Fireside Breakdowns: Recent Episodes
Robin Strathdee and Jon Atkinson
If your social media feed is anything like ours, it’s filled with sticky topics like systemic racism, defund the police, toxic masculinity, and liberal media. It’s important to understand them but they’re difficult topics to research and break down! That’s exactly what we, Robin and Jon, are attempting to do. Every other week, we bring you in-depth, approachable discussions about these kinds of complicated issues. Our goal is to present these ideas in a way that everyone who listens can understand. We’re confident that doing this will help us all find some common understanding so we can address the issues and solve problems together. You can count on our sessions to be informative, well sourced, and easy to listen to. This is a show for everyone who wants to learn, regardless of political ideology. So pull up a chair, get comfy, and pour yourself a drink. Probably stiff, because these aren’t easy topics. Welcome to the Fireside.
This, friends, is a From The Headlines episode. And what headline are we breaking down for you this time?
“Perp walk Trump: Arrest and indictment by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg awaits ex-president” (NY Daily News).
Well, not exactly that one. More like this one, from the Washington Post:
“Donald Trump Braces for Potential Charges in N.Y. Hush-Money Case, Calls for Protests. Former president urges supporters to ‘TAKE OUR NATION BACK!’”
But, no matter which headline you go with, we're talking about the Stormy Daniels hush-money case, the potential crimes committed, and whether or not we'll get to see a perp walk after all.
This week's Patron-only bonus content: Our reactions to some of the WILD social media content out there on this topic.
This week's Groovy Dance Jam: Blow Out My Candle, Betty Who
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
“It can’t be that easy to misplace classified documents, can it?!”
In August 2022, a search turned up some 300 classified documents stored in former President Trump’s home Mar a Lago. In January 2023, outlets began reporting that classified documents had been found at the Penn Biden Center, presumably from Biden’s time as Vice President. Then, just as the proverbial world was debating the differences between the two situations, reports surfaced that classified documents had also been found at Mike Pence’s home in Indiana… So this week, we’re here to break down the situation a little bit more and discuss how this might have happened, the differences between these situations, and how we can know who might have committed an actual crime.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
This week, we’re diving into the complexities of the world's most recognized symbol of existential threat: the doomsday clock. That’s right, the metaphorical clock that slowly marks our advancement toward certain doom due to humanity’s constant thirst for better and more efficient methods to completely wipe ourselves out. Okay, that may be a little melodramatic. But it is true! Learn along with us on probably not the last podcast episode you'll ever listen to.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
Join us this week as we venture into the (un)known with a quick (for us, anyway) discussion about the backstory of the Dungeons and Dragons Open Game License, how OGL 1.1 is splitting the party, and whether or not Wizards of the Coast is the BBEG in this campaign. And, because we are who we are, we also delve into the fallacy of false choice and explain that this (and so many other situations) really isn’t an Us vs Them encounter. If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
We’re trying something new! Or at least a new version of something old! This is Headlines Potpourri, in which we discuss timely headline news and try to add important context or helpful talking points. This week’s headlines:
- “McCarthy Loses 10th Speaker Vote” (15 by the time of recording…)
- “George Santos arrived in D.C. this week. No one is more riled than N.Y.'s other gay congressman.”
- “Biden toughens border, offers legal path for 30,000 a month”
- “Layoffs are sweeping Corporate America to kick off 2023”
- “Weekly jobless claims fall to lowest level since September”
- “Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil’s presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court”
Good News: “FDA approves drug for Alzheimer’s treatment”
And, the patron-only bonus headline… “This Futuristic Toilet Sensor Wants to Track Your Health With Pee”
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
It’s the first episode of 2023, and that means it’s time to take a look back at the episodes, what-ifs, and general pandemonium that was 2022. Plus, we made some predictions about…
- The pandemic to endemic shift
- Turmoil for social media platforms
- Changes in how and where we work
- The growing irrelevance of Donald Trump
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has been marked by controversy. From corruption in the bidding process to human rights violations against migrant workers, the event is wrought with issues. And, it’s causing an ethical dilemma for many of the world’s soccer teams and fans.
In this episode we’re taking a closer look at the allegations against FIFA and Qatar, and asking what kind of social responsibility the organization, the teams, and the fans have when ethical situations like this arise. Oh! And in this week’s Patron only bonus content, we’re talking about beer.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
Q: In this episode of the popular Fireside Breakdowns podcast, hosts Robin and Jon tackle some uncommon current events knowledge, Trebek style.
A: What is Fireside Jeopardy?
Our plan for this episode was to do a little discussion on a few concepts and terms we’ve seen in the news this week that don’t get explained very often. They’re kind of just thrown around, and everyone listening or reading is expected to know what they mean or put it together using context. So, we wanted to explain what each one means and give some reference points about why it’s important to current events.
But then we got to thinking… what was the best way to learn new concepts and test your knowledge in school? With a rousing game of Jeopardy, of course! Listen in as we tackle topics like the Lame Duck session, the Debt Ceiling, and the Speaker of the House.
To introduce this week’s topic, I’d like to read you all a quote I think sums up where we’re headed in this episode:
“Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, it's been nothing but a volatile rollercoaster of decline and implosion—and it hasn't even been a month.” (Lucas Ropek, Gizmodo)
Honestly, with all the stress and tension of the midterms and economy talk… we’re overdue for some comic relief. So we’re going to take a moment to revel in the deconstruction of the Twitterverse at the hands of Mr. Musk.
Other Episodes Referenced:
- S3|SS12: Democracy vs Your Wallet
- S2|SS29: The Section 230 Experience
- S2|SS22: Ghislaine Maxwell, Filter Bubbles, + The Media
- S1|SS26: The Paradox of Tolerance
- S1|SS8: Debate Takes and Boogaloo Bois
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
This week, we’re going unscripted with a potpourri of election-adjacent topics centered around one theme: What’s really on the line this Election Day? We’re talking about:
- How political messaging is making Americans feel like they have to choose between putting food on the table and saving democracy.
- The difference in the pre-election narratives we’re seeing from the Republicans and the Democrats.
- The differences in red and blue economic policies.
- The rise of stochastic terrorism after the 2020 election, especially against political figures.
- The number of election deniers on midterm ballots, and how that might undermine the integrity of elections in the future.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
Governors Abbot (TX), Ducey (AZ), and DeSantis (FL) have made news recently for bussing - and now flying - migrants from their states to other (democrat-led) states. But these stories have left us with so many questions… Why are they doing this? Who are the people they are transporting; do they understand what's happening? And who is paying for all this?
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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It’s our 100th episode, y’all! Join us as we reminisce about the old days when our episodes were 300% longer, interview each other about the best and hardest parts of this podcast gig, share our favorite bloopers, and more.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
If America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, why are 38 million of us food insecure? On August 29, President Biden announced the official date of his planned Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to kick off an initiative that would end food insecurity and hunger in the United States by 2030. While on the surface that sounds like a simple concept, execution of that plan may end up being pretty complicated. This isn’t the first time we’ve tried to solve this problem. Today, we want to take a look at how many Americans are going without the food they need, what it really means to end food insecurity in the U.S., what kinds of programs might have a shot at it, and how a plan like this could work better than the ones we came up with 50 years ago.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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Did Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation really crash a whole generation of laptop computers? Is paddling the future of school discipline? Synthetic mouse embryos, rabies ravioli... We're talking about the weirdest things we learned this week in this episode of Fireside Unscripted.
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It’s been a little while since we did a true From The Headlines episode, and this one is gonna be a doozy. This week, we’re looking at the Espionage Act up-close and personal. We’ll talk about the history of the law, and why it was created in the first place. We’ll highlight some landmark cases. And then we’ll talk about how it might apply to former President Trump. Bonus content this week is a real hoot, too, as we look at some of the absurd reactions that Trumpist politicians and pundits are having to this investigation.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
The Fireside team tackles our first ever book report! We read Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, and in this episode we’re going to share what we learned about how women (and data about women) is ignored or excluded in areas of life we interact with every day. We’ll talk about what surprised us, what didn’t, what made us angry, and how we can all work to recognize this kind of data bias in the world around us.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
In many places, fall primary elections have ended and the final slate of candidates for your November ballot is set. In just a couple of months, you’ll (hopefully) be headed to your local polling place - or filling out an absentee or mail-in ballot - to choose the folks who will represent you for the next several years. You don’t want to wing it.
BUT, trying to research even one candidate can be time consuming and intimidating - and you’re facing a whole ballot of them, some with obscure responsibilities! So, how can you vet these candidates to be sure they really represent your positions on important issues, and that they’ll stay true to their word once they’re in office? Here’s our practical guide.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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In this Fireside Unscripted, we (Jon, Robin, and Savannah) talk through three articles with clickbait headlines that reeled us in recently... and one that really confused Savannah for a minute.
We take some time to talk about the headline and first impressions, and then explain why these particular articles caught our attention and why exactly they count as clickbait. We discuss the articles in order of angry-making-magnitude, and have some good rants about scope creep and the nature of clickbait.
Articles discussed:
Robin's: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/03/us/farmington-hills-police-department-black-target/index.html
Savannah's: https://www.foxnews.com/media/twitter-disgusted-new-york-times-piece-suggesting-theres-time-place-cannibalism
Jon's: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/july-web-only/russell-moore-steve-bannon-atlantic-jan-6-america-avatars.html
The Special Bonus Fiber Article: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/why-fiber-is-the-key-to-getting-faster-5g-everywhere/
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
There has been a long-standing effort to create a conservative majority Supreme Court that is willing to reconsider substantive due process rights, reduce the authority of the Federal government, and return the U.S. to an “originalist” state. The final episode in our series, “The Road We’re On,” examines the ideological imbalance on the current Court, discusses the long-term coordinated effort to install conservative justices, examines why “originalism” is so valuable to Conservatives, and asks what can be done to stop the momentum.
Bonus discussion, Samuel Alito: Poster Boy for Originalism + Fireside Unscripted: The Problem With Clickbait, are live on Patreon NOW!
What’s in this episode?
- The ideological imbalance on the current Supreme Court, and why it’s dangerous
- Why Conservatives started their 50 year campaign for The Court
- How they’ve managed to pull that campaign off (spoiler: The Federalist Society)
- Balls, strikes, Kavanaugh, Coney-Barrett, Brown-Jackson, and Roberts
- What “originalism” is and why Conservatives dig it so much
- Judicial restraint, judicial review, and judicial activism
- How to stop a moving train - not really. But how to change this judicial course
- Good News: Bipartisan…? Legislation to protect marriage, contraception, and abortion care.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
In Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision penned by Justice Samuel Alito which held that the right to an abortion outlined in Roe v Wade under the Due Process clause of the 14th amendment was errantly determined. In the decision, Alito wrote, “the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment… has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition” and “implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.”
Many legal scholars believe that this sets a dangerous precedent for the many rights afforded to Americans under the 14th amendment, and undermines many of the liberties that Americans - conservative and liberal - have come to rely on. Could this be two steps backward on the path to equal treatment and equal protection for all Americans?
Bonus discussion, Let’s Talk About States’ Rights + Episode 3 of this series, Runaway Train, are live on Patreon NOW!
What’s in this episode?
- Due process, substantive due process, and unenumerated rights.
- Penumbras, "The Shadows of the Constitution" from Throughline
- The “deeply rooted” methodology (Washington v Glucksberg + Dobbs v Jackson) + the danger of said methodology.
- States make terrible decisions, like forced sterilization (Buck v Bell).
- Clarence Thomas says all substantive due process decisions are demonstrably erroneous (yikes).
- Good News: The Yellow Bus Project visits Ted Cruz.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
Welcome to Fireside Breakdowns season 3! We’re wasting no time this season - we’re jumping straight into the deep end with a series about how the Supreme Court decisions that were handed down this Summer could potentially affect life for ALL Americans. We feel like we saw the beginnings of a well-lined path being laid out for the U.S. - some might even say a train track - and we’re concerned about where it will lead us if we don’t pay attention.
That’s why we’re going to start by taking a closer look at some of the decisions released by the Supreme Court in May and June 2022. Many of these cases were widely publicized. Some were published without much fanfare. But each of them could have significant impacts on the way we live our lives from this point on.
Bonus discussion of Shinn v Ramirez + Episode 2 of the series - 1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back - are available NOW on Patreon.
Cases discussed: Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, West Virginia v EPA, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc v. Bruen, Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta, and Vega v. Tekoh.
What’s in this episode?
- Discussion of each of the above cases, and their potential impact on the future
- We get very salty about Brett Kavanaugh
- Good News: DHHS guidelines on emergency abortions
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get access to early episode drops, bonus content, priority topic requests, quarterly happy hours, and more!
NOTE: This episode was recorded on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - previous to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade. This conversation seems much more significant now that broader reproductive rights - and LGBTQ+ rights - are at such incredible risk. While the focus of the episode was not specifically abortion access, we felt this episode art was most reflective of what many people with uteruses are experiencing today.
Join us for a special Fireside Unscripted where Robin and Savannah share their unfiltered (and sometimes unsophisticated) thoughts on navigating hot topic issues that involve people with uteruses, womanhood, women's rights, and women's bodies.
What’s in this episode?
- We discuss the question of womanhood
- We ponder, “who is making decisions for us?”
- We get in the weeds talking about abortion and trans athletes
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Why do some people view life with a win or lose perspective? Is it possible to find solutions where everyone benefits when we’re talking about taxes, immigration, or workforce equity? Is it true that someone always gets the short end of the stick?
In this episode, we’re talking about another one of the foundational struggles that (the collective) we face when we’re trying to have conversations about difficult topics. We’ve already done episodes on bias, conspiracy thinking, good and bad faith arguments, and now we’re going to round things out by talking about zero sum thinking.
What’s in this episode?
- What is Zero Sum thinking?
- Why is Zero Sum thinking an obstacle to meaningful progress?
- Examples of Zero Sum thinking related to SCOTUS and the war in Ukraine
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Today, we’re talking about arguing. Specifically, arguing in bad faith. We’ve done it; you’ve done it; and politicians, pundits, and public figures do it all the time. Accusations fly, especially during times of crisis (like after gun massacres) or in election years. But no one ever takes the time to explain what they mean when they accuse someone of arguing in bad faith. I mean, how are you supposed to recognize these outrageous fallacies if no one will tell you how they work?!
Knowledge is power, people. And we’re here to make you really damn powerful. In this episode, we’re going to talk about what, exactly, good faith and bad faith arguments are and why debating in bad faith is so harmful to actual progress. Then, we’ll work through some examples of the bad faith arguments that make the rounds after every new spate of mass shootings. We’ll talk about why they fit the category, and even outline some good faith talking points on both sides that you can use to have these hard conversations with those who might disagree with you.
What’s in this episode?
- Good Faith vs Bad Faith Arguments.
- Why debating in bad faith is harmful to actual progress
- Examples of bad faith arguments about gun safety/violence/control/laws
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
For this week’s unscripted episode, we thought it would be fun to take stock of where we stand on some current cultural and political hot topics. You see, we’ve all seen our opinions on topics like this change over the last several years and we wanted a way to document where we are now so we can compare in a year, or even two.
Oh! And we wanted to give you the same chance as well. You can fill out the survey we talked through (completely anonymous, if you wish) and even grab a screenshot if you want. Then, you can do your own check-in later down the road.
Take the survey: https://forms.gle/HxiW7awAQ43sDir48
What’s in this episode?
- Our thoughts and feelings about topics from gun safety to dark money in politics.
- So. Many. Inappropriate. Jokes.
- We all get the giggles. Not our fault, it was really late.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Imagine my surprise when I read the headline: “South Carolina marks Confederate Memorial Day on Tuesday.” I thought to myself surely this had to be some sort of clickbait situation, and that I was going to get to the end of that article and be embarrassed that I fell for their tricks. But it wasn’t. So here we are to talk about Confederate Memorial Day! Like almost everything else we talk about here, we quickly learned that there was more to this day than meets the headline - including a connection to the Ladies Memorial Associations of the Reconstruction South and the Lost Cause narrative that has influenced how the entire nation talks about the Civil War. We also want to take some time to talk about how the perpetuation of holidays like this makes it much more complicated for us, as a nation, to work toward our racial justice goals.
What’s in this episode?
- A brief history of regular Memorial Day
- The origins of Confederate Memorial Day
- How Ladies Memorial Associations gained political influence
- The United Daughters of the Confederacy and Lost Cause propaganda
- States honor Confederate holidays but won’t recognize Juneteenth
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This one’s unscripted, folks, and we’re confessing a few cringeworthy things we can’t believe we used to think.
What’s in this episode:
- Jon was really bad at sports physiology
- Savannah didn’t know something she said was racist
- Robin used to be kind of an elitist
- And, Jon got drugged
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Note: Sorry, Jon accidentally uploaded the wrong audio file the first time. This is the actual episode! Apologies for the delay.
Hey folks, thanks for tuning into the last episode in our series “An Unholy Convergence”, where we’re trying to answer a listener’s question about how so many Evangelical Christians became enamored and entangled with Donald Trump, and how that connection might have noticeably changed their attitudes and behaviors on other current events issues, like social justice, immigration, and COVID.
This week, we’re going to look at how the Trump administration continued the work his campaign began, creating loyalty with Evangelical voters by implementing white and Christian nationalist policies. Then, we’ll finish with a quick examination of whether Evangelicals’ positions on some key social issues changed during the Trump administration, or if the social climate during the 4 years Trump was President brought long held beliefs to the forefront.
Special features: Terrible things Matt Gaetz said, brief mention of replacement theory, Bill Barr thinks only Christians deserve free government, copy+paste legislation.
What's in this episode:
- Examples of white and Christian nationalist policy and rhetoric from the Trump administration
- Evangelicals have a strange affinity for “law and order”, and law enforcement, but haven’t changed their positions on racial justice since Rodney King
- Evangelicals used to advocate for immigrants, now they advocate for walls
- Evangelicals’ bad behavior during COVID was more about rebellion than religion
- Good News: The FIRST AAPI Heritage Parade in NYC!
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
In the grand Fireside tradition of biting off more than we can chew (and not realizing it until we’ve already got a mouthful), we’re back this week with part FOUR of our three part series on White Nationalism, Evangelical Christianity, and Donald Trump.
This week, we’re going to try to answer the million dollar question: How on earth did a man like Donald Trump win and keep the vote of the deeply religious Evangelical population. What did Evangelical leaders at the time have to say about him, and how did his religious supporters justify his bawdy behavior? What were the narratives circling in the conservative Christian community about Trump and the Republican party? And did - as our listener implied - that campaign season mark a change in the perspective and every day behavior of Evangelicals?
What’s in this episode:
- A note on covering the Roe v Wade question
- A reminder that we’re not attacking anyone personally. Just in case you were wondering
- The importance of a religious candidate for Evangelical voters
- Why Cruz lost the nomination to Trump (spoilers: Nationalism > Moral Alignment)
- The divide among Evangelical leaders over Trump
- Why Trump was considered the “lesser evil”
- In their own words: How Evangelicals justified voting for Trump
- Good News: Karine Jean-Pierre and Katherine Tai
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This is episode 3 in our series An Unholy Convergence, where we’re trying to untangle how White Nationalism, Evangelical Christianity, and Trumpism became so enmeshed. The goal of this episode is to paint a picture of what the Trump voter base looked like, and to talk through the constellation of concerns that led them to believe that he was their best advocate. We hope to get to the end of this episode with a clear understanding of why the evangelical voting bloc turned out so hard for Donald Trump in 2016 and in 2020, and set the stage for next week’s conversation about how he won and held their vote.
What’s in this episode:
- Research-based breakdown of Evangelical and Trump voter base demographics (2016)
- Discussion of what “representative data” is and does
- Talk about the specific concerns that Trump voters seemed to be facing in 2016
- Connection of the concepts of Christian nationalism and the factors that motivated Trump voters.
- Good News: TikTok’s celebration of Asian + Pacific Islander Heritage Month
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This is another Fireside Unscripted episode, where Jon, Robin, and Savannah wax poetic on a topic with no research, script, or even show notes. This week we’re discussing student loans - forgiveness, cancellation, and all of our feelings. Listen in as we discuss, and then share your experiences with us!
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can (usually) find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This week, we’re going to start doing the hard work of untangling the messy intersection between White Nationalism, Evangelical Christianity, and Trumpism. Last week, we shared the listener question that inspired this series and some basic definitions that we’re going to use as we move through the series. From there, we think the most logical place to start building this picture is to begin looking at how Christianity (and eventually Evangelicalism) and nationalism became so intertwined. It feels like a story as old as America itself, so we’re going to tell it using primary sources that illustrate the mindsets that contributed to this process.
What’s in this episode:
- Discussion of what makes a nation
- Comparison/contrast of nationalism and patriotism
- Examination of how the earliest definitions of “American” came to include both Christian and White
- Brief history of the issue that catalyzed Evangelical involvement in politics (spoiler: it was Civil Rights)
- Good News: A new treatment that uses progenitor cells to restore hearing
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This week’s topic was brought up by a friend and listener, who said:
"I would love to hear you do an episode on Trumpism/White Nationalism in the church. I feel like the church who I used to love has gone to hell. And that makes me very sad and angry. It just seems like the church’s views and stances on topics have really changed since Trump was elected… Like they are brainwashed. And so deep into these right wing conspiracies and Trump worship that they can't even see right from wrong anymore…
This really struck a chord with each of us, so we decided to investigate. Why have these three perspectives converged in such an impactful way? Clearly, there’s a lot to figure out here. More than we could accomplish in a single episode. So, we’re going to turn this into a series. And, to get things started, we want to make sure everyone is on the same page with the terminology and concepts we’ll be using a lot in the next few episodes.
What’s in this episode:
- Discussion of why this topic is meaningful to each of us
- Which part of “the church” are we talking about (spoiler: Evangelicals)
- A basic definition of White Nationalism
- A basic definition of Christian Nationalism
- A super brief explanation of Trumpism
- Where this series is headed
- Good News: A bi-national park between the U.S. and Mexico
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Link to H.R.1931 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019 and the more recent H.R.350 - Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021
Content Warning - Discussion of explicit content of children with regard to sentencing and criminal justice: 31:00 - 56:10.
If you’re anything like us, the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson - and the follow up conversations - were of keen interest as we look ahead to the 2022 midterm elections. Both the theatrics staged by the senators on the committee, and the legitimate questions that managed to sneak out in between, raised some points that we wanted to learn more about. And of course, we had plenty of opinions about what we saw.
What’s in this episode?
- Hot Takes - Was this a foreshadow of the midterms? Should senators be allowed to give speeches? Should the hearings even be televised?
- How does Judge Jackson’s sentencing record line up with common practice? Why might the federal guidelines need adjusting?
- What is a judicial philosophy, and what is Judge Jackson’s?
- Good News: Gov. Spencer Cox stands up for trans kids in Utah.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
We’re back with another Fireside Unscripted episode, where Jon, Robin, and Savannah wax poetic on a topic with no research, script, or even show notes. This week we’re discussing toxic masculinity: What it means, how it’s experienced in different cultures or regions, and most importantly how it impacts both men and women. Listen in as we discuss, and then share your experiences with us!
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Biden says it’s Putin’s fault; Fox News says it’s Biden’s fault; but the one thing most Americans know is that shit has gotten real expensive. Inflation is high, gas prices are high, and confidence in the health of the US economy is really, really low. So, we want to take some time to talk about what the hell is going on.
No, you’re not experiencing deja vu right now. We’ve covered these topics before - recently, actually, but a lot has changed since we talked about inflation around Christmastime. And even more since we looked at gas prices in September. This episode will include a significant amount of recap information from previous episodes, so if you listened to those you might hear some content that sounds familiar. If you didn’t, don’t worry; we’ll give you enough background to make sure you can follow along.
Then, there’s plenty of new information to cover including whether the conflict in Ukraine is contributing to rising inflation, whether or not we can blame Joe Biden for how much it cost to fill our gas tanks this week, and yeah, we’re going to talk about that Ben Shapiro video (even though it hurts).
If you’d like to get in touch with us…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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On the day this episode airs, March 14, 2022, it has been 18 days since Vladimir Putin directed the Russian army to invade Ukraine. This invasion has had devastating consequences for the people of Ukraine, which you can read about or watch or listen to on pretty much any media channel that exists right now. It’s necessary for the world to see, but it can also be really overwhelming for those of us who don’t need another picture of just how ugly humanity can be. Which is why we’re trying to contribute to the coverage by adding context to the headlines.
This invasion has also all but collapsed the Russian economy and sent shockwaves through other economies world wide, in no small part because of sanctions that have been levied against Russia by many other countries and organizations across the globe. In many cases, imposing sanctions seems to be the first response when one world government makes decisions that are not supported by other world governments. Because they’ve been such a key response during this conflict, we wanted to make sure that we - and by extension you - have a foundational understanding of what they really are, how they impact the countries that are sanctioned AND the countries that impose them, and whether or not they produce the desired results.
If you’d like to get in touch with us…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Heads up: Because we're talking about the current (2022) Russia/Ukraine Conflict, this episode is highly likely to fall into the category of “pretty heavy stuff” we mention in the intro.
Honestly, we had something completely different planned for this week but it feels really important to be a part of the conversation that’s happening right now. We also wanted to make sure that we came to the conversation authentically, in a way that represents what we do on this podcast: creating a foundational understanding of complicated topics so that the proverbial we can come together to work through them.
We won’t be talking about the ins and outs of the immediate situation, sharing a play by play of movements, or even diving too deeply into the human interest side of things - not this week, or in any other episodes we do during this crisis. Instead, we’re going to do our best to add context to the conversation by explaining important background information or diving into how a policy works. We want to help you understand what’s going on on a deeper level.
Today, we’re going to try to fill in a gap we’ve noticed in the coverage of this situation: Why is everyone talking, but also NOT talking, about NATO?
You'll also notice that the outro song is different than our usual. It's the Ukrainian National Anthem, performed by Mykhailo Khoma and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under the direction of conductor Oksana Lyniv.
Here are the links to the various charities we discussed in this episode:
- International Committee of the Red Cross: https://www.icrc.org/en/where-we-work/europe-central-asia/ukraine
- United Help Ukraine: http://unitedhelpukraine.org/
- Razom for Ukraine: https://razomforukraine.org/?fbclid=IwAR0PVdQLNM6kv2UGZTo6SUOPoQRycncVrjbBdzTsExQR3AvbVNNB2-0PVMw
- The Voices of Children Foundation: https://voices.org.ua/en/
- Army SOS: https://armysos.com.ua/en/
If you’d like to get in touch with us…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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We’re coming to you with a new format this week: welcome to Fireside Unscripted. On the last Monday of every month, we’ll be sitting down as a team - sometimes with a good drink on hand - to talk through some of the more practical or timely topics we get asked about. This week we’re discussing how to disagree respectfully. Listen in and hear how we approach these hard conversations, and then let us know what works for you!
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Can you imagine working at the White House? Or on Capitol Hill?
Well, thanks to an Instagram account called @Dear_White_Staffers - and the voices of many congressional staffers who are taking the opportunity to share their own stories - many of us can now get an idea of what it might be like. And the picture isn’t pretty. In fact, it’s bad enough that they’ve announced their intentions to form a Congressional Workers Union. So, this week we’re taking some time to break down what’s happening on The Hill, and explore what unions have mean for workers in America.
In this episode, Savannah mentioned a book called Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, by Caroline Criado Perez.
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Okay okay, we’re jumping on the bandwagon here. You might have guessed from the clever episode title that we’re gonna talk about Joe Rogan here. But we solemnly swear that it won’t just be about Rogan - we’re only using him as an example of the mess that surrounds Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Turns out we have some opinions about Rogan’s show, so we start the episode with a discussion on where we think the ethical and social responsibility for podcast content should fall. Then, we talk about Section 230 itself - what it means for Spotify to be a “platform” not a “publisher” and how they’re trying to have the best of both worlds here. And then we close out with some bipartisan proposed changes to Section 230 that would amend or even repeal the legislation.
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
This week we're going to talk about the travesty of stopping for ice cream on a Tuesday, cussin' out reporters, and Supreme Court nominations. Even though Congress can't get its act together enough to pass some critical legislation to fulfill more of Biden's campaign promises, the ceaseless judgment of the media seems to be laser-focused solely on whatever Biden is (or isn't) doing at any given time. Fortunately for us, that provides a lot of headlines to highlight points of nuance and, you guessed it, the b-word. No! Not that one… bias. The meat of this episode is Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, why folks like Ted Cruz are offended, and why this isn’t exactly Affirmative Action. Spoiler: We have opinions.
Also included in this episode: Violette N. Anderson, the first Black woman admitted to the Supreme Court Bar. Happy Black History Month!
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
We’re back after two expected weeks off, and one unexpected week of illness! This week, we’re breaking down something commonly referred to as “the death of expertise” - open antagonism toward established knowledge. How did we get to the point where people who have literal and actual college degrees in complicated fields are placed on the same level of authority as opinionated politicians or folks who are moderately competent Google searchers?
That’s an excellent question. We would love to tell you. (Unashamed reference to Elyse Myers, who Robin thinks is very funny.)
Also included in this episode: the Dunning-Kruger effect, vaccine hesitancy, and Cliff Claven.
In this episode we mention a great series on vaccines, and the anti-vaccine movement, from a podcast called Endless Thread. The series is long, so we’re only linking to episode 3 (which is most relevant to this conversation) here, but we highly recommend the whole thing. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pHujj1pFYQgPoZb1LGo15?si=7bbfe109cbd542cc
We also mentioned Dr. Noc, who we follow on Instagram for his stellar science communication. https://www.instagram.com/dr.noc/
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
Hello and welcome to the “all diversions, all the time” episode! This week, we’re taking a look back on 2021. We’ve got updates on a couple of episodes, a few “called it” moments, and plenty of bunny trails. We also took some time to talk through the issues we’re watching for 2022, like: voting legislation, redistricting, social media legislation, and - of course - this pandemic situation.
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Well we’re back here on this old saw: inflation. If you’ve paid any attention to the news for the past… oh, forever, but mainly the last several months, you’ve probably heard nearly unending, daily talk about the inflation rate. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 6.8 percent from November 2020 to November 2021. No, we’re STILL not in danger of becoming the next Venezuela. But we do think it’s time to take another look at what exactly inflation is, how it’s affecting our economy, and why the experience of inflation isn’t the same for everyone.
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
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In November 2020, a poll by Monmouth University revealed that 32% of Americans polled believed that Joe Biden was president SOLELY because of voter fraud. That same poll, repeated in January and March, showed that the numbers held strong. Nearly one third of Americans believe that widespread fraud, rather than the will of the people, determined the outcome of our election.
Election results in all 50 states - even the most contentious - were certified, official electoral votes were cast and accepted. The Department of Homeland Security called this the most secure election ever. So what is it that makes so many people believe that the election was a fraud? And is there any indication - after a year of looking now - that fraud was a factor?
Let’s chat about why we DON’T believe the 2020 Presidential election was stolen.
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
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Well there’s no two ways about this one, folks. Vaccines are currently radioactive.
Not… Not literally. Figuratively, metaphorically, and all that jazz.
This week we’re going to put on our hazmat suits and wade into the… inexplicably contentious world of vaccines to discuss one very, very small aspect of them: Mandates.
This fight against COVID vaccine policy is just the latest in a long line of similar reactions as America has faced new diseases and the science of vaccination has progressed. So, we’ll talk about what the current “mandates” mean, and what’s happening with them. Then, since we’re essentially becoming a history podcast now we’ll rewind through some of the controversy around vaccine policy in our past - starting with some vaccine motivated terrorism, and including proof that maybe vaccine mandates are one of the most patriotic policy decisions we can make…
As always, if you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Thanks for joining us for another From The Headlines episode! Just as a reminder about how these episodes work: Every other week, we take a break from our in-depth research to focus on a topic that’s currently making headlines. This week, we want to talk about the Ghislaine Maxwell trial. But we know that you can get the ins and outs of the case, and what’s happening each day in the trial, from pretty much any news source. Instead, we want to focus on how we believe this case is being used to politicize the victimization of women and children through what social science researchers call a filter bubble. We also bring up our old friends bias and conspiracy theories along the way.
Because of the sensitive nature of this topic, we definitely understand if you need to skip through the episode to avoid discussion of suicide, abuse, and trafficking. We did our level best to treat the topic with respect - no graphic explanations here. But, we know that these subjects can be hard to process, so we give a clear cue when we’re headed into the section that mentions those things.
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We’ve spent several episodes now focused on the struggle and the hardship that Native Americans have faced because of European Colonialism and its consequences, but we definitely don’t want to close out this series without celebrating some of the outstanding accomplishments that have been made by Native American people. We really want to end this series on a high note. So today, we’re going to tell you about two Native American people whose stories and accomplishments we think you should know.
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Every November, teachers break out vocabulary sheets to teach us all about words like “cornucopia” and “harvest” and “pilgrim” while children cut out black, construction paper hats and attach construction paper buckles to construction paper shoes. Refrigerators across the United States find themselves festooned by flocks of mutant, five-finger turkeys. But what if we told you that the holiday we all celebrate as "Thanksgiving" is more the outcome of a game of historical telephone than it is a representation of any actual event? This week, we're trying to figure out just where we get our annual excuse to wear sweatpants to a family event. And, we're talking about why it's so harmful to First Nations people for us to keep perpetuating the myth we call The First Thanksgiving. ™ © ®
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It’s the third Monday in November, which means this is our second episode as part of Native American Heritage Month! This week, we’re bringing you an in-depth breakdown of the whole situation concerning the protests at Standing Rock Reservation over the Dakota Access Pipeline, the significance of the land (to both parties) and where things stand right now. To really understand the controversy behind the protests at Standing Rock and the fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline, we have to understand the history of mistrust and negligence that marks the relationship between our First Nations people and the United States government. Because this isn’t just a philosophical struggle over the potential impact of a long-distance crude oil pipeline - this situation brings to the forefront the centuries old efforts of Native Americans to have their sovereign rights respected and to see the treaties they made with the United States honored.
There is discussion of violence - in the context of battles and massacres that occurred historically, and in the context of contemporary protests. Some of that includes violence against women and children. If that makes you uncomfortable, here are the time stamps to miss:
13:09 - Beginning of Sand Creek Massacre Discussion (mostly context) 17:20-19:10 - Actual Description of Massacre 20:02 - Destruction of 80 Man Command on Bozeman Trail (
It finally happened. Our 59 episode streak has ended. Deep in our hearts we knew we couldn't keep this up forever. Eventually, our perfect record would break. Well, friends, this is the week.
Some unanticipated personal stuff... well, it hit us like a freight train and we just weren't in the right space to give the next episode our best. At the end of every episode, we encourage you all to take care of each other - and this week, we had to take our own advice.
We hope you all have a chance to rest and relax this week, that you treat yourself with the same kindness you offer to others, and that you have the opportunity to share love and laughter with those you care about. We'll be back with you next week.
We’re bringing you another From The Headlines episode today, but this week’s headline isn’t as controversial as what is or isn’t making into the latest spending bill, or even what President Biden’s doing in Rome. What caught our attention this week is the nomination of Charles Sams III - or, as his friends call him, Chuck - for Director of the National Parks Service. Sams would be the first Native American person to hold this position in its 105 year history, and we figured that would be a great story to kick off Native American Heritage Month!
Then, when we started digging into it a bit more, we discovered that we knew almost nothing about the history of the Parks Service, and why it would be incredibly significant to have a Native American leader at the helm. Us, discovering there’s more to a topic than we thought?? What’s new, right? But man - this ones a doozy.
If you’d like to get in touch…
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
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Did you know that October is ADHD Awareness Month? You do now!
This week, we want to talk a little bit about ADHD, what it is, and what the realities of living with it actually are. You’ve heard of it many times. We mention it just about every other episode, since we both have been diagnosed with it. And, honestly, it rears its head with us when we’re writing every episode. It’s why we end up digressing from our intended topic and why we’re often doing a last minute research push right before we record. Chances are, you know and love someone who's got it, so we hope this sheds a little extra light on what it means to be neurodivergent.
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This week is another From the Headlines episode! We’re talking about the recent whistleblower testimony from former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, “The Algorithm” (how Facebook and other platforms determine which content you see), and what it means to practice good data hygiene. With a special guest appearance by everyone’s favorite topic: bias.
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You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! Patrons get priority topic requests, behind the scenes content, and more!
If you’re listening to this episode on release day, we’d like to wish you a happy Indigenous People’s Day! We’re taking this week to talk about this new, but also not new, holiday - what it is, why it’s important, and why it (like so many other things these days) is the cause of such a ruckus.
So, put on your comfy clothes and get a warm drink (or keep driving to work or whatever you’re doing when you listen) and allow us to dive into some history. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a nice, historical episode.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
You can find all of our sources in our Show Notes.
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
Sensitive Content Warning: Gabby Petito discussion from 24:45 to 47:15.
Here we are again with another late night, smooth jazz recording to bring you a ripped from the headlines, kinda from the hip, discussion session. This time we’re taking some headline news and asking the question, “Is it racist?” We cover the racist origins of some common phrases, Missing White Woman Syndrome, and the Great Replacement, and we try to determine whether or not it’s accurate to attribute racial bias, animus, or insensitivity to them.
As a reminder, these episodes are pretty top level. Sometimes we cover more than one topic, we don’t have super detailed show notes, and often we heavily paraphrase our sources. The goal is to make sure we’re covering timely topics as well as those we have time to dig down into. But, as usual, you'll find everything we pulled from in our shownotes.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
You know how some topics seem unnecessarily… polarized? Like, conversation about them just ends up with someone ranting about how the other political party is to blame for all the world’s problems? The price of gas is one of those topics. So this week, we decided to try to put those rants to rest with a breakdown of why gas prices are what they are, and a look at whether or not the rise and fall of prices can be blamed on (or credited to) one political party or the other. We also spend a few minutes talking about what your wallet can expect from prices at the pump in the near future.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
This week, we’re covering the sexiest of all topics… Infrastructure! Okay okay, not objectively sexy. But sexy in that reality TV drama way. Funding for essential functions of U.S. infrastructure hang in the balance as Democrats in Congress battle it out over social programs and the national debt. Plus also, we figured out just how long it would take to earn $3.5 Trillion. Listen in to find out.
Spend Bill Gates’ Money: https://neal.fun/spend/
If you want to listen to our Filibuster episode, click here!
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
This week, we’re spending some time talking about bias. Yes, we know that there are so many headlines and conversations that are begging for a rational and information based perspective. Trust us, we want to and will talk about those things. But we’ve noticed - a lot lately - that at the roots of many of these conversations are some basic dysfunctions that keep us from being able to effectively and civilly discuss these topics. Bias is one of those dysfunctions, so we’re going to start there. Explicit, implicit, cognitive... We’re talking about all of it. And the truth of the matter is that EVERYONE could probably use a primer on this stuff - ourselves included.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
We’re trying something new in this episode! We’re still going to bring you the deep dives we love the most. But starting with this episode, we’re also going to sprinkle in some ripped-from-the-headlines content and try to contribute to the conversation with information grounded in fact rather than polarized opinion. This week, we’re talking about TX SB8 - The Texas Abortion Law.
No pressure.
We're talking about what Roe v. Wade really means, why this law is tricky and what implications it might have, and why the term "fetal heartbeat" is more spin than medical milestone. This one is more from the hip (with facts as our sidearm), so there are fewer cited sources and the shownotes are... messy. But we're as committed as ever to having these hard conversations.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Catherine N!
This week we’re going to close out our series breaking down the viral Twitter thread from a commentator named Darryl Cooper, known on Twitter as MartyrMade. It’s been an interesting exercise, to say the least, as we moved tweet by tweet through the events he claims have shaped conservative perspectives over the last 5 years and led to the mindset that justified forcefully breaching the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
It was hard to bring the same enthusiasm to this breakdown considering the very heavy events taking place in the middle east. But we're glad to bring you the news that the GoFundMe that benefits Savannah's interpreter Stone is LIVE! If you'd like to directly impact the lives of an American ally and his family, you can do that here: https://gofund.me/822e43e1
We also spend some time discussing why it's important to tackle topics like this, and what we hope that listeners - especially those who don't often agree with us - are able to gain from this exercise.
No show notes this week because... well, things hit the fan, to be honest. We tell you all about it in this week's episode. Guest Savannah Cannon discusses aspects of her time as a Marine serving in Afghanistan, and the impact the sudden reemergence of the Taliban has had on veterans.
If you would like to donate to help the family discussed in this episode, Savannah is currently using Venmo until the GoFundMe is authorized. You can donate to @Savannah-Cannon1. All funds go to assisting the family and providing food, shelter, and transportation as they work to establish a new life in America.
As always:
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
No Shownotes this week, but check out previous episodes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
Well, if it isn't obvious from the title of this episode, we're back again breaking down more #CooperClaims. This time, we're talking about the difference between riots and protests; looking at his claims of cooperation between protest organizers, local officials, and media outlets; learning about Color Revolutions; talking about the nuts and bolts of media censorship; and spending more time talking about pee than we ever have before.
Buckle up kids, this one's a wild ride.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Catherine N!
”We now know that Trump's request for Ukraine to cooperate w/the DOJ regarding Biden's financial activities in Ukraine was in support of an active investigation being pursued by the FBI and Ukraine AG at the time, and so a completely legitimate request.” - Darryl Cooper (@MartyrMade)
Those, sir, are some big claims. We’re back this week with our second episode breaking down Cooper’s viral Twitter rant. This time, we’re going to jump a little out of order. And, honestly, this one could easily be a series by itself. Buckle up, because it's time to dive into the Ukraine/Biden/Burisma/Trump conspiracy milieu.
Oh! And we have a mystery we hope that you super sleuthy listeners can help us tease out! We get to it toward the end of the episode.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
This week, we’re moving from one big headline topic to the next as we pivot from talking about Critical Race Theory and focus our attention on the insurrection at the Capitol. We know there's a lot of ground to cover there, but this episode doesn't focus on a play by play of that day’s events.
Instead, we’re breaking down a Twitter monologue.
Darryl Cooper, or @MartyrMade on Twitter, published one hell of a rant filled with a combination of asserted "facts" and rationalization for the thoughts and feelings of those who stormed the Capitol in January. And, someone asked us directly if we felt like any of this information was disputable, so...
As always, shownotes with all our sources are available at www.firesidebreakdowns.com
We'd greatly appreciate a review from you: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And you can find us on social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
In our intro we promise you complex and controversial conversations, and we are back again to wrap up our conversation on one of the most complex and controversial topics of the last 12 months - Critical Race Theory.
Last week, we told you the story of how this bootstrapped, leap of faith framework came to be; and how it came to dominate conversations in the news media and at the company watercooler. This week we’re diving into the shallow end of the pool of academia to talk about how CRT and other social science theories are used, and take a look at the areas in which the application of Critical Race Theory is the most controversial - in schools, and in diversity training. Oh yeah, and then we’ll tackle that whole CRT= Marxism thing.
Want to talk to us?
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note on our website!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
We’re going to take an educated guess here, and assume that you’ve probably heard of tonight’s topic - Critical Race Theory. And that you’ve been hearing about it almost constantly for more than a year. It’s a deep and nuanced subject, and everyone from former President Trump, to the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, to your uncle Pete at the 4th of July BBQ has an opinion on it. And, just about every issues-focused podcast, social media channel, or even news channel has their own explanation of what it is.
That’s why tonight, we’re taking a different approach. Yes, we want to make sure we give you a good enough understanding of what CRT is that you can have informed, reasonable conversations. But when it comes to something as… experiential… as CRT is for many people, just spitting names, dates, and statistics at you isn’t going to help you really absorb the idea. This is one of those topics that you have to feel to know, and to make decisions about. So we’re going to try to teach you about CRT the good old fashioned way - through storytelling.
We would LOVE to hear from you:
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from the Contact page on our NEW WEBSITE!
And, as usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that (also on our site) in our Shownotes!
Oh, and we have a Patreon account too! In case you'd like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times: https://www.patreon.com/firesidebreakdowns
We did it! We made it a whole year! And we’re kicking off Fireside Breakdowns Season 2 with a look back at some of the things we loved - and learned - the most this year. That is, after we give a little clarifying context to our last series on voter-rights issues. And we definitely don’t make a Bare Naked Ladies reference. Definitely.
We spent the episode chatting, so no detailed notes this week. BUT you CAN still find some of our favorite memories on our social media accounts (just search Fireside Breakdowns).
You can find our brand new website at: http://www.firesidebreakdowns.com
And, we mentioned a special prize for anyone who leaves us a review in the next month. So if you want to claim yours, you can leave us a review easily by following this link: ratethispodcast.com/fireside
We're closing out our series on Voter Rights with a potpourri of relevant topics: H.B. 85 (a bill from Missouri that essentially flaunts the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution to protect "gun rights"), H.R. 1 (which we touched on very lightly last week), and the idea of States Rights.
If you want to check our sources, or find out where you can read the full text of any of these bills, check out our Shownotes:
If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do that right here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (for now, anyway) by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
Welcome to the second half of our series breaking down issues impacting Americans' ability to vote. Last week, we talked at length about partisan gerrymandering and how that practice allows political parties to ostensibly control the outcomes of elections through shifty redistricting practices like packing, cracking, hijacking, kidnapping, and other tactics that sound like they belong in a Nice Cage movie.
This episode… well, we're talking about legislation. Legislation that some folks believe protects American Democracy, and others believe threatens it. Our goal here is to break down some of the state and federal voting access bills from both sides of the aisle that are making news, so that you have a better understanding of what they say and what the key arguments are from each side.
Our shownotes and all our sources are right here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-session-41-restriction-expansion-and-the-latest-in-voting-legislation/
If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do that here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
This week we’re going to dive into another conundrum, and kick off another series. We’re bringing our focus back to the political realm again as we return to a topic that has the potential to reshape the United States for the next decade or more.
Listen in as we tackle everyone's favorite debate... is it GIF or JIF.
Just kidding. We're talking about Gerrymandering, folks. It's way more fun.
Find our full shownotes (with all our sources) right here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-session-40-gerrymandering-stupid-name-serious-topic/
And, find us on social media to see more crazy gerrymandering maps! Just search Fireside Breakdowns.
Our episode topic this week comes to us from a listener and friend who has found himself in a bit of a predicament. Someone close to him is profoundly convinced that America is on the fast-track to becoming the next Venezuela because of our progressive government and through rapidly rising inflation. This listener would love to be able to have a well-thought out conversation with his loved one, using facts and research to steer the ship, but he doesn’t even know where to start. So today, we’re going to do our civic duty and walk you (and him) through the primary talking points of the argument, how Venezuela got into the mess they’re in, what history tells us about inflation in the US, and how we can tell if we’re on the same track.
Want to know exactly where we got this information? You can find all 19 of our sources here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-session-39-highway-to-hyperinflation/
Want to leave us a review? We'd love to hear from you! https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can check out that crazy comic book propaganda on our social media channels. Just search Fireside Breakdowns on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
Everyone knows that the D.C. in Washington, D.C. stands for District of Columbia. But what if it stood for Douglass Commonwealth - named after Black American abolitionist Frederick Douglass? This week we're exploring the idea of statehood for Washington, D.C. - especially when it comes to the Constitution, Representation, and Racial Justice.
You can find our complete shownotes, with all our sources, right here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-38-dc-statehood/
If you feel so inclined, we would LOVE it if you'd leave us a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on social media just by searching Fireside Breakdowns!
We’re finally breaking down that complicated COVID Vaccine - 5G Tracker - Microchip - Population Culling theory. Which actually turns out NOT to be all that complicated once you tease out all the pieces. And - by listener request - we’re taking a closer look at vaccine shedding and whether or not there’s evidence of it affecting women’s reproductive health. And, you know, a rant or two. Because that’s what we do around here.
Find the detailed shownotes, with all our sources, here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-session-37-trackers-and-shedding-more-covid-myths/
If you're so inclined, you can leave us a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
AND, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching Fireside Breakdowns!
Here we are, part three of our series on private prisons. Parts one and two covered the history of and arguments for private prisons. In this episode, we’re going to be talking about the arguments AGAINST private prisons - or at least against private prisons as they currently stand.
You can find all the sources for this episode in our shownotes, here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-36-private-prisons-definite-downsides/
If you loved this episode, you can leave us a review right here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
AND, if you'd like to see some of the supplemental information we mention in the episode, you can find us on social media - just search FiresideBreakdowns.
This week, we're talking about who's included in the 116,000+ inmates serving time in for-profit prisons in the US. Then we examine the list of purported pluses proffered by private prisons. Spoilers: We had a hard time gathering any definitive data. But it did give us the opportunity to talk about some of the challenges that thorough research presents.
If you need a reminder of something you hear, or you'd like to take a look at our sources, they're all available in our shownotes here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-35-private-prisons-the-upsides/
If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do that through a handy tool called Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, we're doing a much better job of posting on our social media accounts. You can check them out by searching FiresideBreakdowns in Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
In the American private prison system, private enterprises purchase prisons from the government and become responsible for their staffing and upkeep needs. All staffing needs, from the warden to the correctional officer to the maintenance staff are employees of the company; contractors. The state or federal government provides funding to cover the costs of keeping the inmates incarcerated, and the company treats this funding like revenue and endeavors to run the prison at a profit.
We have thoughts and feelings about the prison industry - especially private prisons - but before we can really break this topic down, we need to lay a foundation in the history of this system.
If you'd like to leave us a review (and man, would we appreciate it), you can do that at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Shownotes with all our sources are here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-34-private-prisons-a-history/
And, you can find us on social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
This week we're breaking down 5 COVID myths and legends, exposing the science behind the rumors. We're talking about everything from water droplets trapped in masks, to whether the vaccines affect fertility, to why mRNA doesn't alter your DNA.
You can find our full shownotes with sources here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-33-covid-myths-and-legends/
You can file a grievance via social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
And, you can tell us how much you appreciate our sleuthing by leaving us a review on your favorite podcast platform! Rate My Podcast makes it super simple: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
We wanted to take some time this week to talk about our feelings on the Derek Chauvin trial, to talk about some of the changes being proposed in the wake of the death of George Floyd, to recognize the impact Darnella Frazier has made on the world (and the trauma she has experienced) and to talk about how our conversations around this case have shaped how we talk about other cases of police force against people of color.
There's not a ton of research in this episode, so no detailed shownotes this week. Do check out the resources we'll post via social media (just search Fireside Breakdowns on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and you'll find us).
If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do that in a most expeditious manner at this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Content warning: This episode contains discussion of Transgender issues, and of violence against Transgender people. Also, the interview in this episode has been edited for clarity.
When we say you may want to have a drink on hand for some of our episodes, we’re specifically talking about episodes like this one. This, specifically, is a dry red wine episode. The topic is deep, and we’re going to ask you to get introspective and honest with yourself. And, well, that’s what a red wine is good for.
Today, we are honored to welcome a guest to the show. Her name is Andy, and she is the president of PFLAG in Springfield, MO. Our hope is that she can share with all of us both the heaviness and the joy that is part of the transgender experience.
No shownotes this week because it's all interview, but if you'd like to learn more about PFLAG you can do that here:
And, we'll be sharing some great info from Andy on our social media accounts this week. Find us by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
And finally, if you'd like to leave us a review you can do that right here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
We’re back to talk more Fairness Doctrine this week. Last time we covered the basics: What the rule was designed to do, where it came from, and whether or not it actually accomplished what it was supposed to. This week, we’re bringing you the good stuff, the DRAMA, the controversy! And the crazy real life story of one preacher who waged war on the Doctrine for almost 20 years.
You can find our shownotes here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-session-30-the-fight-against-fairness/
If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do that here: https://linktr.ee/firesidebreakdowns And don't forget to find us on social! Just search Fireside Breakdowns
This week we're exploring the fabled Fairness Doctrine - hailed by some as the solution to pervasive media bias, criticized by others as a glaring example of government over-reach. What was it, and did it work?
Find our shownotes here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-29-the-fairness-doctrine-part-1/
Find us on social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
And, if you'd be so kind, leave us a review here: ratethispodcast.com/fireside
This week, we're taking a break from our usual research-heavy deep dive. Instead, we're walking you through how we analyze news headlines - personally, professionally, and for the podcast.
No in-depth shownotes this week, but check social for a glimpse at the headlines we covered. Just search firesidebreakdowns and you'll find us.
And, if you would be so kind, we would appreciate it if you would leave us a review. You can do that quickly and easily here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Today we’re talking about the minimum wage. You’ve probably seen discussion of it going around here or there: should we or should we not raise the minimum wage. The latest round of coronavirus relief almost included a provision for a $15 minimum wage, but that got nixxed so it would pass. There are… a lot of big feelings about whether or not we should increase the minimum wage and what the effects of such an increase would be. Luckily, we’re here to provide a primer about the minimum wage, and what the arguments both for, and against, raising it are.
We'd be over the moon if you left us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Shownotes and sources are right here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-27-the-minimum-wage/
And you might be able to find us on social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns
This week we’re FINALLY getting to the crux of the conversation: The Tolerance Paradox. We wanted to jump right into it last week but we realized that we had some foundation work to do on the concept of tolerance itself, so we spent some time defining what we mean when we talk about tolerance, and why (as a collective, and especially Americans) even value it. This included some pretty… wonky philosophy about the nature of human discourse and what drives it. You may recall the phrases “classical” and “fortress” being mentioned.
Then, because so much of our context around tolerance comes down to what people say, AND because of the perception that the Constitution gives us the right to say whatever we want to, we also spent some time breaking down what counts as speech under the Constitution - as defined the the First Amendment and SCOTUS, noting what kinds of speech and expression are and aren’t actually protected under Federal Law.
So now we’ve given you all the background we think is necessary, and we’re ready to solve this thing.Yes? No. The answer is no. But we are definitely ready to have an intelligent conversation about these ideas, and hopefully help us all come to a place of greater understanding. Because that is always the goal of these episodes.
Shownotes are here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-26-the-paradox-of-tolerance/
We would LOVE it if you'd leave us a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on social by searching Fireside Breakdowns
If you’ve been listening along to the previous couple of episodes, you know that this session aims to explore the ideas of tolerance vs. intolerance, and how the two collide. I’m just going to warn you up front, you’re likely to leave this one with more questions than answers. Such is the ironic nature of philosophy. In our quest to find answers, we often just generate more questions.
And surprise surprise, this got way bigger than we anticipated it getting so we’re going to have to split this into two. This week, we’re giving you some basic background on tolerance, a quick dive into the first amendment as a foundational argument for, and also sometimes against, tolerance, and a quick peek into what counts as intolerant speech.
As always...
You can find our shownotes and sources here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-ep-25-foundations-of-tolerance/
You can leave us a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on social media as FiresideBreakdowns
In part 2 of our series on Antifa, we're exploring the history of anti-fascist activism (and there's much more than we anticipated!). We also spend a little time talking about the "values" of the movement and/or it's activists and look at the points of unity outlined by the Torch Network.
Plus good news, plus ALSO a black inventor to whom you may very well owe your life.
Shownotes are here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/e24-shownotes-antifa-more-history-than-we-expected/
Leave us a review here if you'd like: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And find us at Fireside Breakdowns on the socials!
Oh man. We just jumped right into it this week.
In this episode, we spend an hour untangling what Antifa is... and well, mostly what it isn't.
Is is a proper noun? A collective or plural noun? An adjective?
You're just going to have to listen because it's hard to explain.
As always, you can find shownotes here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/e23-what-is-and-isnt-antifa/
You can leave us a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And you can find us on most social media platforms as Fireside Breakdowns.
What are we talking about this week, you ask? The Filibuster! I know, I know - how much more exciting can we get?! There’s an impeachment trial going on, cabinet members are being confirmed, and we decided to tackle… the filibuster. But the fact of the matter is that this is actually a really timely topic. There is much discussion as to the fate of this legislative checkmate maneuver, and there’s a chance we could see significant decisions made concerning its use. Plus, it’s one of the few times we get to talk about full grown Senators peeing in trash cans on the Senate floor.
As always, our sources and script are here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/e22-busting-the-filibuster-show-notes/
You can leave us a review (if your favorite platform allows) here: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And, you can find us on ALL the socials just by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
Over the last few months we’ve taken a closer look at some of the trappings surrounding the end of a presidency - presidential transitions, presidential pardons… This week we want to chat about a concept that has come to define the beginning of an American presidency - The first 100 days. We wanted to know just where this concept comes from, and why there’s so much pressure on an administration to accomplish so much in such a short time. And then we’ll also talk some about what incoming presidents (and their administrations) are trying to accomplish, and how the processes around these policy decisions work.
Then we’ll talk about what President Biden’s administration has cooked up for the beginning of this term. We’ll hit you with some good news, too, because there’s bound to be a goldmine of it in this episode.
In our last episode, we took a high level look at conspiracy theories. We talked about what exactly makes up a conspiracy theory, who’s likely to believe them, and why. This week, things are going to get a bit heavier as we talk about the ways in which these conspiracy theories affect the people who believe them (and the people around those people), and then how this kind of thinking paves the path to radicalized thinking for many. We’ll talk about some historical examples, too. And then we’ll end by summarizing just how a conspiracy theory can put someone on the track toward authoritarianism. Oh, and we’ll try to find some good news to leave you with.
As always, shownotes are available here: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/episode-20-getting-radical/
And you can find us (sporadically) on all the socials at Fireside Breakdowns.
This week we are talking about America’s National Embarrassment and the topic of the hour - conspiracy theories! So, if you’re a drinker, might we suggest something that pairs well with morbid curiosity.
But to be very clear, we’re not planning to talk about specific theories. Oh no, you’re perfectly capable of going out there and falling through those rabbit holes yourselves. We want to talk about the brass tacks of this stuff - what makes a conspiracy theory, who believes them and WHY. And then in subsequent parts we’ll get into the fallout that comes from belief and participation in these theories - violence, radicalization, and authoritarianism.
In part two of our discussion about the presidential clemency power, we discuss the often controversial history of the pardon power. Which presidents issued the most pardons, which issued the fewest, and some of the most significant, and repugnant, pardons in US history. There were definitely some surprises in there for both of us. Feelings were had.
We then wrap the discussion by addressing the big question on everybody's mind: Can the president pardon himself?
As always, you can find supplemental info, episode promotions, and more on Facebook and Instagram (@FiresideBreakdowns). And, please, leave us a review if your platform allows! It would mean the world to us.
We begin the episode with some whisk(e)y, some reflection, and some expletives as we discuss the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Then, we discuss the ins and outs of Presidential Pardons - well, clemency, to be exact. We talk about where the power comes from, and how the Department of Justice process works. Oh, and we threw in some trivia just for fun. Because, who doesn't love trivia?!
Find cool supplemental info, episode promo, and more on Facebook and Instagram (@FiresideBreakdowns). And, leave us a review if your platform allows! It would mean the world to us.
Shownotes: https://firesidebreakdowns.podbean.com/p/shownotes-episode-17-pardon-me-part1/
PC: David Hume Kennerly via Wikimedia Commons
A laid back episode in which we muse on the past 6 months and look ahead to what we'd like the podcast to look like in 2021.
No show notes for this one, folks. Just our thoughts and feelings.
PC: Matt Botsford on Unsplash
In this holiday season session, we’re breaking down a listener requested topic. JW Lindsey asked, “Can y'all do an episode on what exactly is considered a first, second and third world country (I actually think that's now considered an offensive term) and whether or not America could still be considered a first world country any more? And/or what the new technical terms are?”
So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do in this episode! We’ll look at where those terms came from in the first place, and what characteristics defined each group. Then we’ll talk about the problems with those classifications, and what terminology is considered more appropriate for the times we’re living in now. And, of course, we’ll end with some good news.
As usual, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram @FiresideBreakdowns. And all our resources are on the shownotes page for this episode.
Image Credit: Danique on Unsplash
Sometimes, we get representation wrong. But we need to acknowledge our mistakes to learn from them, right? So, stereotypes, over-representation in negative contexts, and tokenism are the topics of conversation as we wrap up our discussion on why #representationmatters.
Like what you hear? Find us on Facebook and Instagram, @firesidebreakdowns. And, if your favorite podcast platform allows, leave us a review!
And, as usual, all our notes and sources are available on our Podbean site.
RepresentationMatters, part 2.
The discussion on representation continues with a look at major areas in which we should be looking for representation, and what the research says about under-represented groups in those areas. There are a lot of numbers, but in those numbers lies a wealth of opportunity.
This episode covers:
- LGTBQ+ and Minority Representation in the media
- LGTBQ+, Female, and Minority representation in the workplace
- Minority and Disability representation in the classroom
- Representation in our authority figures
- Images of Wealth
And, as usual, some good news!
- Leave us a review, or check out past episodes at: https://linktr.ee/FiresideBreakdowns
- Find us on Facebook or Instagram, @FiresideBreakdowns
- Or, shoot us an email! FiresideBreakdowns@gmail.com
Fun things happening around here this week! We're moving to a weekly episode, which means we can bring you more great content! This week, we're talking about why Representation matters, and how important it is for us to see ourselves (our race, our gender identity, our core identities) reflected in the world around us.
Though there are a lot of different groups we could discuss, we're choosing to focus on:
- Representation of/for women
- Representation of/for people of color
- Representation of/for those with LGBTQ identities
- Representation of/for those living with disabilities
You can listen to the PBS NewsHour Clip referenced in the podcast here: Why on-screen representation matters, according to these teens | PBS NewsHour
Image credit: Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
So, grab a drink and get comfy! Welcome to our fireside!
This week we’re taking on the timely topic of Presidential Transitions. With all the talk of task forces and transition budgets, we wondered what exactly happens in the 2 months between the election and inauguration day. Why is it taking so long for the General Services Administration to release the transition budget? Have there ever been messy presidential transitions before? Turns out, there’s a lot happening there. So, grab a drink and get ready to learn some stuff!
This week, we're taking a break from our usual deep dive format to answer some of the questions we've been asked about the outcomes of Election2020.
Recorded on Nov 5, 2020 this episode answers questions like: What happens if no one earns 270 Electoral Votes? Is there any legal reason not to count votes that arrive after election day? And, is there really evidence of fraud in the battleground states?
Oh, and we rant a little too. Because that's what we do.
Photo Credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Seeing as how the 2020 election is right around the corner, we thought we’d be of service to the American people by breaking down the Electoral College in this episode. This behind-the-scenes process has a long and interesting history in American elections, and elections in the past 20 years have raised some serious questions about its continued value here.
In this episode, we're breaking down it's history, how it works, and some of the reasons folks do and don't love it. We'll also talk a bit about the most prominent alternative - Direct Election.
Welcome to our fireside.
Are you Ready for the Big Luau? This time, we’re learning all about The Boogaloo Movement. Turns out, neither Jon or Robin knew much about The Big Igloo, so we decided to dig in and see what we could find! What we found was...interesting (thanks, Internet). Tune-in to episode 8 to learn all about the history, values and beliefs... and attempted revolutions of The Boogaloos.
If you find this episode compelling, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen on. This link can walk you through the steps:
www.ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Every positive like and review helps new listeners find the show, and the more people that listen, the better off our country will be.
If you have a question or comment, you can also find the show on Facebook by searching Fireside Breakdowns, or send an email to firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com. They'd love to hear from you.
What exactly is Affirmative Action? Is it really all about quotas and preferential treatment? Do all companies have to have Affirmative Action Plans?
Jon and Robin take on this hot topic, and examine what the research says, in their first listener-requested episode.
This time, Robin and Jon are capping off the series on Systemic Racism by addressing arguments against the idea that Systemic Racism is - in fact - a thing, and looking at some of the counter theories presented by those who stand in opposition. Using feedback from real-live people and research (as always) to guide the discussion, they set aside their own biases and examine the points folks make about America being a meritocracy, about Systemic Racism being a myth invented by the media, about the core of the problem being a “few bad apples” (pun intended), and about wealth being the “real” issue rather than race. This one’s a deep dive, and there are some strong feelings presented here. So, hang on to your hats.
If you found this episode compelling, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen on. This link can walk you through the steps:
www.ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Every positive like and review helps new listeners find the show, and the more people that listen, the better off our country will be.
If you have a question or comment, you can also find the show on Facebook by searching Fireside Breakdowns, or send an email to firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com. They'd love to hear from you.
Photo Credit: Maria Teneva on Unsplash
After a whirlwind couple of weeks, Robin and Jon dive back in to the complex world of systemic racism. This session focuses on how systemic racism in healthcare developed, and how it impacts people today. It's another big episode. Fair warning: some of the information in this session is pretty rough. If you want to understand how this crucial part of every American's life is not quite set up to work for every American, this is a good place to start.
If you found this episode compelling, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen on. This link can walk you through the steps:
www.ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Every positive like and review helps new listeners find the show, and the more people that listen, the better off our country will be.
If you have a question or comment, you can also find the show on Facebook by searching Fireside Breakdowns, or send an email to firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com. They'd love to hear from you.
Image credit: Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash
This week Robin and Jon take a break from discussing systemic racism to address an issue making headlines every day: voting by mail. This topic is incredibly important in the face of the global pandemic. There's so much information (and disinformation) floating around that it can be hard to figure out what is true and what is... colorful exaggeration.
So, in order to clear the air a bit, this breakdown covers the history of mail in voting, then talks about some arguments for and against the practice. You can decide which method you prefer to get in your vote; hopefully this will allow you to make a more informed decision.
As always, if you enjoy this episode, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen on. This link can walk you through the steps:
www.ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Every like and review helps new listeners find the show.
If you have a question or comment, you can also find the show on Facebook by searching Fireside Breakdowns, or send an email to firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com.
This week, Jon and Robin are taking a closer look at systemic racism in education. There was SO MUCH INFORMATION to cover! Too much, really. But this episode gives listeners some insight into the racist ideas that informed explicitly racist education systems, what those explicitly racist systems looked like, and how systemic racism impacts education today. There's also some talk about outcomes for students of color, a few rants, and even some good news at the end.
All our shownotes and sources are available on Podbean and Facebook (Fireside Breakdowns).
If you'd leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, we'd be so grateful.
And, if you want to get in touch, find us at firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com
Robin and Jon take a closer look at systemic racism as it relates to housing and land rights. They discuss the racist ideas behind the seizure of native land, assimilation and segregation; they look at some of the explicitly racist programs and policies that affected Black and Indigenous Americans; they discuss what systemic effects those policies and programs still have today; and consider the outcomes of people of color because of this systemic racism.
This episode’s outline - including sources - is available on the podcast Facebook page (Fireside Breakdowns). And, as usual, we’d love to hear from you!
- Find us on Facebook
- Send us an email (firesidebreakdowns@gmail.com)
- Leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform
Welcome to our fireside.
Update 14 July 2020: The original upload has been replaced with a newer version due to sound balancing issues. The contents remain the same. The only change is the audio mix. We apologize for the original issues.
Robin and Jon are jumping right into the mix!
In this episode, they're breaking down systemic racism - what it means, what it doesn't mean, how it developed, and how it impacts all people - especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Then, they discuss what systemic racism in the American criminal justice system looks like, and how it affects people of color.
Full Episode outline and sources:
Episode One: Systemic Racism and the Criminal Justice System
Intro Welcome to session one. Pull up a chair, get into your comfy clothes, and pour yourself a drink. Probably stiff. Because for our first session we’ve decided to think small, really go for the manageable, and take on systemic racism. We know, we know. It hardly seems worth the time, but we wanted to really ease into our roles here and start with something relatively non-inflammatory and simple.
Ah… if only. Obviously, this is a massive topic that impacts all of our lives, no matter the color of our skin, every day. Sometimes in ways that are apparent, sometimes in ways that we never even notice. We will strive to keep this a direct, concise, fulsome breakdown, but the reality is we could dedicate literally hundreds of hours discussing this one topic, and still not be finished. For now, we’ll address what Systemic Racism is, what it is not, a history of where the idea comes from, and how it applies in today’s society.
So. I do recommend that drink. I hope you’re comfortable now. Because this conversation will likely cover some things that will be hard to hear, let alone accept. We will include our citations as we go through, and we’ll have our write up published as soon as we figure out how we’re going to do that. We hope you’re ready. Welcome to our fireside.
Welcome to the Fireside. In this episode, your hosts Robin and Jon introduce themselves and talk a little bit about who they are, why they're doing this podcast, and what they hope to accomplish.