I like Helen Lewis. I learned of her from her cameo appearances and on Blocked & Reported. Helen seems super smart and clued in to what’s going on. However, I feel her dismissal of the “piss guru”’s issue with vaccines was a tad swaggering. This is purely anecdotal, but I personally know FIVE people who have suffered serious side effects from the Covid vaccine. One particular example is my niece, who previously suffered from a debilitating auto immune disease. Currently, her doctor is wondering if the Covid vaccine exacerbated her symptoms. This is real life! I just mean to say—Helen, you’re not a doctor. You’re not a person anguished with an auto immune disease. The “science” hasn’t been sorted out yet. You’re boasting World Heath Org figures with a high-handed dip.

Been looking for this podcast forever, so glad I finally found a podcast discussing the insanity happening in the world right now. Open minded, inquisitive, deep, shocking. If you couldn’t get enough of The Dream, you’ll eat this up like a white dude on his own ego… or pee 👍💫💯

Of all the interesting people she could’ve profiled, it’s absolutely gross that at least two of the people she choose were dead (one to suicide) so unable to defend themselves.

I found this program topic really intriguing and timely. Helen Lewis generally does a good job presenting and conducting interviews, however I did feel this show lacked a certain depth I felt left wanting. Whether it’s due to the organization of topics, breakdowns in production or my own interpretation I’m not totally sure, but I felt the show was missing something that connected all the concepts of gurudom together that felt convincing. The show opens with Steve Jobs’ connection to the autobiography of Yogananda and we’re taken through Steve’s history with eastern mysticism, which I guess is what dovetails into the tech world’s adoption of gurus as such and what has made them commonplace in digital spaces as well as the tech space today. This connection seemed tenuous to me, or at the very least not entirely fleshed out and connected entirely. I would have loved more explanation for why or how 1960’s countercultural interest in eastern mysticism found its way into the computer technology industry and, thereby, boot-loaded into the online world. Throughout the course of the show I returned to the question of what a guru is and what makes them either beneficial or not. Lewis does mention India’s approach to choosing between good and bad gurus, but I felt the introduction could have been bolstered by a bit more context as to what gurus are and do for a culture traditionally before making the leap straight into how they’ve proliferated online for good and ill. But mostly ill. The show explores many avenues of where online gurus have found fertile ground for exploitation new and old, and it is notable how many people have transitioned from traditional careers into that guru space… but (and maybe for my own desire) I would’ve appreciated a bit more time devoted to what actually constitutes a person’s being a guru as opposed to simply being a podcaster or personality. Maybe part of my confusion was down to the sound design of the show, as we hear exemplary clips from all manner of podcasts and YouTube channels such as the Joe Rogan Experience, the Lex Fridman podcast, Making Sense with Sam Harris, Tim Ferris, Russell Brand, etc. Some of these comparisons make sense enough, but I found it more of a stretch to conflate Lex Fridman or even Joe Rogan with gurus and wondered if we were meant to understand most podcasting and long-form recorded conversation as guru-like behavior. The show notes for the final epilogue-esque episode suggest that the characters of original interest for the show were Sam Harris, Joe Rogan and Russell Brand. This I think contributed to my confusion as these three personalities seem very different from one another, both in professional background as well as the focus of their content. Russell Brand’s association I understand out of hand. Even Sam Harris’ status as a guru seems somewhat ballpark, but it’s like saying a yoga instructor or university lecturer is your guru; not necessarily wrong but somewhat awkward (and in the context of the groundwork for this show, not very well established in my opinion up to this point.) However, I find likening Joe Rogan to a guru a bit of a stretch. The designation starts to sound broadly applicable. Does that make Helen Lewis my guru through this podcasting journey? The epilogue episode also has a somewhat unexpected conclusion that I found surprising, given that until the end it’s only briefly hinted at… that underneath this guru phenomena lies toxic masculinity at the core. Or at least some form of male inadequacy. This alone could probably fill an entire podcast series, but offered as what seemed a bit of an ad-hoc post-mortem on online gurudom came as something of a let-down. It’s analyzed in the various ways Brazilian Jujitsu attracts the aforementioned podcasting personalities as well as how machismo and rape culture seem to be on the rise, but I found this a somewhat dissatisfying and slightly superficial conclusion to the series. This might’ve been helped by more focus on the human condition rather than just the male condition alone. What makes people seek out advice and consultation from people they don’t know personally or only feel they do from their content? And what is it about charisma that lends authority to that content? Does the loss of faith in institutions explain this deep need to seek meaning and purpose for people? There might’ve been elements I’ve missed, and given the time I might take another run through this podcast series and see what a second listen reveals. Genuinely, this is a very interesting subject and I really enjoyed this look into how social influence pedaling is evolving online. I just felt a little muddy about the show’s definitions and with its conclusion which I think either merits another go through the program or even more productions covering the subject.

This is very informative. Helen is a great host.

Wow, the podcaster was really dismissive, and snarky, uninformed and rude on this subject. Thanks for illustrating the problem so clearly I guess? Totally turned me off the podcast all together.

I was hooked from the beginning. It really is thought provoking.

“The New Gurus” points a spotlight at a variety of online grifters, but never addresses the decline of institutions (such as the B.B.C.) that has given these gurus/grifters their opportunity, leaving the impression that we ought to trust those institutions unquestioningly. Sit back, dear citizen, beware online grifters, & trust every word from “The Atlantic” & the B.B.C., Whitehall & the (Biden) White House.

I’m curious and will keep listening. But immediately lost whatever enthusiasm I’d generated during the first episode when the narrator dismissed Brand’s criticism of the vaccines. I mean, I get it, we’re not “there” yet in our society, to properly, soberly look at vaccines…. but to categorically dismiss someone’s concern over rushed and roundly-heralded-by-the-elite medications is straight up careless, especially for someone who calls themselves a journalist.

This series was so insightful and skillfully crafted! Helen’s closing remarks tying everything together at the end were especially impactful. Thank you!

Is it an English thing? Why would any podcast have a 7 minute introduction?

With all the toxic wellness influencers and self proclaimed ‘gurus’ out there, the dude who drinks his own urine is NOT one of them. His podcast is not well known and he has 1200 social media followers. There’s nothing wrong with that - but he’s not an ‘influencer’ or a ‘guru.’ There are SO MANY biohacking bros with massive podcast platforms who are sharing their ‘protocols’ and extreme opinions with millions of followers. It seemed like this podcast was looking for someone to feature who SOUNDED extreme and shocking…but he’s actually a pretty harmless individual…especially compared to several of the people he interviewed. (*Also just for the record, drinking your own urine is a traditional Hatha yoga practice called ‘amaroli.’)

Well done!

Fascinating phenomenon, captivating narrative - presented by a transphobic journalist

Well produced and a good distillation of the current guru trends. Decoding the Gurus is another solid podcast in this space.

I’ve loved every episode so far! Please keep them coming!!

…ooh, wait, look here don’t look there…wait, I’ve got the answer…ooh wait, “Only I can fix it!”…no, no—look at her, she does Pilates and cures cancer…oh no, check him out…he drinks his urine (but not yours) and even gets a bit of sperm to enhance his inner man…ughhh. Can anyone spell: C H A R L A T A N? This podcast has my head spinning from all these self-described gurus—all of whom have the answer before YOU have the question!! Great podcast, well researched and produced! Love it! Signed, Ima Kult!! LOL!

More!

This podcast is excellent. Helen does a great job of presenting a lot of information in a compelling way that makes me feel both smarter and entertained at the end of every episode. I really appreciate the critical thinking she brings to the guru space, and her candor about her own evolution with the people she has admired and followed in the past. The content is great, and the sound design, the pace, her speaking voice — it’s all *chef’s kiss*. Highly recommend for anyone into (and not into!) self help.

Helen Lewis is really fun to listen to and after that viral interview with Jordan Peterson, I’d say she’s just the right person to take on the topic. I’ve really been enjoying it so far!

This show talks about a number of different guru archetypes from wellness coaches to cryptocurrency advocates to pickup artists to intellectual dark web podcasters and more. In fact, just about everybody covered in the show has a podcast. One of the theses of the show is that podcasts along with social media and the Internet in general have made possible the current explosion in guru figures. The show is well written, always interesting, and concise! Not that there’s anything wrong with long podcasts, but there’s something to be said for planning ahead before hitting the record button.

This podcast explains everything. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but Helen Lewis does an excellent job of unpacking why Western Civilization is plagued by ignorance.

Well-produced and well-reported, with a bit of wry humor in the writing. I’m not online enough to know anything about this topic, so it feels like going to the zoo to see tigers and manta rays.

As a former fan of several IDW personalities such as Jordan Peterson and James Lindsay, this show is a must listen. Helen takes the listener through a cacophony of sham gurus and fake intellectuals that only seek to build their own fanbase through division. Can’t wait to see where this show goes!

I’m tired of reporters lumping together people who oppose childhood vaccination with those hesitant to take the brand-new MRNA vaccines. Check back with me in 15 years- till then they shouldn’t be lumped together, as the long term side effects cannot possibly be known.

Such an interesting premise. Made me really think how us humans are predisposed to needing some type of guru. Helen, you’re right, we’ve substituted religion for online gurus.