If you’re looking for insights on navigating tough holiday conversations, or you want to hear balanced breakdowns of America’s two-party system and ongoing culture war, you won’t want to miss these podcast episodes.

The AllSides team spends a lot of time curating content from across the internet. So why not make special recommendations for the best and most balanced work we see?

Whether you’re searching for a great new podcast to follow or just a quality listen for your commute, we’ve got you covered with these podcast suggestions.

 

Coming Together Across Divides: Holiday Season Special Episode 

 

Let’s Find Common Ground

Length: 24 Minutes

Topic: How to talk with those you love most and agree the least. 

Especially Recommended For: Those nervous about discussing politics over the holidays. 

Summary: Rarely are you surrounded by people who perfectly agree with you, and Christmas dinner is no exception. AllSides believes difference in opinions is a particularly good thing. But during the holiday season, these differences seem to only lead to one thing: spoiled family time.

In this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground, hosts Richard Davies and Ashley Milne-Tyte explore how one can maintain relationships with a family member who disagrees with you. For example, a mother and daughter who voted differently but connected over a family drive for communication. Or, friends on opposite sides of a debate who found the importance of in-person meetings and seeing the humanity in your peers. After listening to these stories, you will feel better equipped to handle even the most awkward familial moments and remember why you love in spite of dissimilarity. 
 


Here are a few other podcast episodes to check out this week.
 

Is The Two-Party System Broken in America? 

The Debate 

 

Length: 51 minutes 

Topic: What does the two party system lack, and what does it mean to be an independent? 

Especially Recommended For: Those who consider themselves independent and anyone frustrated with traditional political divides.

Summary: If politics didn’t have disagreements, there would be no politics. The issue today is that all these arguments seem to be getting America nowhere. Many people blame the two-party system for the lack of progress, but there’s more to it. Hosts Josh Hammer and Celeste Headlee explore the nature of liberalism and a third party with Nick Gillespie and Dave Rubin.

This podcast will remind you that political ideology is not a cookie cutter; if you are an independent, as the name suggests, it doesn’t mean you believe in a set list of principles. Rather, we’re all built from different values and experiences that make your identity different from every other person. The episode may also leave you questioning if your identity has a place in the system today. 
 

Episode 26: Asymmetries in the Culture War, Christian Alejandro Gonzalez

Heterodox Out Loud  

 

Length: 20 minutes 

Topic: Why does the culture war look the way it does? 

Especially Recommended For: Those interested in a quick listen that exposes you to differences in a new way. 

Summary: A common discussion today is how to balance one’s diverse viewpoints in academic areas when certain viewpoints are dismissed. Christian Gonzalez, a PHD student studying Political Theory at Georgetown University, searched for the answer behind conservative stifling in higher academic areas. The answer, he found, was not just progressive politics but rather the nature of power dynamics.  

The episode has two parts: first a reading of a recent article by Christian Gonzalez and then a short interview with him lead by host Zach Rausch.  If you’ve ever felt your ideas were silenced, this podcast will at the very least prove you’re not alone and may even expand your understanding of why that may be.

See more podcasts from across the spectrum on our Podcasts page.

Aidanne DePoy is a research intern for AllSides. She has a Left bias.

This piece was reviewed by AllSides Managing Editor Henry A. Brechter (Center bias).

Podcast, Holidays, Libertarian, Culture War