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Should I buy a house? Why do I say “like” so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement?
Explain It to Me is the hotline for the issues that matter to your life. Send us your questions about health, personal finance, relationships, and anything else that matters to you. Host Jonquilyn Hill will take you on a journey to find the answers, whether it's to the halls of Congress or the local bar. You’ll get the answers you were looking for, and sometimes ones you didn't expect — and always with a dose of humor. New episodes every Sunday. Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

The Weeds

Society teaches us empathy is a good thing. But some are now saying the opposite, and science is complicating our assumptions too.

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Megan Cunnane, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Image credit Olga Pankova/Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is empathy toxic?

Young men are more interested in becoming parents than young women are, and there's a growing number of single dads by choice. A look at modern fatherhood.

This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz, edited by Megan Cunnane, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. 

Thanks to Jonquilyn Hill for sharing a family photo for our episode image today. Image of dad John and baby Jonquilyn courtesy of the Hill family.

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who is the modern American dad?

Americans seem to be getting ruder. Are our attempts at making ourselves better actually making us worse?

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch and Isabelle Lichtenstein, engineered by Matthew Billy and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Image: Francesco Carta Fotografo/Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A nation of jerks

Hollywood has always made money from vampires and brain-eating zombies. But this year's a record-breaker thanks to sequels, hilariously unlikely creators, and pure thrills.

This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. 

A detail from The Conjuring Museum Of The Occult based on "The Conjuring" films. Photo by David Benito/Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why horror kills at the box office

From #rushtok to country music, American culture is getting more and more southern.

This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Matthew Billy and Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo of a Beyonce fan waiting to see her perform in LA by Rashida Zagon/For The Washington Post via Getty Images.

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States is Southern now

Americans are flocking to gyms and fitness classes. It wasn't always that way.

This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy with help from Naureen Khan, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo of an outdoor group fitness class by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images.

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The golden age of exercise

We track our steps and our sleep, guzzle supplements and protein shakes, and even inject hormones – all in the name of wellness.

This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Naureen Khan and Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hacking our health

Americans are investing billions in their health and wellness. What good do all these green powders and costly club memberships actually do?

This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Matthew Billy, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Image of a guest floating in a saline sensory deprivation pool at the Chiva Som Health Resort by Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What wellness costs us

The US is well behind much of the world in building passenger rail, especially high-speed trains. But we do have one major advantage.

This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz, edited by Naureen Khan, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd with help from Andrea Kristinsdottir and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note ⁠here⁠. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: ⁠vox.com/members⁠. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America’s high-speed rail fail

From raising the tipped minimum wage to "no tax on tips," we look at the challenges of remaking tipped work.

This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo by Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images. 

If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is tipping fair?

Matt, Dara, and Tara Golshan, all weary from lack of sleep, try to make sense of the few hours on Thursday night/Friday morning when the government was shut down. 

Referenced Works

Republicans laughing in Tara's face about addressing immigration: Immigration anxiety got Trump elected. Congress isn’t touching it.

Further Reading

House Democrats’ confusing, high-risk DACA government shutdown gamble, explained

Congress just funded CHIP for a full decade

 
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The six-hour shutdown, explained

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