Ep. 17: Losing our religion?

For the first episode of season 2 (hi again!) we delve into uncharted territory: our own bodies. Confessing our expertly conducted abstinence from body talk, we dive into the absurdity (or value?) of this, where it might be coming from and how, at the end of the day, it’s really just (you guessed it) patriarchal. Do we really have to choose between being beautiful and brainy? Is there a productive and supportive way to talk about thighs? And, how do we bring back body talk without also resurrecting its 2000s toxicity?

Prompted by the apparent romantic sheen of Christmas time, we dissect romanticism in the 21st century. Inspired by Alain de Botton’s talk On Romanticism, we investigate romantic ideas’ ongoing influence on love, communication, and self-image. Are romance and honesty inherently incompatible? If your partner does not take off your shoes, should you dump them? And, if not, have we entered an era of post-romanticism?  References:  Alain de Botton On Romanticism The Loser Game by The School of Life Rupture and Repair by The School of Life Article on 'If he wanted to, he would' TikTok trend

For this week, we continue a conversation that has been re-emerging for the last month. Sparked by two cultural events – Ruben Östlund’s much-anticipated Triangle of Sadness as well as Greta Thunberg’s talk at the London Literature Festival – we try to wrap our heads around the nuances of calls for social change, or more specifically, their discourse, rhetoric, and intentions. Have we reached a point where ‘raising awareness’ – or ‘climate populism’ – just is not enough? Does a socialist critique from a middle-class director necessarily have to be hypocritical? And if so, aren’t we – having paid 20 pounds for the ticket – hypocritical in saying so? References:  Watch the live stream for Greta's talk at the Southbank Centre.  Greta Thunberg - The Climate Book as well as a review A Rolling Stone review for Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness that sums it up quite well:  “Instead, Triangle of Sadness seems hemmed in by its tastefulness — which feels strange to say about a movie whose central scene is a literal shitstorm, but this is precisely what merits the red flag. If not for that scene, how far would the movie appear to go? It’d rest on a few great elbows to the ribs, a few great punchlines (the best involving a grenade; the second-best involving the divvying out of some octopus) and a lot of filler. The actors try their best, but Östlund’s insistent conceptual droning overtakes them. “

In this week’s episode we venture into controversial discussions around “bad feminism”. Disclosing our love for sexist rap and other non-feminist guilty pleasures, we enter the realms of 2nd wave feminism, mommybloggers and compulsive heterosexuality. Do we actually enjoy spending the morning cleaning, washing and ironing (cause we do!), or are we giving in to oppressive gender ideas? Where do these holy laws of feminism come from? And, in the words of Roxane Gay, is it not better to be “a bad feminist than no feminist at all”? Disclaimer: this episode includes (a little more) offensive language than usual. Many of the opinions expressed are not our own but rather replocatopms of dominant patriarchal discourse. tons of references -  - Area Codes - Ludacris - Dein Lied - Kraftklub - Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo - Studies on stay-at-home mothers: here, here, and here  - Effects of stay-at-home parents on children: here and here - Adrienne Rich - Of Woman Born: Motherhood as experience of institutions - TED Talk: We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Roxane Gay - Bad Feminist - TED Talk: Roxane Gay - Confessions of a bad feminist - Twitter response of Beyonce's 2014 MTV VMA performance

In this week's episode, we dive into existentialist discussions around the new notorious social media app beReal. Confessing our love and simultaneous reservations for the platform, we feast on debates around reality, online life, and the true meaning of authenticity. How real is a wacky, not-at-all staged selfie? Where does the line between our online and physical lives blur? And does being “real” matter at all? References:  Google AI lamda BeReal TikTok by Stephen Brower

This week we are (again) baffled by the strangeness of British culture and the English language. By shamelessly dissecting Brits and their culture we might just expose our true wish of belonging to the (indeed very lovely) people of the new King Charles whilst desperately holding on to our beloved home countries. Is that balancing act possible? And if not, in what kind of national/cultural nirvana have we found ourselves?

This week we (yes, again) dive into the never-ending topic of identity and expression. This time, through the lens of fashion. We dissect the impressions clothes make on the view of both self and others and the vital part this plays in making sense of the world. Is this tendency a destructive product of late capitalism or a useful tool for identity-coding? Are boobs free of bras necessarily feminist? Can a polo shirt be left-wing? And can we ever be free of this forced expression?

For this week's rant, we go meta and take full advantage of the podcast medium. We expose our love for opinionated people, discuss the hyper-polarised digital space, reflect on our identification through opinions, and how this might make us (aggressively!) unchill. Are hot takes the currency of social media? Would the Smith-slap sensation have caused such an outrage if not for our need to align with our opinion camps? And, who even are we without opinions? 

This week, we are knee-deep in thoughts about religion and spirituality, and how such values can coexist in today’s neoliberalist world. Reflecting on how work culture resembles the notion of faith today, we question what spirituality really is and how it fits into the backdrop for all of modern life: capitalism. Is Elon Musk scarily close to an actual prophet? When does finding purpose in work turn into wor(k)shipping? And is it really all that bad if work serves as spiritual guidance? References:  The Secret documentary NYT article: When Your Job Fills In for Your Faith, That’s a Problem

This week, our discussion is rooted in the new TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Conversations with Friends. In reviewing the series we dive into feminism, modern concepts of love, and its (ever so present) connection to capitalism. Do Rooney’s Bella Swan-esque characters support or detract from her feminist agenda? Can Rooney’s marxism and authorship coexist? Is it really that wrong to illustrate love as a mere transaction? Sources:  Interview with Sally Rooney at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Sally Rooney on Marxist Novels Kathryn Dickel on transactional love Olisunvia on YouTube talking about how our conception of love is messed up