Etiquette, manners, and beyond! This week, Nick and Leah are enjoying a well-deserved break, but they'll be back next week with an all-new episode. In the meantime, here's one of their favorite episodes from the archives in which they tackle giving red envelopes in China, reseating people in metaphorical theaters, cancelling on friends, and much more. Please follow us! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)
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EPISODE CONTENTS

AMUSE-BOUCHE: Red Envelopes - (Hóngbāo - 紅包)

A QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE: The theatre metaphor

QUESTIONS FROM THE WILDERNESS: Was it rude for friends to cancel on us and then go and host a party of their own on the same night? What do I do about people who keep giving me clothing donations for a charity I no longer volunteer for?

VENT OR REPENT: An uncomfortable car ride, A dinner nobody wanted

CORDIALS OF KINDNESS: Thanks to the parents, A happy baby

THINGS MENTIONED DURING THE SHOW
One possible red envelope origin story

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO...

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CREDITS
Hosts: Nick Leighton & Leah Bonnema
Producer & Editor: Nick Leighton
Theme Music: Rob Paravonian

TRANSCRIPT
Episode 124
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Holiday Break: Giving Red Envelopes, Reseating in Theaters, Cancelling on Friends, and More

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Editors’ Notes: “I want to give everybody the tools to solve their own etiquette problems,” says Nick Leighton, cohost and producer of Were You Raised by Wolves?, a weekly podcast in which he and cohost Leah Bonnema look into the many sticky social situations we all face. “With each of the questions that we get, from the bonkers to the ordinary, I always try to take a step back and ask, ‘What are the bigger principles here?’ I'm always looking for topics that help us make a larger point.” In each episode, Leighton, a two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, and Bonnema, a comic/writer, share practical advice on how to navigate a wide range of situations, from the serious to the whimsical—whether they tackle interrupting excessive talkers, establishing healthy boundaries with coworkers, or the proper way to eat Cheetos.

When they developed the show in 2019, Leighton and Bonnema had one goal in mind: to have empathy for other people. Their informal conversations tackle a mix of personal topics, viewer questions, and the occasional historical fact with warmth and positivity and humor. Leighton views this approach as an antidote to a lot of the negativity he sees in the online world, while Bonnema thinks the show’s premise is a natural fit for her situational style of comedy. “A lot of my comedy is about events where I’m like, ‘What just happened here?’ or where I embarrass myself,” she says. “And, ironically, all of these fall under the guise of etiquette, where you either feel aggrieved or you feel like you committed some sort of social crime. I just loved the topic.”

Leighton and Bonnema credit the show’s ongoing success to their work ethic. They haven’t missed a single week since they launched the show, which recently hit a new milestone: 100 episodes. But what they value the most, above all else, is how they've built a community of listeners from all backgrounds. “We have conservative grandmothers in Tallahassee to nonbinary chefs in Seattle and everybody in between,” he says. “Because who among us has not experienced an etiquette crime? This is universal.”

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Etiquette, manners, and beyond! Join Emmy® Award-winning journalist Nick Leighton and acclaimed comedian Leah Bonnema ("Late Show with Stephen Colbert"), the perfect odd couple, as they try to make the world a nicer, more polite place and offer up practical advice to help you smoothly glide through any situation. Please listen and follow! (We'd send you a hand-written thank you note if we could.)

Holiday Break: Giving Red Envelopes, Reseating in Theaters, Cancelling on Friends, and More

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