Pop Trends Price Culture

Jane Jacobs saw a solution when nobody else even saw a problem. The problem she saw was, planners and architects and master builders of her day held fatally flawed assumptions about human behavior -- that the way people in cities live is perfectly rational and efficient and chaos-free. And that is why their urban renewal projects were destructive. Their model was all wrong. Does this sound familiar? It should for anyone who took economics 101...

One of the greatest and most influential "David vs. Goliath" stories in 20th century America is all but unknown these days. An obscure, apparently ill-equipped female went up against the man who may be history's most prolific developer. This is episode one of a two-episode story about their decade-long battle.

We are watching the past become the present right before our eyes. It may not LOOK that way, but make no mistake: It's happening. Pop Trends, Price Culture shows three ways Donald Trump is upholding presidential tradition, abnormally.

What was the most successful medical program in human history? Here's a hint: It began with a counterintuitive, non-linear solution. Yet, social mood at present suggests that counterintuitive thinking is short supply, in helping to solve a current, huge health crisis.

This past week in the news has been like 40 gallons of crazy compressed into a 20-gallon tank. It's too much to keep up with. It's like you want to slap the next person who says "I've never seen this before," except … you keep hearing yourself say that. Consider the role of social mood, and the idea that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

The public loves portrayals of vigilante justice. Memorable vigilantes are sometimes a ‘good guy,’ other times they are … something else. Why? Where did those characters come from? Are there ever ‘good guy’ vigilantes in the real world? These great questions get great answers in this episode of Pop Trends, Prices Culture.

It's easy to ignore information that contradicts what you think you know. Yet it's hard later on to find out that the information was right -- and that you were mistaken. We've all been there, and most of us try to learn from our mistakes. But: you can't say that you're "learning from a mistake" if you have information you know is correct and choose to ignore it…

In February 2004, Robert Folsom wrote a column that was published by a major news site. Yes that was 13 years ago, but, in recent months, the subject of that column has become more relevant than ever. For this episode of Pop Trends, Price Culture, Folsom reads that old column, word for word, exactly as published in 2004. It still speaks for itself.

Some Presidential scandals change history. Others are minor & don't involve the White House directly. But whether large or small, when the scandal s**t hits the fan, the president ends up 'wearing it' in some way. The real question is: "How much political and/or personal damage does it do to the president?"

Immigration policy has been an epic contradiction all thru U.S. history. America is “a nation of immigrants,” yet major political trends in American frequently include outbursts of anti-immigration sentiment. Pop Trends, Price Culture offers a way to un-puzzle this issue – including recent-cases-in-point – via the clarity that comes with understanding social mood.

The Socionomic Theory of Finance presents the years-long work of Robert Prechter. Yet the book also includes 21 essays on socionomics from 12 other scholars, writers, researchers and analysts. That's exactly how a far-reaching new theory of finance should develop.

This episode of Pop Trends, Price Culture is part two of our January 27 "3 Microphones" discussion, with T.R., Alan Hall, and Robert Folsom.

In our first ever 3-microphone episode, Alan Hall, Senior Analyst for The Socionomist, joins Robert Folsom and T.R. for an open discussion of social mood, politics, and the "peaceful" transfer of power in Washington D.C.

We're in uncharted territory. Donald Trump has defied political history at every turn. But, does history become irrelevant just because you're in uncharted territory? Water is still wet in uncharted territory, and if you cut yourself you'll probably still bleed. A real honeymoon means a happy couple -- and Donald Trump hasn't done much to make his bride -- namely the public -- happy. She's being dragged along kicking and screaming...

Lots of critics say television has been in a second "Golden Era." But truth be told, the phrase 'Dark Golden Era' describes it better -- because the best shows in the past 15 years have indeed been a deep shade of "dark gold."  Listen in and hear Robert Folsom's four top nominees for the best and most conspicuously negative shows since 1999 (yes, including Game of Thrones). 

The 'Rural Purge' of the 1970-1971 season changed television forever -- it was fast, dramatic and revolutionary, yet it's all but unknown today. This historic transformation reveals an influence more powerful than historians and sociologists can ever discern.

It had been a bear market for a lot of years. The headlines were a parade of scary bad news. People were so polarized that fan groups began to hate on each another's music -- hostility so strong that it became its own trend. Then, an episode of this negative mood literally exploded its way into America's National Pastime: Namely, in the outfield between games of a double header.

Political language is front & center today, more so than at any time in decades. News or fake news, plus liars, lies, damned lies and statistics, have blurred the line between fact, opinion, and shameless BS. This episode excerpts an essay that could not be more relevant. It's from a time when social mood was recognizably similar to our own: Polarization ran deep, all disagreements were politicized, fear of "The Other" ran rampant. People felt threatened by certain ideologies. Listen for yourself to just how familiar it sounds...

RCA had an unrivaled influence on 20th century entertainment technologies -- it was the path to stardom for dozens of performers in both the Golden Age of Radio and Television. Yet, RCA share price never truly caught up to 1929. What's the lesson? Listen in to Pop Trends, Price Culture discover why.

Earlier this week, we went to Google News and searched for "Trump market rally." Listen in and hear about a few of the headlines that popped up -- plus, how those headlines contrast with headlines from 8 years ago. That and more in the latest episode of Pop Trends, Price Culture.