Oh This World

We recorded this special episode Christmas Day to talk about the stories that stuck with us from this strange and hideous year, and to offer our best-of-2020 recs for Coping with Our Tizzies--the books, music, movies, etc. that helped us get through this mess.

Among the writing we reference on today's show, you can find Katherine Morgan's essay "White Rage, White Guilt" from Bitch Media here, and Jessica Bennett's NYT piece, "What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?" here.

As always, hit us up on the RAGE Line -- (702) 907-RAGE -- to share your thoughts and we may play them on the air. You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram @OhThisWorldPod, and you can write to us at [email protected].

Thanks for listening. Stay safe and healthy and we'll see you in 2021! 

On today's episode we discuss Texas Monthly's annual Bum Steer of the Year, which they gave to the Texas Democratic Party, Lucas goes on an old-fashioned rant about gerrymandering, and we dive into this month's OTW Book Club choice, Good Citizens, by Thich Nhat Hanh. You can read the Katherine Morgan essay from LitHub, "About That Wave of Anti-Racist Bestsellers Over the Summer...", which we chat about briefly at the end of the episode, here.

Antoinette and Lucas talk Texas and national election results. To listen to the OTW interview we mentioned on this episode with newly elected State Board of Ed member Rebecca Bell-Metereau, listen to it here.

This episode was recorded Thursday, November 5, 2020. 

On today's episode, Antoinette and Lucas check in with each other two weeks before the election. We talk early voting, the energy in Texas, and what voters need to do to flip the state.

We also call attention to two recent election-related interviews: our conversation with Rebecca Bell-Metereau, the Democratic candidate for Texas State Board of Education, District 5, and our talk with Mathew Ruberg, DigiDem for the Wendy Davis campaign, who offers essential info on relational organizing in #TX21. Check them out! The time to get involved with both of these campaigns is now.

We also wrap up our conversation on our current OTW Book Club selection, Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen, and introduce our next choice: Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society, by Thich Nhat Hanh. Our hate-read of the week: this Washington Post column, which sent Lucas into a seething frenzy.

Ideas for getting out the vote two weeks before the election? Thoughts on the book? Want to share a hate read of your own? Leave a message on our RAGE line: (702) 907-RAGE, or email us at [email protected]. You can  find us on Twitter and IG @OhThisWorldPod. 

This episode was recorded Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. 

This week a caller to our RAGE line asks an important question about relational organizing. With only a few weeks until Election Day, we turn to an expert: Mathew Ruberg, DigiDem for the Wendy Davis for Congress campaign here in TX21.

Mathew takes us through what relational organizing is, how it works on the Davis campaign, how to get over awkward feelings about talking politics with your friends and neighbors, and more.

Ready to get started reaching out to your contacts to flip this district? Join one of Mathew's virtual office hours to get going. You can sign up here. 

Today we sit down with the Democratic candidate for the Texas State Board of Education in District 5, Rebecca Bell-Metereau. We talk about why Rebecca is running, how you can help, and how the decisions the State Board makes affect everyone, in Texas and across the country. For more on Rebecca, or to get involved with her campaign, visit her website.

Have thoughts or questions about today's episode, about politics and activism generally, or want to share the actions you're taking to win in November? Call our RAGE line and let us know: (702) 907-RAGE. Or drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also find us on Twitter and IG @OhThisWorldPod. Thanks for listening! 

This interview was conducted on September 23, 2020. 

We start today's episode with a caller to our RAGE line, which kicks off a conversation about the highs and lows of phonebanking and what we're doing to flip Texas blue in November.

The majority of our show this week is dedicated to our OTW book club selection, Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. We talk about the book, how we teach history in America, and why it matters. The NPR piece on Trump's ridiculous and ahistorical 'Patriotic Education' plan is here.

As always, we want to hear from you. Call our RAGE line at (702) 907-RAGE and let us know what you're thinking about this week. Other ways to reach us: shoot us an email at [email protected] or find us on Twitter and IG @OhThisWorldPod.

We'll be back next week with an interview with the Democratic candidate for Texas State Board of Education, District 5, Rebecca Bell-Metereau. 

Thanks for listening, y'all! 

This episode was recorded on Sunday, September 27, 2020.

On today's episode we discuss the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and its implications, listen and respond to our first Rage Line callers, and offer final thoughts on "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo.

We also unveil our OTW Book Club selection for the next month: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James Loewen. In addition to talking about the book, we'll be speaking with teachers, candidates and others about education in Texas, the upcoming State Board of Education races, how we teach history, and more. 

As always, we want to hear your thoughts on anything and everything we talked about today. Email us at [email protected], Tweet us @OhThisWorldPod, or leave our message on the Rage Line: (702) 907-RAGE.

This episode was recorded on Sunday, September 20, 2020. 

This week we're joined by Angela de Joseph to continue our discussion of white fragility in progressive spaces and to explore how the media covers women of color and race generally. Angela is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, health advocate, and the founder of Women of Color Roar Media. 

Learn more about Women of Color Roar Media here, and follow them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. You can read Angela's op-ed on Kamala Harris in The San Diego Union-Tribune here. 

And don't forget, if you have thoughts or questions on today's show, any of our recent episodes, or on Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility," leave us a message on our RAGE hotline: (702) 907-RAGE. We'll play some of your responses next week!

This episode was recorded in September 2020. 

After two weeks apart, Antoinette and Lucas reunite to discuss the news and recent forays into activism. (To see the recent Statesman story that drove Lucas straight up the wall, go here).

For our main topic today, Antoinette interviews Fort Worth native Alexander Montalvo, a longtime volunteer, advocate and activist, about white fragility in progressive activism, as our OH THIS WORLD book club continues. It's a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation so tune in, and, after, share your thoughts on our new call-in line: 702-907-RAGE. We'll air your reactions to the issues Antoinette and Alexander discuss in this episode, plus your reactions to Robin DiAngelo's "White Fragility" generally, in a couple weeks. 

This episode was recorded in the first week of September 2020.