The Wonderful World of The Weeds
If you search “politics” in any podcast listening platform, Vox’s The Weeds will be among the top results. On its face, The Weeds is a podcast covering the American political system and policy hosted by Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matt Yglesias. While that may be an accurate description, categorizing The Weeds among the vast array of news-focused political podcast commentary fails to recognize its excellence. You see, The Weeds offers up something different. September 22nd will be the one-year anniversary of the pod; the first twelve months have served up a feast of accessible and fascinating analysis that goes deeper than the headlines — and how many news sources do that?
Most political podcasts cover the same news you might get from CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, or thousands of other outlets, but The Weeds stands out from the crowd. Relevant to the week’s events, the three hosts go into deep discussion… and I mean deep. (It’s called The Weeds for a reason.) Whether it’s nominations for Hillary Clinton’s transition team or requiring calorie labels on menus, the hosts pick a subject that may seem unglamorous compared to the week’s big headlines. And yet, that is where The Weeds shines the most: showing the importance and relevance of the seemingly uninteresting. The Weeds demonstrates time and time again how large small issues are, and reveals the wonderful world of politics from the ground level.
A popular segment — the White Paper of the Week — helps to show what new political research is being done and how that shifts current perceptions. White papers might be boring to read for most (not me — they are my guilty Friday night pleasure), but the way the hosts critique each work helps to provide perspective and importance to each work, rather than viewing the paper in a vacuum.
Taking a ground level and academic perspective to policy and society helps to dismantle bias from one’s own perspective, and that is no different here. The hosts understand, acknowledge, and even discuss, their limitations and faults. They have a pursuit to understand rather than be right, focusing on a discussion of ideas that might help the listener reach a better awareness of the world’s grey areas. No one is perfect, and accepting their flaws helps to show the hosts’ humanity.
Yes, The Weeds might be the most informative podcast you will listen to, but more importantly Erza, Sarah, and Matt are fun people that care. Sarah loves heathcare, Ezra loves to learn, and — believe it or not — Matt really loves his son. What you get when you listen to the hosts’ voices: just how much they care. Sarah can explain even the smallest details of Obamacare because healthcare is her jam. Ezra can ask some of the best questions because he’s driven to learn. Matt can do some of the most obscure research into lead poisoning and contamination because he loves his son above all else. Listening to The Weeds is a joy every week and something I look forward to. Over the past year, I have gained three new friends who I can have some of the best conversations with about some of the most important topics around.
I am not going to lie; these folks are no Trump supporters. They are left leaning. They value knowledge and intellectualism. When the hosts have a political disagreement, it is often center left versus far left. And yet when the hosts disagree — which they do — they never stray from the respect they have for one another. I have never had to turn off an episode because of annoying bickering, something I can’t say for an RNC debate or even CNN panel discussions. If that is not your cup of tea, then this podcast is not for you. But if you are interested in a critical intellectual discussion, heated at time yet civil, there is no better podcast around.
The Weeds is like going to class with your favorite college professor, just better. You will always learn something new — even about subjects you thought you knew everything about. You will meet some bright minds; some might even become your friends. Yes, things might get heated, and yes, some views you’ll never agree with, but no worries. There are no tests and no awful chairs that will make your back hurt for the rest of the week.
This week’s podcast review was written by Javelina’s Duncan Maloney.
