Popaganda

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the latest in this #MeToo movement and what accountability can look like. More and more stories are coming out across industries of those who are abusing their power and we’re beginning to see more claims within the literary world. Last month, Junot Diaz published a heartbreaking account of his own rape, sharing his #MeToo moment. This is in contrast to recent allegations against him as the source of other’s #MeToo stories. Can Junot Diaz reckon with his own history of abuse without further abusing others? Plus Petty Political Pminute and a Golden Girls Amy Vs. Dahlia!

End of the world getting you down? We may never truly know what the future holds, and to some of us, the looming threat of an apocalypse is the most effective birth control. In this episode of Popaganda, Soleil digs into parenting and the end of the world: whether that means a total lifestyle change or global environmental calamity. First, she talks with Chicago DSA podcast producer Eleanor Russell about the ways in which reproductive justice is tied with economic justice. Then, she discusses the revelatory work of Octavia Butler and her imaginings of the future with essayist Jade Sanchez-Ventura. Along the way, she muses about Cormac McCarthy’s book, The Road; familiar dystopias; and Cardi B’s drive to have it all. SHOUT-OUTS Talkin’ Socialism, the official podcast of the Chicago DSA. You can read Jade Sanchez-Ventura’s brilliant essay, “Raising Babies in End of Days,” over at Mutha Magazine. Here’s more info on the anthology, Octavia’s Brood. More on the racist undercurrents of overpopulation discourse. T

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about summer music fests, Beychella, and the dismal treatment of sexual harassment at festivals. This year's Coachella was a moment with Beyoncé being the first Black woman artist headlining and featuring a very pregnant Cardi B. doing her thing. But it wasn't without concerns, as outlined in a "Teen Vogue" piece where a writer documented all of the times she was sexually harassed. Plus we've got a literal Petty Political Pminute!

Do you believe what you read in horoscopes? In pop culture, we imbue the zodiac signs with certain stereotypical behaviors. Virgos are judgmental, Leos are always starving for attention, Geminis are two-faced. The general gist is that the sun’s position in the sky relative to 12 astrological signs at the time of your birth can tell you all about the kind of person you’ll be. At least, enough to receive the same advice once a week. On this episode of Popaganda, you’ll be hearing from two people whose lives are entangled in astrology. We’ll talk about finding yourself in horoscopes, zodiac pie, and how astrology might work alongside social justice. First, we speak with Claire Comstock-Gay, a.k.a Madame Clairevoyant, who writes weekly horoscopes for The Cut. We actually covered her in Bitch last year! Then we hear from Candace Kita, a community organizer who attends the Portland School of Astrology, who explains what it means to “queer” the study of the zodiac. And she reads Soleil's birth chart! Cool!

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about how the National Geographic is finally coming to terms with its racism and how we think about spring break in pop culture. Finally, in its 130th year, National Geographic is beginning to acknowledge its history of perpetuating colonialism through racist editorial decisions. Like, duh. The impact that the magazine has had on how folks view many parts of the world can't be understated. The same can be said about pop culture references to spring break and popular destinations that are seen as party towns without thinking about how these cities are homes to entire communities. And of course, we've got a new Amy vs. Dahlia—and this is a spicy one.

On today’s show, Soleil will be talking about one of her favorite subjects: the act of faking it. Why do we do it, and what does it mean when we accuse others of doing it? And what does the impostor tell us about the boundaries we erect in order to define ourselves and our place in the world? To answer those questions, she’ll take on the Portsmouth Sinfonia, the phenomenon of the “fake geek girl,” Rachel Dolezal, and the awful—but perhaps enlightening—film White Chicks. We have two guests on the show this week: first, Soleil talks with Michi Trota, managing editor of the two-time Hugo Award-winning Uncanny Magazine, about how to it feels to be pushed out of a community is supposed to be all about celebrating outcasts. Then Soleil speaks with Amalia Nicholson—a content producer and cohost of the podcast Borrowed Interest, a show that focuses on the experiences of Black women in advertising—about everyone’s favorite Wayans Brothers movie (besides Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in t

This week, Dahlia and Amy are back to grumble and celebrate the Academy Awards. They dig into the limits of #MeToo in an industry that would continue to celebrate known abusers Gary Oldman and Kobe Bryant and overlook Ryan Seacrest's abusive behavior so he can stay on the red carpet. And the tale of two white women actors, Emma Stone and Frances McDormand, and how their different remarks reflect what White Feminism or true allyship can look like at the Oscars. And of course the latest update on the clown car show that is the Trump administration in Petty Political Pminute, and don't forget the latest Amy vs. Dahlia!

What does it take to get “well”? When we think about wellness, especially right now, we tend to think of it as everything we do to make our lives and bodies healthy. Rather than defining health through the negation of sickness, wellness advocates press that being “well” is an ongoing process of maintenance and care. But so much of what we think about wellness is so wrapped up in watching and being watched—through fitness apps, Instagram, bureaucracy, or just the day-to-day experience of going to the grocery store. On this episode of Popaganda, Soleil will be talking with a few folks about that peculiar facet of wellness. First, food writer Serena Maria Daniels shares her experience of growing up in a family that participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and how it feels to apply for the program as an adult. Then she talks to Dr. Elizabeth Hoover, assistant professor of American Studies at Brown University, about the ways in which Native American communities have fought for control o

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the growing anti-gun student movement that’s happened since the shooting at the Parkland, Florida, high school and an update about the Winter Olympics. After the latest horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, students have rallied together to demand serious gun control and that the NRA get out of the pockets of politicians. And at this year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a #MeToo moment with Shaun White and some incredible performances from Chloe Kim and the American figure skating team. Plus, a Petty Political Pminute and a new Amy vs. Dahlia poll!

Popaganda is back! In this episode, we’re going to be talking about an emotion you’ve probably heard a lot about lately: empathy. The way we talk about it, it’s almost like a superpower: it’s like we want to believe that the cure to political divisiveness, racism, and even war lies in the act of imagining exactly how someone else feels. But is empathy really going to save the world? First, Dr. Carolyn Pedwell, associate professor in Cultural Studies at the University of Kent, explains how different people define “empathy” and use it to achieve various, and sometimes opposing, goals. One of those parties is the virtual reality industry, and tech journalist Rose Eveleth explains the potentials and pitfalls of empathic VR experiences. Then we go into another sort of empathy experience with cartoonist Ben Passmore, whose comic and animated short, “Your Black Friend,” tackles empathy in a different, sharper way. Finally, we talk with scholar and activist Frances Lee (of the Bitch 50!) about how we can practice emp

This week, Dahlia and Amy (a.k.a your friendly neighborhood rage cheerleaders) talk about Rose McGowan’s confrontation with trans activist Andi Dier and Katie Roiphe’s “feminist” screed against #MeToo. At a recent stop on her book tour, Dier asked McGowan to explain remarks she made on Rupaul’s podcast about how transwomen didn’t grow up as women. Then they talk about the Roiphe essay you don’t need to read and how exhausting contrarian feminists need to step away from writing unproductive fodder criticizing young women.

This week, Dahlia and Amy dig into the latest “feminist” backlash against the #MeToo movement in light of Babe.Net’s Aziz Ansari—a story which showed how a celebrity who banked on his male feminist allyship ultimately doesn’t want to respect boundaries around consent. Then they talk about the sentencing hearing for former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar, who has pled guilty to child molestation, and the systemic failure of powerful organizations to protect the vulnerable. Plus, another Petty Political Pminute on Trump’s terrible tweet about this year’s Women’s March and the latest in the Mueller investigation.

In this first episode of 2018, Dahlia and Amy get into this year's Golden Globes, the Time's Up movement, and the misguided obsession for Oprah 2020. The Golden Globes is the first awards show since the fallout from the Weinstein effect and it didn't shy away from talking about #MeToo and the latest movement to announce that Time's Up for sexual harassment and violence against women in the industry. But is it all for show and what will real, concrete change look like? Plus, they kick off another segment of Petty Political Pminute with all the best/worst details from Michael Wolff's tell-all of the first days of the Trump White House in Fire and Fury.

Pour yourself a sweet drink because we made it through 2017! The year that felt like a decade with the inauguration of 45, no gun reform in sight, attacks on marginalized communities through policies, the normalization of supremacists, and, of course, the Weinstein effect. But we made it through because we have one another and we believe in the possibility of real concrete change. On this episode, Dahlia and Amy share their pop culture faves that got them through this year from Latinx pop music and the TV series based on Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Alias Grace” to the November elections and pro-athletes taking a stand by taking a knee. We have hope, power in numbers, and we’re ready for 2018 for more inspiring pop culture and for invites to impeachment parties. Don’t let the bastards grind you down.

This week, Dahlia and Amy breakdown Time’s much-anticipated “Person of the Year” magazine cover and cover story, and the continued fallout from the Weinstein effect. We thank our respective dieties that Trump’s ego isn’t being fed for being on the Time cover, but another white supremacist icon graces its cover instead. Taylor Swift accompanies Ashley Judd, agricultural worker Isabel Pascual, former Uber engineer Susan Fowler, lobbyist Adama Iwu, and an anonymous hospital worker who represents those who are unable to speak out publicly. Though Swift had her own sexual harassment suit to contend with, we dig into whether or not she’s really a “silence breaker.” Then they discuss the latest batch of folks of predators and why Woody Allen is still a protected Hollywood institution (like, wyd, Kate Winslet?).

Ya’ll, it’s finally December. 2017 is nearing an end and the outrageous news cycle keeps churning. This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the latest attempt by conservative “infiltration” group Project Veritas to discredit the “Washington Post” for covering the sexual abuse allegations against Alabama candidate for the Senate Roy Moore and how this undermines the true stories of survivors. Lena Dunham didn’t need to get involved either, but she “naively” thought it was a good idea to release a statement in support of her friend, former “Girls” writer and accused sexual assaulter, Murray Miller. Then they dig into the latest debacle that is a a “New York Times” profile of a Nazi sympathizer and how it fails to reveal anything behind the pathology of white supremacy while normalizing neighborly hate.

Another episode, another week of yell-talking about the latest revelations of sexual harassment and assault. This week, Dahlia and Amy declare that Louis C.K. is cancelled after he’s finally admitted that the alleged rumors about him are true, albeit through a terrible nonapology. And they talk about the assault claims against Alabama candidate for Senate Roy Moore that will piss you off because a known child molester is actually considered a viable Republican candidate. But we end on a positive note! There were some historic, inspiring, and hopeful victories across the country so that 2017 isn’t just one big toilet bowl of a year after all.

It has been exactly 365 days since the election of Donald Trump. For many of us, that day marked the beginning of a year of resistance. In this election special, Bitch staff share what that fateful day sparked in us, how it changed us, and how it moved us to action. We are here for our community and invite you to share your stories with us on social media using #BitchVotes2017.

This week, Dahlia and Amy dig into the beginning of the indictments against Trump-adjacent folks and the latest crop of sexual abuse allegations against powerful men. There’s a moment of mini-celebrations because FBI director’s Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s campaign team and possible collusion with Russian officials. Indictments were served for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates. Trump’s former advisor, George Papadopoulos, plead guilty to lying to the FBI! Yowza. Prayer hand emojis for more days of indictment to come. Then they discuss the latest in Hollywood BS with actor Anthony Rapp’s story of a 26-year-old Kevin Spacey making sexual advances against Rapp when he was just 14 years old. Spacey tried to divert from attention to this by coming out as a gay man. Ugh.

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk-yell about all of the sexual harassment and assault allegations against Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein, and its impact on the industry and beyond. Following breaking stories from the New York Times and the New Yorker, more than 40 women have come forward with their own stories of abuse from Weinstein. This case against Weinstein can introduce a sea change in both the film industry and beyond, but this episode also discusses the limits of survivors sharing their trauma for empathy, like in the case with #MeToo tag. Women have faced sexual assault and harassment since approximately forever, will exposing ourselves with #MeToo create impactful cultural change? They also dig into Mayim Bialik’s victim-blamey NYT op-ed where she posits that maybe ladies wouldn’t be so easily harassed if they’d only just dress more modestly (she’s since apologized for her misguided essay).