Today’s episode was all about conspiracy theories on social media, that is, ONline. The podcast blurb says the show is about “taking a break” from doomscrolling and how the internet is affecting us. But getting off (so to speak) on online nutjobs for an entire episode not only joins in the online obsessing but seems to attempt to exploit the very thing the podcast is supposed to avoid.

This show used to be more focused on the internet and now just seems to be whoever Jon wants to talk to and talk about - modeled after Ezra more or less. I enjoy his interviews so I still listen, but I do miss the original mission and vibe. The show used to be more of a thoughtful meditation on tech/online culture and how it is affecting us and trying different ways to reduce impact.

Great episode with Max. The thing that hit me about Trump’s Executive Order banning “woke” AI is that it’s directly analogous to the banning of certain search queries on China’s DeepSeek to Tiananmen Square. Trump is trying to exercise the exact same power over the content of answers to search queries.

Father Gregory Boyle would be a perfect guest. His book “Cherished Belonging” has been breaking my brain in the best way. And you both live in LA, and he does podcasts pretty often!

The improvisational “Yes, and” is my suggestion for a potential religious practice for your guest who likes to put limits on things. If there is a “God” or if there isn’t anything remotely like God, it’s still. a far more likely supposition that all things are infinite, all possibilities exist, that’s how you end up with “us” and, additionally, some sort of a spirit world(s)that cares or apparently has some vested interest in us. I know they do, not that “I believe” that they do, I “know”that they do, I don’t know much more about it. I would never claim to know anything I don’t know. I do “believe” that caring about each other and the planet and moving away from exclusionary tribalism and all the nasty “isms” and the penchant for war will help us survive and I’m not sure that we “need”spirit but here’s hoping it can’t hurt because they are here with us and Jesus did—does— exist and perhaps all the rest, Kali? I don’t know, I imagine Jesus having an issue with all the crucifixes, like if we wore a little semi automatic rifle silver pendants to remember the children of Sandy Hook. Jesus was a healer and he was about peace and ending the blame game I don’t think it was/is a big fan of greed, but I can’t really say, I only know what I know and what I have experienced. I don’t discount the possibility it may have been by mind manipulation , I don’t think so, but I’m not going to entirely discount the possibility. I used to report on things the department of energy did up there at Hanford Reach, I was one of two possibly three reporters at the toxicology and disease seminar in Seattle where they discussed the secret thyroid study associated with the Manhattan Project that absolutely no one knows about so I could be someone they want to discredit or shut up, that could be a reason for some of the things I’ve experienced, but not all, at least I don’t think so, I think it was spirit. I think more likely there is a spirit world, they can communicate to some of us in various ways and they do. Community centers are great places to get together. You can still go to church. community centers however are awesome, they really bring us all together. Swimming pools, pickle ball, ping-pong, and that little old man at the Southwood community center who challenged everybody to ping-pong and beat the snot out of them. That’s a religious experience.

This show used to be good but now it seems like the host is searching (and failing) to figure out what to talk about and keeps picking the wrong stuff. Nobody is looking to you for parenting advice or your take on religion broseph.

I’m sure there’s a million people you could interview if you wanted to have a sincere conversation about religion in the modern era. But Ross Douthat is a Right-Wing operative first and foremost. The Republican Party has been stewing in Christian Nationalist extremism for a generation now - far from disappearing from public life, it’s the primary motivation of much of MAGA. Pretending they’re synonymous with “religion” is grotesque - but that’s the game Ross is playing.

This was a tough listen-it’s like someone trying to sell me some sort of icky-ness wrapped up in an advanced vocabulary. It was exactly right that we may want to “believe” because the human condition is hard in many ways but that is different from reality. No thanks.

I appreciate you bring Ross on and it was an interesting conversation- although as soon as he referenced “God” and he, as so many conservatives seem comfortable doing- reminded me why organized Religion is problematic- as the concepts are closed and full of dogma.

I found the episode on religion an annoying waste of time. Like Jon, I was raised Catholic, and from an early age saw the hypocrisy. So many of our problems throughout history have been caused by religion, and today’s hate spewing “evangelicals” are following in that direction. Ross had a sense of humor, but I can’t get behind any of his ideas. If you were going to cover religion at all, I wish Jon would’ve focused on the damage it continues to do.

What does this have to do with the overall theme of the podcast?Anne I’m daft, but from challenges to reduce screen time to some full-throated ‘you should believe in god podcast, I feel like you’ve lost the mark. Was already getting tired of this network, this just pushed me over the edge.

Thank you for being the (seemingly) only voices of regarding in this ongoing TikTok saga! Also love the Ross Douthat episode!

Ok so first of all, this author really doesn’t understand how probabilities work. Ask Lovette. An unlikely thing, even very unlikely, can and does happen in our very unlikely universe. Second, he really is preaching opiates for the masses. The cure to what is destroying our society world and souls is not false hope and fairy tales. We tried that for thousands of years and we have only begun to try a more secular option so erroneous comparison there also, it is connection. We are disconnected more than ever from our planet, the air, dirt and water, our food, and finally, each other. This is the disease. Not a lack of blind faith. A knowledge of how interdependent we are on this unlikely rock, these unlikely rains, and these unlikely neighbors. That is the majesty of humanness. That is where the profound is realized. What an absolute oversimplified and insulting take he has. That to be moral and have meaning and be content in the wonder of our existence I have to believe in something very much outside of what is truly miraculous. So absurd. He doesn’t understand evolution either. Not every event, not every experience of chemical interaction in your body, has any deeper meaning. The universe isn’t meaning. We seek meaning. Meaning is for us and by us. This is so insulting and egotistical I may not be able to endure this onslaught of fallacy for the whole episode. It’s insulting.

The show was okay until Favreau had Ross Dowthat on giving him a platform to spout his ignorant religious claptrap! Very sad to listen to this catholic crazy on his soapbox with NO intellectual input what so ever!

Interesting episode. Don’t agree with him, with almost anything! But good for me to listen to a rational sounding religious figure. Now, do Richard Dawkins! Probably a better call to invite Sam Harris… your call. Love the show, miss ya Max.

Love the pod. Helps me keep up with what is going on…online. Ross Douthat may want to study the science behind death experiences. He is off and it felt like the big push of man made faith. Otherwise the podcast has been good.

Unfollowed after the Ross Douthat episode. Another example of how out of touch Democrats are. After this episode, I understand more why we keep losing. I wish progressive people had a party we could align with. Jon should understand: Homosexuality is not an abomination, slavery is not okay, men do not own women. I’m sure Jon would claim he doesn’t believe those things, but he aligns himself with people who do.

I’ve never considered Jon to be a good or even fair ally to women, but this is a huge swerve since Max left. I can’t listen to the show anymore.

Love you Jon.. Love the show. But ohhh nooo Max??! 🥹

This is my favorite pod and as a very new dad, listening to you both is extremely helpful and calming. I understand Max is moving, but he should still be a main host. The name of the show should be changed to “Offline with Jon and Max” !!

I’m extremely sad Max is leaving. While the reason is very good, it still hurts. Good luck on your new endeavors. You will succeed at anything you do.

Oh no!! Max I’ll miss you! Yours is one of my favorite voices.

“I’m addicted to Twitter but I can’t bring myself to do anything about it” is the brand. Weak sauce, especially considering the endless ads for surveillance capitalism companies.

I love Max’s laugh!

Love the show but my Sundays are just not the same now that you changed days

It’s just become another political podcast. Nothing about staying offline anymore

But I miss the Sunday release!

Some day this show will be good.

First time listener with “The Book Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t want you to read” episode — and I loved it!! You got a new subscriber with this one. Can’t wait to read more in “Careless People”. A quick glance and it looks like this isn’t primarily a book review show, but I hope you will delve into more books and deep dive articles / documentaries we may have missed.

on a walk by the lake after sitting and reading at a coffeeshop for a couple hours. Best day of the week!

Less stepping on Favs please !

Max we love ya but STOP MHMING AND YEPPING WHILE JON IS TALKING OH MY GOD. BEGGING YOU.

I appreciate the different vibe that I get from this podcast compared to other Crooked Media pods, but it’s still in brand. And people have commented in reviews about Max’s “hmm” and “right” and “yeah” interjections as Jon is speaking, and I’ve never noticed it. It always just sounds like Max is just engaged in the conversation, so don’t not listen to this bc of that being slammed in other reviews. Last thing - I’m real tired of the Crooked Media’s subscription only giving ad-free access to a select few of their shows. I’m ready to listen to this pod and Strict Scrutiny without ads, but that isn’t even an option. That is my largest critique of the Crooked Media in general.

Every each I lean a little more into considering Offline my favorite pod. And I think it’s because of Max Fisher. Having read his book as soon as it came out, I now trust his work and opinions as well.- he has guided my parenting a 19yo son in a social media dominated world.

Wow such tough reviews on here! I love listening to this show. I listen to many Crooked pods and find Offline a nice break sometimes from politics. Jon and Max have a great dynamic and I enjoy keeping up with tech news. Thanks y’all! PS: The conversation about the new Uber w/ guns had me dying. Thanks for the laughs!

I want to love this show and listen to it! But max CONSTANTLY speaking “mmhm” “yep” “right” under literally everything that Jon says is driving me nuts.

I really look forward to this podcast and understand the style of conversation Max has bc I am working on improving this habit, too. This is not a private conversation- so when John is speaking and Max is peppering John’s statements with soft & not so soft “yeahs” and “rights” it really distracts the listener. Sometimes it sounds like he’s rushing John so Max can have another opportunity to speak again.

Show features extensive navel-gazing from the Democratic Party that manages nonetheless to land none of the blame on itself. They cluck their tongues and tsk tsk tsk and ask "what is to be done about the phone-addicted youth who support Luigi Mangione?"

Max’s shadow voice when Jon speaks is really distracting! Constantly. Please stop.

Love this podcast—the insight is always spot on, and I have a ton of appreciation for these guys. That said, I’d love for Max to cut back on the constant “uh-huh”s when Jon is speaking. It comes across as either not really listening or just waiting for his turn to talk, which can be distracting. Maybe it’s a nervous tic, but either way, embracing a little silence would go a long way. Huge respect for Max, but this habit needs to go.

I’m often very interested in listening to your guests that you focus on in the show notes. Often however, that part of the show doesn’t start until well past the halfway mark. Could you list the time the discussion starts or put in the link to it please? Otherwise I frankly don’t take the time to listen to your show.

This podcast is a great break from the general politics while still exploring media and other topics that affects our daily lives. The interviews are great but they should really be their own episodes or series because you guys have gotten great people and I think these interviews get lost because everyone’s hang ups with the lead in portion which is a more casual discussion (and sometimes less polished political discourse). It’s difficult to convince people to tune into a one and a half hour episode of two separate topics especially if it’s pulling a Harvey dent where it takes itself seriously only half the time😅 I’m obviously here for both but I understand not everyone is

The gaslighting is getting out of hand with these guys. They run constant ads for tech companies and superfluous applications, then scold people for being too reliant on devices and applications for information sources. It’s exhausting having these guys be the “faces” of progressivism.

Don’t call yourself independent media. Your commentary is so mainstream, so banal. TikTok was banned because of Israel lobby due to pro Palestine position being very popular in TikTok and not because of national security. If you call yourself independent have the guts to speak the truth.

These Dems are just showing their true colors more and more. Condescending, know it all, outdated takes. Keep missing the point guys, that’ll win elections in the future!

I’m so over psa and crooked ESPECIALLY concerning healthcare.

While I do not condone violence or the murder in broad daylight perpetrated by Luigi Mangione I was really shocked and honestly disgusted to hear the take on the latest episode. The matter of fact declaration that our justice system often fails and people need to deal with it SCREAMS of privilege. MILLIONS of people are suffering or have died as a result of this broken system. Maybe spend a little time talking about how we could consider these healthcare CEOs murderers in their own right? Very disappointed. As a self proclaimed liberal you have made me very sad and honestly ashamed. Shame on you.

As a self-described “elite” Jon knows all. And us listeners should shut up and let him moan about norms and how out of touch we all are. He refuses to engage with underlying issues that drove the country to vote in a more than likely authoritarian regime, that our institutions failed to dismantle. He refuses to understand how his friends bungled the election by not understanding why people care about underlying issues. He and so many hand wringers rather laugh and admonish the energetic response to events because why there might be a heightened level of catharsis following recent events. The morality is not the question, this moment of voices, across the political spectrum, crying out against a broken system that cannot simply be solved with bandaid wonky half solutions. This is an opportunity that any real political expert should see as a slam-dunk in organizing the public against what’s to come. “Oh but Americans like their health insurance”, yeah we like being insured because so many of us gone without insurance and felt the dread of the unknown lurking around the corner, one that has had financially ruinous, and fatal effects. Jon has not had that experience, and refuses to consider that he may be out of touch and too far in the pocket for corporate interests.

Episodes start with good insights then bog down with adolescent arrogance.

Perhaps class consciousness goes both ways. I’ve been a subscriber of this and other crooked podcasts for a long time, so I was disheartened to hear the condescending scolding in this latest episode. You two have obviously not the rage of helplessness at this broken system. When a giant corporation that you’ve been paying money to for years decides your life is less important than the shareholders’ glee. I consider myself progressive, and assumed my beliefs were in line with you all. Finally I think I understand what it’s like to be talked down to by “the elites,” which you two clearly are. Regrettably I’m canceling my subscription to this and all other crooked media offerings. Please consider doing some soul searching- you won’t reach the audience you’re looking for with this crass lack of empathy and scolding. What do you all really stand for??