This week we’re joined by our friend Hilary, reality TV connoisseur, to dish on Netflix’s surprise hit dystopian dating reality show, Love is Blind.

Joke

Why do melons have to get married?

What About Bernie?!

Since we wanted to have time to relax with this week’s episode, we skipped the news but obviously had a LOT of thoughts and feelings about Bernie dropping out of the Democratic presidential race and endorsing Joe Biden. We did a live stream in the Bitchy Shitshow Experience Facebook group, you can watch the replay if you are in that group (or request to join!).

Love is Blind BreakDown: Analyzing the Mess

We go deep on Love is Blind, wading through the mess with glee. We dig into the Carlton-Diamond fiasco, reveal the true villain of the series (hint: it’s not Jessica!), wonder what the hell actually happened between Kelly and Kenny, talk about the fucking fiasco that was Jessica and Mark, give some behind the scenes goss we scoured off the internet, and rage about Damien’s WASP-y treatment of Giannina.

Fun Resources

* Michael & Anthony Love is Blind Parodies Playlist (YouTube)

* 20 Strict Rules Netflix’s Love Is Blind Contestants Are Forced To Follow (YouTube)

* What The Biggest Fans Don’t Know About Netflix’s Love Is Blind (YouTube)

* 10 Details Netflix’s Love Is Blind Doesn’t Want You To Know (YouTube)

* Jessica from Love Is Blind says she ‘attempted to leave’ the show but ‘wasn’t able to’ (EW)

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Transcript

We review a LOT of news items this week, all under the general category of “In finding out there’s no more bread, U.S. Elite tell citizens to buy cake.” Then we delve into the recent scourge of landlord fragility. If you are a landlord, please listen.

Ranting About COVID19 Updates + Landlord Fragility

News

We go through a slew of news items, facts and updates to describe the ghoulish current “Let them eat cake” moment we’re living through, only it’s “Let them buy insurance

* Here’s when you’ll get your Coronavirus relief check (Two Cents)* Early data shows African Americans have contracted and died of Coronavirus at an alarming rate (Propublica)* Economists pan Pelosi’s proposal to lift cap on state and local tax deductions in next bailout (Politico)* In desperation New York State pays up to 15 times the normal price for medical equipment (Propublica)* Saagar Enjeti: 6.6 Million Unemployment Claims, The Revolution Is Coming (YouTube)* Tweet about liquor stores (Twitter)

Joke

What’s a tiger running a copy machine called?

Request

Someone please explain to me how masks (including N95 masks) supposedly DON’T protect YOU from getting COVID19, but DO protect OTHERS from getting it from you. I do not understand the mechanics of one-way protection, I’ve read so many articles, I still don’t get it. Thx, Nichole.

Rant/Discussion

We do a restrained rant this week about landlord “fragility” ie all these landlords in their fee-fees about anti-landlord memes and calls for a rent strike. We hope said landlords will listen, we tone it down from the full-throated rage it could’ve been, to understand where tenants are coming from, and why the practice of being a landlord is inherently wrong, even as we understand it is the reality of our current housing situation. If you refuse to listen, the main takeaway is that regardless of your financial situation or why you are renting out, being a landlord is a privileged position in which you are extracting wealth from people who are not on equal standing with you and will not get to share in any of the long-term value and stability enabled by their rent payments. So, you may be a good person and a “good” landlord, but you are still participating in a harmful institution.

Also, we all know that it makes sense to also suspend mortgages, we are asking for that as well. But you, as landlords, have way more political power than us and should fight for that on your own. Call your governor, call your bank. Get your mortgage extended and then tell all your tenants that they are safe until the pandemic is over. The entire point of a rent strike is to put pressure on landlords to do just that – get them mobilized to call for rent and mortgage freezes in all states. So hop to it! We can organize together and work towards a common goal, but you have to come into the situation understan...

Part 1: Coronavirus (Covid-19) and Productivity Obsession

This week we take a dive into the COVID-19 relief bill that was passed in the House and the Senate last week, digging into where the bill falls short and the politics behind the concessions that were made in it. Then we’re joined by comrade Mexie from The Vegan Vanguard podcast to dismantle “productivity” in a time of COVID. This is part one of a two-part episode, you can find part two over on The Vegan Vanguard where we extend the conversation to talk about Hopeful Headlines, potential dangers in a time of crisis as well as the opportunities in this time to move our countries left and make gains for citizens.

Poppin Off

We pop off today about the COVID-19 relief bill (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act), talking about how insufficient it is, how many people it leaves behind, and even more so, the ways in which massive concessions were made to put provisions in place to restrict the giant corporate bailout in the bill, only to have Trump to overturn those when he signed off on the bill. We mourn the lack of collaboration and strength in the progressive segment of Congress to allow this bill to pass without putting up a massive, public fight. One bright spot, and a not insignificant one, is the unemployment insurance expansion and increase in this bill, which will help millions of people (thank you, Bernie!).

See the full text of the bill here.

Jokes

Nichole reads off several “social distancing pick-up lines,” much to Callie’s dismay. (Thanks, Tina!)

Submit your jokes to [email protected] (don’t worry, only Nichole checks this inbox!)

Main Topic

Today we’re joined by our beloved comrade Mexie, from The Vegan Vanguard podcast as well as her amazing YouTube channel Mexie, to explore and deconstruct the capitalist concept of productivity in a time of lockdown, as well as our thoughts about how the pandemic might shift the populations’ view of things like a 40-hour workweek, flexible work options like working from home, the importance of service workers, and more. Nichole and Mexie speak extensively of their perspective as people with disabilities (chronic and acute illness) and how it colors their experience of this time of shutdown as well as their hopes for a less ableist future for workers.

LISTEN TO PART 2 ON THE VEGAN VANGUARD. We explore questions like: can capitalism survive 18 months of this? Can we continue to organize without being able to meet in person? What are the risks to citizens right now? What are the potentials in this climate for activists and organizers, and for socialism itself? It’s an awesome episode, don’t miss out!

Follow Mexie

The Vegan Vanguard: Twitter | Website

Mexie – Twitter | YouTube

Referenced In This Episode

* Sonya Renee Taylor on Instagram – video post about productivity in this tim...

In This Episode: Coronavirus Updates and a Discussion on Ableism and the Way We Approach Health Crisis

JOKES, that’s right, TWO OF EM

Nichole: Due to the quarantine…

Callie: Why can’t you find toilet paper anywhere?

Main Topic

FYI: We’re recording remotely for the foreseeable future so the audio quality is going to take a hit until we can get back together or figure out a better solution.

This week we’re talking about the Coronavirus again: we have updates about the fuckery that Democrats and Republicans are up to and information about who is really at risk. We use this to jump off into a more philosophical conversation, our former bread and butter, about the rampant ableism we’ve seen in how people are talking about and processing the pandemic, including our thoughts surrounding the way we tend to approach health crises (if it doesn’t affect ME, then it doesn’t exist!) and the insufferable privilege of only focusing on the health crisis and not the related economic crisis crashing down on our heads. Our individualistic approach to emergencies never worked, but is especially disastrous now as we enter an age of global catastrophy. The human race will not survive this if we don’t think about these situations in terms of community.

Resources

* A Medical Worker Describes Terrifying Lung Failure From COVID-19 — Even in His Young Patients (ProPublica)* DOJ Wants to Suspend Certain Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Emergency (RollingStone)* Ohio halts procedures at abortion clinics amid COVID-19 outbreak (The Hill)* Bernie Sanders Coronavirus Livestream with AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib (Periscope)* Tanks rolling through San Diego (Twitter)

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Transcript

Not going to lie, this episode is a way-too-long meandering mess, but hopefully an informative and still enjoyable one! We’re incredibly distracted by Coronavirus, our rage over finding out more about Biden’s terrible track record, and our panic over Trump having national emergency powers…so…we’re talking about it all!

Resources

* The Alarming Scope of the President’s Emergency Powers (The Atlantic)* 6 unbelievable things the president can do during a crisis (Business Insider)* Noam Chomsky: “Bernie Is Vilified Because He Has Inspired a Movement” (Tribune)* Democrats, You Really Do Not Want To Nominate Joe Biden | Nathan J. Robinson (Current Affairs): Article | Podcast – iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play | Video – Short Version, Long Version

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Transcript

Oooh y’all are not even ready for this. We RAGE today about the DNC’s machinations to subvert the democratic process and force Biden down our throats, Warren’s terrifying Digital Disinformation plan, “Vote blue no matter who,” dismantling the myth of voting as harm reduction, and much more. It’s a spicy one!

Given the extremely tumultuous political environment right now and the nightmarish week we’ve had following everything and trying to interact with Warren and Biden supporters online, we’re releasing our episode a day early to hopefully reach some folks before this week’s Super Tuesday. #NoToJoe #BernieOrBust! Please vote on paper ballots if you can!

*CORRECTION: Nichole said Bernie is “non-secular” but she meant “secular,” meaning that Bernie is culturally Jewish but isn’t religious.

News

* The Spectacular Assassination of National Woods (The Root)

Main Topic: #NoToJoe – We Will NOT Play the DNC’s Games

Voting Is Not Harm Reduction | Bernie is Capitalism’s Last Chance

The resources below we pulled information from to dismantle the colonialist concept of voting for someone who does not represent your interests, how the enforcement of the status quo that works for white middle-class people is its own kind of violence, and those that choose to resist are not letting down the party – the party is letting down us.

There is nothing intersectional about participating in and maintaining a genocidal political system. There’s no meaningful solidarity to be found in a politics that urges us to meet our oppressors where they’re at. Voting as harm reduction imposes a false solidarity upon those identified to be most vulnerable to harmful political policies and actions. In practice it plays out as paternalistic identity politicking as liberals work to identify the least dangerous candidates and rally to support their campaigns…“Voting as harm reduction” is the pacifying language of those who police movements…Voting is not a strategy for decolonization. Voting is Not Harm Reduction – An Indigenous Perspective (Indigenous Action)

* Whistleblower Exposes Voting Machine Fraud | Hard Lens Media (YouTube)* How FDR Saved Capitalism (Hoover Institution)* Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC (Politico)* 9. #MeToo and the Threat of Carceral Feminism (The Vegan Vanguard)* Tweet by L (@leslieleeli) – picture below. Text on image: Would like to welcome all the white Sanders supporters to the, “If you don’t coddle comfortable white folk they won’t help you,” party. Been here all my life. Enjoy your stay.

Biden Bullshit

Not Here For Our Interests

Biden said a couple of months ago (12/30/19) that he’d consider a Republi...

Hey y’all, in light of the big political news over the last day or so, we’re doing a Super Tuesday episode talking about what this all means and encouraging everyone in Super Tuesday states to please vote tomorrow if you are able.

In This Episode: Super Tuesday Musings (AKA Anxieties)

It’s all politics today, hoping to get back to fun sex and love stuff next week! We talk about the Democratic establishment making its move to dilute Bernie Sanders’ votes as much as possible while shoring up votes for Biden in order to force a brokered convention, our frustration with “Vote blue no matter who,” our collective learned helplessness, the Coronavirus and how anxious we are. Please vote if you can tomorrow, and we’ll be on Twitter with our thoughts about the results: https://twitter.com/bitchy_shitshow

Resources

* CNN reports source close to Elizabeth Warren’s campaign: they sought to blunt Sanders’ momentum in South Carolina (Twitter)* Morning Consult Polls: The 2020 U.S. Election * Democrats Craving a Brokered Convention — Including Elizabeth Warren — Should Learn the Lessons of 1968 (The Intercept)

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Transcript

Nichole [00:00:26] Hey, everyone. I’m Nichole.

Callie [00:00:28] And I’m Callie.

Nichole [00:00:29] And today we’re talking about…

Callie [00:00:31] We bring you a special emergency broadcast, to steal from Michael Moore and Rumble, Big Tent Energy episode number two. We are talking about Super Tuesday and all the fucking shenanigans that the DNC is pulling right now.

Nichole [00:00:47] Yeah, yeah.

Callie [00:00:48] We really want to be talking about dating.

Nichole [00:00:50] Yeah. It’s my literal favorite thing to talk about.

Callie [00:00:53] We had this whole series planned out.

Nichole [00:00:55] Got so much to say. And yet the Dems can’t get it together, so here we are. Or they are getting it together for nefarious purposes.

Callie [00:01:03] No, that’s the problem.

Nichole [00:01:04] Right.

Callie [00:01:04] They’re getting their shit together and we need to rally the troops.

Nichole [00:01:09] Yes. So we know many of you may not hear this till it’s too late to vote in Super Tuesday, or maybe you’re not in a Super Tuesday state or country.

This week we launch our first episode in our “Big Tent Energy” series where we talk about the 2020 U.S. Presidential election with our usual vim and vigor. In this episode, we take a deep look at Bernie Sanders’ policies, focusing mainly on his universal programs and how they will help minoritized communities.

In This Episode

JOKE

For someone who hates socialism, Bloomberg sure does…

Main Topic: Bernie Sanders’ Universal Programs Leave No One Behind

This week we take a deep dive on Bernie Sanders’ policies and why we support him as the Democratic presidential candidate. We touch on why we don’t support other candidates, but there’s a lot of room there for future episodes if y’all want to hear more, just let us know! In this episode, we hone in on Bernie’s universal programs as well as universal programs in general and why they work. We talk a lot about how these policies will help dismantle systemic oppression and improve material conditions for trans people, black folks, the elderly, people experiencing homelessness and the financially insecure (and for many of whom these identities overlap).

We also take a look at the recent decision by the Culinary Union leadership to not back a presidential candidate, citing their concerns over their members losing their “gold standard” health insurance if Medicare for All passes.

We end with a discussion about billionaires and the concept of redistribution of wealth or “eating the rich,” haha, and why we feel everyone should become comfortable with the top .1% having some of their wealth taken away and given back to the rest of us. As the Sanders campaign asks, we ask:

If you have healthcare, will you fight for those who don’t?

If you are native born, will you fight for those who are undocumented?

If you can afford a college education, will you fight for those who can’t?

Will you fight for someone you don’t know?

RESOURCES

* Bernie Sanders on the Issues (BernieSanders.com)

* How Medicare for All Could Improve—and Save—the Lives of Transgender People (In These Times)

* Childhood Disrupted (Amazon)

* Huge Racial Disparities Found in Deaths Linked to Pregnancy (NY Times)

* Sanders, Buttigieg request targeted recount in Iowa (Politico)

* 2017 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times (Merritt Hawkins)

* Reporting on Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” is deeply flawed: Media forgets how math works (Salon)

* Why Bernie Sanders Is the Strongest Candidate for Transgender People (Jacobin)

* Bernie Sanders Was For Transgender Rights Before It Was A Thing (Daily Motion)

* Transgender Individuals Deserve Dignity (Senate.gov)

New Report on Youth H...

Hey! Have you heard about the latest STI epidemic?! It’s called “feelings,” and if you don’t dehumanize the people you’re sleeping with, you might catch it! This week we bitch about the bad consent created in sexual and romantic situations by terrible, deceptive communication (both intentional and unintentional) masked as people “not knowing what they want.”

 

In This Episode

POPPIN’ OFF (AKA POP TOPS) (1:40)

We talk about the unbelievable scourge of liberals online being nice to and defensive of billionaires (namely, Bloomberg and Besos), Nichole’s frustration with “good person” narratives in film and TV for boring-ass white people, and how these two things connect.

JOKE (53:30)

Have you heard about the new dry erase board?

ADVICE (1:08:35)

We answer an older question from a VWPA listener who asked for advice about starting a vegan group, which we expand out to give advice on starting any kind of social and/or activism based group. (Thanks, Denise!)

Main Topic: LABELS, RELATIONSHIPS, SEX and CONSENT

(1:29:00)We have a VERY LONG conversation (way #offbrand, we know) about this topic of the bad consent that results from the fuckery that goes into dating in a way that we haven’t really heard other people talk about before.

We talk about the ways people are stigmatized, especially female and femme folks, who know what they want and are comfortable saying so early on, which cultivates an atmosphere of shame, fear, and embarrassment around open communication.

In an environment where a recent Millennial survey revealed that a significant percentage of Millennials reported that they don’t have best friends, close friends, or, in a shocking number of cases, any real friends at all. So, it makes sense that we are all seeking intimacy of some kind, and also makes sense that we may not have the skills to properly navigate relationships or interactions with other people. But to deny a desire for intimacy, claim that you only want sex or you “don’t know what you want” but then to text the other person every single day or display confusing behavior that is intimacy seeking, is shitty.

Not being ready for a relationship or not currently looking for one doesn’t mean it’s ok to masturbate with someone else’s body (unless that is what BOTH parties are into and it’s negotiated ahead of time) and treat them like trash in order to avoid having any feelings whatsoever. At the end of the day, you are doing things to someone else’s body and that requires at least a basic level of compassion and communication.

If we don’t use ALL of our relationships and interactions to practice the foundations of what makes good partnerships, then we’re totally fucked the day we do CATCH THE DREADED FEELINGS. We’ll fuck up a good thing, or unnecessarily hurt someone in a way that could’ve been avoided, or make ourselves sick with drama that didn’t need to happen. A one night stand can still teach you a lot about mutual respect that can be applied to longer engagements with other people.

If you want a truly zero strings situation, wank off! Or find situations where zero strings can be negotiated safely, like sex clubs or hookup apps (where you make your intentions 100% clear). Whatever you do,

In This Episode

We discuss Jameela Jamil’s recent internet controversy over her coming out as queer to fend off attacks of her being a judge on a voguing show; answer an advice question with the help of guest advice-giver Everett, and then talk about anti-capitalist themes inspired by rewatching 1990’s Pretty Woman and go on record as being pro-sex worker.

Resources

* Capitalism, Feminism and Sex Work by Michelle Keep (The Independent)

* Social Justice Can Be a Clout Game: Here’s How to Avoid It (Leftist Analysis) by Angie Speaks (YouTube)

* @sheabutterfemme’s Twitter thread about community building PLEASE READ IT’S EVERYTHING (Twitter)

* Reversing the Gaze: Constructing European Race Discourse as Modern Witchcraft Practice by James W. Perkinson (JSTOR)

* Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out by Aph Ko (Amazon)

* Shamanism, Racism, and Hip Hop Culture: Essays on White Supremacy and Black Subversion  by James W. Perkinson (Amazon)

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Transcript

Nichole [00:00:27] Welcome to Bitchy Shitshow your home for queer leftist media.

Nichole [00:00:32] Today we’re having our first ever episode of Bitchy Shitshow. We’re so excited.

Nichole [00:00:38] If you are joining us from our former podcast, Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!, where we had a good five-year run. Welcome.

Callie [00:00:47] Five years.

Nichole [00:00:49] Five years. Long, long years. (both laugh)

Nichole [00:00:54] But wonderful, wonderful. This is our new platform. We wanted to have a bit of a wider range. We don’t actually talk about vegan topics hardly ever. So we decided to launch a new show and get those creative juices flowing. And it’s been working. We’re very excited to be here. If you’re joining us for the first time ever. I’m Nichole.

Callie [00:01:18] And I’m Callie.

Nichole [00:01:19] And we’re pleased to meet you.

Callie [00:01:20] Yeah.

Nichole [00:01:21] So today we’re gonna be bitching about…

Callie [00:01:23] (silent and then laughs)

Nichole [00:01:26] Every time, girl. That performance anxiety is real!

Nichole [00:01:34] So first episode this is we’re choking.

Callie [00:01:38] Yeah. What’s the title today?

Nichole [00:01:42] Pretty Woman: rich perverts and rugged individualism.