Carolina Snowflakes Podcast

Beware the haunted Carolinas!

In this week’s episode the Snowflakes share incredible stories of a few local legendary ghosts, ghouls and unexplained mysteries of our beautiful Carolinas.

From the mystifying Brown Mountain Lights dancing across a North Carolina ridge top in an area rich in Cherokee lore, to the ghost of a South Carolina confederate soldier named Manse Jolly who turned into a vengeful serial killer before his death, to the Lizardman of Scape Ore Swamp in Bishopville, SC---we tell tales that’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand tall. Are these entities real? More real than not, we say.

Tune in to hear these haunting stories from the Carolinas as we also discuss our own mysterious experiences with the unknown and perhaps, supernatural.

Do you believe in ghosts?    

What the heck is a Qanon and what does it have to do with Mamaw sharing posts on Facebook about saving children? What if we told you that Qanon doesn’t give a flying flip about saving children and that the real objective of the founders of this bizarre movement is much more sinister?

Devout followers of Qanon possess a variety of strange and almost comical beliefs. We say “almost comical” because although it seems hysterical to think someone actually believes our POTUS is secretly fighting forces of darkness in order to save babies from red-shoe-wearing, Wayfair-shopping vampire Democrats, in truth, it’s alarming because these beliefs have weaseled their way into mainstream social media and into the homes of suburban housewives. You know, people who actually vote.

What began as a conspiracy theory puzzle-solving game hosted within the depths of the dumpster fire known as 4Chan has been marketed and re-branded to appeal to a much wider audience across social media platforms such as Facebook. Thus why your Mamaw insists we must save our children.

What’s most interesting about the Qanon movement is the convergence of so many different types of followers under one umbrella. From anti-vaxxer moms to diehard religious zealots to sweet old ladies who like to knit mittens, Qanon has gained ground among all types of people and it’s having real-world consequences.

You may think you don’t know anyone caught up in this movement, but we’re willing to bet you do.  In this week’s episode we examine the who, the how and the why of the movement known as Qanon.

Who started this mess and how did it get this far?   

Reference:

Chris Hayes – Why is this happening? Podcast Episode “FAQanon with Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins”

Reply All – Podcast Episode #166 “Country of Liars”

Have you ever done something you regret? Something so unbecoming and inexcusable you hide your face in shame. This may explain why our faces are cartoons. That’s right. We did it. We watched Fox News; or as we now call it, Faux News. What better way to squash regret than by airing out the dirty laundry and telling what you did? In this week’s episode your favorite snowflakes cut loose and reminisce on our year-and-a-half saga as regular Fox News viewers. For 18 months Megyn Kelly was a household name and the Fox & Friends Morning Show kept us regular company. Did we subscribe to their rhetoric and twisted narratives? No, not at all. But we sure found it entertaining to watch and boy do we have stories to share. Join us as we discuss the hysterical highs and the dastardly lows of our time viewing the conservative news network. We discuss such topics as: Why does Fox News talk about anything but news? And why does it have such a grip on so many people? Is there any hope for those who have been sucked in by the vitriol and fear-mongering tactics? Maybe? Maybe not. Most importantly, you’ll laugh out loud as we share our opinions on former regular visitors to the channel such as Sarah Sanders, Steve Bannon and Sean Spicer. Bonus: special guest appearance from Hillary’s missing emails. This is one episode you don’t want to miss so sit back and take a listen because we watched Faux News.

In this week’s episode we take a look into the fascinating worlds of the Incel and MGTOW movements. How did these disturbing identities come to fruition and what exactly are the greater real-world ramifications of their existence? Even more, how did the Internet come to house groups such as these that vilify women and minorities and sometimes go so far as to commit real acts of violence? The Carolina Snowflakes aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty so we went directly to the home of these controversial online communities. What better way to study a subject than by venturing into their natural habitat and watching them in action? That’s right. We went to 4Chan so you don’t have to. It was gross and uncomfortable and at times, more than a little concerning. And yes, it’s likely we’ll be taking penicillin for the foreseeable future. The good news is we’re both up-to-date on our tetanus shots and we have plenty of disinfectant spray on hand. Listen today to hear about our experiences and what we discovered. Buckle up because this is one epic dumpster-fire extravaganza you don’t want to miss. 

In this week’s episode we talk about the incredible rise and epic fall of Food Network’s legendary Butter Queen, Ms. Paula Deen. Did you know she began her journey to celebrity status with only $200 in her pocket? She overcame great loss and took a true leap of faith to become one of America’s favorite television cooks. She might have been heavy-handed with the butter, but the Paula Deen Empire was golden. Until one day, it all ended. In a blink of an eye and the utterance of one word, her fame, fortune and legacy was gone. Was Paula one of the many celebrities to fall to the will of a “Cancel Culture”? Was her punishment fair? Listen closely as we take a deep dive into what exactly happened to Paula Deen and we find out what she’s been up to since everything came crashing down. 

In this week’s episode we take a look at the “Radical Left”, a moniker used by conservatives to describe anyone they disagree with. Just how accurate is the term “radical” when applied to someone like Joe Biden?  Amanda opens this episode with a fascinating timeline of how 60 years of rightwing propaganda has shaped the verbiage used by conservatives when describing their left-leaning opponents. Whether liberals are doing the devil's work or trying to bring the fall of democracy, conservatives have consistently had a slogan or slant to appeal to their base. Jason follows up with a breakdown of the global spectrum of political leanings to show where American parties fall in relation to others around the world. Are Democrats actually far left when compared to other left-leaning parties around the world? And where exactly do Republicans fall on the global scale? You might be surprised. So put on your thinkin’ cap, grab a cold drink and sit on the porch with us cause today we're lookin' left.

Work Referenced:

"How the Rightwing Convinces Itself that Liberals are Evil" - David A. Walsh, Washington Monthly. July 2018

"What Happened to America’s Political Center of Gravity?" -  Sahil Chinoy, New York Times, June 26, 2019

Amanda and Jason discuss housing inequality in America. Jason shares how the soil in the ground where we live is a better determinant of white attitudes toward race than any other measurable factor. Is it possible that a glacier moving millions of years ago still influences voter turn-out in 2020? Demographics along the "black belt" of the south say yes. Amanda discusses the socio-economic ramifications of gentrification of the Gullah people on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. How could it be that people drive up to 4 hours to get to work in a place they can't afford to live, but was once their home? Jason contends that the federal government has a constitutional obligation to remedy housing segregation in America, as a vestige of slavery. As it turns out it's only been 60 years since the supreme court even acknowledged segregation in housing was a vestige of slavery. We have a long way to go to get things fixed.

Books referenced in this episode:

"Deep Roots: How Slavery Still Shapes Southern Politics" by Avidit Achara, Matthew Blackwell, Maya Sen.

"The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America" by Richard Rothstein 

Amanda and Jason discuss some of their more memorable moments of growin' up southern. Jason describes a harrowing experience with two lawless redneck characters from a dilapidated trailer park in South Carolina. This father-son duo left an impression on teenage Jason almost as big as the father's gut. Amanda tells a story of a North Carolina woman she knew who took things into her own hands in putting an end to her temperamental husband's aggressive ways. There may or may not have been a shotgun involved (there was.) Then tales of late night trips to Wal-Mart remind the Snowflakes why ordering from Amazon isn't that bad. To wrap up this episode, the Snowflakes answer listener-submitted questions about why southerners do the weird sh*t they do. So grab an ice tea and get ta rockin' on your front porch for a good ole-fashioned hootenanny!

Wear a damn mask! Amanda and Jason tackle the pandemic in this episode. Learn about how the Covid crisis is affecting the south and much much more!

After a week where police shot another unarmed black man, while ignoring a 17 year old with an assault rifle who just shot protesters, Amanda and Jason just have to vent their snowflake rage. Lots of profanity in this one because the subject is so infuriating.