Sistrionics

The 90s! We’re going back to the 90s! Those damn commies have lost, Clarissa can conceivably explain it all, JK Rowling seems to be the incorruptible moral compass of an entire generation of children and would never alienate a marginalised group out of ignorance and bigotry. Versace and Lady Di. Hyper individualism turns voters into consumers and we’re only just waking up to the consequences of that. Trigger Warning for Boomers…as usual we end up lamenting that you have so much power and wealth…it gets harsh. But the best boomers know that something’s got to give and this generalisation shouldn’t rattle the awesome ones. Trigger warning: Gen X, we don’t mention you…soz. But you’re used to it and you like the feeling of superiority don’t you? Trigger warning: Climate change, Izzy gets real when it comes to how we’re going to adapt to the new world. But stay up beat, because solidarity is making a come back. Music and Production: Alex Griffiths https://soundcloud.com/alex_g87

We really do care. Do you? Back to women’s work. Back to care in the times of Corona. In our first podcast as two merging households we dive into domestic work, childcare, and care generally. Covid throwing into relief once again the precarious nature of women’s work, work that is valued and how to pay at the tills with applause. We’re not going to lie…wine was drunk pre-recording, got a bit fast and loose. But whether a bit tipsy or stone cold sober, one thing always remains…we hate the fucking Tories.

In this episode, Pip and Izzy address the #BlackLivesMatter protests that have kicked off since #GeorgeFloyd's brutal murder in the US 19 days ago. What does it mean to be an ally? How can more white people join this movement? And what will it take to move this conversation forward towards a place where no one is made to feel inferior or treated differently because of the melanin content of their skin.

Izzy breaks down what happened in response to the financial crash of 2008: there were SubPrime Mortgages….huh? There were Derivatives…who? Credit swaps…how many? It was all extremely confusing and seemed simpler to blame a global financial crisis on that one down the road with her 3 kids, or migrant workers whose jobs might have been to pick fruit (jobs definitely not so important that Prince Charles will have to go out begging people to do it in the near future). We find out a trillion is a thousand billion, and arguably ANYONE could be a trillionaire if they just WORKED A BIT HARDER! So get Izzy’s fantastic run down of what not to do in response to a Global financial crisis, Pip’s usual level of rage at those in charge and the reasons we can feel positive about the steps being taken towards getting out of this with climate justice in mind and a massive shift towards a green recovery plan.

We took a bit of time to adjust to the New World Order but we're back making a plan for future episodes and checking in with our adoring public...we thought of releasing a charity single but I cringed SO hard my face turned inside out. As a treat we thought we'd give you a glimpse of our heads and shoulders to truly capture the current zeitgeist, you can watch our zoom call here: https://www.facebook.com/sistrionicspodcast/ Sending you lots of love and well wishes!

Brexit is happening! We tried, they won, GET OVER IT!!!!! But a little something happened earlier this year that really made us hopeful about the future. A certain Duchess said...No thanks Byeeeee! So if you're looking for a good Brexit bitch, a Republican (non-GOP style)rant, but some reasons to be hopeful, come join us for 45 mins, we'd love to have you! Music and Production by Alex Griffiths @alex_g87

Civil Disobedience…whose doin it? Who wants to do it? What does it take to make those in charge listen to the facts on climate change? What if I really confidently jaywalk whilst flipping off the police…not for the climate just in my desperation to appear…dangerous? This episode we talk about the failure of A to B protest in demanding action from those in charge. How many people do you need on the streets being disruptive to get the powers that be to take note, and where does this make the most impact? How are movements like Extinction Rebellion creating a dilemma for politicians and still winning people over to their cause? We chat about this and the frustration of trying to win over a generation that seems fundamentally incapable and unwilling to accept responsibility and change course when it comes to global climate catastrophe. It felt particularly significant to be talking about considering this week saw the 30 year anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall! Music and Production by Alex Griffiths https://soundcloud.com/alex_g87

When Pip was doing her MA she did a module called ‘Gender, Crime and Deviancy’ it was key in teaching how to read gender through history and today. Who gets the benefit of the doubt in the justice system? Who and what crimes are most reviled in the press and what does that say about gender imbalances in public/private and everyday life. Who was Jack the Ripper? Should we really care? Seems like he was a proper dick. We’re chatting about some historic and some contemporary cases of women as victims of crime and as criminals and how their treatment reflects on systemic gender imbalances today. Music, editing, production by Alex Griffiths https://soundcloud.com/alex_g87

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate we're talking...Witches! How has the figure of the witch been perpetuated and represented throughout history? Who were the people most persecuted at the height of the western witchcraft trials of the 16th and 17th Centuries? Can a line be drawn from the centralisation of wealth and power, away from supposed witches and ‘female’ knowledge to the neoliberal patriarchal nightmare we live in today? Well…yeah. Obvs. Show Notes Silvia Federici, 'Caliban and the Witch' (2004) Barbara Ehrenreich and Deidre English, 'Witches, Midwives and Nurses, A history of Women Healers’ (2015) Unobscured Podcast, Aaron Mehnke (2018) https://historyunobscured.com Benjamin Marschke, “Witches: Sex and Science in the 16th Century.” (2016) Humboldt State University ‘Favourite Lecture Series’ https://bit.ly/2EGVbWI Edited by Alex Griffiths https://soundcloud.com/alex_g87

Well, we have a lot of things we want to record talking about...but Brexit is so heavy on our minds we thought we would try to exorcise the demon once more! Recorded after Theresa May's historic defeat in Parliament earlier in January, I was a little worried the story would move along before we got the episode edited and out, but fortunately (and unfortunately), Brexit never seems to change, we seem constantly to be teetering over the abyss...Happy Days! Production: Alex Griffiths https://soundcloud.com/alex_g87

Traditionally gendered women's work is what keep the machinery of society moving, usually quietly and very often going unrecognised. We talk about the importance of 'women's work' and how its appreciation and sharing across the gender divide benefits all of us.

Its been almost a year since the New York Times broke the story of Harvey Weinstein's serial sexual abuse. Its been nine months since our first podcast where we focused on the Metoo movement. As we see an increase in divide and partisanship in the US in the confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh, has anything changed?

With all of the confusion, misdirection, vitriol, fear and sheer cack-handedness of the British Government, we, two British women and a British/German baby leave the stats and arguments and have a cathartic RANT on the anxiety Brexit has inflicted and crisis of identity that has followed for so many of us. Carry on Remoaning!!!

Izzy and Pip got together about a week or so before the referendum in Ireland on the 25th May 2018 to discuss the injustice and indignity Irish women have suffered at the hands of the 8th Amendment. Special thanks to Anna, Sinead and Ken.

This episode we finally did it, we FINALLY did it...well Izzy did it after some many hours of labour. But it all paid off and the world has a new beautiful boy!!! Listen to her gripping birth story which has everything...Romance, suspense, drama, a VILLAINOUS member of the patriarchy...and multiple HEROES! Also Pip created an equally important kitchen!

This episode Izzy talks about what she has learned in the run up to her due date which is ANY DAY NOW!!!!!! And Pip dives into the story of Hedy Lamarr which combines two of her favourite topics: Hollywood history and fighting the Nazis!!!

Episode 2 - Housing is a feminist issue by Sistrionics

Sistrionics – a Podcast about hard hitting issues with occasional reference to Donatella Versace, pregnancy and motherhood, the correct way to urinate in a public toilet whilst wearing a jump suit and of course the eventual defeat of the Patriarchy! Your hosts are the wonderful Pip Roper from Merseyside, England currently living and working in Germany’s most capital of all cities, Berlin and her determined companion, the ever growing Izzy Choksey currently creating a human in her womb to be located on most days in her Berlin flat attempting to reach her toes whilst raging about politics. Produced monthly with the waxing and waning of that oh so feminine orb in the night sky, Sitrionics can be your guide to all things contemporary, woke, fabulous and lady-ish.