Is Culture Stuck? (From Decoder Ring)
Published on Aug 11, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:53:29
Published on Aug 11, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:53:29
Today we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Decoder Ring, a podcast that explores cultural mysteries.
In this episode, host Willa Paskin digs into one of Sam’s biggest critiques about culture right now. There is more of it than ever before, it’s more accessible than ever, but so little of it feels original. New movies are based on old stories, new songs are recycling old hooks, and fashion trends are cycling so fast that everything’s in. Has our culture grown stagnant?
Author and culture critic W. David Marx thinks so. His book, Blank Space, argues that there is a “blank space” in the 21st century where cultural innovation should be. David explains to Willa how culture change worked in the 20th century, what changed after the turn of the millennium, and what we might do about it.
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.