Everyone's noticed it, but nobody wants to say it out loud: Americans have gotten meaner. Or at least, that’s what David Brooks believes. Today we're discussing an article that David wrote for The Atlantic, “How America Got Mean”. His explanation for our national cruelty crisis left Nicole feeling defeated, and Jolene a little more optimistic.

Regardless of whether the article was perhaps a little over dramatic, both Nicole and Jolene agreed there is something very wrong with the way Americans are treating each other. And it seems to have gotten worse over the last 20 years.

So how did we get here?

In this episode, we take a look at what we’re doing wrong and what might help us get back to a kinder America.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

How America Got Mean

Ground News

The Progress Network

We Haven’t Given Up On Gen Z

The Music Bar

LINKS:

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wevegottotalk/

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeveGotToTalk

How to find Nicole https://nicolefonarow.com/

How to find Jolene https://dibledough.com/

When Trump and Putin meet in Alaska, followed by Zelensky and European leaders rushing to D.C. to meet Trump 3 days later, you know something big is happening. But what exactly? The headlines give us locations and handshakes, but the real story is what we're not being told. Today we're diving into the kitchen-table conversations everyone's having but nobody wants to say out loud: What's really going on with this war, and who's actually calling the shots?

I (Jolene) watched this Alaska meeting unfold with fascination. Here's Trump getting two of the world's most complicated leaders to sit down on American soil. That's not accidental. As a conservative, I'm curious about the power dynamics at play and what this could mean for America's position globally.

Nicole's reaction was pure skepticism. She's wondering if this was all performative theater, especially given how the media has painted Putin as the ultimate villain and a war criminal, and we both agree he’s bad news.

But here's what we both agreed on: these aren't casual coffee meetings. When world leaders drop everything to fly to remote locations, something significant is happening.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Straight Arrow News

https://san.com/

What does it mean to be a woman in 2025?

We talked to women across generations - from 20-somethings navigating career ambitions to 80-year-olds who've watched the Republican party evolve around them. The answers surprised us. Despite decades of progress, some battles feel eerily familiar. We were given the task of interviewing some of the women in our social circles, to get their take on what it means to be a woman, and how they feel things have changed over time.

I (Nicole) interviewed friends who've climbed corporate ladders while dealing with dress codes that still treat women like decoration rather than decision-makers.

Jolene's conversations revealed a different tension: maintaining Christian and Republican values while navigating modern feminism. The assumption that Republican women can't be feminists sparked passionate responses from her circle. Turns out, political identity and gender advocacy don't fit into neat boxes.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Socialist Video: https://youtu.be/QkO63lMyAhE?si=_bvsA8TtVo06LV39

LINKS:

On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wevegottotalk/

On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WeveGotToTalk

How to find Nicole https://nicolefonarow.com/

How to find Jolene https://dibledough.com/