Writer and critic Spencer Kornhaber just published a similarly-titled piece in The Atlantic: “Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?”

According to Betteridge’s law of headlines, the answer to both versions of that question is just, plain, “No.” And maybe it is. Maybe even probably it is.

But maybe it’s more complicated than that, too.

This hour, we wonder just how bad things actually have gotten with our popular culture.

GUESTS:
Taneisha Duggan: Director of arts, culture, and entertainment for the city of Hartford
Xandra Ellin: A producer at Pineapple Street Studios
Spencer Kornhaber: A staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of On Divas: Persona, Pleasure, Power
Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Writer and critic Spencer Kornhaber just published a similarly-titled piece in The Atlantic: &ldquo;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/06/american-pop-culture-decline/682578/" data-cms-ai="0">Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?</a>&rdquo;
According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines" data-cms-ai="0">Betteridge&rsquo;s law of headlines</a>, the answer to both versions of that question is just, plain, &ldquo;No.&rdquo; And maybe it is. Maybe even probably it is.
But maybe it&rsquo;s more complicated than that, too.
This hour, we wonder just how bad things actually have gotten with our popular culture.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Taneisha Duggan: Director of arts, culture, and entertainment for the city of Hartford</li>
<li>Xandra Ellin: A producer at Pineapple Street Studios</li>
<li>Spencer Kornhaber: A staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2024-06-28/from-barbra-to-beyonce-a-look-at-the-appeal-of-divas" data-cms-ai="0">On Divas: Persona, Pleasure, Power</a></li>
<li>Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884" data-cms-ai="0">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p" data-cms-ai="0">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show" data-cms-ai="0">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/" data-cms-ai="0">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/" data-cms-ai="0">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters" data-cms-ai="0">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow" data-cms-ai="0">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow" data-cms-ai="0">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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