Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

This week we discuss two articles that give yet more evidence as to why Capitalism is harmful.

In This Episode

News

* Mayo Clinic Ends Animal Use for Resident Training (PCRM)* City to ban gendered language like “manhole,” “manpower” and “firemen” (CBS)* It’s Now a Felony, On Par With Murder, To Protest Oil Pipelines in Texas (Return To Now)* Instagram Is Hiding Likes. Will That Reduce Anxiety? (NY Times)

Joke

Why is dark spelled with a ‘k’…

Main Topic

The articles that inspired this week’s discussion are:

* What’s Your Purpose? Finding A Sense Of Meaning In Life Is Linked To Health* How neoliberalism is damaging your mental health

Exhausted from business travel and Pride, we skip the news and stuff in the middle to tear into the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Content Warnings for another black woman’s gratuitous and unnecessary death, undisguised racism, and, oops, spoilers.

Her name was Natalie, and she deserved better.

Follow Max Gordon on Twitter.

That is all.

We’re chatting today about the first two rounds of the Democratic debates, and we are talking about episode 7 of season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale because they’ve seriously gone too far.

In This Episode

News

* A pregnant woman shot in the stomach is indicted in her unborn child’s death (CNN)* Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Alabama Woman Who Was Shot While Pregnant (NY Times)* NYC District Attorney Candidate Backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Claims Democratic Primary Victory (The Root)

Joke

I snuck in like three or four bad political jokes…

Main Topic

Content Warning: we talk about The Handmaid’s Tale’s most recent episode with spoilers, which include a black woman being hung and a black woman being attacked by a white woman. (For reference, our Handmaid’s Tale discussion starts at 28:30 and ends at 1:28:15)

The Handmaid’s Tale

This show has long been on our radar as a tale of White Feminism masquerading as revolution, a show that is doing a terrible disservice to its source material and the times we live in, but this week’s episode puts it in the official realm of white supremacist propaganda. Please read Max S. Gordon’s article (linked below), he outlines everything wrong with this series beautifully:

A little Respect, Just a Little Bit: On White Feminism and How “The Handmaid’s Tale” is Being Weaponized Against Women of Color (Medium)

The Democratic Debates

We talk about presidential candidate debates in general, and our initial impressions of the first two rounds of Democratic debates this year. Please see the link below for the YouTube watchlist of key candidates responses spliced together without interruption:

Decision 2020 (YouTube)

We are discussing a fascinating article this week that reveals controversial information about the benefits of sunlight on skin, and how the guidelines we follow are, well, pretty damn racist.

In This Episode

News

* The Supreme Court Stopped The Census Citizenship Question — For Now (FiveThirtyEight)* Young Americans Are Becoming Less Comfortable With LGBTQ People, GLAAD Finds (HuffPost)* Leada Stray FB Live video – Stonewall Inn tried to Silence a Black Trans Woman (Facebook)* https://twitter.com/aspeneberhardt/status/1144521656129531904?s=21 (Twitter)

Stuff in the Middle

Joke

I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went….

Twitter Thread on Executive Function

* https://twitter.com/ErynnBrook/status/1132008635712901121

LAST CHANCE!!! Support Food Empowerment Project’s Annual School Supply Drive!

FEP is doing their annual school supply drive and need your help to make sure the children of farm workers get school supplies for this coming school year. Please consider donating if you are at all able, this annual event deeply touches our hearts and makes a direct difference in the lives of the children of the people who pick our food.

They are looking for the following supplies:

– Backpacks (always in great need; no red or bright blue, no military/camo, no corporate logos/promotions)– Spiral notebooks (college and wide ruled, 100 sheets)– Composition books (college & wide ruled, 100 sheets)– White lined 3-hole filler paper (college & wide-rule, 100-sheet packs)– Large erasers & pencil caps– 3-Ring binder (1 inch)– Highlighters (standard)– Glue sticks (small)– Pencil sharpeners– 2-Pocket folders– Pencil pouches– Rulers– Pencils or mechanical pencils– Standard ballpoint pens (blue, black)– Colored markers (regular tip, 10 pack)– Basic handheld calculators– Colored pencils (12 pack)

They will have drop off locations in the Bay Area starting June 24th through July 8th or you can ship directly to their office now through July 10th:

Food Empowerment Project921 Transport Way, Suite 7Petaluma, CA 94954

Main Topic

Nichole stumbled across an article about controversial research that proves the sun is our friend. The article talks about, amongst other things, how our sun exposure guidelines are made for the pastiest among us and our not conducive to optimal health in those with high melanin. Similar to food guidelines, sun exposure recommendations center whiteness.

Main article

* Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? (Outside Online)

Additional research

We’re back this week talking about the Striking Vipers episode from season 5 of Black Mirror – the episode that has been equally raved about and ripped apart online. We bring our freshly queer eyes and analysis to the episode!

In This Episode

News

* Valedictorian rips school staff and calls out teacher for “alcoholism” in graduation speech (CBS News)* Student Uses Snapchat’s ‘Gender Switch’ Filter to Nab Cop Allegedly Looking to Hook Up With Teen Girl: Police (NBC)* 72 Police Officers in Philly Just Got Put on Desk Duty for Writing Violent and Racist Facebook Posts (Vice)* Mexie’s tweet showing police violence against Nazi rally counter protesters (Twitter)* NowThis- A Trump official tried to argue that detained children don’t need soap, toothbrushes, or beds to be ‘safe and sanitary’ while in Border Patrol custody (Twitter)* ICE Raids- Tweet by AOC (Twitter)

Joke in the Middle

Why did the raisin hang out with the prune?

Main Topic

We read ALL kinds of reviews about the Stiking Vipers episode from the much-hated season 5 of Black Mirror. Some accused it of queerbaiting and avoiding queer representation of black bodies while others hailed it as a great exploration of toxic masculinity and homophobia in the black community. Some thought it didn’t go far enough, others felt it went were it was supposed to. We overall enjoyed the episode and took our things from it, seeing it not so much as a “queer” episode, or one that was even trying to do a deep analysis on sexuality and gender identity, whether in general or in the black community specifically, rather than an episode introducing technology that could change the way we relate to one another and that could facilitate experimentation in a whole new way.

Ultimately, Black Mirror episodes generally offer us ideas and information that are open enough to be interpreted in a way that is meaningful to the individual, and we found this episode to be no different. We respect the varying viewpoints on this episode and are just adding ours to the mix.

We read a lot before talking about this, here’s some of our favorites that represent differing viewpoints on the episode:

Resources

* HOLDING A ‘BLACK MIRROR’ UP TO MASCULINITY (AfroPunk)* The ‘Black Mirror’ Episode “Striking Vipers” Questions Heterosexuality In The Best Way (Nylon)* BLACK MIRROR’S ‘STRIKING VIPERS’ GETS TO THE HEART OF BLACK MASCULINITY AND THE LONGING FOR CONNECTION (Syfy Wire)* Black Mirror: The Weird,

We’re digging into our feelings around the latest season of Black Mirror, starting with Episode 2 and 3, focusing mostly on Episode 3 titled Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too. Oh honey…

In This Episode

News

* The Cop Who Killed a Woman Who Called 911 Is Going to Prison for 12 Years (Vice News)* Christian TV Host: Meatless Burgers Are Satanic Plot To Create ‘Race Of Soulless Creatures’ (Patheos)* IF YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT TRUMP IS DOING AT THE BORDER, you need to read and share this thread (Twitter thread)

Joke in the Middle

Why did the tomato blush?

Main Topic

The internet is on fire about how much it HATES season 5 of Black Mirror but we think everyone should chill the fuck out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We liked it so we’re here to talk about it!

We’ll cover episode 1, Striking Vipers, next week, but this week we chat shortly about episode 2, Smithereens, and then spend most of the time going over the last episode, Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too, which we found enjoyable and compelling for many reasons.

We appreciate this season of Black Mirror for how it seems to be holding up the mirror to us right now. We think fans of the show hated this season exactly because this one, arguably more than any other, called us out on our bullshit and yet we still engaged in it anyway…like we may have immediately Googled the ending of Smithereens…or we may or may not still be boppin’ our asses off to On A Roll..

Oh honey.

The Handmaid’s Tale is at it again, and by it, we mean White Feminism. Lingering close-ups of June’s snarls have us ranting about all the ways in which this show is an irresponsible tale of fragility and entitlement.

In This Episode

News

* Insurgent Democrats, Many of Them Women, Worry a New Party Policy Will Block Them (NY Times)* German Circus Uses Holograms Instead Of Live Animals For A Cruelty-Free Magical Experience (Bored Panda)* New Report Suggests ‘High Likelihood of Human Civilization Coming to an End’ Starting in 2050 (Vice)* ‘Climate grief’: The growing emotional toll of climate change (NBC News)* The Good Grief Network – support for climate grief

Joke

Why couldn’t the two little elephants go swimming? (Thank you, Dre!)

Support Food Empowerment Project’s Annual School Supply Drive!

FEP is doing their annual school supply drive and need your help to make sure the children of farm workers get school supplies for this coming school year. Please consider donating if you are at all able, this annual event deeply touches our hearts and makes a direct difference in the lives of the children of the people who pick our food.

They are looking for the following supplies:

– Backpacks (always in great need; no red or bright blue, no military/camo, no corporate logos/promotions)– Spiral notebooks (college and wide ruled, 100 sheets)– Composition books (college & wide ruled, 100 sheets)– White lined 3-hole filler paper (college & wide-rule, 100-sheet packs)– Large erasers & pencil caps– 3-Ring binder (1 inch)– Highlighters (standard)– Glue sticks (small)– Pencil sharpeners– 2-Pocket folders– Pencil pouches– Rulers– Pencils or mechanical pencils– Standard ballpoint pens (blue, black)– Colored markers (regular tip, 10 pack)– Basic handheld calculators– Colored pencils (12 pack)

They will have drop off locations in the Bay Area starting June 24th through July 8th or you can ship directly to their office now through July 10th:

Food Empowerment Project921 Transport Way, Suite 7Petaluma, CA 94954

Main Topic

For some silly reason, we’re still watching The Handmaid’s Tale even though we mostly hate it and we’re here today to talk about it.

Beyond issues we may have with the execution of the material, our focus is on what we see as an irresponsible fixation on the character of June as a hero in a world where race and transgender identities are ignored. A world where a resistance, formed largely by women of color, is treated as if it is simply waiting to be taken over by a white woman prone to childish impulses and who has yet to execute a single plan or mission successfully (yR...

This week we’re talking about a bunch of random stuff including shady dentists, TWO jokes, and so much news, and random thoughts about shows we’re watching.

In This Episode

News

* ‘Burn-Out’ Is Now a Legitimate Syndrome According to The WHO. Here Are The Symptoms (Science Alert)* World Health Organization Removes Gender Nonconformity From List Of Mental Disorders (HuffPost)* Say goodbye to your local precinct. Voting in California is about to change dramatically (LA Times)* Sun-Maid raisins pulls sponsorship of baseball team over Ocasio-Cortez ‘enemies of freedom’ video (The Hill)

Jokes in the Middle

How does ramen flirt?

Someone broke into my house and stole my limbo stick…

Recommended Reads by author Yuval Noah Harari

* Sapiens Homo sapiens rules the world because it is the only animal that can believe in things that exist purely in its own imagination, such as gods, states, money and human rights.Starting from this provocative idea, Sapiens goes on to retell the history of our species from a completely fresh perspective. It explains that money is the most pluralistic system of mutual trust ever devised; that capitalism is the most successful religion ever invented; that the treatment of animals in modern agriculture is probably the worst crime in history; and that even though we are far more powerful than our ancient ancestors, we aren’t much happier. * Homo DeusHomo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow examines what might happen to the world when old myths are coupled with new godlike technologies, such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.Humans conquered the world thanks to their unique ability to believe in collective myths about gods, money, equality and freedom – as described in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. In Homo Deus, Prof. Harari looks to the future and explores how global power might shift, as the principal force of evolution – natural selection – is replaced by intelligent design. What will happen to democracy when Google and Facebook come to know our likes and our political preferences better than we know them ourselves? What will happen to the welfare state when computers push humans out of the job market and create a massive new “useless class”? How might Islam handle genetic engineering? Will Silicon Valley end up producing new religions, rather than just novel gadgets?

Support Food Empowerment Project’s Annual School Supply Drive!

FEP is doing their annual school supply drive and need your help to make sure the children of farm workers get school supplies for this coming school year. Please consider donating if you are at all able, this annual event deeply touches our hearts and makes a direct difference in the lives of the children of the people who pick our food.

They are looking for the following supplies:

No news or jokes this week – we’re talking at a high level about what went down in the VWPA Society this week, and expanding it to a larger conversation around privilege, identity, and take down culture.

Nichole read a Captain Awkward post this week that had her reeling so we’re here to talk about it: how elite professions target “insecure overachievers” because they work hard and blame themselves for everything. Sigh.

In This Episode

News

* Twitter May Have Just Doomed Humanity by Trolling an Artificial Intelligence Bot (Vice)* Alabama House passes bill that would make abortion a felony (CNN)* Alabama’s anti-abortion law isn’t alone. Here are all the states pushing to restrict access (CNN)

Joke in the Middle

I heard the post office…

Activism Inspiration

Listener Malene writes:

In January I wrote you with a piece of news from the Netherlands where the catering at the Ministry of Education had gone plant-based as standard – with meat as an add on. Anyway, as I was very inspired about your talk about different kinds of advocacy may fit different types of people, I figured that as a lobbyist I could make a bigger difference by pitching the idea to a leader of one of our parties, than wielding a sign at a demonstration. 

So I did.

Since

this is an election year here in Denmark the parties are a bit cautious about

promoting messages like vegan/animal rights which may make them unpopular with

the mainstream (eg. Taking meat away) – but I am proud to say that the idea did

not die and the “plant based as standard” concept is now proposed policy on

municipal level in the city of Copenhagen (who serves up 70.000 meals a day)

and if it goes uncontested will become policy going forward this fall. 

Here is the article (in Politiken – a major Danish daily newspaper) about the project that you can google translate, if you are interested to read about it.

https://politiken.dk/forbrugogliv/forbrug/art7164688/K%C3%B8benhavnske-borgmestre-vil-sende-k%C3%B8det-ud-p%C3%A5-sidelinjen-for-klimaets-skyld

Main Topic

In the endless ways capitalism exploits us, this week Nichole stumbles into an advice column with a wild question that leads to an excerpt from a Harvard Business Review article that blew her whole entire mind. You gotta hear it (or read it) to believe it.

Captain Awkward advice question: #1198: “How do I deal with work burnout and make my partner* happy?” (*My partner = my boss, who is *a* partner in the law firm where I work)

Harvard Business Review article: If You’re So Successful, Why Are You Still Working 70 Hours a Week?