81: Is It Wrong to Love My AI Boyfriend?
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
A mystery question prompts a conversation about secrets in romantic relationships. Plus: advice for an autistic dater.
Audio
What Happened to Our Dreams of the Future?
Nadia Idle, Jem Gilbert and Keir Milburn
A weird-left explanation of how the future lost its shine, with ideas from Max Weber, Kate Raworth and Jonathan White.
80: September Is the Real New Year. Will Your Resolution Stick This Time?
Ash Sarkar & Moya Lothian-McLean
Do resolutions ever work? Why do we always want to start over?
79: Help! I’ve Moved Back Home and Now My Mum Hates Me
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Moya and Ash tackle your dilemmas this week, featuring a middle-class mum who’s become distant and critical.
78: What Does It Take to Feel Safe?
Ash Sarkar and Moya Lothian-McLean
A real-life incident prompts a conversation about trusting your gut and the politics of public safety.
Is Gardening What We’d Do If We Didn’t Have to Work?
Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle and Keir Milburn
From imperial pineapples to invasive species, ACFM offer a weird-left history of gardening.
77: What’s the Difference Between a Girl and a Woman?
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Ash and Moya talk about their animal natures and fear of motherhood in a chat spurred by last week’s interview with Sophie Gilbert.
76: How Porn Went Mainstream and Changed Everything W/ Sophie Gilbert
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Ash and Moya talk to critic Sophie Gilbert about the pornification of pop culture during the ’90s and ’00s.
75: The World Needs More Flirting. Here’s How
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Moya and Ash tackle a topic that turns up in the If I Speak mailbox every week. Plus: advice on a failed friendship.
Where Did Novara Media Come From?
Richard Hames Meets Aaron Bastani, James Butler and Ash Sarkar
Novara FM is dead. Long live Novara Media.
74: Can Your Racial Identity Change Over Time?
Ash Sarkar & Moya Lothian-McLean
Ash and Moya discuss where their sense of their racial identity comes from – is it their shade, their community, or how they’re treated?
Can We Escape the Obsession With Growth?
Jeremy Gilbert, Nadia Idle & Keir Milburn
A weird-left perspective on growth, from macroeconomics to personal productivity.
73: Where Did It All Go Wrong on the Dancefloor?
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Having rekindled her appetite for fun, Ash now has a five-point plan to rescue the dancefloor from disaster.
Does the Palestine Action Ban Signal the Decline of Liberalism in Britain?
Richard Hames Meets Simon Childs
A decaying order grasping for its harshest weapons.
72: Why Does It Always Have to Be Me Taking Responsibility?
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Ash and Moya descend into the guilt vortex for a conversation about family responsibility.
What’s the Hidden Unpaid Labour That Keeps the Economy Running?
Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn
The ACFM crew explain how social reproduction gets us back into work, day after day.
ICE Is Ramping Up. LA Fought Back
Eleanor Penny Meets Harsha Walia
They’re spending $45 billion on deportations.
71: If I’m So Angry Then Why Am I Crying?!
Moya Lothian-McLean and Ash Sarkar
Moya presents an intrusive thought about rage and resentment. Plus: help for a listener whose friends have taken an anti-trans turn.