Denise Johnson returns to Reason Bound to discuss blending cultural identities centered on what it means to be Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, and so on. Denise talks with Ryan about connecting with roots, hertiage, and how one's own culture can interact with another. It's a good conversation between long time friends that sparked ideas about what it means to be identity X or Y.
Ryan welcomes a panel from Japan's Tozen union to discuss working conditions at a prominent English school (eikaiwa) in Japan. A slew of bad policy decisions from Gaba Corporation including forcing instructors (treated as independent contractors by the corporation) into a qualified invoice system, has led to union action and recent strikes. Another new horrific policy announcement would see teachers fined per lesson if they become unable to teach, which could even result in a negative paycheck. In addition to demanding an end to the qualified invoice system requirements, Gaba Instructors, who have not received a raise since 2008, are fighting for a modest raise of 200 yen per lesson ($1.33 U.S. as of the currency exchange rate on 11/06/23). Ryan and the panel discuss the importance of unions, past victories Tozen has achieved for workers, and how Gaba instructors as well as counselors can join the union and strengthen bargaining power in the fight for fair working conditions. Tozen union panel guests include the Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Executive President Musashi Sakazaki, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union General Secretary Mitch Brown, Tozen Union Gaba Workers Union Member Paul Bowen, and Tozen Union Deputy Finance Officer and Organizer Louis Carlet.
Returning from overseas ventures, Michael Hubbard returns to the U.S. and Reason Bound to discuss Cultural Appropriation with Ryan. Cultural Appropriation seems to have different meanings to different people. Where is the line between what is acceptable and not in social behaviors that cross cultures. Mike and Ryan on a reason-bound discussion on everything from food to clothing to Halloween costumes.
Award winning journalist Charles Thomson returns to Reason Bound to discuss reality as people seem to be navigating it. Fake news, false information, and outright lies are inundating the populace more than Charles and Ryan can ever recall. Where can truth be found? How should claims be evaluated? From British politicians lamenting "Oh, we've had enough of experts" to formerly respected journalists jumping on leaving reality-land railroad jobs, truth is now out of style in favor of confirmation bias.
Manny Militello joins Ryan for the third installment of the War and Peace series. Having both met in an international law class at Waseda University in Tokyo, Manny and Ryan have had quite some time to study the history and narratives of actions taken against Japan during the second World War. They discuss history leading up to the U.S.'s involvement in the war, the fire bombings of Tokyo, and the wanton acts of using nuclear weapons on a country that was willing to surrender. The Hague Conventions are discussed as the authority in determining the legality of the bombings, and an analysis of the court's findings in the case of Ryuichi Shimoda et al. v. The State further serves to expose the illegality of the atrocities.
The last year has put a spotlight on issues surrounding women's reproductive rights and whether or not it's appropriate for women to have control over their own bodies. Rachel Cannon joins Ryan to discuss various aspects of abortion from legislative history to positions influenced by belief in and devotion to religion. It's a sober conversation on a crucial health and family issue that, for the time being, is as unresolved as ever.
Denise Johnson joins Ryan to discuss religion and spirituality. Where may one stop and the other start, or are they both inextricably linked? One or both terms are nothing more than woo woo to some, while others find they function as descriptive labels for some kind of force/magic/supernatural sense that transcend the natural world. Denise and Ryan discuss establishment religions, what it means to be a cult, and a sense of something greater than oneself that many claim to experience regardless of individual culture, practice, or religious upbringing.
Longtime friend Abraham Holloman joins Ryan to discuss the often times polarizing subject of race swapping fictional characters. They discuss reasons why some find it difficult to be at peace with an established character in one version of a story, then have a race swap take place in a subsequent story, film, etc. Abraham and Ryan discuss the backlash over the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid, as well as other fictional characters and to what extent race being consistent in every story of that character should or shouldn't ultimately matter.
Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to Reason Bound to discuss state-sponsored executions, also known as "capital punishment" or "the death penalty". As many nations across the world move toward a greater level of civility, there are still countries where the state has the authority to demonstrate murder is wrong by murdering. Charles talks with Ryan about the inherent hypocrisy of the death penalty and discusses the cases of Nathaniel Woods, Troy Davis, and George Stinney Jr., among others. The lasting question will be: What does this add to our humanity?
Holly Wilt returns to Reason Bound to talk with Ryan about principles involving animal rights, suffering, and factory farming amongst others. In his teens Ryan went vegetarian before going vegan. In this episode he has an open and honest conversation with Holly, a former vegetarian, about the ethics of consuming animals. Also, the baby spider story is finally told in what was an epic moment in the saga of Holly and Ryan's friendship.
Cody Linklater returns to Reason Bound to have a calm, cool, and collected discussion with Ryan about their differing views on guns. When, if at all, should the 2nd Amendment be limited? Should the US look to other countries and adopt their gun control and safety policies? Other topics include encountering nazis and escalating violence, the importance of mental health, and the police.
Jarvis Simmons joins Ryan for a discussion on representation in film. Specifically, they take a look back at Marvel's "Black Panther" and why that was such a pivotal moment for pop culture. Other topics include different racial interpretations of established characters, new stories featuring characters not seen as the norm, and the debate of our time: Iron Man VS Batman.
Nick Hodge comes on Reason Bound to join Ryan in person. They throw down a few drinks while discussing flag burning, dating, and religion. It's a spirited conversation that looks at behavior, rules, and regulations about laws concerning the treatment of a country's national flag. Another topic as yet discussed on the podcast is how each feels about dating someone if they have fairly different religious beliefs than themselves. It's an Aussie invasion and one of the best!
Ryan's childhood friend, Aaron Adair, joins Reason Bound to talk about race relations in the United States and specifically his experiences being viewed as a black man. After the initial recording, events surrounding the death of George Floyd took place which prompted Ryan and Aaron to record an additional hour to add on. Other topics include riots, police encounters, privilege, and marginalized groups.
Holly Wilt returns to Reason Bound to discuss sex and love. Holly and Ryan discuss the throes of love and delve into that which is considered temporary compared with everlasting. A study about how people reignite the passion from earlier times in their relationships, love between friends, and passionate vs compassionate love are topics also discussed.
Ryan talks with Tej Singh about his time in South Korea and Japan. Tej shares thoughts on the differences in lifestyle, business, relationships, and the point many expats reach where they return to their country of origin. Some, however, seem to wander abroad forever...
Former combat medicine technician, Michael Hubbard, returns to discuss the recent pandemic. Regardless of how bad things become with coronavirus, it's crucial to be prepared for devastating events that have the potential to change people's way of life. Mike and Ryan discuss obvious and not so obvious items to have in the case of an emergency, the state of politics in the US, and people's social awareness as we head into whatever future awaits.
Not all press is good press and these days most of it isn't. Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to the Reason Bound podcast to speak with Ryan about media and politics. Topics include figures and movements led by those such as Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders, and how the concept of "Fake News" is interpreted and propagated. If you want to change media, this is the prime discussion to get the paper rolling.
Joe Schmitt and Ryan discuss societal issues centered on drinking in the U.S. compared with Japan.
Evading capture by Dr. Loomis, Holly Wilt returns to the Reason Bound podcast to talk with Ryan about several issues: A place they both worked, religion and a world created with evil, parents with special needs children and how some cope with supernatural reasoning, #blessed, and "locker room talk". On a lighter note, they also talk about Jamie Lee Curtis's return to Halloween, memories of H20 and Josh Hartnett, the difference between Jason X and Freddy v.s. Jason, and a discussion about everyone's favorite neighbor, Mr. Rogers. There's also a bonus story at the end between Ryan and Holly that dates back to over ten years ago and the obvious clues Ryan gave Holly for her to have her epiphany. To anyone who downloads/listens/subscribes, Holly and Ryan think you've made this day a special day by just your being you. There's no person in the whole world like you, and they like you just the way you are. ^_–
Before Reason Bound launched and just prior to the 2016 US elections, Sean Curran recorded what were intended to be the first episodes with Ryan but ultimately were shelved. In this show Sean finally joins Ryan to review movements such as "Bernie Or Bust" and people's mindsets surrounding the election and candidates. As they both remark, we've never seen an election like what went down in 2016, and Sean and Ryan who had seen things differently in 2016 are now able to look back and discuss topics such as reliable information, the feeling of getting caught up in movements, and Sean reveals to Ryan for the first time what he ultimately did with his vote. As a longtime Eugene resident, Sean also discusses events surrounding the LGBT+ community there and why (in part) it's been difficult for a cohesive community to form in a city that thinks of itself as very progressive.
Award winning British journalist, Charles Thomson, returns to the Reason Bound podcast to discuss music from the Heartbreak Hotel. Charles and Ryan talk about Elvis Presley and what he did or didn't contribute to music as well as accusations against the man and movement being racist. Ideas about Elvis from Stevie Wonder to Three 6 Mafia are discussed and provide context of "The King" from contemporaries, people who came after him, and those who knew him before he burst onto the music scene. But first, Charles starts off with some great stories of James Brown including speaking to him at a press conference and the "Godfather of Soul" playing with him during a live performance from the stage. Other topics include Prince and Under The Cherry Moon, The Wiz, Michael Jackson and his discography, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, and how artists will be remembered through history.
Michael Hubbard served as a combat medicine technician in the United States Army. In this episode he discusses his time in the Army including what basic training was like, his drill sergeant, low stress v.s. high stress platoons, how guys would solve their issues with each other, his time in India with the Indian soldiers, issues living in a compound with Iraqi soldiers, his recognition for improving security perimeters and the private dinner he had with higher-ups including now Sergeant Major of the Army, Daniel A. Dailey as a result. Mike and Ryan then discuss the controversial topic of women serving in combat roles in which Mike gives his view into what types of problems could arise, things he saw while serving, and in which situations he would be for or against it. Thanks to Mike, this is an often hilarious and insightful podcast between two friends of nearly 17 years.