Ep. 54: Online Take Culture Sucks
Hey FRs-
Happy Diwali! Let's all do our best to light up a dark space or two this week.
Speaking of lighting up a dark space, if you haven't listened or watched our recent episode with Jena Friedman yet, please do. We're pretty proud of this one.
Anytime we have a guest, we're psyched. Not only because we get to bounce ideas and hear different perspectives, but because someone was actually willing to come on our show. A show that by its nature demands a willingness to talk through complicated issues that folks often just toss ill-formed opinions at. It's risky, but it's especially risky because everyone inevitably has a bad take now and again but a bad take on a podcast that will live on the internet forever can explode in some unpredictable ways. I mean, what's your take on the recent election in Bolivia - think fast!
We get that these are serious f***ing issues, but we're hoping to defuse the pressure to know everything a bit. We want to support a community that has the capacity to hear alternate takes and differing opinions without wilting or being mean. We're thinking more metaphorical water balloon than bomb. More cutting barbs, less throat slicing. More hmm, let me think on that, less you're a dumbass.
Thank y'all for being that community! And dumbasses or not, we'll be back next week with more jokes and foreign policy hot takes.
Seena's Corner
This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom of speech—and how we talk about it. Here’s the question I’ve been chewing on: Was No Kings Day a protest, or a parade?
The answer: kind of both… but mostly, it was a parade.
Now, that might sound like semantics—but in an age where our freedom of speech feels like it’s constantly under attack, words matter. Understanding what counts as a protest versus a parade isn’t just trivia. It’s about knowing what our rights actually are.
A protest is a spontaneous demonstration—people taking to the streets in opposition to a policy or injustice. It’s messy, emotional, unlicensed, and protected under the First Amendment. The content of what you say is always protected as long as it doesn’t incite violence (see Trump trying to argue that burning a flag incites violence, but that juicing up a bunch of rabid MAGA supporters at the Capitol on Jan 6 was def not). The time, place, and manner in which you deliver that speech can have some government involvement - that’s where we find ourselves in No Kings Day.
Indivisible and a group of about 200 other organizations are the ones that filed with each city to have a day of protest (err, parade) where people could walk during a certain time, along a certain path, and… yes… say whatever they want.
That’s why I don’t want us to overstate or undervalue No Kings Day. It was powerful, joyful, and important—but it was still a permitted event. The true test of free speech isn’t the well-organized march; it’s the unplanned moment of defiance.
That’s why I want to highlight the dancing protestors in front of the ICE facility in Portland… THIS is a protest. Initially there were arrests, and they even set up camp, but despite being cleared out multiple times they keep coming back.
And truly, the First Amendment was made for the parade for people to make those incredible signs trolling the President, but the protections are even stronger for those dancing inflatable animals - especially this person who was pepper sprayed in the air vent. Satan is clearing out an entire circle of hell for the ICE agent that did that.
If you went to No Kings Day, thank you. I’m sure the parade was fun, now let’s salute our friends in their inflatable animals costumes.
-FP Zaddy
Meanwhile in Ohio: What Travis is Reading--
Every week during the "JD Vance Corner" on TFR, we talk about how JD may not have the "rizz" to successfully inherit the MAGA movement as is the plan in 2028 –– and now and then, someone else out there also writes exactly what we're thinking! Check out this scorcher of a column from Marilou Johanek in The Ohio Capital Journal who wrote, "That politicians lie is hardly news. But Vance does it pathologically, like his boss. Except the veep isn’t Trump. The Ohio politician doesn’t get a pass on lying or acting like a jerk... When [Vance] fumbles and fabricates with obvious untruths, the veep gets worldwide ridicule and even worse favorability ratings."
Next Week...
We have comedian and former NYC mayoral candidate Corinne Fisher joining FP Zaddy and T-Ceps to break down the news and help us keep things bearable.
As Always
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