Potstirrer Podcast

In this episode, Jaye discusses "The Great Resignation," the abnormally high number of American workers voluntarily walking away from work, which has been a constant trend since April 2021. Why are so many workers leaving their jobs or even careers? Jaye dispels the myth of the "lazy unemployed who don't want to work," and points out what most "quitters" are actually doing once they resign. In addition, Jaye talks about vaccine mandates instituted by the public and private sector, and...

Jaye announces a move to a Thursday fortnightly schedule, and introduces Potstirrer Scoops! - a shorter, commentary-based format that will be used for some episodes going forward. In the first episode of Potstirrer Scoops!, Jaye discusses the recent arrest of two Columbus, Ohio police officers on federal drug charges. Topics covered include the drug war, the opioid epidemic, medical racism, and police corruption. Related Series - America's Drug War:...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes discussion of pregnancy termination, sexual assault, gun violence and domestic terrorism. Listener discretion is advised. Jaye gives her thoughts on the recently-implemented Texas law restricting abortion past six weeks gestation. The discussion includes maternal mortality, adoption, surveillance culture and more. How is the assault by Texas and other states on abortion rights related to the recent attacks on "critical race theory" and efforts...

Theology professor, author, and African Methodist Episcopal elder Obery M. Hendricks Jr., Ph.D. joins Jaye on this episode of Potstirrer Podcast to discuss his historically rich and theologically informative book Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith. This enriching conversation includes discussion of the racially conservative roots of right-wing evangelicalism and its effects on Black Americans, the ways in which right-wing...

This multi-episode series is about efforts to suppress or limit the vote in certain communities across the United States in order to achieve specific outcomes. In Part 2, Jaye discusses the history of voting rights in the United States based on sex from the founding until the immediate aftermath of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited the government from restricting women from the ballot box. The woman suffrage movement in the United States, as the defining issue in first wave feminism, was...

In this public release of a bonus episode originally released on Patreon in December 2019, Jaye discusses the life of Dr. Timothy Leary, the "Godfather of LSD." How did someone so apolitical (in the height of an extremely political era!) make political enemies, and what made President Richard Nixon call him "the most dangerous man in America?" Twitter: @potstirrercast IG: @potstirrerpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potstirrerpodcast/ Website: PotstirrerPodcast.com Source...

Activist, former pastor, and professor emeritus Drick Boyd, Ed.D. joins Jaye on this episode of Potstirrer Podcast to discuss his thought-provoking book Disrupting Whiteness: Talking With White People About Racism. This riveting conversation includes themes that are a part of Dr. Boyd's book, teaching and activism, such as understanding one's "race story," how to overcome the reticence of some white Americans to engage with and discuss race, "white saviors," anti-racism, solutions that...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes brief discussion of physical violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. This multi-episode series is about efforts to suppress or limit the vote in certain communities across the United States in order to achieve specific outcomes. In Part 1, Jaye discusses the history of the vote in the United States as it pertains to race and ethnicity from the founding through the Jim Crow segregation period. She argues that there has...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of homophobia and mental illness. Listener discretion is advised. In this public release of a bonus episode originally released on Patreon in August 2019, Jaye discusses the divorce announcement of Joshua Harris, the author of Christian self-help book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and his wife, singer Shannon Bonne, and their apparent ongoing deconstruction from evangelical Christianity. Are people who hold harmful beliefs capable of change? Jaye...

The Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, 2021 were one of many large-scale shooting incidents that occurred after a lull in mass gun violence due to the pandemic. But this spree shooting stuck out due to the various issues the tragedy touched on, including gun control and the Second Amendment, stereotyping and discrimination against Asian people, racialized misogyny, policing biases, and toxic teachings within evangelical Christianity. Jaye discusses each of these issues in light of this...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of physical violence, physical suffering and death. Listener discretion is advised. In this public release of a Patreon bonus episode originally released in July 2019, Jaye discusses graphic images of suffering and oppression. Should these be protected by content warnings? The episode dives into the history of violent images and how unaltered visuals moved many Americans to act politically. She also explores the downsides of...

It is the middle of President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office, and his administration has been hard at work attempting to end the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, as well as other policy priorities. But actions on immigration-related policy, as it relates to a shift in direction from Donald Trump, have been more modest. Jaye discusses Biden's ending of the Muslim Travel Ban and the lifting of restrictions for allowing unaccompanied minors into the US, among other immigration...

In this public release of a Patreon bonus episode originally released in January 2020, Jaye tells the story of the 1969 University of Wyoming Cowboys football team. Fourteen African-American players on the team were dismissed by their head coach in the middle of the 1969 season for asking permission to protest. How is the Black 14 incident, and the aftermath, instructive for understanding social protest by athletes today? Twitter: @potstirrercast IG: @potstirrerpodcast Facebook:...

How could seemingly normal Americans end up becoming right-wing extremists? Jaye discusses the role of extremist Christianity as a gateway to radical right-wing movements. Does the fact that Christianity is the dominant religion in the United States blind us to the possibility of family, friends and others we associate with becoming radicalized? https://www.facebook.com/potstirrerpodcast/ Featured...

The year 2021 has begun in the United States with a tragic attack on democracy. On January 6, pro-Trump rioters who were taking part in a protest stormed the US Capitol Building in Washington DC, during a joint session of Congress held to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Capitol attack, incited by the rhetoric of Donald Trump and other Republican politicians, led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer who was murdered by rioters. It has led...

In the fourth annual Potstirrer Podcast War on Christmas Special, Jaye reflects on the strange, horrifying year that was 2020. Would a decently better response to the pandemic have netted Donald Trump a second term? And does incoming president Joe Biden have the fight in him to take on the groups who are seeking to end democracy in the United States? Twitter: @potstirrercast IG: @potstirrerpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/potstirrerpodcast/ Website:...

In this flashback bonus episode - originally a two-parter first released in May and June of 2019, Jaye shares her Top Five Terrible Humans List. These are influential Americans, dead or alive, who made a negative contribution to their sphere of influence during their lifetime. In this episode, Jaye discusses her purely, 100 percent subjective criteria, dishonorable mentions, and the full list of Terrible Humans. Neither Donald Trump nor Mike Pence can be found on the list, because that's way...

The 2020 US general election has taken place, and after days of counting in several swing states, former Vice-President Joe Biden has won the election decisively over Donald Trump. However, the expected gains for Democrats in Congress - the "blue wave" - were not realized. Why did this result occur? Jaye details what she believes is the real reason why centrist Democrats are blaming progressives and black activists for the unmet expectations in Congress. Meanwhile, Trump has yet to concede...

The 2020 US general election is coming up, and it's time to get ready! Jaye discusses political polling - including why the 2016 presidential poll predictions were not as much of a failure as it has been reported in the press. Will 2020 be a repeat of 2016? Also, Jaye discusses the current landscape and provides guidance in case of a Donald Trump victory or should Joe Biden win the election. Election Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) Voter Protection Information:...

In the runup to the 2020 US general election, many events have occurred on local, state and federal levels that point to an authoritarian slide for the United States. Jaye discusses some of these events, including the presidential and vice-presidential debates, the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Kentucky grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case, Donald Trump's ban of "critical race theory" in public schools, and the rushed efforts to confirm staunch conservative...