Men in Gorilla Suits
Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 108: Last Seen…Being Apathetic

Meh...

Yawn...

We almost didn't do this episode because we just didn't care...

We were feeling rather...apathetic.

But then we remembered that apathy sometimes gets a bad rap, so we decided to stand tall and defend it.

Sort of...

We begin by discussing what we think the average person thinks of when you ask them what apathy is. After that, we talk about the first things we remember being apathetic about.

Why do some people become apathetic in the first place? We chat about that before asking if we've seen people use apathy as a defense.

If you listen to the show, you know there's a facet of apathy we embrace. We talk about the power of controlled apathy a bit, and then move on to when apathy can become a problem. Find out if we've ever seen apathy damage someone.

Another popular form of apathy is voter apathy. Are people who don't vote because they don't care part of the problem, or are there reasons some people don't vote that go beyond simply not wanting to go through the motions?

Next, we talk about how to overcome damaging apathy...and what we think can make one person obsessive while others become apathetic. Along the same thought, we discuss if a person can be apathetic in some aspects of their life while being very active in others.

We wrap it all up wondering if humans will always be apathetic.

If you care enough about this episode, please leave a comment below. If you don't, we get...it's cool...

Direct download: migs108.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 8:37pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 107: Last Seen…Being Corrupt

It seems everywhere you turn -- government, corporations, religion, education -- there's corruption. So much so that many people seem to think that honesty is a thing of the past. (These people often forget that the past was full of just as much corruption...maybe even more.) Are we all doomed to live in a world where the little guy is crushed beneath the boots of those cheating their way to the top, or is that view of the world not really justified? That's what we're talking about on this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits.

We begin the episode talking about the first example of corruption we can remember (hint: Christopher was born in Chicago and raised in the area). After that, we discuss the first time we were on either side of something corrupt (as the victim or the one actually being corrupt).

We get a little bogged down in semantics when we talk about whether or not absolute power corrupts absolutely -- and then we talk about how big a problem corruption is where we live.

When most people think about corruption, they think about government. We talk about how big we think corruption is on a federal level, and then jump to corporations (including if we've ever seen corruption at any of the places we've worked).

We step away from the idea that corruption is reserved solely for the powerful and talk about other forms of corruption worthy of concern. Next, we discuss the most corrupt organizations we've heard about.

It seems like every week (or several times a week) there's a new video of corrupt police activity. We talk about whether or not police departments are more corrupt today than they were in the past, and then...we jump to the National Football League. (Because why not?! Actually, it was a talk about the NFL that triggered this episode for Gorilla Shawn.) If we were made commissioner of the NFL, find out if we'd give in to corruption...and how long it would take either of us to become corrupt.

We wrap up the episode talking about what we can do in the future to slow down or even stop corruption...or if it's just something we'll always live with.

Leave a comment below and we'll be sure that if either of us are ever made President of the United States, we'll give you the cabinet position of your choice!

Direct download: migs107.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 1:53pm CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 106: Last Seen…Talking about Family

If you're reading this -- whether you like it or not -- you have [at some point in your life] been part of a family. Chances are you're still part of a family. (We have met very few loners in life who have eschewed or lost all family.) It's something we all have in common, but what constitutes a family can be very different depending on who you ask. That's what we're talking about on this week's episode of Men in Gorilla Suits.

We begin by talking about our earliest family memories and then jump to how large our immediate families were (and are).

There are those who say, "My friends are family!" Does that hold true to us, or can only actual relatives be family?

The Brady Bunch introduced many people to step families at a time when it wasn't as common as it is today. We discuss our experiences with step families -- and then talk about in-laws...are they as bad as sitcoms and movies make them out to be?

Find out if family is the most important thing in our lives; then we talk about our best -- and worst -- family memories.

Families are not perfect things, and sometimes there are relatives who are just very hard to deal with. Find out if either of us have ever written off a family member.

With more people having children later in life (or not at all), "fur-kids" has become a term many use to describe their pets. We some time to talking about how important pets are to family.

It seems even the most Leave-it-to-Beaver families have some degree of dysfunction going on. We ask if there even are any normal families out there, or if it's all an ideal that can never exist.

Finally, what constitutes a family has changed over the years. We talk about the future of the family and the challenges faced (and -- hopefully -- the acceptance that family is really what we make of it...).

If you feel compelled to join in the conversation, have your say in the comments below...

Direct download: migs106.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 8:28am CDT

Men in Gorilla Suits Ep. 105: Last Seen…Podcasting about Podcasting

This coming Saturday marks a fairly big day for the Men in Gorilla Suits podcast. On February 7, 2013, we loaded our first episode. Over a hundred episodes later, we're still going strong.

What better way to celebrate this milestone by podcasting...about podcasting!

We begin with the first podcasts we remember listening to and then jump to how we describe podcasts to those not familiar with them.

Most people into podcasts are familiar with Serial. It's one of the only podcasts we can think of that people at work talk about, but has it really gone mainstream (as many podcasters claim)?

Regardless of Serial's standing, there's no doubt that it has opened people's eyes to podcasting and influenced people. Find out how we feel the success of Serial has influenced podcasts.

Find out if either of us did any podcasting before Men in Gorilla Suits -- as well as what made us want to podcast.

Within podcasting, some argue that content is the most important thing while others say production matters so much that they will not listen to even a great show if it doesn't sound like it was produced in a studio. Obviously, a mix of both things is ideal, but if we could choose only one thing, find out what matters more to us: content or production quality.

Beyond that, find out what we feel is the most important thing when doing a podcast -- and also, find out how podcasting has changed our lives.

Clearly, we like podcasts. We talk about some of our favorite shows, including particular episodes that stand out as our all-time faves.

Finally, as we usually do, we look toward the future -- this time speculating what the future holds for podcasting.

Whether you've been there since the start of Men in Gorilla Suits, or if this is the first episode you've listened to, we thank you so much for letting us into your ear holes! We'd love to hear what some of your favorite podcasts are in the comments below...

Direct download: migs105.mp3
Category:Pop Culture -- posted at: 8:28pm CDT

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