 100+ hours of bonus content at patreon.com/seeminglyunrelated

In this season finale, Andrew, Alicia, and Naomi sit down to unpack everything Season 3 taught them—and where they stumbled along the way. From questioning whether school uniforms are sexist (spoiler: the Facebook comments section was wild) to admitting mistakes about Abrahamic faiths and gender assumptions, this is a rare podcast moment where the hosts reflect on their own blind spots. What did they actually learn about gender as a socially constructed concept? Why do binaries feel comfortable but fail us? And how does an Anglo-American lens limit even the most well-intentioned analysis of other cultures' gender norms? The conversation covers: The most surprising guest insights from across the season Where the hosts' own assumptions failed them (especially on religion) Reactions ranging from supportive listeners to angry Facebook commenters Why this season should be a jumping-off point, not a final word Hints at Season 4—and how listeners can help make it happen If you joined this season thinking you understood gender constructs, this episode challenges you to dig deeper. And if you're new to the show, consider this your invitation to listen with an open mind. Full interviews and bonus content available if you sign up here at Patreon.

In this groundbreaking sixth episode, we dismantle the rigid binaries that society tries to force onto human biology including the undeniable reality of intersex existence, proving once and for all that genitals are not determinants of sex or gender.