Advertise on podcast: Cherry Picking with Alexia Benn

What does it mean to be Canadian? Come one, come all. Welcome back to the pod. Today we talk about titles, the genuine joy of fulfilling employment, and a pressing question of necessity when it comes to Canada's status as a Commonwealth country under the British monarchy. There's been a petition initiated by a man in Abbotsford, brought to the House of Commons by the Conservative candidate for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon. Let's talk about it, we have time. And there's an email? Refer here to the aforementioned petition and consider your own opinion. I trust myself, and I trust and value my peers' insight. What do you think? The quote regarding Listening, Understanding, and Acting comes from a lecture on March 30th 2021 by Stó:lō Tribal Chief Tyrone McNeil through remote learning via Zoom, University of Victoria  :P Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Baby we are back in a big way. It's been a year! Literally. I hope it has been a good one for you. Your host Alexia has been caught up in the world in a whirlwind. It's been so long I barely know where to begin! So, without further ado, lets get into it. Today's episode is really more of a catch up, recorded in January of 2023. This one is to those who are personally invested.  A book on the horizon? What was that?  The bottom line is, I've missed this, I've missed us, and despite the break in the show the world has continued to turn. Download this episode if you want to hear about what's been going on in my world, and check back next week to zoom out and take a bigger peak at the world at large.   As an aside, please forgive any potential janky audio. We are testing an upload in .wav format although the diva host is so out of practice it's already a botched trial because she recorded the whole episode in mono! Oopsies. Bare with me friends as we figure this out together. Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Hello and welcome to Episode 21 of Cherry Picking with Alexia Benn. This Episode comes as an interlude, bridging the first and second seasons of the show together. This episode stands unique as it is probably the most scattered chronologically thus far.  How so?  This episode was recorded on February 2nd, 2022 and edited on July 5th 2022. In it, I share an old blog post I'd written on January 9th 2021 following the USA Capitol terrorist attacks that resulted in the loss of lives. This story comes to contrast the January 22nd 2022 Freedom convoy, which has since evolved and developed in character. Even editing this episode felt like peering back in time, now that the vaccine mandates are gone. What were we all so worked up about? Time changes our perspective maybe more than anything else. I hope you enjoy this little bonus episode, a little bit shorter than the average but may suffice until more is to come. As the situation stands, there is a lot more to be worked up about, and a lot more to work on. Since season one, wars have started—refugee crises. International travel is booming amidst a recession. Roe v Wade has been overturned. NFT markets have crashed. On a more local level, John Horgan has announced he will be stepping down from his role as Premier before the next election. Saanich will have a municipal election on October 15th, which will leave lasting impacts on local response to issues such as climate change, the opioid crisis, and the housing crisis.  We have lots of catching up to do... Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Hello everyone! Today marks our 20th episode of the show, and with that milestone, also the conclusion of our first season.  And what a season it has been! Today we go over some pleasantries and I lay out my plan for this break, catching listeners up on what I have in store for season 2 and what can be expected. Lots of little tweaks and improvements to be made, and I couldn't be more excited!   I also reiterate some of the lessons I've learned during the process of becoming acquainted with podcasting, discussing some of the challenges I've had as well as all the ways this adventure has opened up my mind to a world of possibilities. Most importantly, I also thank my listeners for their endless support. Whether you've listened to one episode or listened every week, you're a part of the tree. Researching, recording, and editing is fun and all. But being able to share the finished product with you? Now that's something else. Finally, if you want to skip to about 20 minutes into the episode, I also cover and discuss the very recent news which broke on December 20th updating the cost of RCMP enforcement at Fairy Creek to $6.8 million.  And that's a wrap! Happy happy holidays, take care, and enjoy your time with family, friends, and loved ones. While I won't be publishing new episodes for a little while, all my current episodes are all up and here to stay. I'll catch you in the New Year. Until then, stay frosty.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I'm pleased to have my first episode out on time in a little while here and man, does it feel good. Today on Episode 19 of Cherry Picking we talk about the Metaverse. Or Meta? The Meta. Metaverse. Something vaguely reminiscent of Facebook but more ominous and somehow even less cool. This episode covers a brief history of a long slew of the legal entanglements of FB and Mark Zuckerberg, our favourite lizard barbeque, before getting into some more.. opinion-driven ideas of what this transition to 'augmented reality' means for us.  In all honesty, I am a nerdy granola girl at heart. I love reading and being outside, and technology has a way of keeping me from doing that sometimes. I despise the metaverse and everything it stands for, but each day that passes I am reminded of how thin a line we walk as our lives become increasingly integrated digitally with technology. The social, economic, and political implications of the modern trajectory of social media are already profound, and what is sure to come next will be... more profound?  If any of this is interesting to you, hop on and join the ride. It is a weird world to exist in when the promise of an ideal, online, augmented, artificial reality genuinely appeals to ANYONE over the real thing. And if this world gives you the ick, you're not alone.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Hello! Before anything else, I would like to answer the above question with a resounding no! However, in today's episode of Cherry Picking, we'll dive into the opinion of someone who might disagree. To start off we'll discuss the concept of racialization, the process of developing and attributing features to a group of people on the basis of race with the intention of justifying a specific form of treatment. We'll be piggybacking off of some content from last week for this, so if you want to, check that out first! It isn't necessary though.  Then, we'll apply this concept to Indigenous people and the Canadian state, and how the social construction of race was used to differentiate Indigenous Peoples from the rest of Canada. This was done in order to apply them to a system of civic stratification, or the conditional application of rights and privileges based on one moral and legal social standing in society.  Finally, we'll close the episode off with a reading of one of the most interesting Instagram captions I've ever read. Yes, this is where the title of the episode comes from, and yes, it's because a white woman feels left out and wants to be Indigenous. This caption provides an excellent case of white privilege and the entitlement and ownership that many people express towards Indigenous identity and culture. Yes, these are sensitive topics to engage in. But it is valuable work to do and there is so much to learn from perspectives that are different from yours, even perspectives we may write off as wrong or bad.  Additionally, I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who regularly listens and downloads the podcast supporting me and my creative pursuits. We've had over 400 downloads of the podcast now, and I am so happy and grateful to have each and every one of you here 3 Without you, this is nothing.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

If you're anything like me, you might have a pile of dirty laundry somewhere in your room. On a chair, on the floor, maybe it's in a basket. It's a human ailment, clothes get dirty and need to be cleaned, they're worn again and it all starts over. What a thing. We all have different systems of organization we use on a day to day basis, even as ordinary as moving piles of clothes around. In Episode 17, we do not talk about dirty laundry, but instead, a different endless cycle. Capitalism! The system that governs the functions of our everyday lives, the one that was created through legislature written in the 16th and 17th century, that spread across the globe through colonialism and slavery, among an endless list of genuinely sinful and evil crimes against humanity. People hate it, people love it (allegedly), but what is it? That is a loaded question, highly philosophical, and answered in-depth many-a-times in the most brain-numbing way by many white men that died before your great-grandparents were even born. I am not them, but I have been forced to learn about them, and this is my rendition, to the best of my knowledge, of what this petrifying system is. Listen to this if you want to maybe learn some interesting and loosely objective thoughts, theories, opinions, and tidbits of info about capitalism. Some from me, some borrowed from professors accumulated over time, some from old white dudes. The more you know about something, the better you can use it. In all seriousness though, if you made it this far, give it a listen. There's a little bit of gross academic language I use, but breaking this down in a clear(ish) way might make some space for that laundry. When systems I use don't make sense to me anymore, I run into a bit of resistance to changing them. But then one day something clicks and a better way to do things was found without even thinking about it. Until then, fold your laundry and enjoy the show :) Cheers, Alexia Instagram

This week on Episode 16 of Cherry Picking, we take a look at exactly how much money was spent in just 5 months on RCMP enforcement of logging up at Fairy Creek, alongside numbers from the enforcement of Coastal Gaslink on Wet'suwet'en territory. But, it runs deeper than that. A few weeks ago, we discussed Trudeau's promise to increase military spending by 70% over the course of 20 years. In addition to RCMP enforcement of resource extraction projects and Trudeau's commitment, we're also seeing examples of budget increases to municipal police departments such as Victoria and Vancouver.  So, where does all this money come from? Chances are, it's your parent's property taxes. The collection, allocation, and distribution of tax money always raise grunts and groans. However, severe concerns are raised when money is hastily thrown in the direction of publically opposed RCMP enforcement while each year, issues of homelessness continue to grow. There are so many public issues that can desperately use this money and yet without fail, budgets continue to rise for law enforcement. And which laws is it again that are being enforced?  Last week's flooding throughout the province has proved to have drastically impacted supply chains, distribution, and, even everyday citizens felt panic over limited gas supplies which were put under restriction. Now, photos have been released that show portions of the TransMountain Pipeline exposed following mudslides and flooding in the Coldwater River area. These resource development projects are - in theory - safe. And yet protests against Coastal Gaslink have been ongoing for almost two years saying exactly the opposite. Indigenous activists have been warning us about unseen complications of such projects, and these photos only serve to reinforce the messages that we should have listened to years ago. The climate is changing, and if we don't change with it, this is only the beginning of such unforeseen complications.  Also, if you listen until the end, you get to hear about some pretty interesting survey results from a group project I conducted with my pals Aidan, Andrew, and Nick. You don't wanna miss it!  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Inspired by the recent 'atmospheric river' on Monday that delivered over an entire month of rain in one day in some areas, today on Episode 15 of Cherry Picking, we delve into the topic of climate change. And as of now, the lower mainland is extremely insecure in its supply chain connections with the rest of Canada due to this event. What does this mean? Portions of the Coquihalla highway are down, entire cities are on mandatory evacuation notices, dairy farmers are reportedly pouring out vats of milk with no way to distribute their product, and at least 1 person has been killed in a mudslide on Highway 1. This all follows a summer that brought the province an astronomically destructive forest fire season, a heat dome that killed more than 600 people over the course of a single weekend, and recent abnormal weather events such as a tornado and 'bomb cyclone'.  Climate change will be a defining factor for the trajectory of our lives, our children's lives, and all lives to follow. Our generation has been presented with quite the predicament. Right now, we have all the opportunity, hope, and possibility for genuine, positive change. If we miss the forest for the trees, the current events we are all bearing witness to will surely be just the beginning of the destruction yet to come. Why is climate change such a contentious, divisive topic? Is it really all so political? And what individual power do we have in all this, if any?  I promise that we are all capable of far more than we may give ourselves credit.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Today on Episode 14 of Cherry Picking we embark on a journey exploring the role that conspiracy theories play in supporting the ever quaking foundations of our social society as we know it. Why are conspiracy theories so appealing? And why are they oh so dangerous?  The best conspiracies are ones that include pieces of truth, and the most notorious conspiracy theories are the ones that aren't theories at all. We'll discuss comments from whistleblower Edward Snowden, then, discuss links that one paper made between rising support for conspiracy theories and threats to the status quo of social society. From human trafficking to covid vaccines, conspiracy is contagious. They spread like wildfire and provide simple, digestible answers to explain the unexplainable evil that surrounds us. If only things could go on like this, and if only it were that simple.  The reality of the world and the evil in it is that there are no easy answers, no easy fixes, and the problems we have are much bigger than the conspiracies make them out to be. Human trafficking is a billion-dollar international industry that spans far beyond pizza parlours and Jeffrey's island, and the covid vaccine conspiracy 'debate' does far more long term damage to the fabric of society than we may like to think.  Finally, to wrap things up today, we close with a short discussion on tech's best dancer, Elon Musk.  The South African tweeted about donating $6 billion to world hunger should he be presented with a solution. Who's going to break the news he's the problem? Because perhaps a case study into the way he has manipulated the markets and minds of Western culture is the best illustration of conspiracies hidden in plain sight I can paint.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

This week on Episode 13, your host is dishevelled. Big changes are incoming and I am experiencing some existential dread. So, today, I just spoke from the heart. No notes, just cold. I'll be back next Wednesday with a carefully thought out episode topic, cohesive transitions of ideas, speaking on big concepts that matter and tie into the real world.   But today I talked about myself, what's going on in my world, and how I'm making changes in my tiny little bubble that I can influence. Sometimes that means getting a job at a little bar to perform menial tasks and recuperate from an extremely emotionally taxing 3+ years working in senior care. And guess what? This also means more projects, wider prospects, interviews, all things that I am excited to work on.  I also end up rambling about capitalism, consumerism, aspects of white supremacist new age spiritual movements, and much more! These are topics I will delve further into in the future, but this really is just for me, by me, put out there. Half-formed thoughts developed in sound, if you will. If you get something out of today's episode, please let it be; know thyself. I'm sharing a slice of my experience. The most beautiful thing that can come out of that is that it causes you to reflect on yours.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram

Today on Episode 12 of Cherry Picking we dive right into the petrol tainted freshwater. In case you missed it, Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is currently under a non-potable water advisory. This situation serves as a starting point to explore the relationship that Canada has with its freshwater supply. Why is water so important? What role has water played, or continues to play, in political discussions? And why is this relevant? So many reasons. Like many new technologies and developments, fracking was implemented perhaps a little bit preemptively, with minimal foresight and oversight. Today we'll also be engaging in a comprehensive review of public policy specifically regarding water waste disposal used in the practice of fracking.  Water is life, and when our treatment and practices involving the use of water threatens its quality and quantity, we are threatening our own very existence.  Cheers, Alexia Instagram