Billy Dees Podcast

In this episode we follow up to some of the responses we had to last week’s episode about Ukraine and some of the commentary coming from several far-right commentators.

We also cover Elon Musk and his attempted purchase of Twitter. Elon tweeted a poll to his followers and other Twitter users in March that asked whether people believed Twitter was protecting free speech. Roughly 70% of the 2 million respondents said “no.”

In this episode we follow up to some of the responses we had to last week’s episode about Ukraine and some of the commentary coming from several far-right commentators.

We also cover Elon Musk and his attempted purchase of Twitter. Elon tweeted a poll to his followers and other Twitter users in March that asked whether people believed Twitter was protecting free speech. Roughly 70% of the 2 million respondents said “no.”

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made a surprise visit to Ukraine's capital and met President Volodymyr Zelensky. They were photographed together as they walked through Kyiv's streets sending a powerful and symbolic message to the western world.

This meeting happened in the wake of continuing reports of atrocities committed against Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, by Russian forces.

These recent events have put added pressure on the United States to more to help Ukraine.

The United States has been very cautious not to get involved in a wider conflict. However, with widening reports of more atrocities and plans by Russia to escalate its war efforts, are we about to reach a tipping point whereby inaction is a greater risk to the possibility of the war expanding across the region?

This podcast episode discusses aspects of the Ukrainian conflict, how the mere mention of nuclear weapons has become an instrument of fear and terror, and the curious aspect of how certain factions of the extreme right here in America are reluctant to lend full support to Ukraine.

It was the slap heard around the world, quite literally. At the Oscar Ceremonies 2022, actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, starring in a movie called “G.I. Jane II,” a reference to Pinkett’s baldness.

The showbiz shenanigans of this matter have been well covered in traditional and social media. What we wanted to do with this episode is delve a bit into the wide reaction to this event and examine some of the societal norms that have affected public opinion.

Our guest cohost is Rashmi Mistry, who is the author of the book, “Confident Resilient Fearless: A Guide to Revival from Within.” Rashmi talks about the impact of gender norms and the importance of having these conversations at schools. Together, we have an objective conversation about toxic masculinity and what expectations society has about different gender roles.

You can find out more about our guest, Rashmi Mistry here:
https://www.confidentresilientfearless.com/

A former nurse, RaDonda Vaught, was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide on March 25, 2022 after a three-day trial in Nashville, Tennessee. Vaught faced these charges in connection with the killing of Charlene Murphey, who died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in late December 2017 after being administered the incorrect drug.

Medical errors are generally handled by professional licensing boards or civil courts. Criminal prosecutions like Vaught's case are very rare.

This trial has been closely monitored by nurses and medical professionals across the U.S. because of a strong concern that this conviction could set a precedent for criminalizing medical mistakes.

The big news in sports this past week was that Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texan’s was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for various top draft picks. This deal was also big news in the media and social media due to allegations of sexual misconduct by the player.

For Deshaun Watson, the deal is worth a whopping $230 million.

Criminal charges did not move forward in his cases. However, 22 civil lawsuits are still hanging over his head. Many of these allegations occurred under the pretense of Watson getting massage services. Apparently, warnings about Watson had been circulating in the Houston massage therapy community for a while. Many of these therapists had been sought out on Instagram.

This podcast is a conversation with Billy Dees and Erika, who is an advocate for survivors. The discussion covers the reactions on social media and how both Watson's supporters and detractors have voiced their opinions.

You can find Erika on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@erika.with.ak?lang=en

On this episode we have Sarah Dawn, who is an advocate for keloid scarring awareness. Sarah is very active on TikTok and believes her world doesn’t evolve around her scars but rather her scars revolve around her world. Sarah is an advocate for fighting the stigma around having scars, and furthermore believes that scars should be part of an overall sense beauty and self-worth.

You can find Sarah Dawn on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahdawnofficial?lang=en

On this episode Billy Dees and via remote guest cohost Jack Casey discuss current events in the Ukraine. (This episode was produced Feb. 27, 2022.) Also, the trucker protests in Canada are topics for analysis and opinion.

On this episode Billy Dees and via remote guest cohost Jack Casey discuss current events in the Ukraine. (This episode was produced Feb. 27, 2022.) Also, the trucker protests in Canada are topics for analysis and opinion.

Our guest on this episode of the Billy Dees Podcast is Emme Fox. She pronounces her name, “M” and is an advocate of love, sexuality, and intimacy. During this interview we cover such subjects as body and sexual awareness, the molds and constructs that society often places on us, and why some people choose to send unsolicited and explicit pictures of private body parts.

This episode does contain frank discussions of human sexuality and behavior.

You can find Emme on Twitter @emme_fox https://twitter.com/emme_fox