I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today! cover art

I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today!

I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today!

By: Chris Bevolo Desiree Duncan
Listen for free

Welcome to I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today, a conversational, culture-savvy podcast for folks trying to make sense of a world that has gone sideways. We’re here to unpack the issues that boggle our minds, all rooted in a little history, a little culture, a little humor, a little group therapy, and a little humility.© 2026 Chris Bevolo, Desiree Duncan Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Two-Cent Nation: The Voices We’d Like to Mute

    Two-Cent Nation: The Voices We’d Like to Mute
    Jun 3 2026
    Everyone’s got a take — and Chris and Des are tired of hearing most of them. This week they unpack “Two Cent Nation”: the online archetypes who mistake a platform for expertise, from performative allies and Dunning-Kruger clowns to grifters, lane jumpers, and smugsters. A lighter, funnier episode (after an honest open on Pride and trans rights) with a sharp takeaway: give your attention only to voices that earn it.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/https://substack.com/@chrisabevolo ====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryTimestamps:0:00 — Pride Month9:00 — What is “Two Cent Nation”?15:00 — Performative Allyship (Des)23:00 — The Clown / Dunning-Kruger (Chris)30:00 — Influencers & Grifters (Des)39:00 — The Lane Jumper (Chris)54:00 — Commenters Who Don’t Read (Des)58:00 — The Smugster (Chris)1:07:00 — Bonus + what to actually do about itResources and references:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZwnAOO5w2I (aaron rodgers)https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYLEnvWSHUn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYAeWKLKRZS/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/124014672.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppsthttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/124014672.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst https://x.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2034611946700320787?s=20 https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/01/us/white-liberals-hypocrisy-race-blake https://www.axios.com/2019/01/05/everything-trump-says-he-knows-more-about-than-anybody https://www.profgalloway.com/the-cult-of-therapy/ https://www.campaignasia.com/article/scott-galloway-claims-diversity-initiatives-lead-to-reverse-racism/n4sw4eqfff0snatr0xzrwbaitv https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/alcohol-health-risks-harms-socialize-benefits-loneliness-rcna254110 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/03/scott-galloway-masculinity-crisis-notes-on-being-a-man https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/opinion/younger-men-dating-older-women.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/may/13/women-home-buyers-men-dating https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYvU5evMr3m/ (mark andreessen)https://www.tiktok.com/@meredithmlynch/video/7549212823226682637 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/02/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-trump-column-read.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/opinion/charlie-kirk-assassination-fear-politics.html https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-ezra-klein-tanehisi-coates https://www.foxnews.com/media/ny-times-columnist-defends-belief-charlie-kirk-practiced-politics-the-right-way-after-liberal-backlash Produced by Julia Bevolo
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • AI: The New Scarlet Letter

    AI: The New Scarlet Letter
    May 27 2026
    A week ago, hating AI was a niche opinion. Now it’s the mood of the room — booed commencement speakers, data-center protests, even the Pope. Chris and Des name the new stigma, break down the four reasons the backlash blew up, and draw the Cold War parallels — all while admitting they both use AI and feel conflicted about it. Honest, funny, and a little dystopian. Is AI the new Scarlet Letter?====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/https://substack.com/@chrisabevolo ====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryTimestamps:0:00 — Cold open2:30 — Hot take: does an audiobook count as reading?7:30 — The “Scarlet AI” and why the backlash exploded17:30 — Reason 1: Job displacement37:00 — Reason 2: The environment42:30 — Reason 3: Data centers (and Kevin O’Leary’s Utah problem)46:00 — Reason 4: The men leading AI56:00 — Where does this go? Nuclear, the Cold War, and unions1:09:00 — The capitalist endgame1:15:30 — Wrap: “Womp Womp”Resources: Kevin O’Leary goes after Utah protesters: https://x.com/kevinolearytv/status/2051667709574733826?s=20 ; https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/box-elder-county/utah-data-center-investor-kevin-oleary-accuses-opposition-groups-of-being-funded-by-china Two women fight back against O’Leary: https://substack.com/@rawstory/note/c-259135278 Critical Thinking In the Age of AI: https://criticalthinkingintheageofai.com/ ; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-thinking-in-the-age-of-ai/id1865503703 Marc Andreessen on Joe Rogan Clip: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DYvU5evMr3m/ https://www.focusfeatures.com/the-ai-doc-or-how-i-became-an-apocaloptimist https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-american-rebellion-against-ai-is-gaining-steam-94b72529 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/25/pope-says-ai-must-be-disarmed-to-prevent-domination-exclusion-and-death https://www.axios.com/2026/05/17/ai-backlash-polling-sentiment https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/hating-ai-is-good-actually https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/style/gen-z-ai-gallup-study.html https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-american-rebellion-against-ai-is-gaining-steam-94b72529 https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/ai-giving-rise-wild-range-152928957.html https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/ai-backlash-data-centers-political-violence/687151/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/13/utah-approves-datacenter-backlash https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx https://substack.com/@rawstory/note/c-259135278?r=lqfh9&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/utah-data-center-mr-wonderful-kevin-oleary-1235564105/ Produced by Julia Bevolo
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • The Kids Are Not Alright: Tokyo Drift

    The Kids Are Not Alright: Tokyo Drift
    May 20 2026
    In the ‘youth in crises’ finale, Chris and Des hand the mic to two Gen-Zers — Julia Bevolo and Jayden Torres — and ask what it’s actually been like from March 2020 forward. COVID-disrupted college, Snapchat at 12, the looksmaxxing rabbit hole, $20 movie tickets, the lazy/entitled label, Scott Galloway’s drinking advice, and — against the odds — a closing argument for hope. Group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. Subscribe for new episodes weekly. ====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/https://substack.com/@chrisabevolo ====================Check out Jayden on spotify! https://open.spotify.com/artist/6YfwUW5w7MOErVEh0yhhRl?si=KvxwVuAJRAy3n1sLFm-SVwht#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryTimestamps:0:00 — Open3:00 — Icebreaker: making music in Ableton, ’90s alt rock, Cities 97 deep cuts13:00 — What shaped Gen Z: Snapchat at 12, Kik, TikTok17:00 — Twitch, streamers, side-hustle culture22:00 — COVID: dropping out, going chronically online26:00 — Scott Galloway, drinking, and “you should go out more”30:00 — Run clubs and the sober social shift33:00 — Looksmaxing, hunter eyes, and bone-breaking38:00 — Body image, GLP-1s, and the body-positivity backslide44:00 — Male friendship, the male gaze, and St. Louis DTF47:00 — The labels: chronically online, lazy/entitled, snowflake, doomer53:00 — Nihilism vs. realism 56:00 — David Hogg, Mamdani, and the case for hopeSources: https://www.newsweek.com/gen-z-experiencing-major-drop-life-satisfaction-2119029 https://globescan.com/2025/05/21/insight-of-the-week-gen-z-climate-impact/ https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/ https://www.unicef.org/partnerships/mental-health-study-shows-gen-z-overwhelmed-undeterred-unrelenting-global-crises https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/college-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs-ai-is-partly-to-blame.html https://www.harmonyhit.com/state-of-gen-z-mental-health/ https://www.rtor.org/2025/01/27/breaking-down-gen-zs-mental-health-crisis-why-depression-rates-are-higher-than-ever/ https://www.gwi.com/blog/gen-z-loneliness https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.12747 https://georgetownvoice.com/2025/11/04/adolescence-warns-us-of-the-manospheres-dangerous-accessibility https://lens.monash.edu/recommending-the-manosphere-how-algorithms-amplify-antifeminist-masculinities/ https://buildersmovement.org/2025/10/17/the-dangerous-mindset-spreading-across-america-cultural-nihilism-among-gen-z/ https://buildersmovement.org/2025/10/17/the-dangerous-mindset-spreading-across-america-cultural-nihilism-among-gen-z/ https://fortune.com/2026/01/30/gen-z-believes-ai-making-colleagues-dumb-and-lazy-critical-thinking-wharton-led-survey/ https://feminist.org/news/new-data-shows-the-growing-political-divide-between-gen-z-men-and-women/ https://www.clevelandfed.org/publications/economic-commentary/2025/ec-202514-are-young-college-graduates-losing-their-edge-in-the-job-market https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/college-graduates-are-struggling-to-find-jobs-ai-is-partly-to-blame.htmlhttps://www.redfin.com/news/homeownership-rate-by-generation-2025/Produced by Julia Bevolo
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet