Sip & Politic

This week Carla and Joy discuss the Oceangate submersible implosion. Join along as they explore the ethics around feelings of schadenfreude when billionaires die, the reasons capitalists despise the regulations that keep us safe, the allure of extreme tourism for the wealthy, and so much more. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy discuss the exploitative playground that is the service industry. Join along as they explore the origins of tipping, the propaganda that justifies the mistreatment of workers in this space, models for a more just service industry, and so much more. References in today's show: Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy are back after a brief hiatus! With summertime quickly approaching and vacation planning underway for many, it's the perfect time to discuss the politics of travel. What is the link between colonialism and mass tourism? How is exploitation baked into the development and operation of resort towns? How can we as individuals become more ethical travelers? Join along as they answer these questions and more! Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.comFollow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy complete their two week exploration of the housing crisis, and the IMBY (in my backyard) movements. Does the YIMBY movement truly stand in opposition to the NIMBY movement, or are they two sides of the same coin? Is there a movement that exists beyond the NIMBY/YIMBY binary? What would public policy that affirms housing as a human right look like? Join along as they answer these questions and more! Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.comFollow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy are back in their microseries bag - this time taking on our long-standing housing crisis. What happens when you treat housing as a tool for profit making rather than a right? How did the real estate lobby contribute to the deterioration of our public housing? What role have NIMBYs played in our shortage of affordable housing, and are there leftist NIMBYs? Join along as they answer these questions and more. **Please excuse the echo for the first two minutes of the podcast - it clears away at the 2:18 mark :) ** Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.comFollow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy discuss the recent layoffs in the tech industry. Join along as they challenge conventional wisdom on who is and who isn't part of the working class, and explore the ways in which tech companies are hostile to organizing and worker empowerment. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

Welcome to season 2 of Sip & Politic! For this inaugural episode of 2023, Carla and Joy honor Black History Month and its theme of Black Resistance by discussing the sanitization of our Black leaders' legacies. This sanitization not only softens their indictment of white supremacy, but ERASES their indictment of capitalism. Join along as they discuss why so many of our prominent leaders from the civil rights era believed that dismantling capitalism was necessary for Black liberation. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy venture on part two of their discussion surrounding Qatar and the World Cup. Whereas last week's episode laid the groundwork and provided context on how we arrived at this moment, this week they are fully in their analysis bag. Join along as they discuss the bias on display in discourse surrounding Qatar, the pervasiveness of human rights abuses in the country, how some leftists end up aligning with oppressive governments, and so much more. This is our final episode of the year as we head to break for the holidays. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined along with us thus far and we look forward to reengaging in the new year! Wishing everyone a fabulous holiday season! Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy are back in their micro-series bag, this time discussing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Politics and sports have been inextricably linked since the dawn of time, and that is certainly the case with this quadrennial event. Join along as they discuss FIFA's long history of corruption, the alleged bribery scheme Qatar leveraged to secure the hosting bid against all odds, and the systemic exploitation of migrant workers under the kafala system. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy take on white privilege. Join along as they have a holistic discussion surrounding the multi-faceted nature of both privilege and oppression. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy take on Affirmative Action and the disingenuous discourse that often surrounds it. Join along as they explore how race conscious holistic review in college admissions TRULY works, who some of the greatest beneficiaries of this practice are, why "race neutral" policies are anything but, and much more. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com References on today's episode: Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy discuss the rise of femininity coaches. Under the guise of women's empowerment, they promote repackaged conservative rhetoric which only serves to reinforce archaic, rigid gender roles. Join along as they discuss how this movement has gained traction, why much of the content is targeted towards Black women, the dangers of marrying rich, and more. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy discuss the myriad of ways that hegemonic masculinity harms men. Contrary to conservative men's rhetroic around the dangers of feminism, the real culprit for their woes is the trinity of interlocking systems of oppression — patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy. Join along as they interrogate MRA (men's rights activists) talking points on everything from custody battles to dangerous jobs to life expectancy. TRIGGER WARNING - This episode touches on topics that includes sexual assault, suicide, and more. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy embark on a myth-busting mission against this supposed abortion-Black genocide connection. In the midst of a 2-week flurry of bigoted remarks, Kanye West alluded to the idea that abortion is a form of Black genocide; Ye is just the most recent in a long line of conservatives drawing false parallels between reproductive freedoms and eugenics. Join along as the duo explore the history of the eugenics movement, the complex reality of Margaret Sanger's legacy, and the disproportionate harm Black people capable of giving birth face as a result of abortion restrictions. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. References in the show: www.thedownballot.orgFollow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy complete their two-part deep dive into Iran's complex social and political landscape in an effort to contextualize the protest movement that has ignited over the past several weeks. In this episode, they turn the mirror around to the United States. How can leftists best stand in solidarity with folks on the ground in Iran? How can we balance the need to amplify the Iranian peoples' grievances with their government, while also rejecting US intervention and sanctions? The duo answer these questions and more on this episode. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. References in the show: Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy discuss the recent death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini in the custody of the Iranian morality police, which has invigorated a new protest movement in the country. In order to better understand the social and political environment under which this is taking place, the duo explore the history of Iranian governance from the 1920s to present day, and examine the forces that helped facilitate the transition from a secular monarchy to the present day theocracy - all from a leftist perspective. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy explore the concept of champagne socialism. Is there an inherent contradiction in holding socialist politics and being rich? Can one navigate elite spaces without compromising their leftist beliefs? The pair take on these questions, while walking through some recent controversial political moments. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. References in the show: Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy complete their two-part deep dive into radicalization, journeying through the what/when/where/how/why of right wing extremism. They discuss the facilitatory elements that push people into the right wing pipeline, some interesting entry points into extremism (which may surprise you!), and close the show with preventative measures to protect against radicalization, and how folks can be de-radicalized after the fact. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. Follow us on social media: thedownballot.org

This week Carla and Joy embark on yet another two-part issue exploration — this time, on radicalization. They kick off the episode by sharing their journeys to becoming leftists, and round out the show by exposing the failures of our systems — from health care to housing and beyond — to meet our needs. Whereas this episode highlights the systemic failures that should act as radicalizing forces for all of us, next week's episode will explore the nefarious radicalization that is right wing extremism. Have thoughts/comments/reactions to this episode? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at sipandpolitic@gmail.com. References in the show: Follow us on social media:

This week Carla and Joy complete their two-part exploration on the politics of desirability. The conversation exposes how beauty politics presents itself in everything from fascism and minimalism to the school to prison pipeline to the healthcare industry, and beyond. As always, the show is closed with a solution-oriented look at how we can begin dismantling this very narrow and restrictive standard of beauty. References in the show: Follow us on social media: