Hello friends! This week's episode is a repost from SBS's five-part podcast series My Ramadan, which Soaliha appeared on last week and we've added a preamble to. SBS has given us permission to reshare it here, the following is their description of the episode: From intermittent fasting to Sydney’s iconic Lakemba markets, Ramadan has developed a mainstream visibility and hipster cachet it didn’t used to have. How do Gen Z Muslims in the West square this with historic Islamophobia? Journalist and podcaster Soaliha Iqbal and writer Lina Ali discuss the hipsterfication of Ramadan with host Sarah Malik. Enjoy!   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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   

Here's The Thing, Tho with Soaliha

The Hipsterfication of Ramadan

This week we discuss James Cameron’s infamous Avatar films, specifically focusing on the second film and its fetishisation of colonialism. Buckle up folks, it’s a wild ride. We talk about colonialism and environmental destruction as a spectacle, the myth of the Noble Savage and the White Messiah, nuclear families and heteronormative depictions of intimacy and domination, and of course, the usual topics of sexism, racism, misogyny and cultural appropriation.   Recommendations:  It’s Not About The Burqa — a collection of essays edited by Mariam Khan. My favourite chapters:  On The Representation Of Muslims: Terms and Conditions Apply by Nafisa Bakkar Between Submission And Threat: The British State’s Contradictory Relationship With Muslim Women by Malia Bouattia A Woman Of Substance by Saima Mir   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: 'Avatar 2' Production Designers Explain Every Vehicle in 'The Way of Water,' From SeaDragons to Skel Suits 'Avatar 2' VFX Team on the Evolution of the Tulkun and Simulating Water for Performance Capture   'Avatar 2' Cast: What 'The Way of Water' Cast Really Looks Like - Variety  Indigenous people slam Avatar (again) for tropes and inaccuracies  Opinion | The Messiah Complex - The New York Times Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, 1981

Avatar 2: The Way Of The Coloniser

Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault and image-based abuse. This week we discuss the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent months and its political implications with respect to labour, capitalism, racism, and sexism.  We also discuss how new AI technologies are being used to perpetuate violence against women in the case of deepfake pornography.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: Vic Police Defends Protective Services Officer Who Slapped 11YO Across The Face During Arrest  Yes, Black officers killed Tyre Nichols. What is the correct response to that? | Reverend William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove | The Guardian  AI generated image wins Australian photo comp  Why Don’t We Treat Non-Consensual Deepfake Porn Of Women As Rape?  How an Evil Clown, a Haitian Trickster Spirit, Two Wizards, and a Cast of Dozens Turned a Database Into a Society   Researcher Says Her Avatar Was Raped On Meta's Metaverse Platform  Where Does Meaning Come From? | Alexander R. Galloway Soaliha’s book recommendation: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone   

ChatGPT, Deepfake Porn & the Dark Side of AI

This week we discuss the pervasive notion of “reproductive futurism” and how it relates to current issues such as abortion rights, queerphobia, and climate change. We talk about how reproductive futurism – the dominant political order which privileges future children over everything else – structures all aspects of our society and shapes both progressive and conservative thought.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive, Lee Edelman, 2004 1 in 3 American women have already lost abortion access. More restrictive laws are coming. - The Washington Post  How 1970s Christian crusader Anita Bryant helped spawn Florida's LGBTQ culture war 

Reproductive Futurism

This week we discuss a series of alarming recordings that were leaked by a Queensland police officer, and a scandalous recycling story which revealed just how precarious recycling is. We talk about the broader culture of racism in our police institutions, the girlbossification of policing, identity politics and the fundamental links between our recycling industry, consumerism and capitalism. Oh, and we discuss Love Is Blind S3 of course.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: Police dog bite sparks outrage as 13-year-old WA boy Jayden Abraham suffers severe injuries  Leaked audio reveals Queensland police staff in racist conversations, joking about violence to black people and protesters  Head of Queensland police First Nations unit investigated for alleged racism  For Fuck's Sake: The Boss Of Qld Police's First Nations Unit Is Under Investigation For Racism  Queensland police promoted officer who called colleague a ‘towelhead’ and had history of bullying REDcycle's collapse is more proof that plastic recycling is a broken system - ABC News 

News Roundup: BTS Qld Police Tea & A Recycling Scandal

This week we discuss representation, toxic identity politics and celebrity queerbaiting.  We talk about the cancellation of Constance Wu, the way we punish actors for not representing their communities perfectly, and how fandom weaponised the term “queerbaiting” to punish Kit Connor.    Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Selena Gomez Wasn't Sure She Was Ready To Tell This Story HotD Needs More Female Directors Because *That* Finale Scene Was Needlessly Traumatising For Viewers Just Gonna Say It: Constance Wu's Heartbreaking Sexual Harassment Story Is Familiar To All WOC  What is 'queerbaiting' and how did the internet turn it into a weapon? | SBS The Feed  Queerbaiting and Fandom, edited by Joseph Brennan, 2019 “The Queer Public and its Problem with Representation,” Tyler Quick, The Velvet Light Trap No. 86, 2020 

Toxic Representation & The Weaponisation Of Queerbaiting

This week we discuss a controversial article about sustainability in the bedroom, Lydia Thorpe’s ‘conflict of interest’ and ethical issues around Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series.  We talk about consuming our way out of climate change and the sexist nature of sustainability marketing, the hypocrisy and suspicious timing surrounding Lydia Thorpe’s relationship with a bikie, and the growing issue of victims who have their stories co-opted and stolen in the name of the true crime genre.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Beige Index  How to have environmentally friendly sex - triple j  A First Pregnancy May Be Difficult to Achieve After Long-Term Use of an IUD | Guttmacher Institute  Triple J Is Getting Slammed For Claiming The IUD Is An 'Eco-Friendly' Alternative To The Pill  Staunch or stubborn? Lidia Thorpe on the voice, the treaty and real power | Indigenous Australians | The Guardian Alan Tudge: Government won’t comment on $500,000 payout to former staffer Rachelle Miller | Australian election 2022 | The Guardian  Is Ryan Murphy’s Jeffrey Dahmer show the most exploitative TV of 2022? Jeffrey Dahmer Victim's Mom Slams Folks Who Wear 'Evil' Halloween Costumes Surviving victims of Kim Kardashian's podcast murder say she never called them | Daily Mail Online 

News Roundup: Sustainable Sex, A Smear Campaign & Jeffrey Dahmer Costumes

Today we talk about Jordan Peele’s latest film ‘Nope’ and explain why we liked it.  We discuss the film’s subversion of colonial anxieties, its themes of exploitation and spectacle, and answer the burning question: what was up with the chimp? This episode was recorded Saturday, October 8, 2022.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Current Debate: “Nope” and the Society of the Spectacle on Notebook | MUBI Review: “Nope” Is One of the Great Movies About Moviemaking | The New Yorker   

Nope (2022): Colonial Anxiety, Blackness & Spectacle

This week we discuss three major news stories from the last two weeks: Black Ariel, Iranian protests against Hijab mandates and a bombshell report about the chemical imbalance myth.  We talk about white supremacy and the concerning emergence of digitally-erased Blackness, white feminists and their gleeful demonisation of hijab (which is actually a praxis, not a clothing) and a suss shift in discourse around the role serotonin plays in depression.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: Little Mermaid: Disney Made Non-White Mermaids Canon Nearly 30 Years Ago  Protests over Mahsa Amini's death spread in Iran, authorities issue warning as death toll from clashes with police grows - ABC News The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence | Molecular Psychiatry  Is the chemical imbalance an ‘urban legend’? An exploration of the status of the serotonin theory of depression in the scientific literature - ScienceDirect  

News Roundup: Black Mermaids, Hijab Mandates & The Chemical Imbalance Myth

We're back!!! This week we discuss two topics: the death of the queen and gossip surrounding Harry Styles. We talk about the way monarchists tone police people of colour and downplay the impacts of colonialism. We also examine the recent shift in people’s perception of Harry Styles amid accusations of queerbaiting and the drama around the Don’t Worry Darling premiere at Venice. This episode was recorded on Friday, September 9, 2022.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: Aborigines Welfare Ordinance 1954  Pose star Billy Porter: ‘Did I ever think I’d be this successful? No, because I’m gay’ | Style | The Sunday Times Billy Porter apologises to Harry Styles: "I didn’t mean no harm"   Harry Styles’ comments on gay sex and sexuality are frustratingly coy 

Is the Cancellation of Harry Styles Imminent?

We have an announcement: we're taking a little hiatus to rest, recuperate and refresh our little brains. In the meantime, listen to our backlog and hit us up on Instagram! Bye for now, not forever :)   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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   

We’re Taking A Break, But We’ll Be Back!

This week we talk about #TraumaTok, aka a corner of TikTok where people openly share their harrowing traumas to the app with little concern about where their stories will end up. We discuss the normalisation of “trauma dumping”, trauma bonding as a modern means to friendship, trauma as an identity or in-group, and how TikTok actively benefits from the #TraumaTok community.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Bridgerton's Kate Sharma Isn't Poorly Written, She's Authentic South Asian Representation Anthony Albanese's 'Not Woke' Cover Wasn't Just Cringe, It Was Also Transphobic   'Dark days for our democracy': What the new protest laws in NSW mean  Why TikTok is so obsessed with labeling everything a trauma response. What we can all learn from 'trauma dumping' online  We're worried about the wrong kind of 'trauma talk' online Investigation: How TikTok's Algorithm Figures Out Your Deepest Desires TikTok: Eating disorders, racism, censorship and distorted realities | Four Corners 

#TraumaTok and the Commodification of Emotions

*NOTE: This is a reshare of a previous episode. But! The first 20 minutes is a discussion on recent events. This week we talk about the rise of ‘ecofascism’ and its concerning prevalence in left wing circles.  We talk about what it is, why it’s so convincing and how to spot ecofascist myths.    Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Eco-fascism: What It Is, Why It's Wrong, and How to Fight It   Overpopulation Discourse: Patriarchy, Racism, and the Specter of Ecofascism – by Jordan Dyett and Cassidy Thomas Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says  Jane Campion quickly squanders good will from Sam Elliott response with misguided comment of her own - The Washington Post   

Are You (Still) An Ecofascist?

This week we talk about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – not the geopolitics, but the impact these events have had on the boundaries of Australian news media.  We discuss the racist coverage of the invasion and the double standards it exposed, some unprecedented events in our own country’s media, and how all of this has totally shifted the limits on what kind of racism is acceptable to call out.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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: Twitter Thread: Racist Reporting Of Russia/Ukraine  A Russian Perspective | Q+A  Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins are supremely admirable, and the acceptable white faces of Australian feminism | Sisonke Msimang | The Guardian 

The Russia-Ukraine Conflict Is Changing Aussie Media In Real Time

CW: This episode briefly discusses suicide. This week we talk about one of our favourite topics – government propaganda. But not the type fed to civilians like us. This time, we’re talking about Australia’s various international anti-refugee ad campaigns, which are specifically aimed at people seeking asylum. We discuss the human rights abuses asylum seekers face in Australia, the morally corrupt companies that partner with our government to create anti-refugee ads, the modern technology required to get these messages across, and what this means for us as allies to asylum seekers.  Please consider donating to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre while you are here.   Soaliha: @soalihaofficial & Linktree Mitch: @mitchs.miscellanea & Linktree 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 Park Street Refugees Don't Need Novak Djokovic's Help, They Need Yours  The Aus Govt, Evil To Its Core, Had A Comp For Short Films To Show Refugees Aren't Welcome Here  Zero Chance  Zero Chance - YouTube Channel   TBWA Worldwide - Wikipedia Ad agency behind government’s film competition warning against 'illegal migration' has won ethical awards    Australia's anti-immigration YouTube videos are attempting to scare off asylum seekers — Quartz  Australian government targets asylum seekers with graphic campaign | Australia news | The Guardian Angus Campbell warns asylum seekers not to travel to Australia by boat | Australia news | The Guardian Australia: Deterrence propaganda? | Opinions | Al Jazeera 

The Weird Underworld of Anti-Refugee Propaganda

Decolonise your mind with Soaliha as she discusses politics, pop culture, and the never-ending capitalist hellscape.

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Here's The Thing, Tho with Soaliha

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