Cancel vs Redemption Culture

Cray Jaye and Chaotic Good discuss who is in control of the cancellation and its effects on 'The Culture.'

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everybody, it's your boy Yogi in the house. This goes out to all my zipperheads, watermelon munches, blue haired feminist, and skinny latte Karen's. Disclaimer, the Value Podcast is a space for raw, unfiltered conversation. Opinions shared are those of the speaker, and don't reflect our podcast as a whole. We tackle bold controversial topics. So if you're easily offended, this may not be the best place for you, but listener discretion is advised.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

The value.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

How are you doing, big girl?

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Yes, sir. I am well, actually, I'm doing swimmingly. How are you, friend?

SPEAKER_02 1:43

I'm cool, but I'm in a little bit of pain, friend.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

Oh. Because the gym?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Yes. Um, okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

I was gonna say, is it gym pain or is it the other kind that we gotta talk about later? I'm just playing.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

Uh it's definitely not that kind of pain. That's that kind of after dark Patreon. It's all it's all it's all gym pain. It's all gym pain anyway. It's all a workout. I mean, oh let me stop. Mom and dad don't listen to this. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Um no, so I went swimming back to back and I think I might have overdid it. So my shoulder, it's better now, but yesterday and like early this morning, my shoulder was has been on fire. I think I might have messed up my rotator cuff.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Now, are you stretching before you go to the gym and before you swim? Mm-hmm. Mm-mm. Okay, so then I don't want to hear it. Mm-hmm. Why you gotta, why you gotta do I told you so.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Why you gotta that's not an I told you so. That's more of a like You know better. Friend, I've been a mom for 16 years now. That's a you should have done what you needed to do. So I don't want to hear about it. Okay. That's what that is.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

But anyways.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

I mean, she wasn't wrong.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

She wasn't wrong. Shout out to Monica. Shout out to Brandy, by the way, sidebar, Hollywood Walk of Fame. She got her star. I don't know if you saw that.

SPEAKER_03 3:11

Oh, child, I'm I'm so off the loop. I didn't even see that. But wow. Just that's what I said. That's what I said.

SPEAKER_02 3:18

Like, she's been, you know, Brandy sometimes don't get her just due. She she be getting looked over. She's freaking Cinderella. She's Cinderella. She's the the kid calling her the vocal Bible. Well, why hasn't the Bible been on the on the Hollywood Walk of Fame until now? Needless to say, I guess better late than never. Congrats, Brandy.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

Yes, 100% well deserved. Absolutely. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Um, but yeah, so just dealing with a little bit of the other than being in pain, how are you? I'm cool. I'm cool. Um, you know, work was you know you mean we you know we talked about my work situation, but things are gotten better. Um my my my staff staffing situation will be prime in time for my birthday. I got my birthday time request put in and off, so I will be hanging out for the birthday for y'all for Dolph World.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

We'll love a little time to ourselves.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

A little time to ourselves. For those of you inquiring, I am in Aries. Well, Aries, Taurus, Cusper, I'm on the end of Aries. So by the time this probably airs, happy birthday to me.

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Happy birthday. Hope to see you.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Yes, yes. That yes, we're gonna figure that out. We're gonna figure that out. How are you, friend? How are things going? I you know, we ain't really talked in a cool minute.

SPEAKER_03 4:33

I know, I've been in the wind, I've been running all around doing these things, trying to keep these kids um moving and busy. You know, spring break just came and went, and a couple years ago I decided that we would go on a trip every spring break. It's something that I always wanted to do, but I was never able to implement for various reasons that I don't want to talk about every time we on this thing chatting with each other, but I was able to start implementing that two years ago. Nice, and so two years ago I took them on a cruise. We went to Haiti, they had a blast, it was beautiful. And then last year, what did we do for spring break last year? I'd be moving too much, I don't even remember what we did for spring break last year. But we did something, we had something, but I don't know what though. Or well, no, we we might have kicked back last year because we did the Disney cruise last year, right? Which you know is some coins, so I think all we did was go to California for spring break last year. All we did was go to California hang out with my parents and stuff, you know. Wasn't because I had retreat all time.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Wasn't there one year or two where you went, and I could be tripping, where you went to Mississippi with your mom? Or was that what that was a while back? Missouri. That wasn't during spring break.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

That was after the um school year. That was a while a few years ago. Yeah, okay. I don't know why. Yeah, we haven't been there since 2019, I believe it was. Yeah. So anyway, this year we went on another cruise. We only went to Mexico on this one, but my sister and my nephew joined, so that was nice. They have never been on a cruise like oh I love that. Especially my nephew up into the cruise area. It was his first time. Yeah, I'm I've been trying to get her to do something forever. You gotta take him places, and he had up time. So he's already talking about where are we going on another one? Exactly. You you you stay on her neck. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 6:18

Stay on her neck, put that pressure on mama.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

But no, major shout out to to you know, Royal Caribbean, because my nephew has um had some allergies. He is allergic to peanuts and he's allergic to eggs. Now, with the peanuts, that's not so difficult because so many people have that allergy, but eggs to me is such an inconvenient, it's it's a weird allergy to have because eggs are in tons of things. Bread, desserts, I mean, all things that we don't think about because we're not allergic to it. But he's allergic to the point where if he eats something with egg, I'm talking like even like you know, mayonnaise. If he even eats a little bit of it, it's coming right up. Like his body knows it's like we're not doing this yet, then he feels sick the rest of the day. So that's why we were really like, hey, he's alert to eggs, he cannot have it at all. He like at all. But they did a fantastic job. The staff they came over to him every night with the next day's menu so he could choose his stuff so they could make sure to have the stuff ready for him. But how they were they were good.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

I I wonder how empowering that must have felt for your nephew because, like, you know what I'm saying? Like to be able to like knowing that you have a condition and you can't eat. Like, sometimes you feel kind of you feel away. You feel like, man, and why I can't why I have gotta have this issue or this condition? Why can't I be like everybody else and eat what I want? But but I'm sure that made him feel special that every day they came with him with a meaning, like, hey, what would you like? Like, I would feel dope.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

And I'm sure that it made them both see, not just my nephew, but also my sister, that they can actually still experience life and not have to restrict themselves. Like, you know, uh accommodations can't be made.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Accommodations can be made.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

So don't say, no, no, we can't do this because I'm afraid that you know they're not gonna be able to. No, go anyway, see the world. Come with me, please. Y'all start coming with me because I'm gonna still be going places.

SPEAKER_02 8:17

For those who miss it, that was just a little value dreamshi job for you. Accommodations can be made. So don't think you can't do something because of a you know, an allergy or whatever the case is. You can still figure out how to get out here and that applies to more than just travel.

SPEAKER_03 8:31

That is life.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

In general, talk about it.

SPEAKER_03 8:33

In general, accommodations can be made. So ask it. Because it can be made. Ask about it. Okay. That's the thing. So many folks are afraid of just asking. It's like, what what has happened to society? To where it's just we're so afraid of everything, and it's like, oh, I don't want to say anything. Oh, I need this, but I don't want to look like I'm this way or that way. Child, I'm I am past that point in my life. I'm gonna ask about it. Hello. If it makes me look cringe, okay. I'll be cringe. I'll be that I'm getting what I want. I'll be that. My kids call me that anyway. I'll be that. Oh well. Well, you know, that that's yeah, kids think that's not what's great on that part. So I'd no, totally. So that's what I've been doing. Um, we got back from spring break, and so now it's a long weekend because of Easter. So we've just been kicking it around the house, you know. Spring cleaning. I'm on that tip heavy at home. We're all getting rid of things that don't fit. We're making sure our rooms are clean, cleaning the entire house, you know, had my HVAC system check. You know, we're changing filters, we're doing all that around the house. I'm gonna get my cars. Um I think I'm due for like an oil change soon, maybe. I don't know. But I also want to get it like, you know, detailed. So just that's what I'm really busy doing. So I've just been running around doing the run-of-the-mill stuff. That's cool.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

I ain't mad at that. I know something about cleaning, I mean, I'm not the best at cleaning, but when for when I do, it is something to be said about how you feel after things are pristine and nice.

SPEAKER_03 10:05

It's like you feel so much more serene and there's a peacefulness. You even sleep.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

You do. I I would agree with that. A thousand percent. Um I just hate doing it. No, listen, it has to be done.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Because if not me, then who?

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Yeah, it has to be done. I keep thinking about my room, but that's the topic for another day.

SPEAKER_03 10:24

Trust me, child. You see me, I still gotta put my clothes away. So I always gotta put clothes away.

SPEAKER_02 10:33

Always gotta put clothes away.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

But you know, it's one of those things.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Listen, I'm at this point push through sometimes. We I am even though I be I'm over here, you know, being facetious, but grateful that I'm able to have clothes put away because it could be a lot different. I could be wearing the same thing over and over and over again.

SPEAKER_03 10:49

So you are right. It is definitely a unique problem to have that um I could literally not wash clothes for two weeks and not run out of clothes to wear. That's both a blessing, but also kind of disgusting.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

Because why do I have so many clothes? So just be looking good or looking cute, and then you try another, and I'm like, well, dang, this looks kind of good and cute on me, so why not?

SPEAKER_03 11:13

We have a but sometimes I'll be buying stuff thick and it's gonna look how it looks on the model on me. But then I remember that I'm not shaped like a Coke bottle, so I'm like, oh, oh, she ain't got no little belly sister. You have a Coke bottle shape? Right, I got can. Sir. You do you're you are so sweet, but thank you.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

It's just a little thicker with a bit of belly. It's a coke bottle shape. It's just, you know, they got the little the little handheld bottles, you just, you know, a two-liter. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with a two-liter.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

That reminds me of something that your mama said to me when I saw her.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Oh Lord, what did what did what did what did Mama Craig say? I'm intrigued now.

SPEAKER_03 11:58

We were in the same room, and I guess I was walking around because I was working, I was busy, I was going back and forth, and she came up to me and she was like, Let me just have a little bit of it. She was like, You turned around and you're behind with still on the other side of the room. What's the girl? You don't get out of my face. Well, it is not that big. Shut up.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

I mean, it's a blessing. Folks pay for it. And you got and you got it all natural. I would never say. Dump truck.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

It's okay. She was funny. That was funny to me.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Speaking of other things that are funny. Well, uh, just the well, so there's been a few things. There's uh I'll give examples as we discuss it, but just the whole concept. Um, how where do you think cancel culture derived from? Is it just that we just are now in a place of just wanting to hold people accountable for the things that they've said and done? Like, what do you think has people in this place of, oh, this person, we're not messing with them no more because of X? Like, what what do you think that comes from?

SPEAKER_03 13:07

I think that's probably the heart of it or what it was intended to. Can we backtrack? I don't think it was started with the intent to like cancel people, but I think what has happened is that we live in a time where we have so much access to information, but people are just willfully stupid. And yes, that dichotomy, when one person says one thing, oh, this is what happened. Everybody runs with it, nobody does their own research anymore. So you get one person on the internet who says one thing, no one's actually looking it up for themselves to validate, they just run with it. So it's a combination of like, yes, sometimes it is 100% true, it's absolutely valid. Some people are vile, they're disgusting, and they deserve it 100%. But at the same time, some people might be spinning situations, or it's one perspective, or it's not the full story, you know, but other people latch onto it because they feel seen by the drama, or they just like drama, they are chaos agents 100%. Yes, and no one likes to fact check for themselves. So one person says one thing, next person wants to share it, next person shares to five more people and just continues to snowball to oh, this person is done, but no one really can tell you why, right? And I think that's my problem with it. So I'm neutral on the topic, which is typical of a Libra, as you would say.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Like, have you participated yourself in cancel culture?

SPEAKER_03 15:01

I would say probably yes, but after I have done my own fact checking. Like if something has come to light and I'm like, whoa, I didn't know that about this person. Let me take a beat. And then I go and I look into it and I'm like, oh wow, they really are terrible. Then I'm good off that. Like, I don't have to go there anymore, like at all. I don't I I don't have to listen to it. Like one hot topic, especially amongst black people, would be um R. Kelly. Okay. Yes, I'm so glad you brought it up. Let's start there, okay?

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Let's start there.

SPEAKER_03 15:37

So obviously it comes out, oh R. Kelly is done, R. Kelly is done. And everybody wants to just use like the sensationalized things, but all of that is absolutely vile. But right, so off top, I'm like, oh, that's horrible. Like, I I'm gonna take a pause just based off of that information. But from there, right, I do my own research, and that's when I determined, no, he really is terrible like that. And so I was like, I have not listened to an R. Kelly song willfully in a long time. Because I'm not gonna support somebody like that who actively participates in the abuse and the mistreatment of not only minors, but specifically black girls. Because a lot of it that he did to was to young black girls, so black black girls. And that's not okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

It's not. Um and am I getting in trouble for saying this? Um have I willfully listened to music from him? No. But if it comes on, am I skipping past it right away? Probably not, I'm not gonna lie. Um and may, and you know, this may be controversial. Certain folks, I'm able to separate the artistry from the person. And I know that's not the best thing to say because, but also too, I think of it from the standpoint of okay, if I don't if I don't listen to his music, not that it means to the music is gonna do anything A or B, other than I mean, I don't know what I don't know how the how the numbers are gonna work in the music industry, so I'm not in it. But I think to myself, well, he has a family, and his family ain't do nothing, and I know that with the money he's made, he takes care of his family, or I assume he takes care of his family, his kids, whatever the case is. So should you know, and I and I and talking about this, um, thinking about like for instance, remember when when they took Cosby off the air, when all of those allegations started coming up about Bill Cosby? Yeah, well, I felt bad for the for the other actors that were affected by this. Um Felicia Rashad ain't do nothing, Malcolm Jamal Warren ain't do nothing, um Tempest Black, like all of those actors that were a part of this iconic TV show, especially in black households that had its run for being number one for X amount of time, now they're suffering because of one man's decision. So is it fair to cancel somebody completely when it when others are basically being caught in the crossfire? So I have mixed emotions about cancel culture when it comes to that standpoint.

SPEAKER_03 18:06

Yeah, and I don't think you're ever gonna get a clear picture on the whole topic because again, like I said, the whole the whole term cancel culture comes from the over-exaggeration of the actual meaning behind like what it's supposed to be. Like I said, right people take one little snippet and they run with it, no one's actually looking for themselves at the details. So I think that's what the buzzword comes from. But I mean to address what you just said, is it fair? No. Is it fair what he did to those women? No, it's not, but again, it also goes back to like, you know, yes, we are all accountable for our own actions, but we're also responsible for thinking about how our actions will affect other people.

SPEAKER_04 19:00

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 19:01

So, like, that's the whole social responsibility thing that I think modern day culture has absolutely got away from. Everybody is so disconnected, which is ironic because we're more connected than ever as far as the phones, the social media, like we have so much access, but yet as a society, we're so disconnected. Like, I don't know if you've had that many interactions with like the younger generations, they do not know how to talk. Actually, you have, never mind. Yes, you have. You know exactly what I'm talking about. They do not know how to talk to people. It's like they're either staring at you with a blank stare, which drives me freaking crazy, or they're talking to you crazy. Like, if I had talked to my mama like that, she would have washed my mouth with soap or smacked me in it. Like correct, there is no in between. It's like society, like no one knows how to approach, they don't know how to talk anymore, which is crazy because it's like all this connection for us to just be so disconnected is wild. It's frustrating.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

And because we're we are because we're so digitally inept and inclined, like everything is through a phone or through a screen, and it's unfortunate because I see I see it at work. I see how some of my some of the uh I've seen I've witnessed it in places before where people aren't spoken to with it's all about tone. Yes, you you're it's not it's not sometimes it's not what you're saying, but how you say it. And sometimes how I hear things coming out, I'm like, ooh, maybe I wouldn't have said it quite like that, but alright. Um and and the crazy part is some of them don't think there's anything wrong with it. No, they're not. They're like, oh, this is just who I am, and oh, oh well, like this is just this is who I am. Sorry.

SPEAKER_03 20:58

And then it becomes on with their friends, like on the game, especially Miss Thing. And the way she talked to her friends, I had to tell her one day, I said, if I had talked to one of my friends like that, we'd be fighting each other in the street.

SPEAKER_02 21:13

We'd be fighting like for real.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

Like square up, like she's well, that's just how we talk to each other. I said, That's not okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

It's not okay.

SPEAKER_03 21:21

Because they're just gonna try to spill over. Child, let me tell you, I I had to level with her the other day because she was upstairs and I was downstairs, and I um called out to her, don't mind you. It's a cultural thing because her closest friends are not of our ethnicity. Yes, they are they are palm colored child. So I called up to her one afternoon, and do you know this heifer responded, what?

SPEAKER_02 21:48

I said, excuse me to right, right?

SPEAKER_03 21:55

Did I say excuse? And then she had the nerve to say back. What's wrong with it, girl? I will come upstairs right now. I will show you what's wrong with it.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

Not what's wrong with it. And you know what it is? She's probably generally asking what's wrong with it.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

She was for real, but you know better. I've been telling her since she was little. Don't you what me? If I call you, it's yes, and it's not an irritated yes, it's a neutral yes. It's an inquisitive yes. Correct. Oh my gosh, she's so lucky I am not my parents. My mom would have raced up them them stairs with the speed of light, didn't I tell you?

SPEAKER_02 22:32

No.

SPEAKER_03 22:33

I've seen her do it.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

The pitter patter on the steps.

SPEAKER_03 22:38

There would have been no pity patterns. She would have flew. Magic. She would have. Literally.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

She would have appeared. She would have teleported like Nightcrawler from X-Men.

SPEAKER_03 22:47

But they they genuinely don't see anything wrong with it. And I feel like that's a perfect descriptor of society as a whole.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

But in the same breath, when energy is reciprocated to these individuals, said individuals. They can't take it. They can't take it.

SPEAKER_03 23:03

They can't take it.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

Yo. The double standard. I can't, I can't, I can't. I'll be willing to fight. I'll be ready to lose my shit. I'd be ready to want in the box.

SPEAKER_03 23:12

Like yo, if I had $20 for every time I heard, you're just being so mean to me. You got you abuse me daily. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Hello.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Listen. To all my parents out there. And yes, I gotta talk to the parents real quick. Having kids is like the most fulfilling but the most toxic relationship ever.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

It really is.

SPEAKER_03 23:34

Because you love them unconditionally to a fault, to a point where they are literally like bullying you some days, and you just have to kind of like be neutral and try not to damage their self-esteem because their brains are still developing. But meanwhile, you just want to crash out on a fool. You you just you just want to you wanna take it there.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

Like take it there.

SPEAKER_03 23:55

You want to fight, meet me outside. Like that's where I be at some days.

SPEAKER_02 23:59

Like, I mean, and I'll be trying to tell you to meet them outside, and you'd be like, no, Ajax won't do that. Blah blah blah. Well, if you did, I wouldn't, you know.

SPEAKER_03 24:07

You already know. But since yeah, I be on that, you know what? You want to be funny? Well, I could be hilarious. Like, let's go. That's what I be on some days. But you know, yeah, you gotta try to take it back and say, you know what? I can't traumatize my kids the way I was traumatized as a child because we're trying to break just it's generational curses, it's yes, it's a lot to balance and a lot to teeter-totter on. So to all my parents out there, trust me, I understand. But some days just you you you do have to crash out on just a little bit. Just a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 24:43

You do, you gotta know that there's that you're you gotta let them know what you're capable of. Like you ain't gotta for like you gotta let them know that it's there. Just because you might you may just mention because there might come a time where you snap. And like I said, I'ma just look the other way, like, oh, you finished? All right, let's go have drinks.

SPEAKER_03 25:02

It is like it is such a roller coaster of emotions every day. But I but honestly, to take it back to what you're talking about with the whole cancel culture, I I feel like those two go hand in hand. It's like where society is headed is because of like the generations, and as they're raising, like obviously, we're getting older, we're gonna continue to get older, they're also getting older, but they're the ones who are now in workplaces. They're who we're seeing at the checkouts, they're who's on the phone calls, like that's who we're interacting with now, and so that's going to change society as a whole, and it's already started. So I kind of feel like those go hand in hand. It's uh it's really like the bottom line is people just don't do their own research anymore. They take one thing and they run with it. It's like a never-ending game of telephone.

SPEAKER_02 25:56

Yeah, I I think going back to what you said too about the access we have to one another, I think sometimes, and I think you said this too, I think we have too much access because that I feel like there is this like kind of I call it kind of like the pedestal syndrome where like these celebrities and these known people are put up to such high regard, and the minute that they say something that does not align with your morals or values or something that you believe in, then it's like, what? Oh my god, F you da da da, I'm never supporting this person. I mean, we saw that fall from Grace. Great example that we saw that fall from Grace was recently, um, well, well, kind of recently, was Nicki Minaj. The way she flip-flopped and became granted, I think there's more to that story. There is, I definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

And now see, here's the thing. Here's where I kind of make my delineation in the whole thing. It's like we can have different views, different opinions all day. We have the right to that, we're all different people, whatever. But if your views are harmful to certain groups of individuals in a real way, or if they're oppressive, or if they're like super damaging, it's no longer a matter of, oh well, you just feel a little differently. No, you're being awful, like, and not just because I don't agree with what you're saying, it's because it's awful to everybody. So it's kind of like trying to find that line of like, yes, everybody's allowed to have their own beliefs, but like having that right doesn't give you the right to be a horrible human being. And I feel like when it comes to this administration or that man, right. That's why I'm on team, you know. If you agree with anything that he's saying, I'm cool off you because you've shown your hand that like you're just a terrible person if you genuinely believe these things, or if you're drinking the Kool-Aid and if you're going along with the crowd because you're not doing your own research. And see, it's all the same problem, it's just packaged up a little differently.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Yeah. Speak speaking of drinking the Kool-Aid, I'm glad you brought that up because I don't know if you heard recently. Um, and this is and this again, again, the the whole affiliation part of it of the cancellation culture thing is what you know. Um, so I don't know if you heard the whole scuttle butt recently with uh Chili from TLC.

SPEAKER_03 28:20

Oh, yes, I've seen it.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Um so for those who are listening, uh TLC was a popular group from the 90s, you know, RB.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Sad that we even have to say that, but I digress.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

Yeah, I know. We have to we gotta we got well, you know, folks who might be tuning in don't know may not know who they are, which would be a shock. But carry on. There's still folks who don't know. Yes. So um, anywho, Chile recently it's been made aware people were doing some research on her and exposed her for um a um exposing a repost that she had about Michelle Obama Obama allegedly being trans. But then also it's been exposed that she has financially supported this current administration. You know, for those outside of the US, you know, Trump is the leader in office right now, but it's it's been shown that she's given funds to support this current administration. And she had to do damage control. She went on on TMZ and um and stated why she was supporting because it was for her support for veterans and kids and ah uh uh. Um but you know, Chili, then people are and that's what happens. Once you make a mistake, uh once you once something is uncovered about you, folks are gonna continue to do research.

SPEAKER_04 29:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

And I've seen the internet's forever, and I've seen conversations even about potentially which I don't know how surprising this is, but there's been accusations of Chili being like having some sort of self-hate or like a colorist thing about her because of her because of her hair texture, because you know, someone I think called her chocolate, but she's like, no, I'm caramel. Yeah, yeah. So it's it it it's and I and I'm I hate I hate this that this came out. I I do miss the time where artists we didn't know much about what was going on with their personal beliefs or their personal lives because we were able to, I guess ignorance is blissing situation, enjoy their music without judgment or wondering, like, well dang, I can I even support this person anymore. And now not only is Chili putting herself in jeopardy, she's putting her group member in jeopardy. Because I don't know if you know, they're supposed to be going on tour.

SPEAKER_03 30:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:28

So you you've jeopardized this whole amazing this this was supposed to be this tour, this iconic tour with TLC, salt and pepper, in vogue. Like these were powerhouses in like the 90s and the early 2000s, and you know, like for that for this to come up, this can affect this can affect the the tour and how successful the tour can be.

SPEAKER_03 30:49

And now, speaking of cancer culture, a perfect example of that now currently is with uh my boys to men. I don't know if if you heard about that or you've seen that.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

I sure did. Oh, I've seen it.

SPEAKER_03 31:00

He took a picture with Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and people got a hold of that picture, and they said, Oh, oh no, I didn't see that. He's supporting the administration. He's he's supported the administration, and they are now being widely canceled. Now, the reason that they took that picture with him was because they they had to meet with him to discuss and to advocate for the American Music Fairness Act, which is aimed at securing royalties for artists from their radio play. Now, okay, this is what goes into what I'm talking about is no one does their own research. They see the picture, they hate this administration, which you know has its own merit. Great. Mike Johnson has not been really nice this whole time. Granted, but he is the speaker of the house, and they would have met with the speaker of the house regardless of who that person is. Period. Now, yeah, do they have to take a picture with him? No. Is it customary to probably? Yes. The administration probably pushed for it because they are black people and they're really trying to save case with black people, considering that midterms are coming up. So that's what I'm saying. There's a lot of layers here, but no one wants to think like that. They just see, oh, you took a picture with Mike Johnson, you guys are canceled. And so I don't have a foot in either race. Like, I'm not canceling them, but I'm not not canceling them, you know.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

Like I'm looking at you with a side eye like but see, but that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

Now we gotta do uh a little more research because in also modern times, um, Janye, I think I've said his name right in hot water because of things that he said related to brandy. So, see, there's too many things that are connected, but no one wants to connect the dots on their own. They want someone to come on TikTok and make a little video for them and to point out the pieces. But again, we don't know necessarily that the people that are giving us all the tea are actually giving us all the tea.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:59

So do your own verifications and make your own opinions based on your own factual research. We we literally walk around with computers in our hands, our phones are mini computers. I think part of the problem, I think, not for millennials, because we grew up basically watching what she built. Yeah, we had to go to the library to do research, okay?

SPEAKER_02 33:24

We had to go to the library, we had to we had to type up our references of what we use to come up with our child. Anywho, go ahead, Fran.

SPEAKER_03 33:32

This current like groups of kids, they have have all this access in their hands and they don't respect it.

SPEAKER_02 33:40

And so I think take advantage of it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

And so I think that not really understanding like how great it is to have access to all this information, they just don't even want to try. It's kind of like they don't know how to, which is crazy to me. So I'm I'm really trying to do my best to teach my kids how to look for stuff. But we literally walk around with computers in our hands when we used to have to connect to the internet with our cell. Sorry, not with the cell phone, with the house phone line.

SPEAKER_02 34:10

With the house phone land, they don't even respect that.

SPEAKER_03 34:12

Y'all don't know nothing about that.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Y'all even know nothing about that. Y'all don't know about having to plug a phone in a wall, like an outlet, okay? Y'all don't know nothing about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

If you were on the internet, like they don't have any respect.

SPEAKER_02 34:23

And had and had to wait for the internet to boot up for like five minutes because we didn't have cable DC cell or Wi-Fi back in the day. Y'all kids don't know nothing about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:31

There was only one computer in the house, too. So you had to take it.

SPEAKER_02 34:33

One computer in the house. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:36

There's just no respect.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

And then you had to schedule it because if because if mom missed her call from Miss Maybelline, it was gonna be an issue. So you had to make sure, hey mom, can I use a computer? Can I get on the internet? Because I know you're expecting the phone call. What time she's calling? Okay, cool. Y'all kids don't know nothing about that. Y'all can't do that.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

They don't have no respect for how far we have come. But when they we are literally walking around with computers in our hands and just dumb as ever. Hold on. It's so stupid.

SPEAKER_02 35:01

You guys have the ability to talk to your phone and ask it a goddamn question for it to give you the damn answer. Like, what's it?

SPEAKER_03 35:13

Y'all, we we're in the AI era, okay?

SPEAKER_02 35:17

We really are.

SPEAKER_03 35:18

People's jobs are to train AI. And I know because I have done that as a side hustle. Sorry, I know I don't like AI either, but you know, I didn't realize what I was doing when I was doing it, but hey.

SPEAKER_02 35:28

It's paying, it's paying.

SPEAKER_03 35:29

They do pay, unfortunately. But you know, and this they things are getting smarter. If you don't have the brain to look it up yourself, I'm not advocating for AI use, but if you are an AI user, that's even easier than even talking to Google or talking to Siri, even though Siri don't know nothing. Everybody knows that.

SPEAKER_02 35:49

Siri don't know nothing. I still love my phone, I don't care. I'm seeing Apple all day. But yeah, Siri don't know what she's talking about sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 35:57

And she got an attitude too, don't she? I be seeing folks.

SPEAKER_02 36:02

Nah, well, no, Alexa got an attitude.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

Oh, I like that. That's another conversation. She's a little weird sometimes. Oh, no. Do you know what? I asked Alexa one time if the FBI was um listening, and she's she spun and spun and spun and didn't say anything. And then I said it again. I said, Alexa, uh is the FBI listening to these conversations? And then she spun and she said, I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. Ooh, girl.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Ooh. Not she's trying to not trying to make it. It's like I can't, I can't, I can't confirm nor deny. That's what that sounds like.

SPEAKER_03 36:45

Always watching, like Monsters Inc. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 36:48

Yeah. Um, but also, too, I I I want to talk a little bit about while we're on the topic of cancel culture. If some if someone is so, I don't know if you saw this recently. Um you're familiar with the with uh Chloe Bailey, correct? The singer? Okay, so recently she posted a video on social media and got a whole bunch of like backlash. She was at a concert recently. I don't for those who don't know, Kanye West put on this like kind of one night only situation out here and um at SoFi. It's it looked like it was sold out, and she's recording herself at the concert enjoying herself, but she got a lot of backlash on the internet because again, that pedestal syndrome of holding folks to a certain standard for going and supporting him. Because you know, Kanye has been has has had said some crazy things. Yes, about you know, different situations, kids, you know, Jewish community, like he said a bunch of crazy stuff. Black people, um, the list goes on slavery was a choice. Let me let me yeah, so but yeah, like first of all, first of all, there's tens of thousands of people at this concert. Why y'all want to hone in on this girl and this young lady just enjoying her concert? And we all and the thing that pissed me off about this too, 2K is that like we talk about how much we miss the old Kanye. Well, that's what the show, from what I saw, that's what the show was giving. And I wasn't I didn't watch the whole show. From the clips I'm seeing, that's the con the old folks were saying, Well, this is the Kanye we miss. She went to enjoy a a concert from that artist and posted herself having a good time and got backlash. I don't think that's fair. Um, yes, Kanye said some stupid stuff. Yes, there you maybe we shouldn't support him, sure. But is there, but then the and my question is, is there a period for redemption uh culture or redemption period? Like, can you once you make a mistake, are are you able to come back from that and and show that you learn from it and you know are able to be better? Or is it once you is it is it's stuff too detrimental now? Like once it's done, it's done, and you're always gonna be viewed as that type of person.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

I think it depends on where the person is coming from when they're originally canceled. Like, if they're canceled for like a fundamental belief, it's hard to believe that you're actually like changed your mind about that, you know, because as they say, right, people don't change, like a leopard's not gonna change its spots. That's the overall belief, and I think that's where some of that comes from. Kanye, I think, is a different topic because this is he's been pretty open about his you know mental struggles and medication, and he's not on it. So, you know, I think and that's not making excuses. I would never make excuses for anybody like that. But at the like it's kind of like you have to recognize that, but on the same side of the well, on the other side of the coin, I should say. I don't think that having those kind of struggles gives you the permission to be an outright asshole. I feel like especially if you know that you're struggling and you're choosing not to deal with it, that doesn't give you the right to be like, oh well, I'm gonna say this, say this, and then I'm just going to blame it on my X, Y, and Z. Like that's that's a cop out to me. Like, no.

SPEAKER_02 40:07

It is a cop out. Because at this point you know what you're doing.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

The other people struggling, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

Correct. You can't use your condition as a as a reason for for un like for deplorable behavior or s saying you know, crazy things.

SPEAKER_03 40:19

And I just anything related to this current administration, I think, is a hot topic just because some of the things that that the president himself has said are just so unhinged. And for me personally, I just I can't I can't believe there are people out there that still choose to like support this man. Like some of the just he said things about everybody at this point. And so I think when you and it's horrible stuff, and it's like horrible stuff, it's it's it's lies and it's blatant lies, and I think that's my biggest problem with it. I don't like liars, and to see that this man is clearly lying, and but again, it's to his you know benefit because the people don't do their research, and that's the underlying scope of this whole topic. Is I think if if more people take the personal accountability to really understand things for themselves, our opinions would be more authentic and more real, as opposed to saying, oh well, my favorite influencer has an opinion, so now that's my opinion too. My opinion no, but we need to really take back thinking for ourselves and critical thinking. Yeah, don't be a follower. It's like we again I I keep saying it because it astonishes me. Use all this information, and for society to just be as dumb as it is is just unacceptable. It's not okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

It's because we it's because society has advanced to a place and and uh of laziness because we as society are lazy. We want convenience, we want it now, we want it easy, we don't want to do the work to get to you know to get the the correct answer or the right answer. We're just okay with what we see face value and not knowing the ins and outs of what really it is. I've actually seen a clip recently, I think it was on social media, I don't remember what what what um avenue it was, but uh there was a guy who came up to this random group of three gentlemen to ask them about their thoughts as it relates to the current administration, and the guy blatantly said, like, you know, I don't know, you know, much about him, but I support I support Trump. And I'm like, well, but he and the guy asked, but why do you support? Like, I don't know, I just think he's doing a good job. But how do you know he's doing a good job? I just know he is. What? Yeah, and then the friend, the one of the friends or acquaintances that he was with was like giving his opinion for his disdain for Trump, and dude got mad and walked off and said, You can walk home. What you don't know why you support this man, but someone's telling you why he's not a good president and you're mad?

SPEAKER_04 43:02

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 43:03

And then and and there was no passion or infliction of like tone in his voice. He was just stating the facts of what he researched and learned about this particular individual and said, Yeah, no, not for me. He's not doing what he I didn't, you know, he's not doing what he said he was going to do. He's like you said, he's not been forthcoming or honest, he's lied.

SPEAKER_03 43:25

So it's just and so that also goes back to what you were saying about can people re redeem themselves? Because I've also seen a whole lot of that online with like the uh MAGA folks who now really regret their support. Now, are you just saying that because it's affecting you now personally? So now you regret it. That's what it is, or are you saying it because you realize it's horrible for all human beings, the things that he's saying, and it's unhinged. And now you regret it because of that? See, that's what I'm saying. It's hard to give a definitive like yes or no answer on the topic because it's all so Subjective.

SPEAKER_02 44:01

It's very subjective and nuanced.

SPEAKER_03 44:03

Yeah. Because if you're only worried about it now, because it's affecting you, like it was always going to affect you. He's been very clear about where this was headed. Like plain as day where this was headed. But now that you're actually seeing that it's affecting you with higher gas prices, higher cost of living, higher groceries, like the price of this hasn't actually come down like he said it would. Like now that you see that, it's like, oh now I now I'm not okay with it. But you're not going to actually do anything to assist the people that are actually like being uh horribly affected, like the dreamers, the immigrant communities, like all the people that he's targeting like horribly. You're not doing anything to help with that. You're not saying anything to your fellow people who still believe in this stuff. You're just like, oh well, I don't think it's okay anymore. And you're going on about your life because it's like affecting you, but it's not really affecting you.

SPEAKER_02 44:54

Like you know, right.

SPEAKER_03 44:56

And I think that's kind of a cop out. It's like you can say that you regret your choice, but you made the choice. And that also ties back in what we were talking about with the Cosby show, how he made a decision to do something and it affected the whole cast with the cancel culture. Again, social responsibility. You can't make this decision when you vote, knowing what's coming because they told you what it was gonna be, and then later on you regret it. Well, you've already made the decision that's affected a whole bunch of people, so you can regret it all day. It's not gonna change what you've already decided to change.

SPEAKER_02 45:32

It's not gonna be what you already decided to do.

SPEAKER_03 45:34

And so I think if if we as a society really take that into uh account more often, like, is my decision going to impact more than just me? And if it is, think about if you're okay with the ramifications of that, right? I think that's why we're getting to the point where the earth is going to be completely uninhabitable in however many years, because we're all being selfish. Society is inherently selfish, we're not thinking of the impact to everybody. Can we reverse what's already been done? No, and that's the point. We cannot change the decisions we've already made as individuals that will impact the collective, but that that lack of a community mindset is, I think, to the detriment of not just the USA, but to humanity.

unknown 46:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:24

I know that's kind of dramatic, but it's not because you have to really think about the bigger picture and the impact of what it can have and the ramifications things can have later down the line how it affects others. You're right. We have become a very selfish and self-absorbed society, and we think about what's best for us at the time and not really looking at the bigger picture. We're looking for the right now again, we're looking for the right now, we're not looking for the long term, and that's it back to yeah, we've all done it.

SPEAKER_03 46:50

I've been guilty of it, I'm sure of it. I can't give a pinpoint example right now because like I just can't pull that out of a hat. But I'm sure that I've done it too. Right. Made a decision for myself that affected other people or people around me, or I was like, you know, whatever. It's gonna be good for me. We've all probably done that. I'm sure we have. Absolutely, but that doesn't change the decisions that we've made, you know. We made the decisions, we gotta own up to it, and then going forward choose to actually do better if we want to, not just like for the performative six. So many folks are so performative, it's so annoying. Like nothing is organic and real anymore. It's like no, I have to say it how how uh Druski says it organic. Because I be on the race too. That comes out that whole thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:43

I don't know if you're gonna be a good one. He really does, and but he's from that generation, he's from the generation of like content creators.

SPEAKER_03 47:52

Oh well, this is he's getting paid. He's probably making stupid money, just being silly.

SPEAKER_02 47:59

But it's interesting how many people are offended. People are I I've never seen so many Caucasians be so offended by someone when y'all been doing it for ye centuries and years on us, but the whole blackface thing.

SPEAKER_03 48:17

That's different in cultural appropriation. Blackface was rooted in actual racism and uh oppression. Drewski who is part white, but just being funny. He's just saying what she said, and he never said her name either.

SPEAKER_02 48:35

Never said her name.

SPEAKER_03 48:36

And that's the irony of the whole thing. They're mad because someone that doesn't look the way they like is actually saying these things, making a parody of someone that they have placed on a pedestal. But these are things that have come out of her mouth. It wasn't a problem then though, was it?

SPEAKER_02 48:53

Nope.

SPEAKER_03 48:55

So, but now that he's shining light on now, granted, was the costume a little ridiculous? He looks insane, okay?

SPEAKER_02 49:03

It was definitely giving like white chicks two and a half. I didn't, I didn't, it was it was really like, oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 49:10

And why are his hands so pretty? Like, he has nicer looking hands than me.

SPEAKER_02 49:14

Like, well, that was that was makeup child. That was makeup.

SPEAKER_03 49:18

But his but his name and his hands were so pretty. Like, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 49:22

But the crazy part is this isn't the first time that he's dressed up in the white person. I saw the national thing. Yeah, I don't know why this particular you know because of who we guess you are already know who it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:39

Well, it's the same, it's the same thing, it's just packaged up differently. I I would say that the value from this for everybody is I really think that as a society we need to have a more collective mindset and really be more conscientious of the decisions that we're making individually and how it's going to affect the collective. Now, what your definition of collective is, that's for you to decide. You could go really minimal and say it's down to you know, your immediate family, or you could go really big and say it's the whole world, or it's my you know, country or my state, you know, that that's your decision to make, but starting somewhere of really assessing how the decisions that we make as individuals are going to affect everybody, that doesn't mean that you have to agree with everything and you never will, and that's okay. That's what makes us okay different. Variety of the world.

SPEAKER_02 50:42

Yes, yes, to a degree.

SPEAKER_03 50:44

That doesn't give you the right to be harmful to certain groups, you don't get to be racist, you don't get to be oppressive, like none of that stuff. Like that stuff is never okay for anybody on either side. Uh-huh. But I think if we just take more of a collective mindset, I think we'll begin to heal, you know, whatever it is. Yeah. All what's broken and what's wrong. And just really do your own research when you hear something. Don't just run off and share the information with the first six, seven, eight, nine, ten people that you see. Understand what you're reading, do your fact checking. It doesn't take that long, honestly. I promise you, it doesn't take that long. And say, okay, this is worth sharing, or you can stop and say, Oh, wait a minute, I'm not gonna share this. This isn't actual information, or this is a deep fake, because those are getting harder to spot nowadays, too. And that's in the age of AI, we have to be so aware of all of these things.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

1000%. Yeah. I also think, too, to a degree, with cancel culture, um, maybe there's not a redemption culture, but I think there is a forgiveness culture because I do think that we pick and choose who we're able to forgive in certain situations and certain things um or move on from. Like um, well, this is gonna sound hypocritical, but I'm going to say it because it's what it is. Um, for example, Chris Brown.

SPEAKER_03 52:17

I knew you were gonna say that. I knew you were gonna say that. Let's let's talk about it. Go ahead. You know, I feel different on this one.

SPEAKER_02 52:24

I know, I know. I know. And you and I've had conversations about it, so I'm not gonna shy away from it. I mean, for those who follow me on social media, you got you saw that I was at the Chris Brown concert. Um, and you know, at one point he to a degree before social media got as big as it was in the pre, like, you know, I guess what would that be like MySpace? I don't even think the Instagram was back then. Was it? No, we didn't have Instagram back then.

SPEAKER_03 52:48

Instagram was like the 2010s, like the early 2010s. 2010s, right? Like late. So yeah, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 52:54

So you so real talk when you had when you found out the T about somebody, it really was on the news or like a magazine article. You again research. Um, it wasn't out and for public consumption on social media at the time, but you know, he had his incident with Rihanna, and at the time it you know messed up his career. He was labeled an abuser, and then unfortunately, there has been scuttle butt and uh and I have to do my research, but um, I know there's been other um domestic situations that's happened since then with other uh people involved, and you know, it hasn't today, like we were mad at first, but then he's kind of been forgiven because he's been able to still have a nice, uh, successful career to be able to provide for his family. He's still able to do these tours and and make these records, and you know, people get excited when the Chris Brown record is about to be dropped or released, and you know, want to support. Um, so yeah, I do think we do pick and choose um who who is allowed to be forgiven and who's not, and that too is not okay either. If we if we need to be a little bit more, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:10

See, with him for me, I think part of why he not necessarily got away with it, but it's light skin privilege, in my opinion, because a lot of people find him attractive, and he's moved on and he's had all these kids and he's been in all these relationships because folks find him so hot, he's so attractive this and that. But for me personally, like the incident with Rihanna, I heard his side of the story on what happened, sure, yeah. And it all sounds really valid. But as somebody who has been in a domestic situation like that where I was physically uh abused, some of the things he's saying sound like a cop-out to me. That's not to excuse anything that she might have allegedly done too, but at the same time, like I don't think anybody should be putting their hands on each other, male or female. I've done it. There's never an excuse. You shouldn't be surprised if somebody gives it back to you. That's kind of like the overall distribution. But at the same time, I'm also of the belief that a man should never be punching on and hitting a woman, period. So and I think that he possibly could have had a real redemption if later on there weren't more stories from more women he was in relationship with who have corroborated the fact that he can be really violent, aggressive, verbally, physically. Like there have been multiple stories of women he has been in relationships with who have said no, he was out of control, and so that establishes a pattern. And so for me, like because yes, you did go to the concert, yes, you did ask if ask if I wanted to go, and I said, you know what, as much as I love me, some of his songs, like you know, turn up the music was my jam when it came out, like yellow, right? Like that was it, but I declined because I'm not okay with supporting someone who has shown time and time again that that's who he is. It's not a matter of like, no, it was just a high-stakes situation and things got out of control. Like, okay, maybe with time that can be kind of overlooked, you know, you're never going to get away from it. But right, he showed time and time again that that's his character. And I'm not cool with that personally, as somebody especially who has been through that. So I choose not to support him, not because of what everybody else says, because to your point, his concerts were like completely sold out. He was bringing people up on stage and doing like you know, dances with them and all like people were it was you know breezy bowls, yeah. Right, that's what they were calling it. And so is me choosing not to go going to hurt his pockets? Probably not, but for me personally, I'm not okay with it because of what I've gone through. So I think that takes it back to what we were saying. Like, you know, yeah, people tend to pick and choose based on what they've gone through personally, and honestly, I respect that more than just folks who are hopping on a bandwagon just because you know somebody else said so.

SPEAKER_02 57:17

Right.

SPEAKER_03 57:18

Like, if you're going to cancel somebody, cancel it on your own, Mary, not just because somebody said not just because somebody else said it.

SPEAKER_02 57:24

Right.

SPEAKER_03 57:24

Yeah. And I think that's where I'm gonna land with it on this whole topic. Cancel culture overall is a little bit out of control, 100%. It is, but it's not because it's wrong, because in certain cases, some people absolutely like need to be canceled or you know, agreed, yeah, so to speak. Yeah, but at the same time, only if you guys understand what you're saying no to.

unknown 57:52

Right.

SPEAKER_03 57:53

We all have that responsibility, and you're allowed to do that based on your own personal beliefs and your personal vindications, you know. You don't have to support people that you don't agree with.

SPEAKER_02 58:04

Right. Like for me, I know people who, you know, we've been going through this little, well, there's bit not we, but there's been a boycott of, you know, Target and Target other businesses. And I know people who've have shopped there since the the the the boycott was initiated. So just because I'm choosing not to shop there, I'm not gonna look at you different because you are still going there to shop, you know what I mean? Like that's your prerogative. I don't it's really it's just really about like you said, your convictions and what you feel, yeah, you know, thinking about what you what what you stand on and what you believe in and what you can and cannot support. And again, back to what you said earlier, the research.

SPEAKER_03 58:44

Not tough, not tough in the sense of not going to Target, but in the sense of like the reasoning. So like I get that when this administration was doing what they were doing with the DEI initiatives, even though a lot of their hires would have fallen under that category. But again, I digress because the whole it's hypocrisy at a high level.

SPEAKER_02 59:04

It's hypocrisy definitely.

SPEAKER_03 59:06

But they uh appeared to have pulled back on their programs for diverse suppliers, specifically for black suppliers, and so people uh immediately said no, we're not shopping in there anymore. But what's the alternative? Walmart, Walmart's been a problem for years, you know. So but at the same time, I know people close to me who work for Target. Right, right, behind the scenes, they're saying it's not that. So here's what's actually happening, and we're actually are still supporting these initiatives. It's just it has to be called differently because they rely on, you know, federal funding, and because of this administration, if they say things a certain way, it gets I get you.

SPEAKER_02 59:50

You have to mask it differently.

SPEAKER_03 59:52

That's what I'm saying. It's it's not as strange. So you're researching now. Could they have come out up front and been a little better about what they were doing? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:03

Sure, but they were thinking, but they're thinking about the bigger picture because as a company in the corporation, you're employing thousands of people, millions of people. Yes, they are probably still.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:14

They did terrible PR on it.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:16

Terrible PR they absolutely did triple PR, 1000%.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:19

And so was the cancellation or the stepping back absolutely valid for a bit? Oh, 100%, because they absolutely drop the ball on that. But I, to your point, I know people whose livelihood could potentially be affected by an all-op. Affected black. So it's kind of like, eh. But my main reason for occasionally still going there was because what's my option? I do not fool with Wally World. I I don't, and I haven't for years, just because I don't like going in that place. It's it stinks.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:50

That's fair, and it's chaos. Listen, it's it's it's really, and I hate I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna get in shop.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:56

They all smell the same. Why do they smell like that?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:59

It there's a dip, there is a difference when you go, and I will say from experience, you feel differently shopping in Target than you do in Walmart. I'm just gonna say that. You figure out what the difference is on your own, but yes, there is a difference.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:13

So nothing with that. I did absolutely scale back on how much I was going just to kind of see how things were gonna play out, see what they were gonna say, because you don't you don't do one thing when it's like you know, buzzworthy, and then the moment that you want to switch back, you flip like that. That that's not okay. And that's kind of what they did do to a certain extent, but overall, I just think they handled the whole thing really poorly.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:38

They did, and you know, it's hard for me for him to not shop there because you see where I live, you're right there walking distance. So I'm I'm getting in my car and driving somewhere, okay? But I digress, that's a one of the numbers.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:52

There are still some brands that are in the shop that you fall for that are DEI. So it's like you can still buy them from there. So you just you you have to pick and choose based on your own research. It's okay to step back a little bit, but don't feel like you have to cave completely just because one person says one thing. Like, as as long as you understand what's happening and you're okay with that, that's your business, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:19

But but it's also back to like you said, it's common, it's it's nuanced and you have to do you have to do your research. You're fortunate that you you you have someone who is you know somebody that is a current employer there, so you're able to get more information that probably the rest of us aren't privy to because you have somebody on the inside able to speak to those things like okay, now I know more of the situation on what it really is, and I'm able to maybe dispel some of the non-factual things that have been said during this time of the boycott, right? Which is good because you do need that too for checks and balances because unfortunately, we love negative information so bad, we're quick to believe the worst in a situation or a person. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:03

But was the boycott useful? Yes, it was. Yes, it was because they've now rolled back into what they were doing, they've got some new initiatives coming out of the it's so nuanced, so it's it's really hard to say one way or the other. But I think social responsibility, you know, as long as we're not being harmful to each other in a way that matters, I think that's a good start. But canceling or not canceling just because one person says to or says not to, I think is just dumb.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:35

It's just agreed.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:37

We're not, you know, lemmings. We're not just going to walk off a cliff because the one that's in front of us walks off the cliff. We need to be our own free thinkers. We literally have all the resources to form our own opinions. So let's start doing that on a more regular basis, people. And I think if society moves towards that direction, and again, I'm just one person, so people may not agree with what I'm saying, but if we move that way, I think we're in a much better place than where we are now.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:11

Agreed. Couldn't have said it better, my friend. Well, folks, that if you didn't catch that, that was your value of the day.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:22

You know?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:23

Listen, listen. I think this was a very, very great conversation. And it just felt like there were so many people. I I kept seeing so many things, like, you know, in the in the in the ether about this person doing this, so folks is this person's getting backlash, this person's being canceled, this person did this, so we shouldn't support this person. I'm like, what is happening right now? Like, what when do we become so negative? Like, it's just I know somebody that I want to cancel from the earth rhymes rhymes rhymes with bump and not be 2k bump bump bump.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:00

Oh god. Anyways, I saw somebody say that great he's uh passing everything except away. I saw somebody say that's horrible.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:15

It is horrible, but I never laugh a little bit. That's funny. That is kind of funny. Creative.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:24

Especially threads. I was a kid. Threads is unhappy. Oh my god. I don't know if you be on there, but yo.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:30

Oh, I be on threads. I'll be seeing something like yo.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:35

Oh god, it is it's been my entertainment for the past week because folks is over there wilding out, like man, y'all. Listen, because people are worse than Twitter right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:44

I'm about to say, I don't I'm not on Twitter like that, so this has been entertaining for me. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:51

Anyway, or X, whatever they're calling it these days.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:54

It's Twitter. I don't care what letter or some of you change it to, it's Twitter. I said what I said. Sue me. Don't care.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:01

Oh god.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:03

Um, anywho, well let me not say sue me because I don't know who listen to y'all. I take that back. Don't sue me.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:07

I told you they're always watching.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:09

They're always watching.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:11

I'm not gonna put it right now because I didn't mean that. Kinda. But anywho. Uh we appreciate y'all for tuning in to another episode of the Volume Podcast. I am your boy Cray J.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:25

And I'm Kay Chaotic.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:31

We appreciate y'all tuning in. And like we said, do your research and you know, of course, follow who you want to follow, support who you want to support. But make sure you really like like like my friend said, we we have a compute, we have access to a full computer in our in our possession in our hands. You you have time to do to do the research to figure out all the nuances and and the truth behind things. Don't just go with the first salacious, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:57

Have your own opinions, have your own thoughts, as long as they are yours and they are not harmful to other human beings in a real miserable way. You know, if your opinions are harmful to marginalized groups or if they're oppressive or whatever, they're not opinions, they're just I don't even know what to call it, but you're being harmful, and that's not okay. That's yeah, that's not so simple as you just oh, I just don't agree. No, you're being racist or you're being misogynist or you're being whatever other word there is out there because there's a word for everything. Be a good human, period.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:34

All right, so we out. Toodles,