On Laughter and Thanksgiving

A lot of what I write here is pretty serious, like my trip to Ukraine or concerns about the bond market.

But a lot of what goes on around us is also absurd and fodder for laughter if you have the talent to describe it. I don’t, but today’s podcast guest, Remy Munasifi, does. You can hear the full episode here.

Remy is a one-of-a-kind, just the type I like to have on the show. He isn’t a comic who plays a lot of clubs. Instead, he has mastered YouTube, which many aspire to but most fail to do. Not only can he make talking about money funny (see his YouTube videos on Dodge Coin), but he also pokes fun at Arab culture, which I wouldn’t have imagined would be funny, but is.

Every culture has its foibles and the ability to laugh at ourselves is a sign of health. Remy grew up in the US. His father emigrated from Iraq and his mother from Lebanon. Arranged marriages, an obsession with certain brands (Saudis in Audis, with a cool 11 million views), and a room for guests “that we don’t ever use,” all show up in his comedy.

Remy gave me some advice, which I now remind myself of when I write these posts. Good creator content feels a) authentic and b) a little homemade. For my American listeners who will be, like me, on the road for Thanksgiving and with some hours to fill, below are highlights from the sixth season of the podcast.

On geopolitics, hear my conversation with a Ukraine drone operator literally on the front lines and an expert, MIT Prof. Yasheng Huang, on China under Xi. Both these conversations are fascinating.

On climate, which is also geopolitics, my conversation with the founder of Probable Futures and former Director of Investment Research at Wellington Spencer Glendon synthesizes a complicated topic. After our talk, I felt like I finally understood what was going on.

On our physical and emotional health, my conversation with Peter Attia co-author Bill Gifford was about how to live a long healthy life (hint: it’s good Thanksgiving only comes once a year). Johns Hopkins Professor and Persuasion founder Yasha Mounk explained why identity politics is leading us down a dead end.

Finally, a request. This show has been downloaded tens of thousands of times but less than 1% of listeners leave a review on Apple Podcast. Those reviews feed the algos that determine whether others see the show. So please provide a review. Thanks!