E385. The Death of Shame and the Collapse of Culture | Elnathan John - Walk-Ins Welcome

E385. The Death of Shame and the Collapse of Culture | Elnathan John - Walk-Ins Welcome

From Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy by Conversations with people from all walks of life.

April 9, 2026 · 1h 51m

About this episode

Bridget Phetasy discusses the decline of shame in culture with Nigerian satirist Elnathan John.

Bridget Phetasy sits down with Elnathan John, Nigerian satirist and author of Becoming Nigerian, for a wide-ranging conversation about what happens when an entire culture loses the ability to feel shame. Elnathan argues that the effectiveness of satire is directly proportional to a society's capacity for shame—and right now, that capacity is bottoming out everywhere from Lagos to Washington. In this episode, they discuss: • The comedian's complex relationship to power • Why decla...

People in this episode

Host: Bridget Phetasy

Guest: Elnathan John

Topics covered

  • shame
  • satire
  • culture
  • society
  • power
  • comedy

Keywords

  • shame
  • satire
  • culture
  • Elnathan John
  • Becoming Nigerian
  • Lagos
  • Washington

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Becoming Nigerian

Places: Lagos, Washington

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