Great topics and unique ways of engaging with guests and topics

Derek thinks he’s smarter and morally superior to you. Sure, he’ll pretend to be open-minded and thoughtful about incredibly complex issues (the economy and foreign policy, for instance), but that’s all just window dressing. In Derek’s mind, there is one correct viewpoint. He’ll shove it down your throat and then claim you’re a terrible person if you disagree. Most people would say, “don’t bother wasting your time listening to this drivel,” but I actually encourage you to listen to several episodes, if only to get a proper feel for how incredibly pretentious and holier-than-thou Derek and a huge proportion of “journalists” are.

I am a loyal listener but he’s been off the rails the last month with politics. His unreasonable takes against all conservatives have made me doubt his objectivity and logic in other areas. Derek used to be like gospel to me but there’s no need to demonize and disparage the opinions of half the country.

Liked it at first but the more I listen, the less I like it. It’s just opinions on politics now. It was better when it was general topics that we learned new information about.

Such a smart and insightful dude. Always brings experts into the show, but he does his research before. Couldn’t recommend it enough.

Well researched and intelligent content. He deals with topical subjects and goes deep. Derek also has a great speaking voice.

And that’s saying a lot, as someone who chooses to listen to the FantasyPros fantasy football podcast. Just getting advertisements for this content makes me enjoy other Ringer content less, and makes me less less likely to engage with the Ringer at all.

Love the pod. You talk about catastrophe stories driving media. Could you do more positive futurist stories then?

I listened to the most recent episode about the economy, it was very much over my head. If you have an episode on economics that could serve as a primer, referencing that somewhere would be appreciated. I know some basics of economics but I don’t have a degree in it, and I didn’t think I’d need one given the title of this podcast.

Took many episodes to get there, but at least addressed individual investor activity in latest episode. If only briefly. The fact that investor purchases have grown from 13 to 25% of sales in the current economics should be alarming. Which means they are almost certainly competing on at least 50% if not higher. There is an exploding group of citizens (not institutions) who think the best way to get ahead in life is to hoard as much housing as possible and jack rent prices as high as possible. And do nothing else meaningful to contribute to society other than generate their “passive income” (read: parasitic income).

Hard pass. Mean.

You’re not gonna be president. You have my vote

This isn’t a political podcast. It’s just smart. I appreciate the way you covered the topic. Thanks.

One of the smartest reviews of current dilemma

I regularly listen to at least 20 podcasts, and this one is hands-down the smartest podcast out there in terms of conveying the key information about issues and trends in a digestible and enjoyable manner. Keep up the excellent work!

This entire conversation was in the context of the patriarchal capitalist social construct in which we’ve all been indoctrinated. The conversation was oozing with misogyny, probably unconscious and internalized. But nonetheless, it was heartbreaking as a social scientist, and 61 year-old female. I haven’t read the book, but the lens of which this narrative is told is the problem. Children are not objects nor is it a woman’s obligation to have them. There is so much more depth and nuance to the choice of partnering and having children. It just can’t be seen through the patriarchal social construct that is destroying humanity. Positive masculinity is men remembering how to honor, respect, and value the Sacred in women.

Excellent program .. who knew? I took breathing for granted before this podcast. Your guest was well informed, shared info freely and made sure what he reported was factual. I bought his book.

It’s ok. The guy is kind of smarmy and corny. He definitely can’t squat two plates below parallel

Smart questions and smart conversations. A great pod that informs and make you a more thoughtful person.

BUT, did you talk to any folks that work with the youth, I just left education after 10 years. The smart phone isn’t the problem, it’s that it provides accessibility to hate, and accessibility to seeing others who are “better than you,” and celebrated. We don’t celebrate the ordinary, oh wait…. Yea we do it’s called social media.

Just guys being dudes

Asks all the questions you would ask. I learn a lot from every episode.

I feel more informed for finding this show. Keep it up!

Thoughtful treatments of important topics with interviews of experts who bring a range of perspectives. Perhaps my favorite podcast.

This is my favorite podcast because of the intelligent interviews and the depth of the analyses. The host always makes each topic interesting even if I had little previous interest in the subject.

So many great topics and interesting points of view.

Great podcast!

Without a doubt, best podcast in my lineup

I used to enjoy the show. Great topics, guests, insight. I don’t know if Derek changed or I did, but he has become so in love with his own intelligence and voice that we frequently hear more from him than the guest. His constant need to repeat what the guest already said in his own words (I guess, again, because he’s so brilliant - call it Dereksplaining) finally pushed me over the line and I’m taking a break. Listener beware.

Used to listen to every episode without fail, as the pod was a refreshing bit of balance in an otherwise biased media landscape. Now I listen sporadically as Derek seems to be losing that balance that made the show so great.

Fantastic podcast that is so insightful and has fantastic guests. You truly never know who will be on from week to week or what topics will be discussed. I really enjoy that about this pod. Keep it up!

The host says twenty words for every one word from the guest! Asking “Am I right? after an essay-length question is not a dialogue. Monologues can be interesting, but not when they are pretending to be dialogues. Poor guests. Poor listeners.

Derek is awesome! He has a great perspective that I always find I engaging.

It’s hard to do justice to all the complexities of our daily world, and this podcast does as good of a job as any. Critical-minded yet open and intellectually humble. Great conversational flow as well.

Derek is such a great host and interviewer. A recent guest referred to him as a super communicator and I couldn’t put it better. I look forward to the diverse topics and always learn something, every episode no matter what. Keep up the great work!!

There aren’t as many people, places or things I touch daily that leave me better off for it. That’s where Plain English comes in. Each time I listen to Plain English I leave more well informed, opened minded, with an excitement to continue learning all the while being entertained. Derek Thompson is best in class.

I heard Derek on Bill’s podcast and decided to listen to some episodes and I’m so glad I did. The best way to describe this episode is that it cultivates thought. You don’t finish listening and say “boy Derek is right again!” You leave thinking how interesting the conversation was and how you want to read or listen to more about the subject. Personally for me I ask people about the subjects that are discussed to get their point of view. Really really interesting views!

The Venn diagram of The Ringer’s ‘21st century’ sports & pop culture podcast Millennial & Gen Z media consumers, versus us Old Head-Boomer paying subscribers to the ‘20th century’ media stalwarts we grew up with on the East Coast — like The Atlantic and the New Yorker — probably doesn’t display a ton of ‘overlap’. So to me it felt surprising and non-intuitive, when The Ringer added Plain English to its stable of podcasts. The easiest thing would be for The Ringer to “steer clear” of current events…and for Mr. Thompson to simply publish his podcast on The Atlantic’s website. But Mr. Simmons’ history is not to take “the path of least resistance” — as people who’ve followed him from his Grantland days know. So I heard Bill’s promos when the show first launched, and I’ve been subscribed to Plain English ever since. Mr. Thompson’s curiosity, and his excitement & determination to “wrap his head around” a topic — and in so doing, to allow his audience to, as well — comes through. And the show’s producers & host often manage to pull off the “neat trick” — a trick made famous by Apple, when it gave the world a series of hellaciously expensive products, that people had no idea they needed, or wanted — of giving us as listeners, a podcast on a topic that wasn’t top-of-mind, but that we’re immediately interested in when we see it. Keep up the great work!

Love the show but as a long time listener the guests seem to all be the same at this point. Derek seems to only bring on guests that he either agrees with or he already knows how they’ll respond to his questions. The result is an hour of two people paraphrasing each other and boy is it dry, no matter the topic. Please get someone that’s a little different than Derek so some deeper points can be flushed out. Also why does Derek always profess to be a leftist progressive? It taints the show and no longer listen to half shows because I know the topics will be covered like MSNBC. Be a journalist and return to objective reporting! Thanks and I really do love the show.

This is absolutely not the case. Please research this supposed problem more widely. The nuance is vast.

A friend of mine shared this episode with me after learning that my 80 year old father is a still a small town newspaper and editor here in Kansas. He and my mother bought the newspaper back in 1977 and have been running it ever since. We have watched the effects that you discuss greatly impact the newspaper, his business and his work. He refuses to sell because he is highly principled and he won’t sell to a corporation or financial company. He is holding tightly because he believes small towns should be owned by local people who have the small town community’s best into heart. I would like to hear more about what your thoughts /opinion or predictions are for small town newspapers and their survival. - Stacey Harper

Love the show! I would love to hear a deep dive on the carbon cost of extracting all the rare earth materials necessary for “green” energy and storage, versus the long term benefits. Maybe the NIMBYism of electric vehicles, as an angle?

Excelente

Every episode has a guest with a leftist agenda. Derek does a terrible job of interviewing and allows only one-sided viewpoints. Feels like each episode is a combination of MSNBC and The View

Listen to every episode. This one is just about ID politics, and does not go into the broader reason why people are feeling this way. Most the time show is very informative, but this one totally turned me off.

A must-listen for anyone curious about the world and the rationale behind some of the most thought-provoking issues.

Derek is a powerful thinker & speaker whose gift is breaking down complex topics in simple yet eloquent ways. When he finds interviewees who can match his level, the results can be amazing. The podcast comes from a highly liberal perspective, and may benefit from a greater diversity of views and opinions. Sometimes, the conversations flow almost too smoothly, is as if they are scripted. These minor details aside, the podcast is an excellent and intellectually stimulating listen.

Plain English covers topical geo-political topics very well. Derek is up-front with his bias, and works to be even-handed. He capably addresses other subjects as well.

Provides great context for some of the more complex topics in today’s society. Enjoyable and interesting listen!

This is the first podcast that I ever got into. I started listening when the Ukraine crisis began and now Derek is my best friend on the radio that I have never met. His conversational tone on deeply complex issues is in fact like chatting with a smart friend. I always learn something new and sometimes I disagree vehemently with what he is saying, but then he explores my view of things in a rational way. I struggled with the Israel-Palestine episodes… but I have an emotional and identity connection to that topic… so its just fraught. Ultimately, his is my favorite podcast and I look forward to every new episode like the gift from a”friend” that it is. Keep going, Derek! Bring on the hard stuff that no one else is covering with as much depth as you.