Popaganda

This week, Dahlia and Amy get into the latest in Hollywood shenanigans. First up is the potential prosecution of the sole Kardashian brother, Rob Kardashian, for posting revenge porn against his ex-fiancé and mother of his infant daughter, Blac Chyna. Revenge porn is another realm of online harassment that often targets women and Rob Kardashian’s online meltdown might bring greater awareness to how posting nude photos of other people is illegal in 34 states. Then they dig into the latest conversation around unequal pay in Hollywood spurred by the news that Hawaii Five-O stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park did not renew their contracts because they weren’t being paid as much as their white male costars, and Emma Stone shares a story of how her white male costars have had to take a pay cut so that she can have pay equity on her films. Such shenanigans, much misogyny. Also another Petty Political Pminute covering the latest in Russian collusion leaving Dahlia and Amy wondering if Trump has ordered a U-Haul yet because they need to vacate their present residence.

We hear three stories about the ways capitalism seeps into our ideas of success, failure, and freedom. Disability rights activist Stephanie Woodward tells us what it's like to occupy a Republican senators' office with a crew of wheelchair-using protesters. The co-founder of POOR magazine breaks down ways the United States makes it illegal to be poor. And a youth mentor shares her perspective on being a first-generation American who's expected to put her paycheck above all else.

This week, Dahlia and Amy discuss the disappointing verdicts in both the mistrial in the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby and the acquittal of the police officer who murdered Philando Castile. They also get into the beguiling whiteness of “The Beguiled,” a film set during the Civil War with an all-white main cast. We get to rub our petty hands in this week’s Petty Political Pminute since there’s been a delay in voting for Trumpcare—a healthcare plan to ensure the rich remain alive and richer, while working folks try to figure out basic healthcare needs.

Let's talk about sex! And also not having sex! This episode looks at how there's no such thing as "traditional" dating. Dating norms have evolved over our history and continue to grow and change as we have more freedom to define happiness for ourselves. We talk with Moira Weigel, the author of the book Labor of Love: The Invention of Dating, and the founder of NYC's meetup group for asexual and agender folks. Plus, sex positive selfie enthusiast Ev'yan Whitney interviews a very special person about dating: her mom.

This week, Dahlia and Amy get really, very, super frustrated about Megyn Kelly’s new NBC show where she’ll feature fake news, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. They also dig into how Bustle is trying to hustle their readers into giving up their personal information under the guise of delivering more personalized content—all the while ripping off Bitch Media’s donor circle name. And in the Petty Political Pminute, it’s all about Comey’s hearings and the lying, liar-ness of Trump.

Our Final Fantasy characters, ourselves. Writer Sam Riedel walks us through the ramifications of Gamergate and how role-playing games helped her articulate her trans identity. Then, we talk with scholar Saud Al-Zaid about the connection between massively popular first-person-shooter games like Call of Duty and the U.S. military.

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about the horrific attack in Portland by a known white supremacist and the newly-leaked documents that reveal that counterterrorism tactics were used against water protectors at Standing Rock to protect corporate interests. And in this Petty Political Pminute: What is going on with Trump’s handholding and handshakes?

Behold! Using the power of science to interrogate societal assumptions around race and gender! We talk with experimental physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein about the physics of melanin and then biologist and sociologist Shay-Akil McLean about decolonizing science—and the physical marks that inequality leaves on our bones.

This week, Dahlia and Amy talk about what accountability looks like for two recent stories: the sexual assualt allegations against the queer punk band PWR BTTM and the murder of teenager Jordan Edwards at the hands of a police officer. They dig into what it looks like to be held responsible for one’s actions. In Mr. Toad Trump’s Wide Ride, they talk about Trump’s scandal around the firing of FBI director James Comey and the hearings with former Attorney General Sally Yates.

Hate the capitalist system, still have to earn a living. It's the way life goes. We talk with feminists about squaring their feelings about our exploitative economy with each person's need to make money and feel stable. This episode features real talk from Michelle Tea, Ashley C. Ford, Roan Boucher, and the crew behind the podcast Criminal.