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PODCAST

Silent Generation

Silent Generation

Silent Generation is a Chicago-based cultural analysis podcast that surveys the cultural consequences of car-oriented development in the mid-20th century. It explores what was lost between the Silent Generation and Generation Z. Topics discussed include aesthetics, fashion, history, and urbanism.Find us on Instagram: silent.generation

society & culture

All Episodes

69:33

Ep. 86: Finance Bros

Silent Generation ·

2025/09/25

In 2017 a new uniform emerged for men employed by the financial industry: fleece/ puffer vests, dress shirts, slacks, and dress shoes. The unadorned look was first documented by the Instagram account Midtownuniform, and it became the signature outfit of “finance bros.” Finance bros are the latest “corporate subculture” to come out of Wall Street, but they are far less fashionable than previous corporate subcultures like Yuppies. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin

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10:25

Ep. 85: Father Figures [TEASER]

Silent Generation ·

2025/09/16

Full episode available on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan talk about father figures in their personal lives and in society more broadly. The episode opens with a discussion of familiar archetypes such as coaches, scout leaders, teachers, and bosses. The boys also note that children sometimes latch onto “parasocial father figures” like Mr. Rogers and Hank Hill in the absence of real-life ones. They then share

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66:55

Ep. 84: Rest Stops w/ Madeline Rupard

Silent Generation ·

2025/09/03

Nothing expresses the aesthetics of infrastructure as clearly as American rest stops. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Nathan is joined by artist and professor Madeline Rupard, whose paintings “consider the American landscape” and frequently depict rest stops. They begin by defining what constitutes rest stops (fast food chains, gas stations, motels, and plentiful car-oriented infrastructure) before surveying their aesthetics. Amongst other things they discuss how the history of rest

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01:21:58

Ep. 83: Infrastructure Aesthetics

Silent Generation ·

2025/08/27

The aesthetics of infrastructure are often treated as an expensive afterthought, noticed and appreciated only by artists. But can it even be beautiful to begin with? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by discussing the four primary ways that infrastructure achieves beauty: engineering and design, paint, public art, and disguise (as is the case with stealth towers). Amongst other things they discuss how it is cringe when infrastructure is made to look like public

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30:34

Ep. 82: Disney Adults w/ Tiffany Wright [EXTENDED...

Silent Generation ·

2025/08/20

Full episode available on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration This week’s episode attempts to address how and why many American cultural practices and institutions have been replaced by those of Disney adults. Nathan is joined by his friend Tiffany Wright, a Disney theme park aficionado with a deep knowledge of the community, to discuss the topic. They begin by defining “Disney adult” and note their psychological motivations. They then survey several Disney resorts (Disneyland, Disney

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01:12:45

Ep. 81: Men's Fragrances

Silent Generation ·

2025/08/13

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan discuss all things men’s fragrances. They begin by weighing the reasons men typically wear fragrances (“sex sells,” general presentation) versus why they might not (fragrance sensitivity, “men should smell like men”). They then review several fragrances: Dior Sauvage, Bleu de Chanel, Paco Rabanne Phantom, 4711 Original Eau de Cologne, Greenbriar by Caswell Massey, Maii Bogue, Weekend for Men by Burberry, and Knize Ten. They round out the

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01:06:07

Ep. 80: Gorpcore

Silent Generation ·

2025/08/05

Gorpcore is a hiking-inspired aesthetic that was first identified in a 2017 article published in The Cut. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph begins by interviewing Nathan about his gorpcore-esque wardrobe. The boys then detail the various elements of the aesthetic (outerwear, technical fabrics, face concealment, and high definition landscapes) before introducing a vintage sub-aesthetic they call “lindy gorpcore.” Towards the later half of the episode they discuss Death Stranding 1

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05:16

Ep. 79: Bohemianism [TEASER]

Silent Generation ·

2025/07/30

This is the third and final installment of Silent Generation’s three part series on Bohemianism. In this week’s episode, Joseph and Nathan finally address the most popular definition of “bohemian”: the trope of the impoverished artist living on the fringes of society. They detail how the combined impacts of the French and Industrial Revolutions caused bohemians to first emerge in Paris during the 1830s, and how the cultural figure was defined and popularized by Henri Murger’s Scenes of Bohemian Life

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58:36

Ep. 78: Krakow & Prague

Silent Generation ·

2025/07/16

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph interviews Nathan about his recent trip to Poland and the Czech Republic. He recaps his travels to Gdansk, Warsaw, Krakow, and Prague. Amongst other things he discusses how Gdansk was once a city-state known as the Free City of Danzig, how Warsaw’s Museum of Communism is above a KFC, how one of Krakow’s largest tourist attractions is a salt mine in the town of Wieliczka, and how Prague is home to the largest European castle still in use. This is

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01:03:11

Ep. 77: Manouche Jazz w/ Significant Lovers

Silent Generation ·

2025/07/03

Manouche jazz is a musical genre (or musical idiom) pioneered by Django Reinhardt, a French-Romani jazz guitarist and composer who lived from 1910 to 1953. He developed manouche jazz in collaboration with Stéphane Grappelli after being inspired by American jazz musicians, and the genre is notable for its percussive guitars, virtuosic lead guitarists, and reliance on acoustic instruments. Joseph and Nathan are joined by Kelly from the Significant Lovers podcast to discuss the genre. This is the

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30:58

Ep. 76: Malls [EXTENDED TEASER]

Silent Generation ·

2025/06/24

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan discuss one of the biggest culprits of car-oriented development in the mid-20th century: malls. The boys begin by surveying several malls in Chicago (900 N. Michigan, The Water Tower Place, Block 37, and Ford City Mall) before delving into the largest malls in the country (Mall of America, American Dream Mall, and King of Prussia Mall). They then discuss a

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01:16:25

Ep. 75: Beachwear

Silent Generation ·

2025/06/17

On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan detail all of the garments men wear to the beach and the various ways they make men look attractive. They begin with beachwear bottoms (speedos, jammers, box leg trunks, swim trunks, boardshorts), before discussing tops (tank tops, Hawaiian shirts, button downs, Italian knits), and accessories (straw hats, sandals, dive watches). Afterward, the boys examine how the version of preppy style common in coastal Southern states naturally

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05:10

Ep. 74: Gayborhoods [PREVIEW]

Silent Generation ·

2025/06/09

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration “Gayborhoods” (also known as gay villages) are gay neighborhoods that emerged in the United States at the end of World War II. Returning soldiers were sent home to port cities like New York City and San Francisco, and the sudden influx of gay veterans in those places caused a profusion of gay bars to appear. But how did clusters of LGBT nightlife venues come to gain official recognition as neighborhoods? On this week’s

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53:49

Ep. 73: Normcore w/ Solana

Silent Generation ·

2025/05/28

Normcore is a “a post-authenticity coolness that opts into sameness.” The term was first coined by the trend forecasting group K-HOLE in their 2013 report Youth Mode: A Report on Freedom, which was a larger philosophical deliberation on the degree to which people should remain alternative into adulthood. This week’s episode of Silent Generation focuses on how the fashion world’s misclassification of normcore as an aesthetic caused internet aesthetics to become less subculture-oriented after the

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01:07:02

Ep. 72: Utopian Scholastic

Silent Generation ·

2025/05/20

Utopian Scholastic is an aesthetic that was popular in the education field from the late 1980s to early 2000s. It consists of stock image collage, early CGI, references to academia, references to surrealism, and serifed fonts. On this week’s episode, Joseph and Nathan go into a deep dive of Utopian Scholastic and begin by discussing how the aesthetic was first identified by someone inspired by the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute. They then theorize how factors like the echo boom, utopian

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05:12

Ep. 71: IKEA [TEASER]

Silent Generation ·

2025/05/14

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration On this week’s episode of Silent Generation the boys discuss what makes IKEA one of Joseph’s favorite companies. They begin by briefly summarizing how IKEA was founded by Swedish entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 before detailing the various innovations that made it successful (the showroom model, flat packing, and self-assembly). They then talk about how IKEA acts as a point of cross-cultural exchange between Sweden

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01:10:21

Ep. 70: Scene Kids

Silent Generation ·

2025/05/07

Scene is a youth subculture that evolved from emo in the mid to late 2000s. Members of the subculture were typically referred to as “scene kids”, but scene kids with large online followings were also referred to as “scene queens” or “scene kings.” On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by sharing their theory that scene spread in a diffuse manner throughout exurbia (particularly in the Sun Belt) due to early social media sites like Myspace. They then detail the elements

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01:39:15

Ep. 69: Vernacular Architecture w/ Brick of Chicago

Silent Generation ·

2025/04/30

Vernacular architecture is architecture that uses local materials and traditional techniques to construct buildings without the guidance of licensed architects. It is surprisingly common in the United States despite the country's young age, including in cities like Chicago. This week the boys are joined by Will Quam, the founder of walking tour company Brick of Chicago, to discuss Chicago's rich vernacular traditions and building types. Amongst other things they discuss how the Great Chicago Fire

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30:07

Ep. 68: Historical Dressing & Reenactment [EXTENDED...

Silent Generation ·

2025/04/24

Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGenerationHistorical dressing refers to the act of wearing clothing that is authentic to a specific time period, while historical reenactment refers to the act of recreating past events (such as battles). These two overlapping activities and communities have much in common but are rarely analyzed together. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by considering the psychological motivations behind

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01:30:35

Ep. 67: The World’s Fair

Silent Generation ·

2025/04/15

World’s fairs, now called World Expos, are large global expositions that exhibit the achievements of nations. They originally focused on industry and technology before shifting to a focus on cultural exchange and nation branding in the mid-20th century. On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, the boys go into a deep dive of several notable world’s fairs including the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St

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