🏃 Add physical fitness to the SAT?

Happy Sunday! It’s September 10 — people are talking about Ramaswamy’s “physical fitness SATs” idea, the “podcast bros” trend, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

🏃 In the news: Physical fitness SATs?

Republican 2024 candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested the College Board add a “physical fitness” section to the SAT — he thinks it would promote college diversity.

🏃 The Hill: Ramaswamy suggested the idea to promote diversity in admissions, in the absence of affirmative action. He said the test could include things like a mile run, pull-ups, push-ups, or sit-ups.

🏃 This Twitter user liked the idea: It could lead to healthy habits in kids, and rewarding fitness is a good thing.

🏃 But Forbes said the proposal has issues: It probably wouldn't create a more diverse campus, because poorer people tend to be in worse health. Plus, fitness does already factor into admissions, in the form of athletic recruiting.

🏃 MSNBC defended Ramaswamy a bit: At least he's proposing policy to address under-exercised youth. The US education system should absolutely involve exercise, even though his proposal got a few things wrong.

🎙️ Cultural trend: Podcast bros

It seems that male-hosted podcasts discussing gender relations are more common than ever. What’s behind this trend, and what do people think of it?

🎙️ Insider: Misogynistic podcast bros are everywhere nowadays — and it’s a reaction to women's growing power in society. Men fear their perceived loss of power, and try to put women down on their podcasts to combat it.

🎙️ But this Reddit thread on r/Podcasts says some men who podcast are wholesome and empowering. They help men with their mental health, and encourage men to embrace vulnerability and togetherness.

🎙️ The NYT disagreed — there’s a reason so many people hate podcast bros. They're obsessed with their own opinions, and offer lots of unsolicited advice.

🎙️ The NY Post thinks podcast bros taint the entire medium. It used to be credible and educational — now it's just a bunch of airheads with mics.

Quick hits

🏛️ The 5th Circuit ruled that the Biden administration violated the 1st amendment by urging companies to suppress covid & election posts. (WaPo)

⚔️ A guns right group sued New Mexico, challenging the ban on firearms being carried in public in Albuquerque. (The Hill)

🚓 Police said escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante stole a van and changed his appearance. There was a possible new sighting on Saturday. (CBS News)

🏈 Donald Trump appeared at the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game, causing strong polarized reactions from the crowd. (USA Today)

That’s it for today. Reply at [email protected] to let me know what you think of our newsletter, or to suggest a topic for next time.

Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We think it’s a better way to stay informed and see the big picture. Please reach out if you’re curious to learn more!

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)