Thorn in Your Side

m* and TIYS regular John embark on a Gramscian analysis of the Will Smith incident presently breaking the Internet, and why such an analysis is merited in these ongoing COVID times. Plus this is actually an episode of TIYS that is talking about something reasonably topical, so strap yourself in!

Trigger warning: PTSD and trauma-related commentary.

Links:

Did John Wayne Try To Pull Sacheen Littlefeather Offstage at 1973 Oscars? | Snopes.com

Opinion | Roxane Gay: Will Smith Was Wrong, but Being Thin-Skinned Is Not - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I will not be lectured on violence by these women - Chelsea Watego - IndigenousX

After an unplanned break from podcasting here is a lone wolf episode about trying to get back to the world of TIYS, including reasons for said break. Trigger warning - COVID lockdown mental ill-health themes.  

m* brings in TIYS regular John to talk about the new(ish) phenomenon of streaming services and what this means for pop culture entertainment in general. Because this is an episode of TIYS, the advent of streaming services of course has high political implications!

Links:

How one might get their WandaVision fix: Watch WandaVision | Full episodes | Disney+ (disneyplus.com)

How one might get their Mandalorian fix: The Mandalorian | Disney+ Originals.

You Tube page for Emergency Awesome: Emergency Awesome - YouTube

The Living the Dream episode (I think) where Dave Eden speaks a lot about his idea on the Cosmic Right: Living The Dream with Acid Communism and/or Acid Corbynism (podbean.com)

m* chats with TIYS' unofficial US correspondent Jason to further discuss the aftermath of the Trumpageddon, and where this now places future prospects within the US. Somehow this ends up becoming a discussion on popular culture. 

Links:

An article on the return of the mullet, because that also took up much discussion: 'It's only going to get bigger': why the mullet is the hairstyle of 2021 | Fashion | The Guardian

How Grease 2 has feminist value: Beyond ‘Charade’: Grease 2 as feminist masterpiece – Screen Queens (screen-queens.com)

Handy text on pop culture references to US working class expression: Stayin’ Alive | The New Press

Coverage on the recent Texas power crisis: The Guardian view on Texas storms and power cuts: preparing for the worst | Climate change | The Guardian

For this latest podcast inquiry m* speaks with Sam, an Associate Professor in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle. Including their academic work Sam is also an avid activist, participating in a variety of campaigns including intensively participating within their local branch of the National Tertiary Education Union.

Both m* and Sam thrash out new problems confronting educating within the tertiary sector in these pandemic times, and the present challenges confronting community health. 

Links:

Sam's academic profile - Associate Professor Samantha Ashby / Staff Profile / The University of Newcastle, Australia

Sam's previous election ticket profile with Socialist Alliance - Sam Ashby | Socialist Alliance (socialist-alliance.org) 

m* interviews Jasmina, a community working professional and online and offline activist.

Both m* and Jasmina are anarchists, and so both irresistibly talk about anarchist-political issues within oz, with the added bonus of discussing challenges with working within the community services sphere. 

Links:

Anarchists in Australia FB group - the totally cool and accessible oz anarchist group that Jasmina helps to admin: Anarchists in Australia | Facebook

Above group not to be confused with this shitty imitation - Anarchism in Australia | Facebook

m* brings back Jason from the US to discuss what US political recovery might look like post-Trump times. Both find some things have changed, some things remain the same, and many ongoing challenges persist.

Links:

There is reference in the episode to the Hayek 'strong man', for the uninitiated, this is a vid on where this concept is conceived - Hayek's 'The Road to Serfdom' in Five Minutes - YouTube

The episode also contains a soundbite from the 2015 film The Big Short - It's an under-rated film and in its fictional way provides a handy and accessible portrayal to why the US economic system passed its guts and causing the 2008 GFC. IMDB movie link - The Big Short (2015) - IMDb. 

The second part of the TIYS holiday series, where both m* and John explore the bizarre and shocking story of the apparent self-help organisation NXIVM. As discussed there is much to be considered with this group and similarities of the group to other organisations people find themselves dropping into. 

*CW Trigger warning* some themes raised within this podcast may disturb listeners. Listeners' discretion advised. 

Episode links:

The Vow documentary - The Vow NXIVM Documentary Series- Official Website | HBO

Another key NXIVM documentary created by India Oxenberg - Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (TV Mini-Series 2020) - IMDb

Film dramatising NXIVM - Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight to Save Her Daughter (TV Movie 2019) - IMDb

Explanation of NXIVM and sub-groups like DOS - Inside alleged sex cult NXIVM - YouTube

Toastmasters International – a good high-control organisation! Toastmasters International | Australia and Papua New Guinea website

As part 1 of the TIYS summer holiday series, m* and John explore and unpack the 2010s cartoon phenomenon that was Adventure Time, and how scarily relevant the show is to interpreting recent years in US politics. Simpsons ain't got nuthin' :p

Also as the first episode for 2021 it was thought to give some aspects of episode production something of a facelift. 25 episodes in and we still finding our digital feet!

Link:

Adventure Time Forum article inspiring much of the pop culture geek analysis for this episode - Adventure Time Forum

Concluding a lone wolf end-of-year ranty series, m* discusses his political position, his activism, and how something like TIYS fits into this. By listening to both this and the prior episode back-to-back hoping it gives listeners some insight and context behind what motivates m* to get this podcast up and running.

Link:

The Conversation article that is critiqued in this episode and what kicks off ranty chapter 2 - Conspiracy theories on the right, cancel culture on the left: how political legitimacy came under threat in 2020 (theconversation.com)