New Year New Pod
In a time where echo chambers are the norm and polarization feels inevitable, isn't it time a podcast take a different path? Going beyond the noise, beyond the headlines, into the ideas, values, and perspectives that shape our lives. Welcome to Middle Welcome to Middle Outcast, real conversation for a fractured world. From the social to the political, the philosophical to the personal, Middle Out Podcast is about bridging divides and finding common ground. It's not about combat.
Voiceover Actor:It's about connection. Not about sound bites. It's about substance. So whether you're here to challenge your assumptions, hear new stories, or simply search for that elusive middle ground, you've come to the right place. This is Middle Outcast.
Voiceover Actor:Now here are your hosts, Myke Bates and Tom Rankin.
Myke:Alright. Intro 12. 12. Check 1.
Tom:December 12, 2024, episode 1.
Myke:Thanks for having me on this podcast, Tom.
Tom:Middle out middle outcast. Let's talk a little bit. I gave you a little bit of an outline last night. Obviously, this is this is all this is all a test, whether this ever gets posted publicly. Who knows?
Myke:Oh, it's gonna post in public?
Tom:It'll get totally posted publicly, apparently. Watch my p's and q's maybe. Maybe don't watch them.
Myke:It's a half half half watch.
Tom:Half watch?
Myke:Half watch.
Tom:Yeah. So step 1 was to figure out some equipment and get, some recording happening. We're currently recording. Yeah. So who are we?
Tom:What do we want to do here? You start with you, Mike.
Myke:I'm trying to pull up a list. Got it. Who are we? I don't know. We're we're figuring that out.
Myke:But in general, this is hopefully an effort to have conversations with people that we may not usually have conversations with. And hopefully the people that we're having conversations with haven't had conversations with folks like us before. And when I say conversations, of course, I mean real conversation, not just pleasantries but actually getting into the minutiae of how we view the world, how we view society, where we're at with politics and whether or not we think that is a good place to be. I feel like a big thing that's missing is honest conversation and desire to kind of dig down and find objective, facts and and realities about this experience we're all in and just want things to be better, I guess. And and conversation is one really good way of doing that.
Myke:And so, yeah. That's the idea behind this. Talk. Real talk.
Tom:I'm I'm certainly very aligned with that. Obviously, for me, the motivation is the last couple of years of philosophical research and political research, this age of, Trumpism. Right? Not to not to bring it's not obviously not the topic of all of this, but it is what motivated, or inspired me at least to get involved and try to have these conversations because I think we've clearly identified that there's a significant ideological split or at least an apparent ideological split, with people, and we're having a difficult time having conversations. This memeification of our discourse.
Tom:Right? So with social media, we've reverted to very short, not necessarily full fully formed ideas and responses to questions and we largely kind of reach for the grab bag of memes. I I think that's significantly harmful to to being able to create a a just and fair society where we agree what our moral values are. And I'm just trying to find a way, and to illustrate that there's a way to have, conversations with people of different ideological, standings, in an effective way, not necessarily convincing other people, of of new ideas, but sharing perspectives.
Myke:The men, memification is a is a great term, and I imagine it has a lot of applications. It's most, obvious being, I mean, memes. We all know what internet memes are. Right? It seems to be the retort of most that that is reached for first.
Myke:And, I get it. It's easy. It it packs a punch either funny or like cutting, you know. And so it's so easy to reach for that. And in general, technology as much as obviously we both love technology is a big part of the problem.
Myke:It's, you know, it immediately shrunk the world and reduced it to slinging memes around. It's caused a lot of problems and and so I think so much of this friction we feel now in, you know, society and politics and religion and and stuff that we'll get deep into, you know, hopefully talking about on this whatever this show becomes. But it is so it's a it's an illusion. It feels like it's an illusion. Right?
Myke:Mhmm. Because it's so relative and real to all of us right now that it feels like, you know, people are just like, it feels like we're in this simulation. Right? It just feels so unfreaking real that it it yeah. You you start to question, like, what is reality with this.
Myke:Right? And and I think Totally. Yeah. I think so much of this.
Tom:I doubted myself so much.
Myke:Oh, yeah. And and I and I think that's the illusion. If you kind of this is big picture stuff again. Well, it'll probably be, like, several episodes dedicated to this type of topic. But if you kind of zoom out on the, you know, the history of of humankind, and and just look at all the civilizations that have come and gone, all the technologies that have come and gone, and then the technology end is is more recent.
Myke:Right? Like if
Tom:Oh, it's been explosive.
Myke:Right. And and it's it's at the very end of that timeline. And so I mean if you can look back in history and see repetition of societies and religions and and you know all these things they just come and they go. And to think that technology and the explosiveness it is it has arrived, to think that that hasn't played a serious part in the world that we're experiencing now with all of its frictions would be silly.
Tom:Yeah. No. Absolutely silly.
Myke:And therefore, it would seem, I think, that if we can identify the problems, it would be pretty easy then to zoom out just a little bit from those problems and figure out how to actually work around them. So again, hopefully, that's what we can dive into when we're talking to guests.
Tom:I think a further question that we'll have to get to is also what are we as you and I haven't really talked a whole lot about the mechanics of how this thing will even necessarily work. Right? Yes. We're we're totally flying by the seat of our pants here where, even last week or so, we almost went ran out and did an interview with a gentleman. Mhmm.
Tom:And, I think we've got a conversation coming up in January, which is our first, like, scheduled conversation.
Myke:Yeah. The first the thing that this test run is is being, executed for. Yes. Right.
Tom:Yes. The format we we still have to figure out what the format of that is going to be. I don't want it to feel debatish or combative Yes. And I I worry that we'll look like we're 2 on 1.
Myke:Oh, totally. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, in fact, the first conversation that that we, you know, tentatively have slated told him as much to to hopefully, bring bring a participant.
Myke:Because I, yeah, definitely don't want it feeling like a 2 on one thing. Don't even want it feel like a versus kind of thing at all, but rather, yeah, just just dialogue. And sometimes 1 on 1 can feel a bit weird for people, I think.
Tom:Yeah.
Myke:So just having, or a 2 on 1 even worse. Right? So, yeah. Definitely am not terribly interested in a debate style either in so far as as like we know it or the general public knows it. Right?
Myke:With like what they see on TV and and No. Screw that. These are real conversations, long conversations And hopefully very civil. Spirited certainly. Hopefully.
Myke:Yeah. Right. And, and civil, absolutely. But I think it will be really cool to get feedback from, you know, the first guest because, yeah, we're not gonna we'll have an agenda just to, you know, at least have something, but, I expect that we deviate from it pretty quick and start to hopefully feel out what other people want as well because I don't even know if people have a desire for this. It's a it's a theory that people do
Tom:and they should.
Myke:Some people do. Yes. So we'll see. But, yes, who the hell knows where this is going?
Tom:I had a friend who posted on Facebook recently who really looking for exactly the same kind of thing. He made a statement that he's going to be very intentional about having conversations and and kind of opening the door, and I think I'm gonna do something similar. One of the things that I thought about doing was open up my Calendly and block off a spot Nice. Every other week for anybody who wants to That's cool. To snag a spot and choose a conversation, choose a topic.
Myke:I dig that.
Tom:Right? And we just meet and talk about whatever that thing is. I don't wanna set any agenda. I just let people know what some of my ideas are or my position that I'm coming from. So that way, if they find that interesting or something they wanna probe, you know, they can know that I'm somebody that can come to and, pick up a conversation.
Myke:Yes. Honest conversation. Love it. So the name, and we kinda talked about that a little bit at the beginning. We're like we're like, who are we?
Myke:The name So if if if you know me, you know that pretty much everything that comes out of my mouth is a reference, to to something, generally a TV show or a movie, and kinda stems out from there and then ends up relating to other things. And anyways, middle out stems from the show Silicon Valley, so totally stole it, you know, just just from that. Talking about the middle out compression algorithm that gets created in the in the show, but the term actually is is pretty illustrative, I think, of of the way that I view the world. And I think Tom, very very similarly, I think can be painted for for you as well is that of all the ideas, right, you you've got ideas that are on one side. You got ideas that are on the other side.
Myke:Religious, not religious. Left wing, right wing, conservative, liberal, what whatever. Right? And with most things, the answer is always up the middle. Always.
Myke:And, like, that's where I mean, if you even look back in, you know, through time and see who was leading in those moments, I mean, it's it's times where there's unification. So, and and I think people have a bad idea about what that means. You know, doesn't mean you get everything. It means you get some of your stuff and and then other stuff that you really don't care for or like at all. Mhmm.
Myke:Like, it's so simple. And if we would just start with that aspect, you hear people say all the time, we have more in common than we don't. It's absolutely true. I mean, it's a trite saying, but my god. If we get away from the, you know, fantasy of of, you know, all this, bickering and and, you know, friction and and just start in the middle and work your way out.
Myke:Beautiful. It's come on. It's so simple. Why aren't we doing this?
Tom:Yeah. No. It's it's it's beautiful. I don't wanna cut you off. I think I thought you were finishing it.
Tom:Yeah. It it really segues into my thoughts as well is that, the media has done us a massive disservice Mhmm. These last few decades. Right? In that, you know, I grew up thinking that the media and and you you hear about journalists and news anchors, and their whole job is to report just the facts, right, in an unbiased manner.
Tom:And we don't even have we don't have any outlets really, anymore that I think that I go to that are truly unbiased. Right? They're most of the major media, outlets, you know, Fox, MSNBC, CNN, all that stuff, they've got an agenda to sell, to sell what's the word I'm looking for? Outrage.
Myke:No. Yes.
Tom:Outrage sells. Outrage motivates people. It keeps people engaged and involved. Every time we think there's some kind of existential crisis, we we pay attention, and they get paid for us to pay attention. Mhmm.
Tom:So I think their, their objectives are counter to what our needs are. And I Yes. That's why I think this is the kind of media, that needs to be out there. People hopefully will gravitate toward real conversations about controversial topics, and and we can we can kick traditional media down the road.
Myke:So freaking true. Yes. And and that that goes straight back to honest conversation. Like, media is media, you know, what whatever. Yes.
Myke:The CNNs, the the Foxes, the MSNBCs, they are not interested in in honest conversation. They those anchors individually personally maybe, but the the networks, no. They're there just to keep you watching. Just to see those commercials. Just to get those ads.
Myke:And that again is that illusion that in our relative, like, existence, it feels like it's impossible and it's just this force that's that's just there. But if you zoom out just a bit, it wasn't ever there. It's new and it feels like it's impossible to escape. But just like you said, kicking it down the road is exactly what needs to happen because holy cow. Just as much as, you know, we're scrolling our phones all the time or whatever, it's easy to think you are not, you know, addicted to to technology and then whatever.
Myke:Like and and for all intents and purposes, we're not. But it's become so normalized that this kind of media consumption just feels like it's instantly baked in to to this experience, and it's not. And it needs to be rid of. Damn it. Well, there
Tom:are kids that that's on all of your friends' journeys.
Myke:I know.
Tom:Yep. They don't remember the days, you know, when I grabbed my bike in the morning. I was gone all day playing playing at the river, playing in the woods, playing with friends in the parks. Mhmm. Showed back up at night when it was time for dinner.
Myke:Yep. Yep.
Tom:Yep. They they don't have I don't think they had those experiences.
Myke:No. Certainly not. Yeah. Not that I've so I too I think I was, you know, probably one of the generations last experiencing Right. Makes sense.
Myke:That. So, yeah, I feel a little bit like a freaking boomer. You know, these kids aren't on their bikes. You know? But but, no, it is absolutely true.
Myke:I mean, yeah, what a different world. But and how quickly it changed, and we'll talk about that stuff later. I'm sure that's a huge topic unto itself.
Tom:I mean Yeah. Interesting. Do you do you think here's a topic that I wanna bring up. So maybe we'll segue into the next question. Topics.
Tom:Yeah. Topics. What are what are some of the core topics that that you want to discuss? I don't wanna limit necessarily the topics because I think anybody that we engage, it will it will likely be something that, hopefully, is somewhat controversial, and that we can explore. So I don't don't necessarily limit, but I certainly have an affinity for a few topics.
Tom:What about you? What are some of your affinities? What things do you think are gonna be the best things to discuss?
Myke:Well, we probably share very similar ones, and we've kind of mentioned many of them already. And I'd be really curious to know some of you like, your your angles. But aside from topics in general, one thing that I'm curious about is, I don't know when, how, like, you find this, like, weave properly, but really tying in people's The weave. The weave. Get a wide weave.
Myke:But getting people's stories, and knowing about them, you know, is really part of these conversations. Not that we have to, you know, get a whole whole thesis or whatever, but, that's a piece that's that's always missing in these conversations is, like, who are you? What what makes you tick? What in general, what are your values? What do you you know, like, who are you?
Myke:Yeah. And just like we asked at the top of this, who are we in in this? Like, let's I don't know. Let's try starting there with people maybe before we dive into it. Put some human element to it.
Tom:Well, I love what you said there. Who are we? Right? Because that gosh. It just struck me when you said it that way because that is kind of the question.
Tom:Right? Is we wanna bring people together so that we can discover who are we Yes. Together Absolutely. Versus who are we separated. Yeah.
Tom:Yeah. That's great. Yep. Love that. Love it.
Tom:Hell, yeah. I don't have any guests, any ideal guests that I put on my list. I put I put thought was a good thought starter for you know, if you look down the road, maybe 6 months, a year, 5 years, who are some of the guests that you think are ideal?
Myke:Well, this is not exciting necessarily, but but just people.
Tom:I know. That's exactly what I was just thinking too. It's like, I don't necessarily want the Neil deGrasse Tyson Right. Things like that.
Myke:No. I just
Tom:I want it to be real. Exactly.
Myke:Yes. No. That's that's the big thing is that's the conversation that's missing. Every time we look to, you know, any media, it's it's talking heads, it's personalities, you know, that are that are having these. And even doing this right now, even recording this, I feel stupid.
Myke:Like, who the hell are we?
Tom:You know,
Myke:we're they're just sitting here recording a podcast on this silly microphone in our office. Like, no. I just want real people having conversations. Eventually, it would be cool. The grand vision, right, for for this sort of thing, if indeed it surpasses, you know, 10 listeners, our our friends and family, would be the it's not this show necessarily that that grows.
Myke:It's just the idea that this program is bringing starts to spread, and that happens by bringing it to every everyday people and, yeah, not just your talking heads.
Tom:Yeah. Great. Yeah. I I it makes me uncomfortable talking about, you know, being uncomfortable doing this. Right?
Tom:I feel like I just called out Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Myke:Oh, yes. I hate
Tom:that guy. No. I love Neil
Myke:deGrasse Tyson. Please come to our office.
Tom:And yeah. We would not turn you over.
Myke:Yeah. Not in a 1000000 years. You can no. It would be amazing to talk to to big people. But, yeah, that's obviously not the goal of this, about the design of this.
Myke:Yeah.
Tom:Yeah. I want people people who potentially gravitate toward this, I want them to think of this as real legit. I so, reality podcast. Right? Yes.
Tom:Right. Reality TV, which I think is actually what has destroyed our country, but we'll get back to that someday.
Myke:Exactly.
Tom:I have a couple of friends. I have, yeah, a few friends that I think actually I would very much be interested in kind of interviewing with this. Cody Cash, is a brilliant guy, has his PhD in philosophy, and Patrick McWirt, are some good friends of mine that also have thoughts. One of the things that I hope to do with this is to inspire people to get engaged. Mhmm.
Tom:I think that coalition coalition building is something that we have to start, in order to advocate for our beliefs. And I actually think this needs to happen on both sides even though I think we're I think we're the underdog, in this coalition space because, I think that, the religious, organizations are kind of heavily leaning toward the right. Yep. Right? And and there's already a built in coalition there.
Tom:Yeah. Yeah. If that makes sense. But great. Yeah.
Tom:So let's talk a little bit about goals. Goals was the next thing on the list, short term goals, long term goals. And then at the end of that, the the punctuation on the end is, you know, what is what is the vision of success for each of those, like, terms, like short term and long term? What's a what's a short term vision of success and a long term vision?
Myke:So in my head, short term success would look like getting 2 episode not 1, 2 Specific. Yep. Just episodes in in the can, so to speak. So ones that are not us, like, with external, you know, guests.
Tom:Totally cool.
Myke:2 of them, out and published. And published by now likely through all the, you know, the podcast, dealios. Not just, hey, it's on YouTube, but it's on iTunes. It's on whatever podcasting app you like to use, it's on there. So, yes, that would be short term for me.
Myke:I think if you can get 2 things like that going and it's been enjoyable and has received any amount of traction that is enough to keep wanting to go. And so long so that would be success. Long term, I don't know. I'm bad at that. But long term, I suppose would be, you know, reaching a 100 people that that subscribed to and whatever.
Myke:I I don't know. I suppose that's a marker of, like, okay, this continued traction. Now we can actually decide, like, what does the broader vision of this look like?
Tom:Yeah.
Myke:Because there's real tangible things to make real decisions with.
Tom:What about you? I'm fully aligned with your short term. Absolutely. I think 2 is great. It would feel like success.
Tom:This feels like success. Mhmm. If I could walk away I mean, if if we were to walk away even having done this, I feel successful. Yeah. And that and that we kind of kick the can forward.
Tom:I think 2 2 sessions recorded and pushed out would be a great marker of a short term success.
Myke:Hey. It's your host on the other side of the production. Hello. We have been getting the the pod the pod production stuff in in order.
Tom:Put some editing hours in there.
Myke:Yep. Yeah. This stuff's harder than when people say it's hard, yeah, they ain't gonna It's
Tom:a lot more work than I thought it was.
Myke:Hopefully after this first episode though it'll it'll all be rolling and, you know, our, our initial branding and everything will be done. So we wanna put the first episode out with some legitimacy. And speaking of legitimacy, next steps, Tom. What what should the, what should the listeners be looking forward to next?
Tom:Yeah. So we we have to actually bring a guest on. We have a gentleman that we've been talking to, a very savvy business leader in the community, leaning right, maybe, very much Christian, values. Seems ideal for us to talk to.
Myke:Yes. Yep. That is, yeah. I think that's kind of the audience that, sparked, you know, wanting us wanting more conversation, with with that type of crowd. Hopefully, that'll be our first friend of the show.
Tom:Yeah. I imagine so. I'm really actually interested in having conversations with him. He seems seems pretty bright.
Myke:Damn yes. So hopefully we'll have that out here, within the month. That's the goal. Monthly at a minimum is the goal here, I think. So hold us to it.
Myke:End episode.
Voiceover Actor:This has been a middle outcast. Real conversations for a fractured world. With echo chambers being the norm and polarization being inevitable, we go beyond the noise, beyond the headlines. We have real raw conversations that matter. We hope you've enjoyed the show.
Voiceover Actor:If you did, make sure to like, rate, and review. We'll be back soon. Remember, you can find the show on all the major podcasting platforms. Plus, find even more at our website at middleoutcast.com. Remember, there's a lot more than what's on the surface, and that's why we're here.
Voiceover Actor:See you next time on the Middle Out Podcast.
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