Tricky

Drag artist Vanity Von Glow, poet Iona Lee, relationship & sex educator, Esther De La Ford and actor Karen Bartke discuss the 'Karen' meme.

Karen is a slang term for an obnoxious, angry, entitled, and often racist middle-aged white woman, who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people's behaviours. It’s similar to the male term 'Gammon' in that they both refer to furious opinionated white people. ‘Karen’ began as shorthand in the US's black community but was popularised right across all sorts of service industries.

For the Karen on our panel it puts her off complaining about anything, in case she's accused of ‘being such a Karen' especially because that's her name! But is it now being used simply as a means to shut women down when they express an opinion that usually a man doesn't like? Who is the arbiter of when the meme is being correctly used or is that simply the nature of these things that once they're out they take on a life of their own?

Producers: Myles Bonnar and Peter McManus

Editor: Anthony Browne

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4

Gaming journalist Jordan Middler, poet Iona Lee, drag queen Lawrence Chaney and visual artist Sekai Machache discuss lockdown.

As restrictions tighten again across the UK we ask if young people are being blamed for the latest surge in cases of COVID 19 while also suffering the most economic hardship. The first lockdown devastated hospitality and retail as well as the arts and entertainment sectors, all areas where young people form the majority of the workforce and it seems the worst is yet to come.

While schemes like ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ encouraged everyone to get back out it’s young people’s ‘house parties’ and pub visits that seem to have been singled out as one of the main reasons for these latest restrictions - is that fair?

Our panel discuss how confusing and seemingly contradictory messages have left us unsure about what we can and can’t do, with the result that the finger of blame is pointed firmly at the younger generation.

Producers: Myles Bonnar and Peter McManus

Editor: Anthony Browne

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4

Musician Ransom FA, visual artist Sekai Machache, writer Vanessa Kisuule and David Chukwujekwu from Intercultural Youth Scotland discuss where Black Lives Matter goes from here.

The needless death of George Floyd seemed to signal a new phase for those campaigning to end racism both in the US and here in the UK. As a hashtag and a slogan Black lives Matter is the latest in a long succession of rallying cries but have recent events marked a tipping point. Our panel use their own experiences of racism to explore this crucial question and give their thoughts on how to keep up the momentum that's come at such a high cost.

Producers: Myles Bonnar and Peter McManus

Editor: Anthony Browne

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4

Online sex worker Reed Amber, dominatrix Megara Furie, Onlyfans content creator Ross and retired 'full service' sex worker 'Lucy' discuss the cons and surprising pros of sex work.

Working in the sex industry comes with a lot of stigma. And while there are many dark aspects to it there's a much wider range of experiences than you might expect. Our panel all made the deliberate choice to become sex workers either for financial reasons or to pursue their fascination with sex. For many of them it is literally a business and comes with all that that entails; health and safety, marketing, tax returns. But for a job that skirts with illegality there are all sorts of obstacles - staying safe is a priority but if you share a property with another sex worker you run foul of the law of 'brothel keeping', it can be a minefield.

Sex work can also take its toll on your other relationships; it can take a particular type of partner to see past society's and their own hang ups to accept that sex can be something you also just do for a living.

Producers: Myles Bonnar and Peter McManus

Editor: Anthony Browne

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4

Writer and performer Vanessa Kissule, drag artist Vanity Von Glow, online sex educator Reed Amber and dominatrix Megara Furie look at the rise of cancel culture and ask has it gone too far?

Should people be cast out because they express opinions we find repugnant? What if that's simply a product of ignorance? Cancelling someone means denying them the opportunity to learn and grow. Who hasn’t said something they've regretted, especially on social media - should they be forever condemned for it? Especially when cancelling can be more than calling someone outand might affect your livelihood as Vanity has experienced.

What, if any conversations shouldn’t be had and isn’t it just as important what can be heard as well as what can be said in our digital public spaces?

These are the tricky questions we should think about next time our finger hovers over retweet.

Producers: Myles Bonnar and Peter McManus

Editor: Anthony Browne

A BBC Scotland production for Radio 4