cold pizza party

This week we discuss the Netflix show, Another Life. Every youtuber seems to think it's trash, but as trash tv experts we disagree! This is good ACKTSHULY! We discuss the human truths it tries to explore like: the horror of connecting with others, the terror of parenthood, and how we process past traumas. Then we connect it to the larger trauma that we've been living with (hint: 2016). We also call out dumb, nerd youtubers for being dumb. We ride out to: Lizzo-Truth Hurts Links -Death of Yugoslavia 1/6-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDADy9b2IBM -Marxist Poety Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marxist-poetry/id1473011608 -Russel Brand and Gabor Mate-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-mJnYmdVmQ

This week we're joined by our fellow Texans from Psychic Dolphin Garage to break down the premier episode of the Real Housewives of Dallas. We discuss how the wealthy use money to control others, their bizarre aesthetics and just how very Dallas this show is. If there's one conclusion we come to, it's that this show should be used to convert people into leftists. Jeremy's Breakdancing Troop Mural: https://tinyurl.com/yycd6e5z Also please don't forget to listen to Dolphin Psychic Garage available everywhere on everything and follow our buds: @sexconfetti @shenobi1kenobi @schnedwob @DolphinGarage

We discuss the DSA clapping controversy, and why it matters. Then we examine Bravo's Southern Charm and it's struggle to deal with it's racism, sexism, and classism. Also, who raised these people? Links: Antifa Resolution Thread: https://twitter.com/leonardpierce/status/1157845386616344576 We ride out to Laki Pingvini-Šizika: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0qEjcZHJKo

In this ep Ljubica shares her thoughts about the neon color trend sure to dominate our wardrobes, as well as some ways to update the look so you don't give people laser tag flash backs. After that Adam leads us through a discussion of the recent controversy about whether Bernie is paying his staff enough. We point out why your faves were wrong to pile on Bernie for this one. Finally we dive into Netroots Nation, explain what it is, and why so few candidates attended. Ljubica also shares her personal Netroots experience. cw: for predatory behavior and harassment. (we don't go into super detail but we do talk about it) Links: Jaclyn Hill, Lipstick and Capitalism: A Love Story | with Maggie Mae Fish--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kj8rX_5qmc We ride out to deca joins Go Slow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikn3Drf3PpU

First we discuss the Netflix teen, melodrama, The Society. It claims to depict socialism--but spoiler, it's not the good kind. The show also makes us wonder whether this is a sign that we are moving past the apocalypse fertilization of shows like the Walking Dead, and towards re-thinking how to organize. Next we discuss the Vanderpump Rules reunion. Is this show even good anymore? Should fat shaming be punishable by job loss? Is denying a trans woman's experience for coin ok? And why does the success of the VPR kids trigger regular people. We ride out to Bijelo Dugme's Djurdjevdan Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3SKkNt828 Translated Lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/Djurdjevdan-St-Georges-day.html

Why is it islamophobic to think that Ilhan Omar is anti-semitic? Because Roland Barthes was wrong in "Death of the Author." We bring Walter Benn Michaels' "Against Theory" to bear on the faux-outrage against Omar and critique AOC's weak support. Then, we talk about our very different public high school experiences - different in terms of class - and the recent college admissions scandal. Closing song: bloothirsty butchers - デストロイヤー [Destroyer]

This week we say goodbye to 2018 with an ep full of recommendations! Here's a bunch of stuff we like in no particular order. Helpful Links ------------------ -Against Theory https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bc01/f683dd50ec4f99f0358f2d7cef8a9701b6ce.pdf -Cunk on Britain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUM89s4N2BQ&list=PLtn0bqSPV-EDUlKldlC5j2YhAI1LF8pTG -Wohe Lit http://wohelit.com -Unraveled Podast https://www.unravelpodcast.com -Midwest Socialist: What it means to be a marxist http://www.midwestsocialist.com/2018/11/29/what-it-means-to-be-a-marxist/ -Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings https://theintercept.com/2018/10/10/donald-trump-inherited-wealth/ -Bee and Puppycat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNs9shgQ2rI -Everything is Alive, https://www.everythingisalive.com -Within the Wires http://www.nightvalepresents.com/withinthewires/ -Two Fat Ladies on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu9yUU0fTAk -BA brown butter chocolate chip toffee cookies https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/brown-butter-and-toffee-chocolate-chip-cookies

Matthew of Liquid Flannel joins us again to talk The Spirit of Christmas, a Netflix (but more like Hallmark) Original Christmas movie about a hard-working lady lawyer that falls in love with the burly ghost haunting a Vermont inn at Christmastime. We recap its dumb plot and weird world - where ghosts are fully embodied people who hide in the armoire - and we talk about the hallmarks of the genre, its conservative worldview, what makes it bad, and what makes it maybe kind of good. Feel free to watch the movie first for maximum masochistic enjoyment, or let us bite the bullet for you and recap the best / worst bits. Follow Matthew @MattTheGweat and check him out the Liquid Flannel podcast, on iTunes and Soundcloud etc.

On this ep we get meta and discuss why we do what we do: watch bad tv and connect it to politics. Then we get into some the witchy TV that's been flickering across our screens lately. First we discuss Charmed and how it's failed to charm us into continuing with the series. Next we discuss The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. We talk about why the show works so much better than Charmed, and what doesn't work so well (Hint: homophobia and racist imagery). We ride out to Bbymutha's Janis Ian Dyke: https://soundcloud.com/bbymutha/janis-ian-dyke-prod-sxylk-myfriendmeesha Links Vogue Runway app:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vogue-runway/id289380413?mt=8 SHOWstudio Vetements - Autumn / Winter 2017 Panel Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzIoX4dg5I&t=1705s Digibro - "Why You Watch Bad Anime" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi04dyS2xkI Lindsay Ellis-Ep 1 Transformers and Film Studies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRXI__Wixas (highly recommend the entire series)

We share our first impressions of the CW reboot of Charmed and ride out to B*Witched "C'est la Vie" Links: ------------------------------ Charmed ep we mentioned in the ep: The Ethics of "Charmed" and Lady Detectives-->https://soundcloud.com/coldpizzaparty/the-ethics-of-charmed-and-lady-detectives

This week, we invite you to sit on our Texas porch, pop a bottle and discuss the recent-ish (recent when we recorded it) controversy surrounding the YouTube "beauty community" and their use of the n-word. This leads us to a deeper discussion about racism, identity politics, and our personal experiences growing up in two very different parts of Ohio, one affluent, suburban and white where the n-word was never uttered, and one working class, struggling and (relatively) integrated, where it was. Linkz: Shane Dawson Docu on Jefree Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUf2-sjGqQw&list=PLDs0tNoNYTz05R0xo7PCVc-RgL2fsJnGg all youtuber apologies discussed can be found on (you guessed it) youtube. Riding out to: https://rabbitislandband.bandcamp.com/track/deep-in-the-big

Matthew from Liquid Flannel joins us to talk Heathers and its preemptively-cancelled TV reboot. We talk first about the movie, with its critique of the shiny, happy, John Hughes-style movies of the Reagan era, and how its politics translated across multiple Republican administrations, resonating with disaffected suburban kids like Ljubica in each of those dark times. Then, we talk about the show that should have never been made. A show so violent and bad they won't air it in the United States of America. Where is the line between bad-watchable (Lifetime movies) and bad-unwatchable (Hallmark movies)? Matthew talks about the show's disdain for its audience and characters, and Ljubica presents a theory on the show's unwatchability coming down to its deeply hauntological project. This is a behemoth-sized episode with three people who are certainly the world's foremost experts on the Heathers TV show, having finished it, so please listen, learn, and enjoy! Linkz: Cuck Philosophy's vid on Hauntology-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSvUqhZcbVg The Liquid Flannel Podcast- https://twitter.com/liquid_flannel https://soundcloud.com/user-947004816 Our Ep (referenced in show): https://soundcloud.com/user-947004816/liquid-ping-pong-pizza-feat-cold-pizza-party-episode-101 Riding out to New Order's Temptation 87

This week we basically make the point that no one is free under capitalism. Consent doesn't mean anything when money is inherently coercive, and your choices aren't your own when access to resources is limited by capital. We also talk about our discomfort with parasocial relationships, and how the anime Mob Psycho 100 helped Adam think about how insidious America's Calvinist culture and Protestant work ethic can be. Links: Our Ep, Eating and Shitting in the Obama Yearshttps://soundcloud.com/coldpizzaparty/eating-shitting-in-the-obama-years That parasocial Youtube vid, Fake Friends, Ep One: https://youtu.be/x3vD_CAYt4g Riding out to The Marias, Basta Ya: https://soundcloud.com/themarias/basta-ya-1

This week we invite you into our kitchen to talk politics. We make breakfast while explaining some big ideas like why leftists shouldn't discount electoral politics, why we still like Bernie, and why we're leftists in the first place. We also discuss poli sci concepts like the social contract, negative & positive freedom, what is the state, and utopias! Finally we round out our discussion by sending out our deepest congratulations to Phil Elverum and Michelle Williams. And in honor of their recent nuptials we ride out to “II. Solar System,” the happiest Microphones song we could think of.

Why is House Hunters International so appealing to literally everyone? This week, we think out loud about the fantasy of the show, its rigid format, its character types and why the opportunity it presents for loathing can be so fun. Ljubica also shares some behind the scenes House Hunters secrets she learned from a realtor! But first, she explains why you don't have to read theory to be a good leftist. We need to bring people along, because socialism is not a clique. closing song: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Love Connection

This week we bring you a conversation with our friend Djordje (who's living in Macedonia) about the current state of MK politics. We start out discussing the previous government's efforts to remake Macedonian history through architecture (out with the brutalism in with the kitsch). Then we discuss the "Colorful Revolution," the recent(ish) elections, and the new government. Has anything really changed? Finally we get deep into "the name issue," with Greece. Which is the real Macedonia? How did this issue arise? What about the right to self-determination? Does anyone actually give a fuck about human rights? (Hint: not really). Hope you enjoy this dive into my little country in all its messy, balkan glory.

Democracy is under threat from centrists according to recent polls, but Democrats continue to prefer moderates anyway. Also they're racist. What does the hell does this mean for us regular, old leftists and the change we'd like to create in this country? Then we discuss the BAFTA award winning BS reality show, Made in Chelsea and we touch on Southern Charm. Both shows have recently exhibited shifting attitudes towards women, and it's a little shocking for long time viewers. Recommendations: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZADstudios https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTSRIY3GLFYIpkR2QwyeklA https://www.youtube.com/user/ActualDannyGonzalez http://wohelit.com Footnotes: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/23/opinion/democrats-race.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/23/opinion/international-world/centrists-democracy.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/23/opinion/international-world/centrists-democracy.html https://theintercept.com/2018/05/23/democratic-party-leadership-moderates-dccc/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/05/25/nancy-pelosis-refusal-to-condemn-nfl-decision-shows-why-democrats-struggle-with-black-millennials/?utm_term=.3604b2b354af Riding out to: "Smoke Again" by Chance the Rapper

Watching Netflix's World's Most Extraordinary Homes, we were both awed and disgusted. Today, we talk about the show and its obscene mix of beautiful, well-considered art with gut-wrenching wealth, and then we compare it to the small rash of British reality shows about the Lords and Ladies who can't afford to maintain their families' massive manors and castles without renting them out on Airbnb, hosting murder mystery dinners or transforming them into weird zoos. This episode is like a spiritual successor to our fashion episode, another look at the value of high class art forms and why we should seize them from the rich. Ending tune: my little airport - A Good Trip One Night Along Nathan Road

This it's a true podcast hangout sesh. We have a free-wheeling discussion about Russia-gate, and why it's pathological for the liberals who love it. We also realize the deep-seeded psychological fear that undergirds both the Russia-gate narrative, and white supremacists' white genocide fantasies (hint: it's not fear of the other, it's fear of the self.) Finally, we round out our discussion with--Annihilation, and talk about how fears about big data and the data in our DNA are the basis for a new type of body horror. We ride out to Men I Trust, "Show Me How"

Ljubica gives us kind of an intro to fashion, and we talk about why it's interesting and worth watching and what the class politics of fashion are. Also, Adam talks about the Standard Oil heiress who became the NYC Planning Commissioner and tried to fight gentrification by re-zoning New York City in her image. She failed, but it was interesting!

The meritocratic and winner-takes-all world order is gonna make us all self-optimize to death. In her Jacobin article, "You Can Be Your Own Tyrannical Boss," Meagan Day writes that the hyper-competitive neoliberal world is leading millennials (like us!) to experience debilitating perfectionism, including an ambient societal version that causes us to expect constant productivity and correct political takes from ourselves and one another. But how does this tie in to Terrace House, and Summer House, and Real Housewives? Only Ljubica & Adam can say. "Under Neoliberalism, You Can Be Your Own Tyrannical Boss," Meagan Day -- https://jacobinmag.com/2018/01/under-neoliberalism-you-can-be-your-own-tyrannical-boss Closing song -- Cigarettes After Sex, "Keep On Loving You" Kyoko Okazaki, River's Edge -- easily downloadable scanlations, just a google away

Today, we say everything right about the Aziz Ansari sex abuse scandal. As always, don't form any opinions until you've listened to the whole episode. We discuss "bad sex," women's agency, how material conditions form us as sexual beings, and why some women don't want to admit this was abusive. "I Went on a Date With Aziz Ansari", https://babe.net/2018/01/13/aziz-ansari-28355 Closing song -- Skip Skip Ben Ben, "Lady Godiva's Operation (Velvet Underground cover)"

Back from a (long) holiday break, we're talking about female perspectives on justice as portrayed by the sisters of Charmed and women-centered cop shows. We also recommend our two favorite Netflix shows! Shows discussed in depth -- Charmed (Netflix), Marcella (Netflix), Bancroft (ITV), Acceptable Risk (RTE, also British) Cool book Ljubica uses, academic essays about Charmed -- Investigating Charmed: The Magic Power of TV, ed. Karin & Steve Beeler riding out on "I Want Wind to Blow"-Microphones

This week, we talk Alt-Right with the pleasant sounds of sautéing lunch in the background. Buzzfeed put out an exposé on Breitbart's literal ties to the Alt-Right, mostly focused on Milo Yiannopoulos' role, and we talk about the most interesting parts of the article, like: how it confirms Ljubica's fear of a Silicon Valley feudalist future; how Bannon is certain they'll be remembered as heroes in five hundred years, and also constantly uses words like “dude” and “wack” in his emails; and somehow, we seamlessly transition to talking about Rupi Kaur and how this messed-up world works great for people like her and Bannon, but not anyone normal, like us. Sources: Buzzed Article: https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/heres-how-breitbart-and-milo-smuggled-white-nationalism?utm_term=.phbyxxjZJ8#.xpoW00J5gR Cracked's Some News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOuY7hoqEs&t=1s Rupi Kaur Article: https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/instagram-poet-rupi-kaur-seems-utterly-uninterested-in-1819153164 Outro: Phil Ochs, Love Me, I'm a Liberal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u52Oz-54VYw

TV shows parenting as a hellscape, and in our class-stratified society, it increasingly is. Even well-to-do parents are so consumed with anxiety about developing the human capital of their young assets, they invest in strollers that perfect baby posture. We talk about TV's Catastrophe, David Graeber's Utopia of Rules, and the YouTubers who think the best thing they can do financially is to live in their cars, contorting their bodies Snowpiercer-style for capitalism. Also, tune in for the great financial advice we give about never paying extra on your debt. Linkz: https://www.jacobinmag.com/…/children-testing-schools-educ…/ https://jezebel.com/for-white-upper-middle-class-moms-and-d… Outro: Black Tambourine-Throw Aggi From The

On this ep, a continuation of “Conversation w/ a DACA Recipient,” our discussion moves to cover immigration more widely. Andrea talks about the misconception that “illegal immigrants” commit crime, Adam mentions the lying criminal immigrants he descended from, and we talk about what it means to be an immigrant or an American when you were born somewhere else. Also, we wonder aloud if the end of the world is nigh! Is it? Sure feels like it! https://www.facebook.com/andrea.d.vega.7 take action!! http://weareheretostay.org/call/ outro: The Boy Least Likely To - Be Gentle With Me

This week we have a cold pizza party first, an interview! Better yet, an interview with our friend and DACA recipient Andrea De La Vega. She tells us what it's like to live with precarious status in this country for most of your life. She explains how she ended up in such awful circumstances despite following the law and conscientiously navigating the Kafka-esque immigration process. We also talk about the concept of borders, traveling back to your hometown in your dreams, and how the immigration cloud taints even the most beautiful gestures and relationships. Also Ljubica get's really into Andrea's story and says “yeah” a lot. (Sorry.) Andrea's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.d.vega.7 As the DACA debacle continues, it's important that your voice is heard. Please check out the links below for steps you can take to put pressure on congress. My recommendation is that you go here: https://whoismyrepresentative.com Find your congress person's number and use this script: Hello, My name is ____, and I am one of your constituents. I am calling to express my discontent with the White House's decision to end DACA and ask Senator/Representative ______ to support legislative action that will protect immigrants affected by the termination of DACA. Eight hundred thousand lives are affected because of the president's decision to end DACA, and now it is time for Congress to pass a law that would provide a pathway to citizenship for this group of immigrants. Does Senator/Representative _____ currently support the Dream Act or Hope Act? If you are told your representative/senator supports either the Dream (in the Senate) or Hope Act (in the House of Representatives), say thank you and let them know you applaud that decision. If you are told your representative/senator does not support either the Dream or Hope Act, ask the staffer to explain why. Then, let the staffer know the human and economic impact that leaving 800,000 youth undocumented would have (see script for the White House above). If you are told your representative/senator has not made up his or her mind on the Dream or Hope Act, let the staffer know you urge the representative/senator to support these legislative efforts. (Script link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daca-has-ended-you-are-outraged-heres-what-you-can_us_59ae4bd7e4b0c50640cd619e) But here are some other great options too: http://weareheretostay.org/call/ https://ssl.capwiz.com/aclu-action/issues/alert/alertid=78557626&type=CO&ms=web_170905_immigrantsrights_DREAMAct https://www.thecut.com/2017/09/how-to-find-daca-protests-donate-call-congress.html Outro: Elephant Gym-Light (燈)

This week, we talk Harvey and Houston. We also explain Houston to people who've never been. Listen for some interesting facts that might counter misconceptions of Houston and Texas, for a discussion of the alienating nature of hierarchy as seen through Harvey, and for us gushing about the aesthetics of local TV. At the end, we talk more broadly about the hidden costs of capitalism, both on a national and state level in the face of crisis, but also on a personal level, when it comes to re-making the self. Donate to foodbanks for hurricane relief ~ http://www.galvestoncountyfoodbank.org/ http://www.foodbankcc.com/ http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/donate/ Red cross is bullshit ~ https://www.propublica.org/series/red-cross Ridin out to Beyonce's ***Flawless Ft Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We start out with a long ranting sesh as we decompress and try to digest the horrifying events of the weekend in Charlottesville. Then we switch over to some lighter faire and discuss fashion in the Trump years. We talk about how the Trump women manage to balance without fear in their Louboutins. We also discuss stilettos more broadly and possible reasons they are so appealing aesthetically and culturally as well as evolutionarily (we think the evo psych thing is bs, but we discuss it). We close out by touching on Ayesha Siddiqi's Bush Era Redux theory and round that out with a Jacobin article on the rise of "fuck you fashion" under the new administration. Links: Melania, Ivanka and Ivana Trump Wear High Heels, a Symbol of Everything That Is Beautiful and Horrifying About Them https://www.yahoo.com/news/melania-ivanka-ivana-trump-wear-155844548.html?.tsrc=fauxdal Ayesha A. Siddiqi Bush Era Redux Thread https://twitter.com/AyeshaASiddiqi/status/813689401137995776 Crimes Against Design https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/06/trump-gucci-vetements-fashion-couture-art Memorizing Instagram Workout Video Account we Discussed. https://www.instagram.com/kaisafit/?hl=en

This week we get back to talking about TV, with a new "feminist" tv show. We take a critical look at The Bold Type, it's lack of commitment to an actual feminism, and its fervent commitment to only good feelings. Adam manages to connect the show to Mark Fisher's, Capitalist Realism, while Ljubica bullshits as always. Also our dogs--our dogs are all over this!

This week we talk about Amber A'lee Frost's recent piece for Current Affairs, "Against Domesticity." In the piece Amber argues that, “Attempts to elevate and fetishize household labor are deeply insidious…” because such efforts hide the real work and value behind traditionally feminine labor. We unpack the piece further by asking whether being a consumer or producer makes you freer? Why are those time-lapse cooking videos so popular, and is a gallery wall really worth all the effort? (Yes.) Finally, we close out with a more nuanced understanding of why adulting is so popular among the kids these days. Link to Amber A'lee Frost's Against Domesticity https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/against-domesticity

How many Transformers movies is Warren Buffet worth? How many Transformers movies could all the OxyContin overdoses pay for? And what ever happened to "Soviet Yugoslavia"? This week, Ljubica gives us a crash course in Yugoslavian history and socialism, as well as OPEC's disastrous impact on the third world, because Joy Ann Reid was being dumb. But first, Adam shares an independent investigative study on how we can have free Transformers movies until the sun engulfs the earth. Links discussed: James Robertson, "The Life and Death of Yugoslav Socialism" https://jacobinmag.com/2017/07/yugoslav-socialism-tito-self-management-serbia-balkans Keith Spencer, "Why the Rich Love Burning Man" https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/08/burning-man-one-percent-silicon-valley-tech/ Joy Ann Reid, "I Don't Know What Yugoslavia Is" https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/888418586473136128

This week has been a bit hectic so instead of a new topic we bring you a bonus ep on last week's topic, conspiracies. Adam and I kept talking long after we turned the mic off, so we decided to pour ourselves a drink and chat a little more on the record. This conversation is more meandering and far reaching, but we still touch on some interesting topics like, why boomers are paranoid, Bin Ladin's death, and chat more about Christianity.

This week we talk Ancient Aliens, the tv show. We discuss why we love it as well as the many things about it that worry us. Then we talk about conspiracy theories at large: how do they function, why do they exist, and which ones are our favorites. Ljubica argues that all conspiracy theories may be reactionary and counter-revolutionary. Adam lends some cred to the episode and our harebrained ideas by introducing us to a thought-provoking essay by Eve Sedgwick about paranoid reading. We also manage to argue about religion. Links as promised in the episode--- Paranoid and Reparative Reading, or You're So Paranoid You Probably Think This Essay Is About You, by Eve Sedgwick: https://sydney.edu.au/arts/slam/downloads/documents/novel_studies/3_Sedgwick.pdf John Titor Conspiracy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor Link no one asked for, Mandela Effect listicle: https://www.buzzfeed.com/christopherhudspeth/crazy-examples-of-the-mandela-effect-that-will-make-you-ques?utm_term=.hfMDJyNZV#.emVGJPEr6

Adam shares with Ljubica some stuff Hillary Clinton said at a tech conference, and along the way, we discuss a bunch of stuff like conspiracy theories, existentialism, Russian brides, and why we podcast. It's long so maybe we should've released it as a two-parter, but instead just decide for yourself where to pause, we're not going to tell you how to live your life. Links Discussed: Chokwe Lumumba on Democracy Now, https://www.democracynow.org/2017/6/26/jackson_miss_mayor_elect_chokwe_lumumba Adam Curtis on Surkov, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od4MWs7qTr8

This week we do a close read of Megan McArdle's Bloomberg piece, "Beware of Blaming Government for London Tower Fire." It is the angriest episode we've ever recorded, but it also probably has the most laughs. Although Ljubica reads the entire piece aloud, you may want to follow along here: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-16/beware-of-blaming-government-for-london-tower-fire

This week we talk about the Vermont Governor's recent decision to veto a recreational pot bill, followed by a longer discussion about free speech and activism on campus. Are we all triggered snowflakes, or is there more to think about? Should students just sit down and shut up for the sake of their intellectual development, or is there value in thinking for yourself and taking action? We report, you decide.

Today, we read Matt Yglesias' tweets for young Bernie fans from an old Democrat, which are bad and wrong.

This week, we have a very free-ranging discussion over wine -- we touch on whiteness, reading politics as art, the great "The New Victorians" article from Jacobin a while back, other stuff, our dogs make a lot of noise, and we conclude with a recipe for a traditional Macedonian dish that sometimes we eat seriously every day.

This week Ljubica is excited to share some thoughts on true crime TV shows with Adam. We discuss new versus old and argue that "the real America" is murder shows. What are we exploring through these shows, and what do they do for us? What aspects of broader culture do they reproduce, like why are they all about women? How do murder shows from abroad compare to our homegrown, and what do we think of reenactments?

This week, we compare the paranoia over "fake news" to the pseudo-smart grandstanding of Vox dot com. We cover a few recent articles (linked below) that help us detail the shortcomings of Vox's "explaining the news" approach and unearth the ideology beneath its neutral surface. We talk the politics of belief, Ezra Klein's straight-A aesthetic, and Matt Yglesias' boring burrito drivel. We also struggle to name-drop de Certeau, and then lay bare why Hillary was deemed "more electable." Nathan J. Robinson, "Explaining It All to You" & "The Necessity of Credibility" https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/11/explaining-it-all https://www.currentaffairs.org/2016/12/the-necessity-of-credibility David V. Johnson, "Explanation for What?" http://thebaffler.com/salvos/explanation-for-what-johnson Ezra Klein, "How Politics Makes Us Stupid" http://www.vox.com/2014/4/6/5556462/brain-dead-how-politics-makes-us-stupid

On this episode, we decide to take a step back and reflect rather than get caught up in the political rat race of the moment. We chose Stephen Marche's recent article in the LARB, "The Obama Years," as a way to look at the recent past and figure out how we ended up like this. The article's recurring themes -- like images, eating & shitting, jumping through hoops, and sameness -- help us tackle what it's been like to live these past eight years. For example: Why are we obsessed with finding the best new food truck? Why are sewage treatment plants finding gold in our shits? How did every city end up with a "unique," quaint, hip coffee shop? We also discuss politics more explicitly, when we ask why are there no new ideas. And we talk personally about graduating during the crash and realizing early that no amount of jumping through hoops would get us where we expected to be. We also laugh at ourselves, as we realize we are total Obama years cliches. "The Obama Years" by Stephen Marche https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-obama-years/

Bonus episode! The first segment was recorded the day of the election. We discuss the campaign and make predictions, which... weren't exactly right. Kind of close, though! We talk about the political terrain of Ohio and Texas in particular. Then, a week afterwards, we cover some of the awful attempts to explain what happened, and suggest what's important going forward.

cold pizza party returns! with a look at why Search Party is so perfect, but the Gilmore Girls reunion is just whatever. We discuss the way Search Party induces paranoia, balances tonal shifts without throwing us off-kilter, and fits form to content in surprising ways. Also, we half-attack and half-heartedly-defend the Gilmore Girls reunion, including its long-awaited "final four words." Stay tuned for reasons why Rory is secretly a villain, and why the economy of Stars' Hollow is a bizarre neoliberal fever dream.

This week, we talk Trump, a discussion we had hoped would never be necessary. Adam outlines a hypothesis for his rise, including Trump's secret strategy you probably haven't heard of. Then, Ljubica talks about his supporters and "the white working class": who are they, who hates them, and why? We discuss "white" as a politically & socially constructed category and the flexibility of whiteness.

This time on cold pizza party, we're re-running our first ever recording you probably missed, where we dig into UnReal, Lifetime's fake-reality TV drama. Brought to us by a former producer of The Bachelor, it's smart, well-written, and reveals some of the secrets of how that terrible sausage gets made. If you're doubting how good Lifetime Original prestige TV could truly be, you're missing out -- catch up w/ Unreal before season 2 airs on Monday, and listen to Ljubica & I gush about what exactly makes it so great

This week, Ljubica & Adam discuss exclusively Vanderpump Rules with an eye towards class and labor politics. There will be spoilers, which means you don't have to be familiar with the show to listen, as we ask and answer questions like, When is reality tv more compelling than scripted? How much money does Lisa Vanderpump extract from these struggling 20-somethings? And should we consider them workers or fame-whores?

Ljubica & Adam dispel Super Tuesday myths, berate Hillary Clinton's nonsense college plan, and finally hammer out what, exactly, neoliberalization means.

On this episode of the cold pizza party podcast, we discuss the death & legacy of Antonin Scalia and whether originalism is or isn't a total crock of shit. We'll talk about originalism in relation to musicology (why?), political pragmatism, and Henry Kissinger. After that, we compare Colony to The Shannara Chronicles, and we'll let you in on the secret best-ever Australian TV show you've never heard of.

This week, Adam and Ljubica discuss depictions of abortion on TV and their implications. Then we breakdown the Bernie data breach non-scandal by interviewing a real NGP VAN user, Ljubica! Finally, we talk about our big (and small) takeaways from the Democratic debate.

This episode, we discuss cyber security, encryption and the dumb politicians that wanna take it away. Then we move on to Top Chef, macho men, and the illusion of objectivity. Finally, we discuss whether voting for Hillary in the general would ever make sense to us. (Hint: Probably not)