by Dongtini — Episode 71
November 28, 2012 in Podcast by dongtini
Listener voicemail episode! Simone was confronted with a thong at Thanksgiving dinner, Listener Eugene asks how our belief systems actually affect us, many Christians are raging assholes, many skeptics think stupid things and haven’t arrived there by any form of critical thinking, logic and the wild card, organized thinking and empathy, Simone’s Wikifeet rating, Dr. Gorvinda doesn’t understand “these two whores talking about dongs,” Listener Stacy asks about social anxiety and the gym, Stephy is limiting her self-loathing to ten minutes a day, math is hard, the Ryan Gosling Kool-Aid, we’ve got a long way to go according to Germaine Greer (“If you think you are emancipated, you might consider the idea of tasting your own menstrual blood – if it makes you sick, you’ve got a long way to go, baby”), Listener Tasty gives us a tutorial in the Reddit shitshow, and CAT PAINT!
Listen now or right click to download and listen later!
My (ugly) Left Foot by Simone – even the cats can’t bear to look at it.
This hits a humor nerve in Stephy that is rarely accessed. It just makes her howl.
Simone’s pièce de résistance.The recalled “Math is hard!” talking Barbie:
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The clip below is some Ryan Gosling Kool-Aid that Stephy has dranken:
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Closing song: The Zombies — “She’s Not There”
I thought I’d leave a comment to say that listening to this was a needed hour of calm for me. It’s nice to be calmed by lights on during sex advice and Simone’s feet.
This makes me so glad!
Yips!
Hi Stephy and Simone,
Just wanted to tell you – what a wonderful podcast today. Really. I kept finding myself saying, “YEAH! YEAH!” I had pretty much the exact same almost-convo about feminism that Simone related, with my husband, on our trip home from Thanksgiving.
I was very intrigued by the desert fathers and mothers, never heard of them, but have been very drawn to Orthodoxy of the past year, and especially the past few months. My dad got into Orthodoxy a few years ago. At the time I thought he had gone off the deep end. My mom still does – she’s threatened by his evolving faith (I think mostly because she came out of Catholicism into Evangelical Christianity in college, and has too much of the negative associated with it). I think it’s kind of funny, because they’re life long missionaries. And I love watching my dad’s journey because it gives ME the bravery to continue to seek, grow, and question. Anyways, I’m really excited, because I do a bible study class every semester, and this coming January we’re starting Ephesians. I am SO excited because my dad gave me several Orthodox commentaries. I’m really looking forward to studying with that perspective. In dad’s words, “prepare to enter deep waters”.
I loved what Stephy said about meditation, too. It’s something else I’ve been thinking about, having been confronted with the fact that maybe I chatter waaaay too much when approaching the Divine. I’ve been reading through Ecclesiastes lately (talk about an antidote to today’s Christian Culture – it is a breath of fresh air), and came across this: “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”
The stuff you guys talked about anxiety, as well – I go through the exact same thing. Seriously. I’m always walking away from an interaction, convinced that everyone was just humoring me and secretly thinking I was stupid and my opinion was invalid.
Oh – and the caller’s story about the gym??? THAT LADY is the reason I hate going to gyms. Seriously. I always want to reach across and push their skinny, Under Armour clad behinds off the treadmill.
Thanks for your transparency today, guys. I’m commenting anonymously here because my faith is very personal, and this level of vulnerability about my faith is pretty scary.
Thanks for your comment, A. Nonny Mouse! Really means a lot to us. Sometimes after I’ve blabbed a bunch of stuff I feel a kinda vulnerable so it’s rewarding to know that people get something out of it.
Also, I love that you had a similar conversation with your husband about feminism over Thanksgiving! Makes me feel like less of a dope! Feminists need to stop shaming women for having skewed ideas of what it’s about. After we recorded that I saw a video of a women sarcastically explaining to the dumb women (like me!) who don’t call themselves feminists that they must not think women should be able to vote and such and it made me so mad! Bitch needs to shut her fool mouth and get back in the kitchen.
Anyway, so glad our show is helpful to you on your journey! Please check in again should you feel the need!
Yeah, I was thinking about it again this morning. I really liked your point, Simone, that we shouldn’t even have to label it anymore – it’s not about ‘women’s rights’ – it should just be about human’s rights. I think the over-emphasis on the ‘angry feminist’ stereotype has caused a backlash, hurting those of us who just want to be taken seriously, for goodness sake, whether we have a vagina or not.
My husband was having a really hard time understanding why it was such a big issue to me (woman’s rights) – in his eyes, of COURSE we are all equal. So why make an issue about it? Then the convo turned to his older brother, who is the family darling (despite the fact that he is a 38 year old baby). My husband was expressing his anger at his brother ALWAYS being put first. I then related that anger and need to express himself (even though he is equal with his brother, he feels pushed down by everyone in the family), to my need to express myself as a woman … and he stopped in his tracks, finally understanding
I love this thread SO much. (And I am so angry that wordpress has taken away my picture by my name. OH WELL)
Hey guys, that was a great answer to my question! You’re right, the answer is both yes and no. Your beliefs can profoundly affect you but only if you let it. If you’re just going to wear it superficially it’s not going to affect you via osmosis. That was food for thought, thank you!
xo
On Feminism, I would consider myself a feminist but I would NEVER call myself one. Guys calling themselves feminists are like guys with acoustic guitars – the douchebags who use it as a way to pick up chicks ruin it for everyone!
WORD.
I consider myself a feminist but don’t call myself one either. Simone mentioned somewhere in here that I don’t like calling myself an atheist even though I am one, and I feel the same way about feminism.
Saw this on epbot this morning, and it totally made me think about the discussion going on over here about ‘feminism’.
http://www.epbot.com/2012/11/toy-catalog-goes-gender-neutral-looks.html
Aww thank you so much for playing my question and answering it so thoughtfully and with so much empathy!
I guess my #1 issue at the gym is that I’m overweight, and have struggled with being “the chubby girl” ever since I was like 5 years old. I feel hyper-self-conscious at the gym because of that.
I go to Planet Fitness, which has tried like hell (and mostly succeeded) to set itself apart from the typical “meat market” mentality at lots of gyms.
Printed on most of the machines and on the walls are the words “you belong” and “judgement-free zone.”
And there really are all kinds of people there; old and young, thin and not-so-thin, professional body-builder types and people who just need to work out to blow off steam.
It’s nice to have that kind of built-in affirmation, but any kind of gym environment is still stressful.
Also, as far as the ‘atheist’ thing, I really relate to the idea of not having to be labeled by it, like, why should you have to be defined by the fact that you don’t happen to believe in God?
And I LOVED it when Stephy said “agnostic who practices Christianity.”
That pretty much describes me, too.
xo