The Labyrinth

Mar 25 2025 27 ep. 30 mins 327

The Labyrinth Podcast artwork

exploring the simulated enigma

brendenslabyrinth.substack.com

Society & Culture

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Red Scare: Aesthetics, Nihilism, and Vibes Over Values

Mar 25 2025 52 mins

So this started with a Substack note that semi-blew up, and it pushed me to expand on something I’ve been thinking about for a while: rebellion, aesthetics, and how edginess functions as a kind of political currency (or all of those combined do). I talk about Red Scare. But this isn’t just about them. It’s about the death of irony, the collapse of aesthetics into ideology, an

The Resignation

Jan 08 2025 22 mins

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit brendenslabyrinth.substack.comThe jumping off point for this episode:Society, at its core, thrives on a delicate balance between conformity and controlled deviation. The deviation is the accepted level of neurosis where society will not call you psychotic. It requires people to give themselves to authority at some level

The Reckoning for Sam Harris and Liberals

Nov 20 2024 52 mins

I listened to Sam Harris’s episode “The Reckoning”….I have som thoughts…Here’s the key point I want to illustrate in this episode (which ties into our current political and cultural chaos):We need to understand how the internet has become a wasteland of endless information. Finding anything resembling “real” or stable truth online is nearly impossible, and I believe

Election 2024 as Political Theater: Are We Voting or Just Consuming? | Jubilee, Joe Rogan, and the Spectacle

Nov 05 2024 41 mins

In this episode, I dive into the intersection of politics and identity, exploring how the election—and the discourse around it—has morphed into a hyper-stylized spectacle. I felt the need to talk about the election in my way….I’ve got to stay on brand, right!?Anyway our increasingly online world has transformed political engagement into a product, something we consume for e

I’m Not Your Daddy, But I’ll Be Your Chaos Guide

Oct 28 2024 63 mins

Welcome to Unformulated. A subsection of my audio/visual content…where I can ramble through what I’m researching, poke at uncomfortable ideas, and maybe even say something worthwhile. This will be my chaotic sandbox. It’s my experiment in real-time thinking, a space where I can let my mind wander without obsessing over making every idea neat and polished. We will destroy the

Consumed by Consumption: The Self-Help Industry & The Erosion of Self

Oct 15 2024 20 mins

I’ve been working on an essay that uses the recent Jay Shetty controversy as a lens to explore deeper themes around individuality and how capitalism shapes our sense of self. The controversy isn’t surprising in a system designed to commodify every aspect of our lives. I argue that the more individualized we become, the more society pushes us to deconstruct ourselves in pursuit

End of History...Rebooted Reality...Meme Activism

Sep 19 2024 45 mins

In this one I dive deep into the peculiar tension that Gen Z and younger millennials are feeling around today's cultural and political landscape. But it’s not just about politics or the rise of certain obvious and overdone characters like….Trump. It’s about something more pervasive, something beyond current discourse. Imagine being caught in a strange subliminal space…where

The "Hegelian E-Girl Council" and Digital Dialectics

Sep 04 2024 54 mins

In this one…I get into the chaotic, absurd world of the "Hegelian E-Girl Council" drama—a bizarre saga that epitomizes the kind of online cultural labyrinth I'm all about. The brief hook: Twitter is swarming with communities that ride the fine line between genius, madness, and stupidity and this council is the latest example that has emerged and garnered some attention. It's no

The Conservative Boogeyman: Kevin Roberts

Aug 01 2024 40 mins

"Oh no…a politics episode."Yes, yes, I hear your collective groan. Politics, ugh, right? Same due. But I've got a bone to pick with the Heritage Foundation's President Kevin Roberts and his Project 2025. I kind of used to work for the guy. We kind of used to debate each other on some stuff. I kind of pretended to be an anarchist Catholic (it was a fun bit) while engaging with him

Podcast Daddy

Apr 28 2024 21 mins

Intro of what this episode is about…So, there's this trend in the influencer and guru world of trying to make God cool again. You've got your Petersons, your Hubermans, your Rogans, all preaching their own brand of spirituality, self-improvement, and self-optimization. And I've noticed this trend where they’ve moved more towards this acceptance of God or more open to a Jesus li