I sit down (virtually) with writer and political theorist Charles Olney for a wide-ranging conversation that braids together parenthood, gender debates, pronatalism, internet incentives, democracy’s information plumbing, and the curious afterlife of “influencer” authority. From diapers to democracy, they map how online culture shapes private life—and how families push back.
Chapters
00:00 Intro & why Charles’ essays resonate
01:40 How parenting rewires identity (and happiness)
05:50 Involved fatherhood, trade-offs, and desired family size
10:25 Sweden’s family policy vs. small family norms
12:20 Eastern Europe’s rising living standards & falling fertility
13:36 Gender essentialism: what’s innate, what’s social
20:14 “Feminization” discourse, failure modes, and institutions
27:53 Nostalgia, decline narratives, and why “going back” fails
35:29 Algorithms, conspiracy funnels, and democratic strain
43:16 Politics as fandom; nationalizing local skirmishes
47:47 Parenting in the internet’s culture stream
49:48 The influencer’s legacy: curation, expertise, responsibility
58:00 Relationship advice online: help vs. harmful heuristics
1:03:20 Optimization culture meets messy human bonds
1:06:27 Recommendations: Beatles & Hannah Arendt
1:11:41 Wrap-up & where to find Charles’ work
