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WANT MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH DEPTH IN YOUR LIFE? Join us in the Messy Liberation Circle: https://messyliberation.com/community/ In this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown use the racist Ole Miss Ring camera video and a string of frat hazing stories to look at how “isolated incidents” are shaped by white supremacy, Greek life culture, and what they call a permission structure. They get into performative apologies, why “not like other white women” is still white supremacy, and what real accountability and unlearning look like. In This Episode, We Get Into:• Why fraternity hazing keeps making headlines, and why Becky says “hazing” is a soft word for abuse and assault• How predominantly white Greek life can work as a MAGA pipeline, and why Taina and Becky exempt Black fraternities and sororities from much of the critique• Fraternities, police “fraternities,” and the “we protect our own” code of silence, plus Taina’s point about what street gangs were modeled after• The viral Ole Miss Ring camera video, and Becky’s story of teaching her son why “monkey in the middle” isn’t okay• Why a freshman’s apology reads as box-checking, and what real contrition looks like (hint: it doesn’t depend on being forgiven)• Better the racist who tells you to your face, or the one who smiles and won’t live next to you? Segregation in Mississippi and St. Louis• The jelly bean and steak-in-the-pile analogies for why “there are some good ones” isn’t a reason to take the risk• “Not like other white women”: why the need to exceptionalize yourself is white supremacy• Why unlearning has no endpoint, and why Becky finds that freeing• Individualism vs. collectivism, the hamster wheel, and how the system counts on “why bother”• Why Taina says a pattern isn’t a mistake, it’s habitual and systemic• Who these students grow up to be: cops, teachers, school board presidents, journalists, CEOs, parents Timestamps00:46 College kids behaving badly: the Ohio State frat story02:04 What’s wrong with Greek life: hazing, MAGA pipeline, toxic consumerism05:06 The Jon Hamm hazing story07:25 Why there’s no incentive not to join, and the code of silence11:25 Privilege, “boys will be boys,” and boldness in the era of Trumpism13:06 The Ole Miss Ring camera incident15:01 Reading the 18-year-old’s apology17:49 Overt racism vs. smiling racism, and white flight in St. Louis19:15 The jelly bean and steak analogies (and why Becky would never date a frat guy)21:37 “I’m not like other white women” is white supremacy27:13 Shame, “why bother,” and what the system counts on28:12 The permission structure behind the Ole Miss apology33:59 Do people get time to change? The “Fox path”35:48 Who these kids grow up to be39:07 Back to Hamm, and “nice guys” who decide promotions41:07 Outro Resources Mentioned• "The Hyphenated Life" by Dr. Han Ren: https://link.amazon/B02KM45SA• "The Tricky Exceptionalism of 'Fellow White Women'" Jezebel article: https://www.jezebel.com/the-tricky-exceptionalism-of-fellow-white-women-1843732857 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

In this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown dig into anger: where it comes from, who is allowed to feel it, and what it’s for. Starting with Taina’s fury over AI scraping of fanfic writers’ work, they use Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger” to talk about righteous anger, tone policing, assertive vs. aggressive, and the difference between being an ally and an accomplice. Recorded the day before the midterm elections. In This Episode, We Get Into:• Why anger is usually a secondary emotion, and how to find the feeling underneath it• Taina’s rage over a site scraping fanfic from AO3 to sell AI audio versions, and why the people with the least protection get hurt first• Why “you could have just said nothing” keeps coming up for us• Whether “righteous anger” is a helpful phrase, and why it lands differently for people raised in religious spaces• How gender and race shape our conditioning around anger• The three ideas from Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger” that Taina keeps coming back to• Who benefits when we never get angry, and what that means for how we talk about nonviolence• Assertive vs. aggressive, and who gets called aggressive in a room full of white people• Why white women often can’t show up for others’ anger until they can feel their own• What to do when you’re uncomfortable with someone’s anger: stay quiet, call in the tone police, or step up as an accomplice• How to wrap up a conversation about anger with a cortisol-lowering shelter dog update Timestamps0:00 Intro, no sleep, and daylight saving time rage0:59 Homophobia, projection, and why it pisses us off2:41 Feelings are data: anger as a secondary feeling3:56 Taina’s fanfic world and AO3 going down9:57 How the people with the least protection suffer the most10:44 The feeling under the anger: a violation of boundaries12:09 Why sharing creative work is so personal13:20 “The choice to say nothing was always there”14:34 White women, proximity to power, and wanting to be liked16:34 Is “righteous anger” the right phrase?19:06 How men and women are conditioned around anger23:06 Religious language and why “righteous” is a red flag25:37 Three ideas from Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger”30:45 Assertive vs. aggressive and tone policing35:08 Internalized norms and hurt feelings vs. injustice39:37 Why you can’t get angry for others if you can’t for yourself41:49 Your choices: stay silent, call in, or join the anger (ally vs. accomplice)49:09 Lowering the cortisol: Taina’s adopting a dog51:07 Iowa Pet Pantry and why pets aren’t products Resources Mentioned• “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” by Audre Lorde: https://www.are.na/block/7708912• "Was That Racist?" by Dr. Evelyn R. Carter: https://link.amazon/B0bBC5rJo• "They Were Her Property" by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers: https://link.amazon/B0d3UNpqT• Archive of Our Own (AO3): https://archiveofourown.org/• Our earlier episode on Hasan Piker and violence in movements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhvxRikUy8A&t=17s• Iowa Pet Pantry: https://www.thepetprojectmidwest.org/programs/pet-pantry/• Messy Liberation Circle: https://messyliberation.com/community/ 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down Billy Corgan’s viral NYT Popcast interview. In it, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman explained that he chose his much younger wife because women his own age come with too much “baggage,” and he defended his friendship with Marilyn Manson. They dig into age gap relationships, grooming and power dynamics, and how a culture obsessed with youth teaches men to want younger and younger women. They also go back and forth on whether critiquing big age gaps slides into ageism, and why they don’t fully agree. Content note: This episode discusses grooming, child sexual abuse, and sexual violence, including a host’s personal disclosure. In This Episode:03:39 – Billy Corgan and the myth of the “not political” rock star05:05 – Why the richest people take the fewest risks (Metallica, Ed Sheeran, and golden handcuffs)09:00 – Billy Corgan is 59 and his wife is 33: Becky and Taina split on age gaps10:39 – Youth obsession, “barely legal” culture, and the Epstein files12:59 – They met when she was 19 and he was 45: where power dynamics become grooming15:03 – “I personally didn’t feel he was guilty”: Corgan defends Marilyn Manson17:34 – The “no baggage” clip19:38 – Taina: “They’re adults,” but dating someone that much younger sounds like more work22:19 – Corgan’s theory that Gen X women weren’t feminist enough (we’re not post-patriarchy)25:38 – Becky reflects on her own 7-year age gap at 1726:35 – Hannah Waddingham, Jennifer Hudson, and the safety of dating your own age29:03 – A green flag worth looking for: partners who are attracted to people their own age30:31 – Is critiquing age gaps ageist? “Equals” vs. “peers”35:11 – Where do we draw the line in the Epstein era?37:06 – The stats on age, sexual violence, and street harassment39:43 – Bill Belichick and the “feminist” permission structure41:11 – Our own relationships, ego, and the need for validation44:40 – Ageism, sexism, and who actually holds power (did we just define intersectionality?)48:30 – “Yes, and”: age gap relationships can exist AND reflect a broken system49:53 – Boys and sexual abuse52:05 – Recommendations: go to therapy (and Rec League) Resources Mentioned• Billy Corgan on the NYT Popcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q3_scdiXe4• Hannah Waddingham on The Jennifer Hudson Show: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/isAhnzHkjqI• "Old men dating young women” by Becky Mollenkamp: https://yesandotherwise.substack.com/p/old-men-dating-young-women• Rec League: http://recleague.com/• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673  https://rainn.org 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Want to keep the conversation going? Dr. Carter is joining us for a live author Q&A inside the Messy Liberation Circle. Bring your questions, your stories, and your trickiest “was that racist?” moments: https://messyliberation.com/community/ What do you actually do when someone you love says something racist? On this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown talk with social psychologist and DEI practitioner Dr. Evelyn R. Carter, author of Was That Racist? How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life. They dig into why so many well-meaning people freeze instead of confronting racism, why speaking up is everyone’s responsibility (especially white folks), and the deceptively simple question that can disarm bias in the moment. In this episode, we get into:• Why “it’s not my place” is a cop-out, and why people outside a targeted group are often heard more when they call out bias• Treating that pounding heart and churning stomach as a signal to engage, not flee• The gap between the 80% of people who say they’d speak up and the 25–33% who actually do (plus a hand-washing detour on “moral hygiene”)• What Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s viral exchange with “Tommy” teaches us about staying calm and asking questions• Why “What makes you say that?” beats preparing for a debate• Confrontation as a practiced skill, and the difference between being kind and being nice• How white people speaking up can create “places of rest” for people of color• Why 98% of confronting happens with friends, family, and acquaintances, not strangers• “What about racism against white people?” Racial bias vs. racism, explained• Separating personal morality from systemic racism so we can actually do the work Timestamps00:40 – Monthly author Q&As coming to the Messy Liberation Circle01:18 – Why Dr. Carter wrote Was That Racist?02:48 – “Is it my place?” Speaking up when it’s not your lived experience07:07 – Toxic individualism and the “not my business” mindset08:49 – Listen to your body: discomfort as a call to engage11:02 – 80% say they’d speak up; only 25–33% do13:37 – The Abdul El-Sayed vs. “Tommy” video18:44 – Confronting bias is a skill: kind vs. nice21:24 – Confronting is about relationship: the 98% vs. 2% finding24:40 – Why online arguments skew to the extremes28:44 – Racial bias vs. racism30:28 – How anyone, of any race, can uphold white supremacy32:22 – Separating morality from systemic racism Resources Mentioned• Was That Racist? How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life by Dr. Evelyn R. Carter• Messy Liberation Circle, including the upcoming author Q&A with Dr. Carter• Yes and Otherwise conversation with Dr. Carter• Dr. Abdul El-Sayed responds to “Tommy” 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE

On this Indigenous Peoples’ Day episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown start with the “where are you really from?” question and follow it into who gets to look and who gets looked at. Taina, who is Afro-Latina with Taíno roots, explains the difference between race and ethnicity, what separates Latin from Hispanic, and why self-identification is a form of resistance. It’s an intersectional feminist conversation about objectification, colonialism, and letting people name themselves. In this episode, we get into: Why “What are you?” is never okay, and how to tell real curiosity from nosinessTaina’s PT appointment, and a lifetime of being mistaken for Egyptian, Indian, Dominican, and Middle Eastern“Clarity is kindness”: why a blunt question can be better than a covert oneIntent vs. impact: how treating someone as a puzzle to solve strips their dignityBecky’s confession about staring at a trans woman in an airport 30 years ago, and what she’d do differently nowWho gets the privilege to look and who becomes the spectacle, from Shane Gillis’s SNL “spandex” joke to the history of slave auctionsOppositional looking: refusing to look away, and why white women should stare at cops, not at the people they’re harassingJordan Peele, Get Out, and horror that doesn’t center whitenessLatin vs. Hispanic, explained through Brazil, Guyana, Mexico, and Puerto RicoRace as a social construct that still shapes real lives, plus the “file folder” metaphor for identity, gender, pronouns, and reclaimed languageTimestamps 00:00 – Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Hispanic Heritage Month & Filipino American History Month02:42 – Being mistaken for everything: growing up racially ambiguous07:00 – “It’s really none of your business”: lessons from college11:40 – Objectification, intent vs. impact, and human dignity17:47 – Shane Gillis, SNL, and who gets to be the object21:00 – Ways of Seeing, Stuart Hall & oppositional looking25:01 – Stare at power, not at the oppressed26:40 – Jordan Peele, Get Out, and horror that doesn’t center whiteness29:41 – Why travel (or a new neighborhood) can radicalize white folks36:10 – Race as a social construct, from slavery to ICE sweeps40:41 – Latin vs. Hispanic: what’s the difference?47:48 – How perception changes race: New York vs. Florida49:17 – The Hyphenated Life, file folders & gender as a construct53:02 – Capitalism and the myth of limited categories56:50 – Refusing the file folder: queer identity & she/they pronouns1:00:05 – Messy Liberation Circle open house (Oct. 15)Resources mentioned: "Ways of Seeing" by John Berger: https://link.amazon/B05cwPa5S“The Whites of Their Eyes” by Stuart Hall: https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.psu.edu/dist/c/4578/files/2015/04/Hall-Whites_of_Their_Eyes_Full_Text.pdf?bid=4578“The Oppositional Gaze" by bell hooks: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/postgraduates/pgmodules/femlit/bell_hooks.pdf"The Hyphenated Life" by Han Ren: https://link.amazon/B03IkAQOrMessy Liberation Circle open house, Thursday, Oct. 15: https://bit.ly/4yjbTVW🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Content warning: This episode discusses SA and r*pe culture. Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown of Messy Liberation unpack the Cornell sexual assault case, the group chat of 50-plus men who joked about it, and the rape culture that made it possible. This intersectional feminist conversation covers victim blaming, fraternity culture, consent, and why staying silent when your friends say harmful things makes you complicit. It also covers how misogyny hurts men too. In this episode, we get into:• Taina's trip to Iceland for the Wicker premiere, and why the film's nameless characters make it a feminist fable without being Barbie-style feminism• The pneumonic plague case in Russia: why panic isn't the answer, and why access to antibiotics should be universal• The Cornell case: what to call it, and why "rapist" sounds like a job title• Fraternity culture, hazing, and why consent under duress isn't consent• Kendall Francis speaking out at LSU, and campus-wide warnings to "stay home" instead of telling men not to rape• Why men need to stop talking about "training their daughters" and start calling out their friends• How misogyny hurts men: male sexual assault, shame, and the cycle of harm• The group chat as a permission structure, and complicity in the Nolan Wells case• Asking vs. demanding: liberal feminism, "hearts and minds," and why willful ignorance is violence• White educators, unconscious bias, and why "no one's paying me to learn" is an excuse Timestamps00:00 – Taina's back from Iceland: the Wicker premiere at the Reykjavik International Film Festival07:01 – Pneumonic plague in Russia: why we'll (probably) be okay15:20 – The Cornell case and what to call it (content warning)21:13 – Fraternity culture, hazing, and consent under duress24:09 – Kendall Francis and the LSU case27:05 – Victim blaming: she's allowed to drink, and she's allowed to say no31:35 – Misogyny hurts men: sexual assault, shame, and silence37:15 – The 50 in the group chat: permission structures41:08 – Nolan Wells and why the getaway driver is complicit44:53 – Asking vs. demanding: MLK, Malcolm X, and liberal feminism51:38 – White educators and unconscious bias53:51 – Why we keep having heavy conversations (and a note on consent from the Hasan Piker episode)55:19 – Join us: the Messy Liberation Circle and our free October 15 event Resources mentioned• "More Salt Than Diamond" by Aline Mello: https://bookshop.org/a/93627/9781524871024• Previous episode: "Is Violence Part of Liberation? Breaking Down Hasan Piker, MSNow, and Palestine": https://messyliberation.com/hasan-piker-palestine/• Free October 15 author event with Aline Mello: https://taina-m-brown.myflodesk.com/messy-lib-open-house • Messy Liberation Circle: https://messyliberation.com/community/ 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown share their feminist origin stories: how each of them came to see the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, and what unlearning and relearning has looked like since. Taina talks about getting fired from her evangelical church and finding intersectional feminism at a women's college. Becky traces her path from "we don't see color" white feminism to Ferguson, bell hooks, and coming out as pansexual. In this episode, we get into: What "unlearning and relearning" means, and why it looks so different depending on your identitiesGetting fired from a church, and how churches run like any other exploitative workplaceA congregation with "90 nations represented" and white men at the topWhy "my Black friend voted for Trump" isn't a real argument, and how internalized oppression worksTaina's move from evangelical faith to women's studies, and the three readings that gave her language for what she'd livedWhere intersectionality actually came from: Kimberlé Crenshaw's legal scholarshipBecky's mom, colorblind second-wave feminism, and what happened when Becky brought home a Black boyfriendWhite saviorism, campaigning for Obama, and the disillusionment afterwardFerguson, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and starting a feminist reading groupBeing queer before you know you're queer, internalized homophobia, and no longer feeling like you're co-opting a community that's yoursTimestamps: 01:00 – Origin stories, and why our journeys look different02:53 – Growing up evangelical04:33 – "I didn't think racism was still a thing"07:15 – Holding an identity doesn't protect you from internalizing oppression10:00 – An intense friendship and the first signs of queerness12:30 – The three classes that changed Taina's life16:34 – Leaving the church: "People are flawed, but God isn't"23:21 – Becky's origin story: raised outside religion26:02 – Second-wave feminism and "we don't see color"29:38 – White savior complex and campaigning for Obama32:38 – Ferguson and the murder of Michael Brown36:31 – Our pansexual identities42:37 – You don't need a PhD to belongResources mentioned: Paula Gunn Allen, "Who Is Your Mother? Red Roots of White Feminism"The Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of SentimentsThe Combahee River Collective Statement"Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex" by Kimberlé Crenshaw"Feminism Is for Everybody" by bell hooks"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde"Pleasure Activism" by adrienne maree brown"White Feminism" by Koa BeckOur interview with Koa Beck 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: https://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down the viral Clock It interview where Symone Sanders Townsend pushed back on Hasan Piker for comparing US police-brutality protests to Palestinian resistance. They dig into what violence actually is, including poverty, discrimination, and state-sanctioned deprivation, why the nonviolence stories we're taught about MLK and Gandhi are incomplete, and how holding a marginalized identity doesn't exempt anyone from upholding the system. In This Episode:01:17 – The viral Clock It interview with Hasan Piker02:41 – Hasan's argument: resistance to systemic violence always gets labeled differently03:47 – Holding a marginalized identity doesn't exempt you from upholding the system04:34 – The role of violence in revolutions and liberation movements07:44 – Taina: "I'm tired of talking about this" (and why she's talking about it anyway)08:20 – State-sanctioned violence becomes invisible because it's normalized11:51 – "Have they never read Freedom Is a Constant Struggle?"12:40 – US cops and campus security trained by the IDF — Taina's grad school at Georgia State13:14 – George Floyd and the knee on the neck we all watched14:55 – Liberal ≠ progressive: corporate media and who funds it15:35 – The Hundred Years' War on Palestine and being done with "I don't know enough" as an excuse17:07 – The disconnect between your identity and your understanding of liberation18:13 – Gandhi, MLK, and the version of history taught inside a tiny bubble19:41 – Respectability politics: be peaceful, be presentable, mind your tone22:26 – Why the powers that be always negotiate with the most moderate voice in the room23:30 – The one-hero narrative and how it dissolves collective action27:16 – The myth of the perfect agitator29:01 – Democrats vs. Hasan Piker, and the all-or-nothing loyalty test35:03 – Ask yourself: what do you actually know about Hamas, and who told you?38:36 – Public education as the system's most reliable tool42:22 – To be clear: this isn't a call to violence, it's a call to understand what liberation involves44:14 – Why "why?" is the most important question you can ask46:35 – The rape-culture parallel: why didn't you fight back, why did you fight back49:06 – Wrap-up and a real question for listeners Resources Mentioned• Hasan Piker on Clock It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4lZ0SwPDEs• Critique of Clock It episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CX3YshKpjE• "The Hundred Years' War on Palestine" by Rashid Khalidi: https://link.amazon/B0bhg6Uic• "Freedom Is a Constant Struggle" by Angela Davis: https://link.amazon/B029YDKo7• "Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism" by Eve L. Ewing: https://link.amazon/B06y22SH7 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down Macklemore's public firing from Ed Sheeran's tour after he said "Free Palestine" on stage — and use it to dig into celebrity complicity, white feminism, and the real difference between Zionism and Judaism. From Robert Kraft's stadium pressure campaign to AIPAC's grip on Democratic politics to the actual cost of speaking out against genocide, Becky and Taina unpack what it looks like to choose a side when neutrality was never on the table. In This Episode, We Get Into: Macklemore getting pulled from Ed Sheeran's tour after saying "Free Palestine" to 90,000 people, and reading his response statement liveHow Robert Kraft and other venue owners used stadium access as leverage to force Ed Sheeran's handWhy "I don't take sides" is itself a side, and Macklemore's line: "There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed"Pink's Instagram statement, her US Open outing with Elizabeth Banks and Amy Adams, and why it's a textbook white feminism case studyWhat celebrities and public figures actually owe their audiences, the parasocial relationship and the responsibility that comes with a platformAIPAC money, the Wesley Bell/Cori Bush congressional race, and how Democrats fall in line on Israel fundingUntangling Zionism from Judaism and anti-Zionism from antisemitism, and why conflating them silences criticsThe 5,000-signature Hollywood letter opposing the word "genocide," and who's cashing checks to stay quietMandy Patinkin, Holocaust parallels, and how dehumanization spreads once a society decides it's permissible for one group"Does Israel have a right to exist?", and a reframe (it exists, so now what?) that matters more than the debate itselfA closing tangent on Jasmine Crockett sharing a stage with Chris Brown, and what it says about who we hold accountableTimestamps: 00:21 – Setting up the episode: Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, Zionism, and genocide02:09 – What actually happened on stage: "Free Palestine" and the fallout03:10 – Pink's response and deleted comments04:45 – Reading Macklemore's full statement: "I am not a victim"06:23 – Robert Kraft, Gillette Stadium, and the stadium-owner ultimatum08:27 – "There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed"11:22 – Power, privilege, and how the GOP consolidates vs. how Democrats splinter12:36 – AIPAC money and the Wesley Bell/Cori Bush race in St. Louis15:44 – Pink at the US Open with Elizabeth Banks and Amy Adams17:20 – Parasocial relationships and what celebrities owe their audience27:28 – The 5,000-signature Hollywood letter denying the word "genocide"30:39 – Mark Ruffalo, Tatiana Maslany, and who's actually showing up33:54 – Holocaust parallels and how dehumanization spreads39:40 – Zionism vs. Judaism: why they're not the same thing41:36 – "Does Israel have a right to exist?" and why that's the wrong question44:39 – Jasmine Crockett sharing a stage with Chris Brown47:27 – Christian nationalism and the same system playing out in the USResources Mentioned:Pink's statement:  Macklemore speaks out at Ed Sheeran concert: https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dc_bH4_N1FN/Pink's statement: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdKPJsVTvtl/?hl=enMacklemore's statement: https://www.threads.com/@macklemore/post/DdRduI8mxy9/mediaThe 5,000-signature Hollywood open letter: https://www.creativecommunityforpeace.com/blog/2026/09/08/rejectlieMandy Patinkin's empathetic plea: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DMJWZHVsXdH/Abdul El-Sayed on "does Israel have a right to exist?": https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1087558473698955🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down what actually makes a group of people a community — not just a paid membership or "safe space" buzzword. On this episode of Messy Liberation, they unpack why comfort and safety get conflated (especially by white women), why "we don't talk politics here" silences the most marginalized voices in a space, and what harm repair and restorative justice look like when done right. Plus: the stories of the best communities they've ever been part of, from a virtual event where a host let Resmaa Menakem rest mid-talk, to a nonprofit that gave staff the day off after a police shooting, to the friends who took Taina in when she was homeless. Timestamps:0:00 – Intro & follow-up from last episode0:34 – Why "community" became a business buzzword1:14 – Defining community: shared vision & culture-making4:46 – Trust, "ride or dies," and the buzzword of "safe spaces"7:07 – Feeling held vs. feeling safe9:00 – Why community isn't about being safe for everyone9:57 – Privilege, comfort, and what "safe" really means11:23 – True crime, privilege, and the illusion of safety12:06 – White women's tears: confusing comfort with safety14:02 – "We don't talk politics here" and who gets silenced18:19 – Threats to privilege vs. threats to safety18:56 – 2016 & 2020: white coaches shutting down callouts24:29 – Harm repair and restorative justice, set up front28:18 – Communities that got it right: affinity spaces & chosen family33:04 – Taken in when homeless: a story of real community34:52 – Black spaces vs. white spaces: the difference in care38:35 – The Resmaa Menakem story: modeling collective care live43:29 – A nonprofit that gave everyone the day off47:05 – The FEO community: emotional labor, race & accountability54:51 – Recap: discomfort isn't unsafe, and harm repair matters57:25 – Outro • "My Grandmother's Hands" by Resmaa Menakem: https://amzn.to/4r3bsMh• Rooted Global Village: https://rootedglobalvillage.com/ 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown get real about climate grief, doomscrolling, and the nihilism that creeps in when disaster feels endless, sparked by the catastrophic Nepal glacier flood and reports of billionaires building bunkers to escape the mess they helped create. Becky and Taina dig into the difference between staying informed and staying trapped in trauma, why our brains keep replaying footage that hurts us, and how community, agency, and joy become acts of resistance when the world feels like it's on fire. They close with a tribute to Dolly Parton and what her life proves about choosing love over hate. In This Episode, We Get Into:• Why the Nepal glacier flood hit so hard, and the "disaster movie" desensitization that makes real catastrophe feel unreal• Billionaires building underground bunkers (complete with jails) instead of fixing the climate crisis they're profiting from• The nihilism spiral: "what's the point" thinking and how it shows up differently before and after having kids• The real difference between being informed and being engaged, and where that line gets crossed into doomscrolling• Why our brains compulsively replay traumatic footage, and what that has to do with control and anxiety• Survivor's guilt vs. privilege guilt, and how proximity to suffering (without living it) shapes our response• The "crazy-making" feeling of watching people deny climate change in real time, and why that's a form of gaslighting• Divesting from harmful systems vs. reducing our reliance on them, and what to do with the time and energy that frees up• Surrender vs. submission: how accepting what you can't control can actually restore a sense of agency• Why joy and grief can coexist, and why withholding joy doesn't prove you care more• A tribute to Dolly Parton: her wealth given away, her quiet support of Black Lives Matter and the trans community, and what she proves about hate being a choice Timestamps:00:00 – Cold open: Becky's Care Bear mug and "which Care Bear are you"02:51 – The Nepal glacier flood and why it feels almost unreal to watch04:16 – Doomscrolling, repeated imagery, and the nihilism it triggers05:14 – Billionaire bunkers (yes, with jails) and what that says about who's "prepared" for collapse07:45 – Becky turns it over to Taina: restoring some faith in humanity08:06 – Taina's approach to news consumption and staying "informed without engaged"09:45 – Unpacking the real difference between informed and engaged11:25 – How having kids changes the emotional weight of climate anxiety12:47 – The compulsion to doomscroll and rewatch disturbing footage16:30 – Why our brains keep seeking control through repetition19:05 – Survivor's guilt vs. guilt born of privilege20:00 – Divesting from harmful systems vs. reducing our need for them21:32 – What you do with the space once you stop doomscrolling22:25 – The "crazy-making," gaslighting feeling of climate denial26:10 – The privilege of being disappointed by people in power27:56 – Community as the antidote: who's in your corner29:03 – Finding agency in the small, controllable things31:07 – Surrender vs. control, and coming back to the present moment33:50 – Acceptance vs. submission — the difference that matters35:13 – Resilience as a practiced, ongoing skill, not a one-time fix35:55 – Giving yourself permission to feel joy without guilt37:52 – Dolly Parton's "rainbows and rain" quote and finding light in the dark41:00 – Dolly's legacy: $600M given away, support for BLM and trans employees decades early44:44 – Why Dolly is proof that hate is a choice45:50 – Closing thoughts and sign-off 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

On this episode of Messy Liberation, hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown break down two viral advertiser fails (Callaway Golf's domestic-violence "joke" ad and Target's minstrel-show-evoking Halloween costume) to unpack what happens when corporate rooms lack real diversity and accountability. Through an intersectional feminist lens, they dig into DEI backlash, golf's history of racial and gender exclusion, the limits of individual boycotts, and why values that "blow with the wind" were never values at all. In This Episode, We Get Into:• A heartfelt tribute to Dolly Parton and what her life and legacy meant to both hosts• The Callaway Golf ad that turned domestic violence into a punchline — and the immediate backlash from women online• Target's clown/ghost Halloween costume and its uncomfortable echoes of minstrel-show imagery• Why "diverse hires" without power or context don't actually prevent harm• The difference between real values and values that shift with politics or profit• Golf's long, ugly history of excluding women and Black golfers, and what the current participation numbers really show• Whether corporate apology tours ("this doesn't reflect our values") mean anything at all• The limits of individual boycotts vs. collective political power• What small business owners can actually do differently (hint: it's not a fancy DEI program)• Drones, robot armies, and what stripping empathy from warfare has to do with stripping humanity from marginalized people Resources Mentioned:• OpenSecrets.org• Democratic Socialists of America (DSA): dsausa.org• Working Families Party: workingfamilies.org 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Feminist coaches and hosts Becky Mollenkamp and Taina Brown unpack Hayden Panettiere's death and what it reveals about America's total failure to support new mothers. They dig into postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and the maternal mental health crisis this country refuses to treat with any real structural support — and why that failure hits hardest along lines of race and class. In This Episode, We Get Into:• Hayden Panettiere's death, her public struggle with postpartum depression, and what her story reveals about how the entertainment industry treats mothers' mental health (including Neutrogena quietly dropping her as a spokesperson)• Becky's own experience with postpartum anxiety, and why "bouncing back" after birth is a myth nobody should be selling• Why postpartum screening in the U.S. is basically a checkbox on a form — and why that leads to massive underreporting, especially among Black and Latina mothers who have real reason to fear losing custody• The Britney Spears comparison and the impossible bind mothers are put in: too involved is controlling, too little is neglect• The age gap and power dynamics in Hayden's relationship, and how that context matters without villainizing anyone• Why childcare costs in America are a structural crisis, not a personal budgeting problem• How Europe's midwife home visits, paid leave, and universal pre-K show what real support could look like — and why the U.S. keeps moving backward instead• The difference between "making it work" and actually thriving as a parent• Taina's take on evangelicalism, moral hierarchies, and how "empathy is a bad word" rhetoric on the right traces back to Puritan control, not religious freedom• A call to action: what real, tangible community care looks like after someone gives birth or after someone dies — not just showing up once, but showing up for months 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Becky and Taina break down two former NBA players (Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White) declaring themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA draft as a bad-faith stunt riding the wave of anti-trans hysteria in women's sports. They trace the manufactured controversy back to comments from Sophie Cunningham and Riley Gaines, unpack the real legislative threat (the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act), and connect the dots between "protecting girls," Title IX defunding, eugenics, and control of women's bodies. Timestamps:00:06 – Cold open / catching up00:36 – Setting up today's topic: two ex-NBA men declaring WNBA draft eligibility01:14 – Background: Sophie Cunningham's "protect biological women" comments, Riley Gaines, XXXY Apparel03:05 – Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve's "protect trans children" shirt; Gabby Williams pushes back04:45 – Race dynamics around Caitlin Clark vs. Black WNBA players04:59 – Enes Kanter Freedom formally declares for the WNBA draft06:49 – Royce White follows suit; his failed Senate runs and political motives07:48 – Royce White's "in touch with his feminine energy" routine09:45 – The real legislative threat: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act (H.R. 28 / Senate Bill 9) and Title IX11:46 – "They're just dumb": basic biology, every fetus starts genetically female13:35 – The real agenda: control, not trans people — "heterosexual family values"17:10 – Sex is a spectrum: intersex variation explained19:15 – The slippery slope from body-as-utility thinking to eugenics21:37 – Bathroom policing, dehumanization, and the Gaza parallel22:47 – "Protecting girls" via pelvic exams — the Larry Nassar comparison24:23 – Shoutout to Megan Rapinoe; Title IX funding, Heritage Foundation, Project 202533:00 – Sitting with your own fear/bias instead of outsourcing the work to trans people36:39 – Real harm comes from inside the home, not from trans strangers39:04 – Race and the policing of femininity — why this falls hardest on Black women42:12 – Where are the men calling this out? Fragile masculinity43:14 – Declaring draft eligibility means nothing — no team is taking either of them43:48 – Closing thoughts: go meet a trans person; "we love you" 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: https://feministpodcastcollective.com/

Becky and Taina are back from their summer Everything Is Political series with their regular weekly episode, kicking things off with the internet-breaking trailer for Wicker — the upcoming movie starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage about a woman who marries a man made of wicker. What starts as trailer reactions turns into a wider conversation about the booming romance and "smutty romance" book industry, the trad wife movement's contradictions, media literacy, and who gets conditioned to be curious versus who doesn't. What we discussed:00:00 – Welcome back after the summer Everything Is Political series00:28 – Introducing today's topic: the Wicker trailer01:33 – First reactions to the trailer and the Bookstagram/BookTok buzz04:11 – Breaking down the premise (and the jokes about it)09:52 – "It's all men until it's not all men" — men continuing to fall short10:08 – The wicker husband, village jealousy, and the metal-collar marriage symbolism12:17 – Why this topic: free publicity and the bigger conversation about romance/smut15:39 – Trad wife influencers, rising conservatism, and the contradiction underneath it (Nara Smith)16:54 – Aside on the novel Yesteryear20:16 – Romance publishing stats: 52% revenue growth, $1.44B a year22:59 – Wicker as a modern fairy tale / parallels to Beauty and the Beast24:26 – Entertainment as propaganda: military movies and Hollywood contracts26:14 – Media literacy: why it matters for everything we consume, not just news31:21 – Privilege, curiosity, and who gets conditioned not to question things34:07 – Curiosity as joy; how liberal arts education changed things for Becky36:22 – The power of "why" and "what if" as questions43:00 – Wrap-up and plans to revisit after they've both seen the movie in October Resources mentioned:• Wicker trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP0BWBWn14I• "The Wicker Husband" short story: https://www.scribd.com/document/163478512/The-Wicker-Husban1• "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke: https://amzn.to/3TEeLNs 🎤 JOIN US IN THE FEMINIST PODCASTERS COLLECTIVE: http://feministpodcastcollective.com/