Carolina Snowflakes Podcast

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re wondering where have all the Trump flags gone? When something blasts your retina for 4 years straight it’s more than a little jarring when suddenly it disappears. We once were blind, but now we see. We ponder this question as well as give our thoughts on the recent second impeachment trial for our country’s former president. The good, the bad and the unfortunate; we poke it all with gloved hand and a long stick.

We also take a moment to check in on the current state of the free speech sanctuary and alt-right safe haven known as Parler. Spoiler alert: there’s not much to see, but there’s plenty to laugh at.

And lastly, we offer up a new and unique way to sway your conservative buddies into supporting the liberal agenda in a new bit called “How to Trick Your Cuckservative Friends into Being Liberal”. This week’s topic is how immigration will be the only thing to save social security. How do we spin it? Tune in to find out.

So break out your 70 ft Biden flag and spray paint “Kamala RULES” across your bass fishing boat cause in the meantime we need something to fill the visual void left from all the missing Trump merch.

References:

“If You Were on Parler You Saw the Mob Coming”. January 31^st, 2021.  Kara Swisher, Sway Podcast. https://www.radio.com/podcasts/sway-43436/if-you-were-on-parler-you-saw-the-mob-coming-354028236

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we talk about one of our favorite recreational activities. Gaming! When we aren’t recording this epic podcast or working our regular 9 to 5 jobs, we like to cut loose and play video games. This has especially been the case for us during the last 12 months.

In fact, we aren’t the only ones who have increased our time spent gaming during the past year. Much like the pandemic, the increase in gaming and game-related purchases world-wide is global in scale; to the tune of $180 billion in revenue.

What’s interesting is that as the revenue stream continues to grow, so does the variety in gaming options. There’s literally something out there for everyone, no matter age, gender, etc. It’s simply a matter of finding what you like. Whether it’s Monopoly on the Nintendo Switch or League of Legends on PC or a sandbox game such as The Sims, there are so many choices available.

And since we’re doing what so many others are doing around the world, we figured why not talk about it? Even if you’re not an avid gamer we think you’ll appreciate hearing how each of us found our way to the world of gaming and what we discovered along the way. We also cover some fascinating stats related to the rise of E-Sports and professional gaming. Did you know there are college scholarships for gaming? So if little Billy tells you he wants to be a professional gamer when he grows up, it might be worth hearing him out.

Tune in to hear all this and more cause this week We Got Game (Video)!  

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we take a look at the current state of recycling in the U.S. and critically examine what’s working and what isn’t.  What’s the point of dropping recyclables in the blue bin if they’re not actually being recycled?

Since the 1990s there’s been a massive push through the use of marketing and propaganda to get Americans on board with sorting out our recyclables from household trash. Remember all those “save the Earth” commercials with seagulls stuck in plastic wrap and turtles choking on bottle caps? They were brilliant sources of media and they worked to motivate! Many of us do in fact take the time to recycle and that’s a plus. Recycling is a good thing and it happens to feel good too.  

After all, we’re doing our part to protect the environment, right?

The short answer is yes, but also no. We as the end consumers may be doing our part, but the folks responsible for all that marketing, who coincidentally are also responsible for creating much of the problem in the first place, aren’t doing their part. Guess what else? They never really intended to do their part at all despite spending millions of dollars in advertising to make us believe otherwise. That’s right, we were lied to. 

So join us as we discuss what lies were told and what materials in the U.S. are actually being recycled. Spoiler alert: it might not be what you think.

References:

Sullivan, Laura. September 11, 2020. “How Big Oil Misled the Public into Believing Plastic Would be Recycled”. NPR: Morning Edition. https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re tipping our hats to all things British as we embark on our quest for knighthood. Our understanding of attaining knight-ness is you must first be epic for England and thus appealing to the Queen.

We figure there’s no better way to demonstrate our worthiness than by sharing how British history and pop culture has influenced who we are as Snowflakes. Yes we attempt accents and we’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

From our adoration of Robin Hood to our love of Mary Poppins and our nerding out over The Canterbury Tales, we salute our neighbors across the pond and hope they’ll give us a wave or a nod or something….knighthood perhaps? Are we doing this right?

We also discuss a very special British-Carolina connection with the locals living on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Descendants of Blackbeard’s pirates, the residents of Ocracoke still speak a unique dialect called Hoi Toider, which is comprised of old Elizabethan English and pirate slang. The Hoi Toider dialect isn’t found anywhere else in the world and we do our best to share a few words and phrases one might hear when visiting.

So grab a spot of tea and tuck into this week’s episode as we hail the Queen and all things British.

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we take a trip back in time to 1898 when America’s only successful coup d’Etat occurred in Wilmington, NC.

A group of armed white supremacists violently overturned Wilmington's local government in a riot not dissimilar to the one seen recently in the Nation’s capitol.

Through gross media manipulation, physical intimidation, abuse and even murder, the group chased thousands of Black citizens out of the North Carolina town and took control of what they believed was rightfully their own.

No one was ever prosecuted or held legally responsible for the acts that occurred in Wilmington and for over 100 years the story was either obscured (whitewashed) or downplayed by the media and government institutions.

Considering recent events in the U.S., the story of the Wilmington Massacre has seen a resurgence of interest. It should be no surprise that today’s events tend to parallel the ones of 123 years ago. As they say, history repeats itself. They also say when we remain ignorant to the truth, we are doomed to repeat history over and over again.

The story of the Wilmington Massacre is fascinating, but also angering when we (The Snowflakes) admit that we were blissfully unaware of it. How did we not know something so historic happened in the state where we reside? This wasn’t taught in our history courses. Was it taught in yours?

References:

Consider This Podcast/NPR. (January 8, 2021).  “Race and the Capitol Riot: An American Story We’ve Heard Before”. https://www.npr.org/2021/01/04/953286955/race-and-the-capitol-riot-an-american-story-weve-heard-before

Randle, Aaron. (October 7, 2020). “America’s Only Successful Coup d’Etat Overthrew a Biracial Government in 1898”. https://www.history.com/news/wilmington-massacre-1898-coup

Lafrance, Adrienne & Newkirk II, Vann R. (August 12, 2017). “The Lost History of an American Coup d’Etat”. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/wilmington-massacre/536457/

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re wading deep into the muck of life, liberty and uh…other smelly stuff.

Recent events in the country have left us bloated with questions and possessing very strong urges to push those questions out. Who will answer these explosive inquiries? Well, no one really, but perhaps we’ll get a sense of relief once they’re flushed.

So many questions, so little toilet paper. Can someone pass the plunger?

That’s right. We’re going in and we aren’t coming back until the clog is gone. So hoist up your waders and light a match because this week we’re Knee Deep in It.

References:

CNN Article: https://www.cnn.com/.../capitol-hill.../index.html

Lavin, Talia. (2020) “Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy”

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we invite you to join us as we take a close look at Dolly’s private parts. Country music legend and Tennessee native Dolly Parton has seen a recent up tick in attention lately due in large part to her generous contribution towards the research and development of the Moderna vaccination against Covid-19. Much of the attention has come from the larger media, but admittedly a lot has come from us too – we are in awe. What an incredible lady. So, we decided we couldn’t put off talking about her because the woman is amazing.

Not only is Dolly a philanthropist working to save humanity from its own demise, but she’s a prolific song-writer and singer too. We were stunned and are thoroughly impressed to learn of her many awards and accolades over the last 57 years in the music business. And they just keep coming!

Dolly Parton is an American badass and we’re here for it. She’s also a southerner with a kind heart and we’re here for that as well. You don’t even have to like country music to know and understand how important she is. So Tune in to hear which parts of Dolly we found most compelling as we discuss her rise to fame and all that followed.

It’s story time this week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast as Amanda and Jason give an Appalachian analysis of anxiety. The snowflakes begin this episode by sharing their own, often humorous, experiences living with anxiety. We can safely say the brain is a funny thing and how it causes us to respond to perceived threats can be even funnier, especially when those threats are not remotely real. 

In fact, humor has been paramount in providing a coping mechanism for both of us through the years as we’ve struggled with bouts of social and generalized anxiety. If we can’t laugh at the absurdity of how our bodies still respond to stress as if we’re running from mammoths, what can we laugh at?

We also take a look at how anxiety affects the body, particularly when endured for a great length of time. The hormones and chemicals involved in stimulating the fight or flight responses have real impact on our physical health as well as our over all well-being and even our relationships with others.  

There’s even a cultural element involved in how anxiety is addressed. We found that in particular, the south tends to be less receptive and understanding than other areas of the U.S. towards mental health treatment. Not to mention, lack of funding creates an even more pronounced barrier for many rural southerners getting help with mental health. Strikingly, we found that folks living in southern Appalachia are less receptive than even other southerners to seeking or receiving counseling. In fact, there is a strong correlation between Appalachian residency and the justification or excusing of erratic behavior caused by poor mental health. The saying “Here in the south we don’t hide crazy, we parade it on the front porch and give it a cocktail” is rooted in at least some amount of truth.

We close this week’s episode with a funny recording you don’t want to miss. It all happened quite organically when the mics were on in another room and picked up Amanda ranting on the phone about an awful woman she dealt with at work. Jason seized the moment by turning the ranting audio clip into a hilarious ditty.  It’s now a staple song in our household.

Although this week's topic is a more serious one, we’ve approached with humor and there’s lots of laughter throughout. We hope you enjoy!

References:

Sapolsky, Robert M. (2004). “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Third Edition”

Hauenstein, Emily J. (2003) “No Comfort in the Rural South: Women Living Depressed”. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 17(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1053/apnu.2003.6

Happy Holidays from the Carolina Snowflakes! In this week’s bonus episode we cut loose and get jolly with it. Tune in as we chuckle and reminisce during a hilarious Christmas –themed Q & A. You’ll get a kick out of it, we promise.

We wish you a safe and healthy holiday, whatever you may (or may not) celebrate. Be safe out there.

-- Amanda & Jason

What do you know about the dark web? Have you ever visited?

In this week’s episode of the Carolina Snowflakes podcast we explore the dark web step-by-step. We look at how the darkest part of the internet was formed, it’s origins and examine a slew of facts versus fiction on what exactly constitutes “the dark web”. 

It probably isn’t what you think.  

In fact, to the average internet user, the dark web is a total mystery. And naturally, with mystery comes misunderstanding.

This week we are uncovering the mystery and sharing everything we know about what the dark web is and isn’t. We discuss both the good (yes, there’s actually good) and the bad. We talk of how the dark web has helped victims get away from their abusers and how would-be criminals have been brought to justice thanks to the actions of people using the dark side of the internet. We also talk about some of the more practical uses of visiting the dark web and how to do so safely. And of course, we tell the story of the guy who called himself Dread Pirate Roberts and his Silk Road drug emporium.

There’s a lot to unpack this week, but it’s good. We also poke fun at the Libertarians so if you’re into that, stick around. ;-)

So grab yourself a snack and tune in cause we’re taking you to the dark web.

Reference:

Bilton, Nick. (2017). “American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road”.