Vi's birthday is tomorrow, and there's nowhere they'd rather be than hosting Skeptic Generation and chatting with you. Let's dive into this week's calls!

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TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES:
4:29 - Torben (he/him) - AZ - A Medical Student Explains the Effects of COVID
19:16 - Sky (she/them) - CO - Is Homeschooling a Good or Bad Thing?
36:42 - Trenton (he/him) - CA - How Do You Implant a Microchip? (Hint: Not Through Vaccines)
45:45 - Nathan (he/him) - KS - When Do Stories Become Toxic? (Star Trek Nerd Alert)
56:47 - Mike (he/him) - CAN - What Is Poly Deism and Is It Rational?
1:09:36 - Salvatore (he/him) - LA - Can You Choose to Believe Something is Real?

4:29
We have a med student on the line who is able to give us some behind-the-scenes information about the complexities of dealing with hospitalized COVID patients, as well as the dangers of quickly filling ICU wards. As always, we care about your health and the health of our communities. Unless you have a medical issue that would prevent it, please get vaccinated!

For more information, Eric helped @HolyKoolaid put out a recent video breaking down vaccination concerns and debunking false information: https://youtu.be/lGdU2vOzs-w

19:16
This caller shares a background with Vi as a fellow homeschooled kid from an evangelical background. Sky asks about how we deconstruct homeschooling and if it’s always harmful. Vi explains the pros and cons of homeschooling as an educational tool, and warns about people who push back against regulation and supervision in order to perpetuate misinformation and abuse.

If you’re interested in learning more about the rise of the homeschooling lobby in 1983 and the potential negative effects of deregulation, check out these article:

https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2016/04/homeschooling-lobby-dangers-deregulation/
https://www.propublica.org/article/small-group-goes-great-lengths-to-block-homeschooling-regulation

36:42
How do you get a microchip into a person? Well, our caller works in cybersecurity and has been microchipped himself! He has some cold hard facts for people who think that vaccines might contain microchips. The good news? Modern computers are simply not able to accommodate the type of tracking technology conspiracy theorists are afraid of. The bad news? Tracking you is very possible, and if you’re worried about that, you should consider ditching your smartphone.

Caveat: From our brief research after the show, it looks like there are indeed tiny single-chip systems that can be injected into the body. That said, functionality is still limited to sensing temperature, thus refuting the idea that any complex collection of data could be transmitted in the way conspiracy theorists would suggest. https://newatlas.com/electronics/worlds-smallest-single-chip-system-injectable/
We would love to learn more about this, so if you have additional information, please link it in the comments below!

45:45
We all know that stories can bring us together, but what happens when they tear us apart? Nathan calls in with a Star Trek anecdote that contains a larger question: when do stories become toxic? Vi makes the point that as soon as stories become canonized, they fall prey to dogma, which can turn them into sources of division rather than community building. Eric’s mind is blown by a Star Trek theory.

56:47
Mike is a polydeist, but what does that mean? And is it a useful term? Vi and Eric dive into the specifics of the caller’s worldview, finding similarities and prodding where they feel it might not hold up. Ultimately, Mike explains that polydeism is his way of avoiding the term “agnostic atheist” and maintaining good communication with those who might otherwise be threatened by his lack of belief. The question is: is “polydeist” an effective choice?

1:09:36
What is reality? Repeat caller Salvatore explains that his worldview allows him to think of the gods as real sometimes, when it suits the occasion. Vi points out there’s a similarity to suspending disbelief for the duration of a novel or a film, but asks what is keeping that rationale from justifying the harmful beliefs of others. Eric protests using the term “real” to begin with. Predictably, the hosts descend into a philosophical argument about semantics.

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