Topic: The New Normal

The hosts discuss "The Great Reset," a concept promoted by the World Economic Forum and featured on the cover of Time Magazine as a post-COVID-19 global strategy. They highlight corporate involvement, noting that UPS has published articles regarding the "legacy" of the pandemic and the potential for societal transformation. A supercut of media figures using the phrase "the new normal" is played to illustrate the coordinated messaging.

Producer James Pan of Brambleton, Virginia, contributes $106 after leaving a lucrative federal consulting job to seek more ethical employment. The hosts discuss the TV show "The New Normal" and its cultural messaging. Pan's donation represents a "dollar per episode" for the time he spent underemployed while transitioning careers.

The NBC sitcom "The New Normal" features Ellen Barkin as a bigoted grandmother reacting to a gay couple using her granddaughter as a surrogate. While the show relies on heavy stereotyping of homosexual relationships, it attempts to use Archie Bunker-style humor to address social dynamics. Critics note the production's reliance on exaggerated tropes common in network television comedies.

NBC is premiering a new sitcom titled "The New Normal," created by the producers of Glee. The show is criticized for pushing specific social memes regarding non-traditional family structures and surrogacy. The program's marketing uses the phrase "different is the new normal" to frame its narrative on modern cultural shifts.

New York Times columnist David Brooks is identified as a promoter of the "New Normal" meme. His writing focuses on the necessity of long-term deficit cutting and the "austerity principle," which the hosts have previously predicted would be used to manage public expectations during economic decline.