Examination of Consciousness

Happy week 2 of Hallomonth! Today, I'm bringing on special guest SHLOMO who will be joining me in a discussion of the entire Saw franchise. We first start with a discussion of our religious upbringings, which inform our intrigue about horror in general and the Saw franchise. Then we begin a qualified criticism of John Kramer's stringent moral code (especially his targeting of victims of institutional oppression), followed by a comparison of the three Saw-pprentices, especially of their moralities and adherence to the original Kramer mission. Finally, we discuss Spiral (2021), which I (and I believe Shlomo as well) believe deserved more than a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. Good work, Chris Rock. Thanks for listening! Happy Halloween >:)

Happy Hallomonth! For our first installment of the the Halloween podcast series, I will be bringing on a guest to discuss the first Saw movie through a lens you may not have considered before. Saw is often credited with jumpstarting the “torture porn” genre, but what drove horror to abandon its supernatural, monster-centered roots?Our guest argues that Saw was born out of the geopolitical atmosphere of the early 2000s — that it reflects the anxieties and moral ambiguities of a post-9/11 world. Together, we’ll explore how the film’s themes, imagery, and characters may serve as allegory for that era’s fears, power dynamics, and obsession with justice and punishment.Sources:Statistics about American feelings following 9/11: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/02/two-decades-later-the-enduring-legacy-of-9-11/Literature on Saw franchise + torture porn genre and the post-9/11 world:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272208157_The_Saw_franchise_and_the_representation_of_terror_in_post-911_American_filmhttps://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/see-saw-movies-essays/Abu Ghraib: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/shock-insecurity-and-endless-war-how-911-changed-america-and-world

Welcome back! This is our third and final episode of the Racial Capitalism and Fascism and America series. Today's topic? Fascism in America. My guest and I discuss the Nazi phrase "Working towards the Fuhrer," he leaves for a meeting, then we regroup for a quick discussion of FDR's Four Freedoms and the political atmosphere of the 1920s and 1930s. We discuss the concept of the political machine, and continue our conversation of authoritarianism and democracy, which is more relevant than every today.Sources:FDR's Four Freedoms:https://www.fdrlibrary.org/four-freedoms

Welcome back! On this episode of Examination of Consciousness, we discuss more things.... listen for more....Tune in next week when we will discuss Fascism and Working towards the Fuhrer, especially in the context of today's political climate.Books mentioned:An Infantile Disorder by Vladimir Lenin (this is not a book rec, but rather mentioned to display Lenin's transition from left to right)https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/Black Shirts and Reds by Michael Parenti (my godfather and I are reading this book together now!)https://citylights.com/city-lights-published/blackshirts-reds-rational-fascism/

Welcome back to Examination of Consciousness! I've got a good one for you today. My guest lent me THREE HOURS of his time to clear up some economic misconceptions, critically investigate capitalism, and to explain why the model in Appalachia is so important to him. We just scratch the surface in part one of this series. In this episode, my guest discusses how his childhood and college experiences informed his perspective. He explains how Appalachia’s history of natural resource extraction turned the region into a kind of “frontier state”—a place uniquely suited for the organic development of a communal model. He also touches on the fact that race creation is an extremely social (as opposed to based in science/biology) process that is heavily influenced and exacerbated by capitalism. Finally, he discusses some theory, including the concept of the "Base and Superstructure."Sources:Liberal vs Leftist:https://www.lawrentian.com/archives/1022577Gulag:https://www.history.com/articles/gulagBase and Superstructure:https://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v2(3)/version-1/L0203017577.pdfBook Recommendations: On the Origin of Capitalism by Ellen Meiksins Woodhttps://cominsitu.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ellen-meiksins-wood-the-origin-of-capital-a-longer-view.pdfBlack Marxism by Cedric Robinsonhttps://uncpress.org/9781469663722/black-marxism-revised-and-updated-third-edition/

Welcome back! This is part two of my Critiques on Psychiatry podcast with the lovely Olive! If you haven't listened to part one, feel free to listen to that first; we had a fabulous discussion on the history of psychiatry, Chinese traditional medicine, historic treatment of women, labels and diagnoses, and Jungism.On this episode, we are going to be discussing Erik Erikson's stages of psychodevelopment, neurodiversity, and yoga as a form of therapy. Along the way, Olive makes several inferences about disability politics and societal pressure to be "successful." She also has some kind words for anyone who feels like they on they phone too much. No shade to anyone who is lucky enough to be in a long-term relationship and is getting ready to get married before 26, but hopefully y'all can empathize with those of us who will NOT be getting married before 26.Thank you Olive for being a fantastic guest; your insight and nuanced perspective were sooo appreciated. And thank you all for listening <3Sources:Erik Eriksonhttps://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556096/B.F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlovhttps://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Psychology/Introductory_Psychology/General_Psychology_for_Honors_Students_(Votaw)/01%3A_History_of_Psychology/1.06%3A_Pavlov_Watson_Skinner_And_BehaviorismTemple Grandinhttps://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2014/11/5-questions--temple-grandin-discusses-autism--animal-communicati.htmlNeurological benefits from dancehttps://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/dancing-brainDance in indigenous cultureshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8814356/

Wow. It's been two years since I last recorded a podcast, mainly due to a recent mental health crisis. In an attempt to pet two birds with one hand (addressing my experience kinda AND kicking this pod back up), I wanted to make mental health and psychiatry my first topic. So I brought in Olive, who has a wide range of experiences that lend perspective to this dialogue, and with whom I've had numerous conversations about mental health-- sometimes leaning into the more “woo-woo” side of things, and other times taking a critical look at psychiatry itselfIn part one of our podcast, we are going to be diving into the history of psychiatry, from the ancient practice of trephining, to the "wandering uterus," to the four humors, to lobotomies. We discuss the traditionalist Chinese medicine concept of "yeet hay," and how cultural conformity disproportionately pushed women into treatments like lobotomies. We discuss our qualified critiques of the DSM-5 (the 5th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- used to diagnose mental disorders). Finally, we discuss some of Carl Jung's theories and how he integrated spirituality. Tune in next week for a discussion of the stages of psychosocial development, neurodiversity, and more!Sources:Trephininghttps://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/77918/student/?section=9Yeet hayhttps://magazine.circledna.com/demystifying-yeet-hay/Ancient egyptians and wandering uterus https://frontlinegenomics.com/womens-health-from-the-wandering-uterus-to-the-21st-century/#:~:text=Ancient%20Egyptians%20and%20Greeks%20believed,deemed%20inappropriate%20in%20a%20woman.The four humors https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/shakespeare-and-the-four-humors/index.html#!Lobotomieshttps://tidsskriftet.no/en/2022/12/essay/lessons-be-learnt-history-lobotomyhttps://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-15629160https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3640229/Lobotomies and womenhttps://frontlinegenomics.com/womens-health-from-the-wandering-uterus-to-the-21st-century/#:~:text=Ancient%20Egyptians%20and%20Greeks%20believed,deemed%20inappropriate%20in%20a%20woman.List of reasons for admission to a West Virginia Hospital for the Insane https://dangerousminds.net/comments/list_of_reasons_for_admission_to_an_insane_asylum/back from the borderline episodehttps://shows.acast.com/back-from-the-borderline/episodes/psychiatry-and-big-pharma-exposed-institutional-corruptionHomosexuality and the DSM https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/diversity/education/best-practice-highlights/working-with-lgbtq-patients#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20Psychiatry,new%20understanding%20and%20treatment%20LGBTQ.Sapir-Whorf Hypothesishttps://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/sapir-whorf-hypothesisCarl Jung https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2755140/https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.htmlhttps://www.thecollector.com/carl-jung-controversial-idea-what-is-collective-unconscious/https://www.simplypsychology.org/freud-vs-jung.htmlRichter Rat Experimenthttps://www.vailhealthbh.org/about/news/wolfington-the-power-of-hope

(Disclaimer: this episode was recorded late 2023 when the FNAF movie just came out). Whether you've casually come across a meme, or you are deeply involved with the horror gaming community, you probably are aware of the massive fandom that is Five Nights at Freddy's. As an enjoyer of anything with lore, I wanted to know more about the FNAF story, and why this community has seemed to explode in recent years. So I brought on Annette, a FNAF expert who has sent me maybe 7 cumulative hours of voice memos about FNAF lore, to unveil such mysteries and more.

Join me and special guest Kobe in examining the legend of Zardulu the mythmaker. It's more than an rat meme. It's even more than a hoax. It's an entire shift in perspective. 

I will give you $100 if you don't feel a pang in your heart over the course of this episode. This episode centers around Madoka's final decision. We get INTO the sorrow of girlhood and it's all very tragic but its also very beautiful. The Madoka Magica finale leaves us all with a lot to ponder upon, and many tragic figures to relate to when we feel alone in our experiences.  Thank you all for joining us on this journey of self-discovery and understanding through Madoka Magica. Thank you to Zoey for joining me in hosting and for being "my very best friend :3"

In the penultimate episode, the shorties reckon with the betrayal and loss they've experienced recently while gearing up to the the imminent danger on the horizon: THE WALPURGISNACHT! Is Homura lying to Madoka? Will Homura finally achieve her dream of preventing Madoka from becoming a magical girl? Will Kyubey finally peace out bc no one wants his stupid stinky ass around anymore? 

In this earth-shattering episode, Homura (Walpurgis)SNATCHES us into HER reality, and we discover just why she is the cold, aloof little shorty she is. Its up to you to decide if her behavior is excused or not. Plus some controversial words on Mami. Just two more episodes left... sob

Black and white. Selfishness and selflessness. Good and evil. This is the episode in which the battle between opposing forces comes to a head.. leaving tragedy in its wake.

Phew. This is the most highly anticipated episode in the minds of Zoey and myself. Buckle up for this ridonkulous episode breakdown in which I explain why this show should be called "Sayaka Magica." Also listen for our deep-dive into the interpersonal relationships within this episode, in this time of tragedy, betrayal, and stress. Madoka Magica teaches us a lot about ourselves as well as our friendships.

This may be our best episode yet. More Sayaka bs. Development of every plot point. Featuring puppet-illustrated tragic backstories, breaking of girl code, and an interruption from my dad. Like always, "this is the episode where shit goes down." Also I did something extra with the outro and I have a feeling it's not going to work, sorry.

This is the episode where we discuss how much ~I~ love Kyoko, discuss more of Sayaka's spiraling and how we relate with her journey ourselves, and the buildup to a very important decision that Madoka makes...

Sayaka decides to become a magical girl! NAUUUUR! Join Alice on this episode recap plus a quick mid-season recap! I'm sorry I deleted to recording of Zoey and me.... I suck.... Enjoy and get ready for shit to go down!

Reeling from the events that occurred in episode 4, Madoka and Sayaka. More Sayaka build-up, more Sayaka righteousness. Sayaka Sayaka Sayaka. This episode is the calm.... after the storm... and before the storm again.

Phew. Episode 3... If you haven't already noticed these episodes are getting longer and longer and that is very much true for this one. Sh*t goes down this episode. Listen for a breakdown of 3 characters whose development is really spotlighted this episode. At this point I beg thee, heed my warning: if you want to watch Madoka Magica in the future watch at least to episode 3 before you listen. Some rambling about general existentialism and the devastating consequences of holding yourself and the world to a strict moral compass.

While this episode may seeem like filler, there's no filler in Madoka Magica. Join us as we discuss the subtle and more obvious ways that episode 2 set up the viewers' (and M and S) to believe certain things about magical girls and Homura. Plus some interesting things to notice about Sayaka and her moral compass.

Episode 1 of Madoka Magica broken down by two girls who love magical girl animes and celebrating girlhood (and have also seen this show two times already)