Liz is confused about why queer-affirming people continue to speak at events that are not (content warning for discussion of queer-unaffirming theology; please skip 2:10 through 9:45 if you’d like to avoid it). Meanwhile, Chris celebrates the return of March Madness, and one of us has to pay up on a wager we made when our teams went head-to-head.  Then, inspired by a recent event (!!!), we talk about engagement culture: the traditions that have been locked in — even as wedding traditions get disrupted left and right — and what happens when you decide to do things differently.  We wrap with our final top five of the season: subcultures we want to explore.  Thanks for joining us for Season Two — we’ve loved sharing it with you!  We’ll see you when we return for round three. 🤟

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

CW: anti-Asian violence, murder

We would love to be talking about something else, but here we are. We check in and talk about the shooting through our lenses as Asian Americans and former evangelicals who were raised in purity culture, and in Liz’s case, as an Asian American woman and parent.  We also dig into all of the other stuff the tragedy has kicked up — like how have your non-Asian friends shown up (or not)?  How has your workplace handled this, and how much of the labor did they put on you?  How are you taking care of yourself right now?  In the midst of everything that’s happening, we hope you’re being extra-kind and gracious with yourself.  We’re thinking of you and sending you love.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

In true pandemic fashion, Netflix is giving us life: Liz finally discovered Schitt’s Creek, and Chris loved The 40-Year-Old Version. Then we get into the ethical questions that have been weighing on us in the current COVID landscape:  Is it okay to wait in line for a leftover vaccine before we’re eligible?  Is it reasonable to ask a teacher to return to the classroom without a vaccine?  What is our individual responsibility in a messed-up system?  Plus, the top five fads/trends (we’re not clear on the difference) that we don’t understand.  The dawn of middle age is upon us, y’all, and we’re leaning all the way in.

Note: We recorded this episode before the shootings in Atlanta; we'll discuss that in our next episode. We’re thinking of you, friends — please stay safe.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Chris is astounded by the Smartmatic lawsuit, and Liz recalls a fifth chapter of sex ed that she forgot to mention in the last episode. Then we get into a topic that’s resurfaced again on Asian American social media: MRAzns, or Asian men who harass Asian women on the internet. We talk about our experiences with them, what we think motivates their behavior, and if there’s any hope for change. Plus, our top five things we need to apologize for. To our parents, former youth ministry students, and more — we're sorry.

For more on MRAzns:

“When Asian Women Are Harassed for Marrying Non-Asian Men,” Celeste Ng, The Cut, October 12, 2018

“Eating Our Own: Deconstructing the Misogynistic Myths of Asian American Antifeminism,” Ju-Hyun Park, Reappropriate, August 22, 2017

For more on the recent anti-Asian violence, we recommend @beyonkz and @eeewhysee on Twitter and Instagram.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

Chris atones for the transgression of calling Michelle Branch a one-hit wonder, and Liz still isn't over how amazing Michelle Obama looked at the inauguration. Then, inspired by our discussion of Big Mouth in the last episode, we talk about the fraught terrain of puberty — what the show gets right, our own awkward and traumatic experiences, and what we learned about sex and our bodies from school and church. (God knows we did not learn anything from our parents.)  Plus, our top five same-sex crushes — a fitting end to an episode about hormones.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

Music by Origami Pigeon

[Content warning: body image issues]

Chris pays tribute to his late uncle; Liz is blasting through Big Mouth on Netflix. Then we dig into all the messages we got from our parents about our bodies -- what they told us about our weight (and height, and skin, and...), how those messages impacted us and what was really behind them, and how we navigate these conversations as adults.  We wrap with our top five one-hit wonders.  Is it just us, or was the ‘90s full of fantastic one-hit wonders? 😉

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

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Liz is obsessed with Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa’s incredible new(ish) album, and Chris is digging into The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein’s landmark book about housing segregation. Then we talk about that age-old adult problem: how to navigate old friendships where you no longer see eye to eye. We talk about the place that our old friendships have in our lives, how we’ve handled significant differences that have appeared over the years, and the complicated question of who we feel most at home with now. Plus, the top five personas we’ve taken on. Turns out: trying on new identities isn’t just for teens.

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Art by Colin Turnbull (colinpturnbull.com)

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On the eve of his move, Chris reflects on his time in DC, while Liz finally sees the light regarding Harry Styles. Then, as we love to do at the end of every year, we reflect on what this year of cataclysmic change meant for us personally, how it changed us, and what we’re looking forward to in 2021.  Plus, our top five things we’ll never do again after 2020.  Which leads to a discussion about an underdiscussed topic: house clothes.  Do you differentiate your wardrobe into inside clothes and outside clothes (like Chris) or day clothes and night clothes (like Liz)?  We’re dying to know.

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Art by Colin Turnbull

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We’re so excited not to be talking about existential threats anymore! Liz is mourning the loss of Tony Hsieh, and Chris is binge-watching The Queen’s Gambit and The Legend of Kora. Then we get into the real quandary of the day: gifts for our parents. What do you get for an immigrant parent who has no hobbies and can buy anything they need? Why have we still not figured this out after thirty-some years of gift-giving? And keeping with our holiday theme, we end with our top five holiday songs. We can agree on one thing: There’s only one reigning queen of Christmas.

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We've got reasons to celebrate: Liz, the power of the people in getting Detroit's election results certified; Chris, the selection of Kim Ng as the General Manager of the Miami Marlins.  Then, in our final election discussion, we dig into exit poll data and try to make sense of some surprising findings:  Why did support for Trump go *up* in every community of color, compared to 2016?  Why did his support double among Asian American women?  What does all this mean for us going forward? We wrap with our top five most inspiring living figures.  We're thankful to them for guiding us through these trying times, and we're thankful for you for choosing to spend time with us.  We hope your holiday is lovely, however unusual it may be.

"How Whiteness Affected the Election," 1A, November 9, 2020

These pieces came out after we recorded, but they fit into our discussion perfectly:

- "'People of Color' Do Not Belong to the Democratic Party," Jay Caspian Kang, The New York Times, November 20, 2020

- "A New Political Force Emerges in Georgia: Asian-American Voters," Sabrina Tavernise, The New York Times, November 25, 2020

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Art by Colin Turnbull

Music by Origami Pigeon