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The Philosophy and Psychology of A-Holery

Connecticut Public Radio | By Jonathan McNicol
Published November 29, 2016 at 1:00 PM EST
Mike Burns
/
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A hole.

Jerks. Jackasses. A-holes. Some people are just... the worst. Aren't they? But so: Why? And what do we do about it?

In a world where that guy from The Apprentice is the president-elect, shouldn't we spend some time figuring out what we can figure out about the assholes around us, the assholes among us, and maybe even the asshole within us?

GUESTS:

  • Henry Alford - Investigative humorist and the author of Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners
  • Aaron James - Author of Assholes: A Theory and Assholes: A Theory of Donald Trump; professor and chair of the Philosophy Department at the University of California, Irvine
  • Daniel Jones - Assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso; expert in anti-social personalities

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
Jonathan McNicol
Jonathan is a producer for ‘The Colin McEnroe Show.’ His work has been heard nationally on NPR and locally on Connecticut Public’s talk shows and news magazines. He’s as likely to host a podcast on minor league baseball as he is to cover a presidential debate almost by accident. Jonathan can be reached at jmcnicol@ctpublic.org.
See stories by Jonathan McNicol

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Protect Connecticut Public