We’ve All Heard It Before

Michael Fragomeni and Peter Woods are two linguists trying to make sense of the current political situation.

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Episodes

4 hours ago

In this episode, Mike and Peter discuss how we use language to project onto others. They cite Alexander Hamilton's hijacking of the word Federal, as well as other political nomenclatures, ultimately bringing it all back to an orange colored man. 
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

7 days ago

In this third and final of three episodes, Mike and Peter first point out the absurd in Scott Bessent's answers (or lack thereof) during the senate's recent oversight hearing, then they expose the absurdity in Trump's "meltdown" interview with Kristen Welker.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Friday Jun 12, 2026

In this second of three episodes, Mike and Peter reference Kafka, Hoffmann, and the madness of war to draw parallels with the mainstream media, Trump, and Marco Rubio; how it all blurs into the absurd.
The brief audio clips from The Bridge On The River Kwai are strictly being used for educational purposes only!
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Tuesday Jun 09, 2026

In this first of three episodes, Mike and Peter lay the foundation for the following discourse by offering definitions and examples of the absurd. 
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

The Weaponization Of Language

Thursday Jun 04, 2026

Thursday Jun 04, 2026

In this episode, Mike and Peter return to a more linguistics based analysis and zoom in on the weaponization of language - how it's used to convince and inspire, but also manipulate and deceive.
The brief audio clip from Darkest Hour is strictly being used for educational purposes only!
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Tariffs and Announcements

Monday Jun 01, 2026

Monday Jun 01, 2026

In this episode, Mike and Peter make a couple announcements and answer a question they received regarding the previous episode.
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

What Is Fascism Anyway? Pt.2

Monday May 18, 2026

Monday May 18, 2026

In this part 2 episode, Mike and Peter discuss fascism as an economic system and how it compares to laissez-faire (free market) capitalism and socialism.  
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

What Is Fascism Anyway?

Monday May 11, 2026

Monday May 11, 2026

In this debut episode of season 2, Mike and Peter discuss the socio-political meaning of fascism and how it can be applied to MAGA and Trump. This is a two-part episode with part two investigating the economic aspect of fascism.  
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Thursday Jan 22, 2026

In this (Non-Political) bonus episode, Mike and Peter discuss the pronunciation of German loanwords into English. When is it appropriate to hyper-articulate the German sound system and when is it just too much? When is the English pronunciation more appropriate? And at what point is a lazy English pronunciation just butchering the word, leading to a lack of comprehension?   
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Wednesday Nov 05, 2025

In this second part of a two part episode, Mike and Peter discuss Aristotle's Politics in the context of the "No Kings" (peaceful) protests, and the reality that MAGA would actually be okay with a King.  
Michael Fragomeni earned his Bachelor of Arts in History (Magna Cum Laude) and his PhD in Germanic Linguistics both from UC Berkeley.
Peter Woods earned his BA in international affairs of Russia and Eastern Europe from George Washington University and his MA and PhD in Germanic linguistics from UC Berkeley

Michael Fragomeni

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