No narration. Just speech.
"Hello again, and welcome back. We're here with Mike Cozner."
"Hey."
"Now, Mike, I'd like to ask you about your personal life for a bit, if I may."
"By all means."
"You've been seen going out with professional wrestler Jane Rogers. Is that a thing?"
"Yes, we've been officially dating for about 2 months now."
"And we've seen pictures of you two in the gym - here you are laughing together."
"Yeah. That's one of the things we do together."
"You worked out a lot even before you started dating her."
"I did."
"Who's stronger?"
"She is."
"No hesitation on that answer?"
"No. She's stronger."
"Is that a point of stress in the relationship?"
"What do you mean?"
"Because men are generally stronger than women are, and you both work out, does it make you jealous of her for being stronger than you?"
"Uhm... that's a dumber question than you think it is."
"Why's that?"
"Which is not to say anything about you as a person - just that the question isn't well thought out."
"Why is it not well thought out?"
"Well, let me give that question some context."
"Okay."
"I work out casually, as a hobby. It's just something I do for fun. I'm not trying to get big and huge, I'm just keeping myself fit. Jane works out for work. Part of how she makes money is by being strong and in shape. So what you're really asking me is whether I have a problem with my partner being better at something she does professionally than I am doing it as a hobby."
"I suppose so."
"I think if that was a problem, then I wouldn't deserve to be with her. In fact, I'll take it a step further: if you have a legitimate problem with your partner being better than you at something, then either tell them to break up with you, because they deserve better, or get over yourself. I don't care which, but one of those has to happen."
"Don't you think that's a little harsh?"
"If you think your partner being really good at something is a problem, then it's exactly how I feel. You should be encouraging your partner, especially in something they're really good at."
"Even if you also do it but not as well."
"Why would you ever not want to support your partner?"
"If them doing well makes you feel bad about yourself."
"Then that's not a problem with your partner, it's a problem with how you view your relationship."
"You should be making each other feel better, not worse. If your partner does something that makes you feel bad, how is that not a problem?"
"Are we really having this conversation?"
"I think it's a valid question."
"...great..."
"Why would it not be a problem if they do something that makes you feel worse about yourself?"
"If they're standing there insulting you and making you feel bad, then yes, that's a problem. If they're making you feel bad just by being good at something, that's not a problem with them, it's a problem with you. If your ego is so fragile that someone you care about doing well is enough to make you feel bad because it's them and not you, then you probably have no business being in a relationship with anybody until you get that sorted out. Relationships are a two-way street: it's not all about you."
"But it's not all about her, either."
"No, it's not."
"So why should she excel while leaving you behind?"
"Give me a- she's not leaving you behind! She - or he, or whoever - is trying to bring you along, to succeed with you. Being unable to see that is a result of you being selfish and arrogant."
"Are you sure-"
"Yes, I am. And if this is what the rest of this interview is going to be about, then I have better things to do with my time. Like stick my hand into a blender. Actually, let me ask you a question: are you arguing that point because it's what you believe, or because you just want to play foil to my point?"
"I don't have to answer that question."
"That's what I thought. You're a terrible person, and we're never going to talk again. Goodbye."
"Uh... well, that was Mike Cozner, you can catch his new book 'The Curious Boy' on shelves next Tuesday. We'll be back after these messages."
2020-06-22 · Boss Music Intensifies
2020-06-15 · Accept the Unexpected
2020-06-08 · Failing The Test
2020-06-01 · Best Laid Plans
2020-05-25 · The End?
2020-05-18 · The Only Explanation
2020-05-11 · Personal Victory
2020-05-04 · Six Questions
2020-04-27 · It's A Team Effort
2020-04-20 · The More Things Change
2020-04-13 · It's All About Perspective
2020-04-06 · Fake It 'Til You Make It
2020-03-30 · Keeping It Clean
2020-03-23 · How To Save The World
2020-03-16 · Time For A Change
2020-03-09 · Music To My Ears
2020-03-02 · Unfamiliar Territory
2020-02-24 · Something From Nothing
2020-02-17 · The Times Are Changing
2020-02-10 · The Missing Piece
2020-02-03 · Wrong Place, Wrong Time
2020-01-27 · Overexposure
2020-01-20 · As Seen On TV
2020-01-13 · Written By A.I.
2020-01-06 · Promises Kept
2019-12-30 · Ringing It In
2019-12-23 · Happy Unspecified Seasonal Holiday!
2019-12-16 · The Lair
2019-12-09 · Time To Get Cracking
2019-12-02 · Not A Suicide
2019-11-25 · The One That Knows What Number It Is
2019-11-18 · Venting Frustrations
2019-11-11 · The Test Takers
2019-11-04 · Make Your Play
2019-10-28 · Horror With Smart People
2019-10-21 · The Interview
2019-10-14 · It Must Have Happened At Some Point
2019-10-07 · Work The Problem
2019-09-30 · Cogs in the Machine
2019-09-23 · First of One
2019-09-16 · Curse Your Inevitable Betrayal!
2019-09-09 · Be Brief
2019-09-02 · Changing Channels
2019-08-26 · It's A Process
2019-08-19 · Armed And Dangerous
2019-08-12 · Good Intentions
2019-08-05 · A Simple Procedure
2019-07-29 · Finale Feelings
2019-07-22 · Fun And Profit
2019-07-15 · It Builds Character
2019-07-08 · Aviator Safety
2019-06-24 · Something's Been Bugging Me
2019-06-17 · It's All About You
2019-05-27 · Rough Encounters
2019-05-20 · Wishes Three
2019-05-13 · A Gentle Nudge
2019-05-06 · A Simple Misunderstanding?
2019-04-29 · Don't Spoil It
2019-04-22 · Under Scrutiny
2019-04-15 · Prepare To Resist
2019-04-08 · Making Small Talk
2019-04-01 · The Crisis
2019-03-25 · Just Kidding
2019-03-18 · How About That Local Sports Team?
2019-03-11 · Public Engagement
2019-03-04 · The Hero We Need
2019-02-25 · The Negotiation
2019-02-18 · Executive Orders
2019-02-11 · The Talk
2019-02-04 · The Big Game
2019-01-28 · If It's A Girl...
2019-01-21 · The Nature Of Picasso
2019-01-14 · I'm Sorry, Ms. Jackson
2019-01-07 · Never Saw It Coming
2018-12-31 · Duelling ...Holidays?
2018-12-24 · Too Much Cheer
2018-12-17 · Taking Out The Trash
2018-12-10 · Let's Go To The Movies
2018-12-03 · Not For Donuts
2018-11-26 · Horizons Made Broad
2018-11-19 · It's The Journey That Matters
2018-11-12 · Anthing You Can Do...
2018-11-05 · Let's Call It "Laundry"
2018-10-29 · Unfriended
2018-10-22 · A Conversation About "Tacos"
2018-10-15 · Changes
2018-10-08 · An Adult-Sized Secret
2018-10-01 · Street War
2018-09-24 · Whither Whether Why
2018-09-17 · The Pitch
2018-09-10 · The One That's Meta
2018-09-03 · A Night At The Movies
2018-08-27 · We're Vampires
2018-08-20 · The Final Showdown
2018-08-13 · The End Of The World
2018-08-06 · A More Rational Kind Of Love
2018-07-30 · Death Troubles
2018-07-23 · True Love
2018-07-18 · At Least It's Not Des Moines