# A nation of jerks

An episode of [Explain It to Me](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1042433083), 21 Sep 2025, 30 min.

Audio: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/257/traffic.megaphone.fm/VMP4473849736.mp3?updated=1758314176

Americans seem to be getting ruder. Are our attempts at making ourselves better actually making us worse? This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch and Isabelle Lichtenstein, engineered by Matthew Billy and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Image: Francesco Carta Fotografo/Getty Images. If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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