Carolina Snowflakes Podcast

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re catching up with the folks over at Qanon. It’s been a year since we last checked in with this movement of radicals and like most of you, we were wondering what they’ve been up to.

Turns out, some Q followers have certainly been busier than others, and more than a few have recently dropped dead. But what about Q himself? Where has he been and better yet, where is he now?

Tune in to learn the answers to these questions, plus more, as we find out where they’ve been over the last 12 months and where they’re going next.

Guess what? We’re back!

Join us this week as we catch up on some of the crazy events of the last 2 months, including: the Elizabeth Holmes (Theranos) trial, the South Carolina lawyer (Murdaugh) whose life could easily be the plot of a movie, and a real-life catfish reveal that happened on Facebook.

Hear about these stories, plus find out what your favorite Snowflakes did on our summer vacation.

Bonus: stick around til the end for a special segment called “Get to Know an Emperor” and learn about a proto-Trump from ancient Rome. Another crazy story you gotta hear!

Your favorite Snowflakes are taking a well-deserved Snow Break. No worries, we'll be back!

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re wondering why Republicans don’t know they’re the bad guys. It seems to us that if your side of the political aisle is home to Nazis then you’re most certainly on the wrong side of things. One would think it was obvious. Assuming Republicans do know they’re the bad guys, do they even care?

That said, we’re not letting Democrats off the hook entirely either. Not that we consider Dems to be bad guys, but more so they’re the guys currently not getting things done. We’re in possession of the Holy Trinity; the trifecta of power (Presidency, Senate, House), yet we’re not doing away with the filibuster? WHY NOT?! Cause we’re too busy passing the woo-woo talking stick and catering to each other’s fee-fees. That’s why.

Also, why can’t (or won’t) the Dems play dirty like our GOP counterparts? Both parties show up to the poker game, but while the Dems play by the book, the Republicans are counting cards and stacking sides. We aren’t playing the same game at all folks.  C’mon Democrats, get it together before the bad guys take over again.

We’d also add that there’s really no better way to distinguish which party is good and which is bad than by looking at the economy. Modern history tells us that when Democrats hold the presidency, the U.S. economy fairs better than when the GOP is at the helm. We’re talking regressive taxation v. progressive taxation, protectionism v. fair trade, and supporting businesses v. supporting people.

Tune in to laugh along at some really good points about “Good Guys” v. “Bad Guys” and how those matches tend to play out, whether in wrestling, in movies or in our own government.

BONUS: Stick around to the end of the show to hear a very funny 50^th episode mic-check involving 2 cats and a fake plant.

Reference:

Amadeo, Kimberly. (April 26, 2021). “Democrats or Republicans: Which is Better for the Economy?” The Balance. https://www.thebalance.com/democrats-vs-republicans-which-is-better-for-the-economy-4771839

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re trying to figure out what’s up with AI. AI or Artificial Intelligence is something most of us have heard of, but how much do we really know about the ways in which it’s being used or will be used in the future?

Much like the spread of Covid-19, AI technology is growing at an exponential rate. As it turns out, we humans struggle to understand the concept of exponential growth. This is why we were so caught off guard by the arrival of Covid-19 in the U.S despite countless professionals trying their darndest to warn the masses ahead of time.

And like the scientists who tried to warn us about the virus, there happens to also exist scientists warning of the fast approaching AI technology. Most of these scientists happen to be the ones working in the field of AI. But, is anyone listening? Eeeeeehhhh…

Now this doesn’t mean we’re going to wake up one day with a bunch of robots running around our homes and toilet paper missing from store shelves, but it does mean that as AI technology becomes more advanced there will be real-world consequences— consequences for us humans as well as for the AI we foster. It’s probably in our best interest to be thinking about these things BEFORE they happen. Congress, are you listening?

Be sure to tune in to hear what these real-world consequences might be and to hear how AI is already being utilized in areas such as medicine and business.  Plus, listen to a conversation our Snowflake Amanda recently had with the Emerson AI chat bot that claimed it knows how to resurrect dead cats. Say what?!

That’s right, what’s up with AI?

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re writing love letters to famous people.

We here at Carolina Snowflakes HQ believe the fine art of letter writing deserves resurgence. Unlike a text message or an email, a letter has the benefit of personal touch. Who doesn’t enjoy a thoughtfully written note from time to time? The beauty of letters is that they can be short or they can be long. They can be loving or they can be filled with anger and contempt. Either way, they’re a special form of communication and can be tailored to the individual reading them.

This week we’ll be reading tailored letters to and from famous people – including ones we wrote ourselves. Yes, that’s right. We wrote love letters to famous people.

Tune in to hear how we chose which famous people to send our letters and of course, hear what those thoughtful letters contain.

Have you ever written a love letter to a famous person? Tell us about it!

This week on the Carolina Snowflake Podcast we’re joining the masses in celebration of Pride Month!

Tune in to this week’s casual conversation with more than a few funny quips as we talk about our own positions as allies in the LGBTQ+ world. Hear how we first learned that our hetero-normative selves weren’t the only way to be and what that meant growing up in the deep red south.

We also discuss some of our favorite LGBTQ+ celebrities, authors and journalists this week and relay how these individuals have shaped our own understandings of what being gay or lesbian or trans or just plain different means in the grand scheme of things.

We also pose a handful of questions to the LGBTQ+ community and hope that maybe we’ll get a few answers.

At the end of the day, we say love is love. The Carolina Snowflakes fully support your right to be who you are and to love who you choose.

We had a blast recording Our Big Gay Episode and we hope you enjoy!

Resources:

The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Matthew Shepard Foundation: https://www.matthewshepard.org/

PFLAG & Allies: https://pflag.org/ and  https://straightforequality.org/

Sylvia Rivera Law Project: https://www.facebook.com/SylviaRiveraLawProject/

Palm Center: https://www.palmcenter.org/

Equality Federation: https://www.equalityfederation.org/

Victory Fund: https://victoryfund.org/

Trans What?: https://transwhat.org/

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation: https://www.glaad.org/

It Gets Better Project: https://itgetsbetter.org/

The “Not All Like That” Project: http://www.notalllikethat.org/

Truth Wins Out: https://truthwinsout.org/

The Safe Zone Project: https://thesafezoneproject.com/

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re continuing our charismatic Quest for Knighthood in this follow-up episode--or as we like to call it, “Part 2”.  Yes, we’re still madly in love with all things Britain and our desire to be knighted is ever unflinching.

Since knighthood is practically guaranteed for us in the near future, we thought it wise to understand what it means to “be knighted” in this day in age.  Tune in to learn about the categories under which such an honor is bestowed and hear about the process leading up to the grand ceremony. Soon we’ll be partying it up in the Knight Clubs alongside Sir Patrick Stewart and Dame Keira Knightley. On a side, yet related note, we assume Keira’s last name gave her a bit of an advantage in being chosen by the Queen since the Royal printers saved on ink costs. If only we were the Knightley Snowflakes. But alas…

Despite knighthood being one of the greatest honors one might receive, there have been more than a few famous folks turn down the offer over the years. You’ll have to tune in to hear who they are and why they said “No thank you” to Her Majesty. In case you couldn’t tell, we’ll be saying, “Yes, please!” when our Come-Get-Knighted letter arrives by Royal Post. Considering we’re pretty sure the Queen listens to our show, it’s really only a matter of time

Once we’re knighted, we’ll undoubtedly be spending a great deal of time with the Queen and the Royal Family. They’re going to LOVE us.  Because of this, we decided to educate ourselves on some of the inner-workings of Royal life and of those living it. Listen in to hear 20 interesting facts about the Queen herself and her immediate family. Like, why does the Queen rock such bold, brightly colored clothing? If you’re an American who ever finds yourself in line to be knighted you’ll be glad you know these things.

We close this week’s episode with another visit to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales by way of the Summoner and The Friar. These stories are an absolute hilarious trip and we guarantee you’ll be thoroughly amused.

So tune in to hear all about our recent endeavors as we continue this epic journey – Our Quest For Knighthood-Part 2.

Reference:

Sir Patrick Stewart on Getting His Knighthood (video) - https://youtu.be/qUWRLzL044U

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re making fun of congress cause we can. Honestly, with the behavior of our elected officials as of late, how could we NOT point out the ever-expanding hypocrisy spewing forth from the Right?

This week all but 6 Republican senators voted against creating a bipartisan committee to investigate the January 6^th terrorist attack on the Capitol Building. Republicans would much rather sweep the attack under the rug and some have even gone so far as to say the Trump-backed mob were simply “tourists” having a leisurely stroll around the building. What kinda tourism are they promoting these days in Washington? When’s the last time you tried to overthrow a government on your vacation? C’mon Republicans, quit the crazy talk.

Oh and speaking of crazy, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz just can’t help themselves, can they? After a week of spewing vile, anti-Semitic rhetoric and refusing to wear a mask on the congressional floor, Greene has yet to be removed from office and is still on her grand “America First” tour with child-diddler and pedo-trafficker, Matt Gaetz. They’re still shilling The Big Lie at every twist and turn and have no qualms getting grandma riled up at the nursing home. Grandma needs rest, y’all. Not this mess.

The duo’s tour has garnered quite a bit of attention from protestors, but they’re not the kind of protestors you might expect. In fact, other registered Republicans are protesting the two as they watch their beloved GOP tear itself apart. What a glorious sh*tshow.

And if national-level politics weren’t tricky enough, who is keeping tabs on what the states are up to these days in terms of anti-transgender legislation? Considering 33 states have introduced over 100 anti-trans bills, state-level congressional leaders are being just as slimy as their national counterparts. Anti-trans bills have been introduced in all southern states, including right here in the Carolinas. Texas is boasting 12 such bills and Tennessee has put forth 11. And as awful as our bills are here in the Carolinas, wait til you hear what Alabama wants to do to their transgender citizens. Ignorance runs rampant in this sea of red.

So tune in hear it all this week as we unpack, poke and mock these crazy congressional calamities.

This week on the Carolina Snowflakes Podcast we’re answering the age old question of, “Am I in a cult?”. You very well might be and not even know it. In fact, cults are often quite effective at recruiting new members under the guise of “seeking truth” and “healing”.

One such truth-seeking cult made national news recently after the remains of its leader were discovered mummified and wrapped in a sleeping bag adorned in Christmas lights. The body of Amy Carlson, known as “Mother God” to her Love Has Won followers, was enshrined inside a home located in rural Colorado. Her death is still under investigation and so far 7 members of the cult have been arrested for abuse of a corpse.

After walking away from her home and family in 2006, Carlson found herself at the helm of a small, but dangerous cult. Followers of Love Has Won believed Carlson to be the God of all Earthly creation and that she had been reincarnated 534 times over 19 billion years. Through extreme forms of manipulation, exploitation and abuse, Carlson maintained her hold on the group up until her recent passing.

As far as core beliefs, the cult known as Love Has Won could be summed up as New Age Spirituality meets Qanon conspiracies. Carlson was a hardcore Trump supporter who happened to also believe much of what Q regularly touted as “truth”. As if Qanon followers weren’t culty enough, throw in some God and fear and end-of-days rhetoric, plus some astrology, tarot and crystal healing and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster. Such is the case surrounding Carlson’s death as it is believed she may have accidentally poisoned herself by consuming an excessive amount of a compound her anti-vax cult was touting as “a cure for covid”.

Tune in to hear all about Carlson’s role as Mother God, plus the techniques and methodology she used to maintain control over her members. It’s wild. You’ll also want to hear about what the group is currently up to – despite her death, they haven’t disbanded as of yet.

Lastly, we close this week with a bit of a game we’re calling “Am I in a Cult?” by utilizing something called the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. The model, created by cult expert and mental health professional, Steven Hassan, provides a thorough and easy to digest breakdown of 4 components used by cult leaders to recruit and brainwash their followers. These 4 are: Behavior control, Information control, Thought control and Emotional control. We invite you to listen to the techniques demonstrated under each of these 4 components and see if you’ve ever been a part of a group, organization or even workplace setting that utilizes some of them. Not all “cults” are Cults if you know what we mean.

So be sure to tune in because this one is FASCINATING!

References:

BITE Model: https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/?sfw=pass1621808623