Drinking from a firehose with Jason Calacanis: polarization, racism, capitalism and how we can find a better future.

Last night, I asked my 15-year-old daughter to watch the debate with my wife and me so she might better understand major issues during our national inflection point from different perspectives. At the end, I apologized for exposing her to the dumpster fire that ensued. If the dangers of our polarized republic were ever unclear, the “debate” was like a Superbowl ad for our inability to work through differences in a constructive way.

The timing of all this is strange poetry, because this week on The Divided States of Media, I talk with Jason Calcanis, Podcaster, Angel Investor (he turned a $100k investment into over $100 million), and philanthropist, who is delightfully outspoken about the economics of polarization and manages to provide a refreshing case for American optimism.

Jason gives us a tech mogul’s view into the causes and solutions around the issues that plague us. He makes a sound argument for why podcasts are the answer to Media’s suicidal tendencies and has practical solutions for how the private sector can join forces to solve some of this country’s most difficult problems. For those of us who find our spirits hungover from yesterday’s gong show, Jason is a welcome breath of fresh air…

-Dan

Highlights:

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• 4:19 – Jason’s Sneaky way to get guests on his podcasts
• 7:27 – Dan and Jason talk media polarization – why is nuance dead?
• 28:35 – How technology will help humanity, regardless of who’s in the Whitehouse
• 35:52 – “The problem is a lot of the people in the country don’t believe they can be successful”
• 40:25 – How Podcasting will save the world
• 55:33 – Will politics be Jason’s third act?
• 59:32 – Jason talks about angel investing
• 1:02:21– This week in Unsolicited Advice…
• 1:07:11 – Dan and Jason talk The Media Bias Chart
• 1:10:55 – Is stakeholder capitalism the future or just virtue signaling?
• 1:16:34 – How can marketers help reduce polarization?