Here's The Thing, Tho with Soaliha

Too Brown for the White Kids, Too White for the Brown Kids PART 2

Due to popular demand, this week we continue our conversation on what it's like being in-between two identities. 

We talk about wanting to be white, resenting your culture, the alienation of being in-between, and accepting who you are. 

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

Too Brown for the White Kids, Too White for the Brown Kids

This week we talk about the concept of being “white-passing”, and how the term has become more sinister than its originators planned.

We also talk about the disconnect of growing up away from your mother country, racist policing, eugenics and the Australian government’s bizarre consent video.

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Do the Ramadan

This week we do a casual explainer on Ramadan – what it is, why we love it, why some Muslims start fasting on different days, all the random questions we get from non-Muslims about it, etc. 

This episode is part of our minisodes that we are doing during the month of Ramadan, because fasting while talking for an hour is super hard. Enjoy! And bonus points to the listeners who recognise where our title is from. (For those who don’t – it’s from Ramy.)  

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

The politics of moon sighting: Why some UK Muslims stopped following Saudi Arabia

Does The Female Gaze Exist?

This week we talk about the controversial ‘female gaze’ - what is it, where did the term come from, and does it even exist?

We discuss Laura Mulvey’s work on the male gaze, how it birthed the ‘female gaze’, and the different conceptions of what the modern female gaze could look like. We also break down arguments against the female gaze, including the impossibility of existing outside of the male gaze, reinforcing gender binaries, and the lumping together of all female experiences.

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"

How Do We Define the Female Gaze in 2018?

The Radical Power of the Gaze: On “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Feb 28, 1

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Is More Than a “Manifesto on the Female Gaze”

How Portrait of a Lady on Fire celebrates the female gaze 

No Such Thing Not Yet: Questioning Television's Female Gaze

Is It ‘In-Fighting’ or Are People Just Racist?

This week we break up our topics into little segments - first, we talk about the sudden popularity of NFTs and their connection to our commodity-obsessed capitalist dystopia, and then we discuss 'tensions' between Black and Asian communities following the Atlanta shooting, class reductionism and the difference between activism and raising awareness.  

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

Racism in The Royal Family... What’s New?

This week we talk about the bombshell Meghan/Harry/Oprah interview that’s been saturating entertainment news. 

We talk about the response we have to the interview, the intriguing relationship between the Royals and the British press, the evils of British colonialism and the ever-increasing irrelevance of the Royal Family. 

 

Our special guest Veera Ramayah (she/her):

Veera Ramayah (@veera.ramayah)

Vramayah.journoportfolio.com

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

Read the full transcript of Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah

What Is The Firm? Why Meghan Markle Used Royals' Nickname 

Was Meghan's son Archie denied the title 'prince' because he's mixed race?

10 Evil Crimes Of The British Empire

Princess Michael of Kent sorry for wearing 'racist' brooch

Princess Michael Of Kent: 15 Ways This Royal Is The Most Embarrassing In Modern Times

The Commodification and Projection of 'Wokeness'

This week we talk about the way people project ideas of ‘wokeness’ onto WOC, and the higher standards we are held to compared to other people. 

We talk about racial trauma and my relationship with self-commodification: the idea that WOC are expected to commodify their experiences in order to deserve a voice. 

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

Lizzo's Body Is Not A Political Battlefront 

Flex Mami, Australia's ultimate influencer, is done with influencing

Anastasia, Frozen and Monarchist Propaganda 4 Kidz

This week we discuss Anastasia, Disney princesses and monarchist propaganda in kids movies, leading to a conversation about propaganda in general. Is everything political? 

We talk about the Russian revolution, the politics in Frozen 2, Marxism in A Bug’s Life and how much we fucking love Bluey. 

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

Think of the Children! Tuesday: 'Anastasia' and Revisionist History 

Anastasia, the Lion King, and Monarchist Propaganda in 1990s Animated Film 

Frozen 2's postcolonial plotline: is it all a bit of a charade? 

'Antz': Marxist Propaganda for Kids 

Hetero-Romantic Love and Heterosexiness in Children's G-Rated Films

 

Rape Culture Is Well and Truly Alive in Australia

CW: Discussions of rape, including descriptions of Brittany Higgin’s sexual assault.

This week we follow up on Facebook’s news ban, and discuss what this means for democracy and Australian media. Then we get to our main topic of the day - rape culture. 

We talk about Brittany Higgin’s explosive sexual assault allegations in Parliament, the Liberal Party’s platform as one that breeds and perpetuates misogyny, the lack of education around consent, and how rape culture is well and truly an essential part of Australian society.

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Source List:

Brittany Higgin’s sexual assault allegations

Fourth woman accuses staffer in Brittany Higgins case 

Brittany Higgins's rape allegations speak to basic questions of accountability in politics

The Brittany Higgins allegations have unearthed fury among women staffers and politicians

Investigation reveals history of sexism and inappropriate behaviour by Attorney-General Christian Porter

UNSW Baxter College president says he doesn't know why he participated in 'appalling' sexist chant

Former St Kevin's College students claim warnings about sexist culture were ignored

Boys Club - Four Corners 

Rapture Nightclub's Treatment Of Women Just Proves Rape Culture Is Still Alive And Kicking 

Consent petition: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduOvPbj9fDynm26O9rmuUq42DDQuaUsvvwAZVyoDjoWkCOdA/viewform

Bridgerton and the Failings of "Colour-Blind" Casting

This week we talk about the much hyped period drama Bridgerton and its attempt at 'colour-blind' casting - and all the ways that awkwardly backfired. 

We discuss Hamilton's contentious racial politics, the awkward implications that come with casting a Black Hermione, and if colour-blind casting can ever really work in a world built on white supremacy. 

Our spoiler-filled (and potentially triggering) chat of Bridgerton is from 13:00-41:15.

 

Soaliha: @soalihaofficial 

Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea 

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soaliha

Email: heresthethingthopodcast@gmail.com

PayPal: PayPal.me/soaliha 

Facebook Group: Here’s The Thing, Tho With Soaliha Podcast Group 

 

Sources:

https://observer.com/2021/01/bridgerton-sees-race-through-a-colorist-lens/

https://www.vox.com/22215076/bridgerton-race-racism-historical-accuracy-alternate-history

https://www.vox.com/22194033/bridgerton-netflix-rape-scene-novel 

https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/21/hamilton-the-musical-black-actors-dress-up-like-slave-tradersand-its-not-halloween/