I’m Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today!

Every generation gets a panic about its kids — and every generation’s panic looks deeply stupid in hindsight. In Part 1 of a new three-part series, Chris and Des trace how the modern “teenager” was even invented, then walk the timeline through Elvis’s hips, James Dean, the 70s nihilism of Over the Edge, Chris’s 80s coming-of-age in Ames, Iowa, and the slacker label that never quite fit. The setup for everything coming next: it’s not that the kids aren’t all right. It’s that the kids aren’t supposed to be all right — and adults keep forgetting their own teenage years.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryTimestamps:0:00 — Cold open: “the kids end up okay at the end”1:30 — Welcome + a new three-part series4:00 — The Michael Jackson biopic conversation8:00 — The teenager was invented after WWII13:00 — “Kids these days” — the cyclical hand-wringing15:00 — Elvis’s hips and rock and roll panic21:00 — “Cut your hair” as the universal theme23:00 — The 70s: latchkey kids and Iowa childhood29:00 — Over the Edge: the dark side of 70s teen life32:00 — “It’s 10 PM. Do you know where your kids are?”33:30 — The 80s: the “fake decade”36:00 — Jocks, bullies, and 80s masculinity41:00 — John Hughes brings teenagers to cinema43:00 — MTV, hairbands, grunge, and the rise of rap48:30 — Why we got called “slackers”52:00 — Where does that energy go?55:00 — Kids aren’t SUPPOSED to be all right57:00 — Belonging, generational labels, and what’s nextReferences:Project MUSEUniversity of Southern Indianahttps://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/10/the-senate-comic-book-hearings-of-1954/ https://www.archives.gov/legislative/resources/education/comic-books https://the-artifice.com/masculinity-gender-roles-tv-1950s/ AAIHSSpringerhttps://www.history.com/articles/the-stonewall-riotshttps://guides.loc.gov/lgbtq-studies/stonewall-eraLatchkey kidsOver the Edge (1979)Info on Stonewall https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0044118X211001096 Produced by Julia Bevolo

The melting pot was supposed to be America’s most generous self-description. Turns out it’s one of our most carefully curated myths. In the finale of the Crumbling American Myths series, Chris and Des trace ‘melting pot’ from a 1908 play to a Schoolhouse Rock earworm to the 2026 Supreme Court. Chris discovers that ‘melt’ always meant assimilating into whiteness, and even then only a narrow band of Europeans were ever really welcome. Expect history, pop culture, and a sharp read on present-day ICE raids, the H1B brain drain, and the wedge politics keeping working people fighting each other instead of looking up. Welcome to group therapy disguised as cultural commentary and enjoy episode 16 of I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today.Check out Kareem’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SubwayTakes Schoolhouse Rock - ''The Great American Melting Pot'' Timestamps:00:09 - Intro10:24 Click here to skip Sirat spoilers!10:45 The Melting Pot Myth16:46  Historical Context of the Melting Pot21:18 Cultural References and Reality of Immigration29:01 The Impact of Immigration Policies38:44 Contemporary Issues and the Political Climate48:25 Suggestions for Understanding Immigration56:59 Conclusion and Future Topics====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryReferences:Harvard Pluralism ProjectNewsweekEBSCO ResearchWikipedia: Melting PotResearchGateSosyalarastirmalar.comSSRCGaleCMSGlobal BostonNational Archives / State DeptPenn TodayAmerican Immigration CouncilTIMEAmerican Immigration Council, Jan. 2026 Vera InstituteDeportation Data ProjectProduced by Julia Bevolo

Part 2 of our Crumbling American Myths series tackles the big one: American exceptionalism and the U.S. global brand. Chris and Des trace the arc from WWI creditors to post-WWII superpower to—as Chris puts it—“the Sears of global brands.” They walk through three body blows that shattered the “shining city on a hill” image, share international polling data that will make you flinch, and close with real actions you can take to rebuild soft power from the ground up. Plus: the launch of Bearing 287’s Paradox Platform for mission-driven organizations navigating AI.The Paradox Platform on SubstackTake the Paradox AssessmentTimestamps:0:00 — Intro & Paradox Platform announcement8:30 — The myth of American exceptionalism defined13:00 — How the U.S. rose to superpower status (WWI–WWII)19:00 — The American hero narrative vs. reality24:00 — Reagan’s “shining city on a hill”30:00 — The hypocrisy: voting rights, torture, foreign intervention35:00 — The Iran backstory most Americans don’t know44:00 — “The Sears of global brands”46:00 — Three body blows: Iraq, 2008, Trump57:00 — Where the U.S. brand stands today1:00:00 — Comparing fallen empires1:04:00 — What we can do about it====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryReferences:Reagan’s Farewell AddressWSJ Opinion PieceProject Syndicate - Soft powerFederal Reserve History (wiki)Harvard - USAIDBright Line WatchForbes Forbes - TourismInternat’l Trade AdministrationProduced by Julia Bevolo

The American Dream was supposed to be a promise: work hard, get ahead, retire happy. But what if it was always propaganda? In Episode 14, Chris and Des kick off a three-part miniseries on Crumbling American Myths by dismantling the biggest one first. They trace the term to its ironic 1931 origin, unpack why “bootstraps” was always meant to describe the impossible, and lay out the brutal data: 40 years of wage stagnation, a retirement savings crisis, $1.7 trillion in student debt, and social mobility cut in half. Along the way, George Carlin drops truth bombs, Des connects Gilded Age robber barons to today’s tech overlords, and both hosts ask: Is the new American Dream just moving abroad? Stick around for the close because it might change how you think about your life. Part 1 of 3.Timestamps:0:00 — Intro3:00 — Chris’s Nazi Germany reading rabbit hole9:00 — The ironic origin of the American Dream (1931)14:00 — “Bootstraps” was always meant to be impossible19:00 — The GI Bill, FHA, and who actually got access22:00 — Hard work ≠ success: the wage gap data30:00 — The American Dream as propaganda34:00 — George Carlin’s American Dream takedown45:00 — Retirement, healthcare, student debt by the numbers53:00 — Social mobility collapse55:00 — FIRE movement and the expat option1:02:00 — Live your goddamn life====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/ ====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentaryLinks/References:It's Time to Stop Living the American ScamGeorge CarlinEconomic policy institutePew Research Center (2025)American Bar Association PrudentialPbsTX Lt Gov suggests seniors sacrifice for the economy (2020)* https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2025/new-federal-policies-spur-higher-health-insurance-premiums-consumers-2026-insurer-filings#:~:text=September%2030%2C%202025-,New%20Federal%20Policies%20Spur%20Higher%20Health%20Insurance%20Premiums,in%202026%2C%20Insurer%20Filings%20Show&text=While%20premiums%20for%20individual%20market,and%20the%20District%20of%20Columbia* https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1775666392450321&usg=AOvVaw3JikP8mSXGEDgh4qRo9WH4* https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aal4617

A jury just ruled that Meta and YouTube were “deliberately built to be addictive.” Chris and Des have been waiting for this moment and it just happens that it landed the same week the analog revolution smacked Chris in the face at the Mall of America.In this free-flowing episode, Chris and Des unpack Big Tech’s “Big Tobacco moment,” the irony of #analoglife trending on TikTok, and the deep human need for third places, adult friendships, and unstructured play. Des shares her journey from nomadic isolation to betting on Santa Fe. Chris confesses to 10 unplayed board games and commits to finding a group for game night. Together they explore dinner-with-strangers apps, murder mystery parties, community education catalogs, conversational card games, and the terrifying beauty of walking into a room where you don’t know a soul.It’s group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. And this time, the homework is fun: get offline, get out there, and find your people.Timestamps:0:00 — Intro & DTF St. Louis Review5:46 — The Meta/YouTube Negligence Verdict9:30 — Mall of America and the Analog Revolution11:20 — The Loss of Third Places14:30 — Pickup Basketball & How We Used to Find Community24:00 — Small Towns vs. Suburbs vs. Cities27:30 — Bowling Alone and the History of Civic Decline31:00 — Chick-fil-A Phone Coops & the Algorithm Irony35:00 — Dinner With Strangers Apps (Timeleft, Bass)40:00 — Why We’re Scared to Talk to People44:30 — Adult Play, Super Soakers, and Murder Mystery Parties46:00 — The Delve Deck: A Card Game for All Generations48:30 — Des’s Pledge: Sunset DJ Parties in Santa Fe52:00 — Chris’s Pledge: Board Game Night and Cause-Based Community58:00 — Wrap & Call to Action====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================

If you’ve ever called someone a narcissist, been told you’re being gaslighted, or diagnosed yourself via TikTok, this one’s for you.Pop psychology has gone mainstream. Therapy terms flood our group chats, dating app bios, and Netflix watchlists. But what happens when clinical language enters everyday conversation without the clinical expertise behind it? In this episode, Chris and Desiree sit down with Dr. Coreen Haym — a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who trains therapists in graduate and doctorate programs to unpack the good (destigmatization), the bad (oversimplification and self-diagnosis), and the ugly (grifters, mass therapy platforms exploiting early-career therapists, and AI chatbots designed to validate you). This is group therapy for people who are exhausted by pop psychology telling them everything is trauma and everyone around them is a narcissist.Timestamps:0:00 — Cold open: “Nothing applies to everyone”1:40 — Spring check-in, introducing Dr. Coreen Haym4:00 — Netflix dating shows and the rise of therapy speak8:00 — Queer Ultimatum, Age of Attraction, and spotting who’s actually been to therapy10:00 — The normalization of therapy talk post-COVID15:00 — Pop psychology deep dive: narcissism, self-diagnosis, confirmation bias20:00 — TikTok therapists vs. real therapists: how to tell the difference25:00 — Good therapists to follow: Therapy Jeff, ThatTherapistGirl, Nicole Artz28:00 — What it actually takes to become a licensed therapist35:00 — Dr. Phil, Mel Robbins, and grifters in the therapy space43:00 — Lawyers vs. therapists: why Mel Robbins’s background matters45:00 — Therapists navigating the current political climate50:00 — Mass therapy platforms: Headspace, Talkspace, and the exploitation of early-career therapists56:00 — AI therapy: validation machines and the human connection they can’t replace59:00 — The hunger for analog connection: silent book clubs, phone-free spaces1:02:00 — The manosphere and where men are actually going for mental health1:04:00 — Dr. Haym's closing: starting therapy is scary, but trust the process1:07:00 — Wrap====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentary

If you've ever voted for someone you didn't believe in because the alternative was worse, this one's for you. Harm reduction voting — the idea that you should support the lesser of two evils to prevent greater damage — has been the Democratic Party's core ask since 2000. In this episode, Chris and Desiree trace the concept from its origins in AIDS-era public health (needle exchange programs, not ballots), through the Ralph Nader math that handed Bush the presidency, the Bernie Bro postmortem of 2016, and the 2024 silences that told Desiree the election was going the wrong way.Then they get into what actually started this conversation: Hasan Piker saying he'd vote third party in a Newsom vs. Vance matchup — and the furious backlash from moderate Democrats who said that was dangerous. And they spend some time on why Gavin Newsom specifically is a walking argument against harm reduction as a long-term strategy.This is group therapy for people who are exhausted by being asked to vote against something when what they desperately want is something to vote for.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================

If you've ever opened your phone and within 30 seconds gone from a bombed city to a Holiday ad to a dead child to your niece at a pumpkin patch, you already understand cognitive dissonance. You're just living it.In Episode 10, Chris and Desiree name the thing that's been eating at all of us: the crushing gap between a world that is genuinely on fire and the expectation that we still function, perform, show up, and act normal.They compare 2026 to the actual worst years in American history (1862, 1939, 1968, 2020) and make a case for why this moment hits different. Not because things are objectively worse than being a slave in 1862 (Desiree checks that), but because of something no previous generation dealt with: 24/7 inescapable, algorithmically-weaponized information overload.Then, critically, they give you five ways to survive it without going numb. Including why finding joy right now is an act of resistance, not betrayal.You're not malfunctioning. The world actually is this bad. And yet here we are.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================

If you've ever wondered whether any of this is working — the marching, the sharing, the showing up — this episode is for you. Diana Rhodes has been organizing since before reproductive justice was funded, before harm reduction was named in public health spaces, before any of it was mainstream. She's seen backlash cycles before. And she has something to say about this one.This episode covers: why protest is a tactic not a strategy, how movements survive suppression (spoiler: they go underground, they always have), why loving your neighbors is literally a counter-strategy to authoritarianism, and why you don't have to be the loud one to matter.Plus: Andor as political mirror, disco's suppression as historical parallel, and the social change ecosystem map that will make you reconsider your role in all of this.Group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. No partisan lecturing. Just people trying to make sense of a world that has gone jackass sideways.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================

If you've ever stared at your bank statement wondering when you subscribed to that — and whether you actually own anything anymore — this one's for you.Episode 8 breaks down the business model behind shrinkflation, algorithmic pricing, subscription traps, and the quiet death of ownership. Chris and Des call it what it is: shittification. And they trace exactly how we got here — from the paper price tag to dynamic grocery store displays that change prices as you walk up to them.Also this week: a boycott check-in (they actually followed through), an AI update that's genuinely alarming, and a surprisingly hopeful argument that we might be at peak shittiness — which means the pendulum has to swing back."I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today" — group therapy disguised as cultural commentary, for people who did everything right and still feel like something's broken.Sources mentioned: More Perfect Union, Cory Doctorow's enshittification concept, Ronan Farrow's dynamic pricing investigation, Dario Amodei's AI letter====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentary

If you've ever felt guilty for still using Amazon/Apple/Netflix despite everything—this episode is group therapy.Chris and Des get uncomfortably honest about their own boycott failures, unpack why brand dependency is a feature (not a bug) of modern capitalism, and walk through Scott Galloway's framework for actually making consumer resistance work.You'll learn:- Why boycotts succeed (Montgomery Bus) vs. fail (most of them)- The psychological traps keeping you locked in (loss aversion, status quo bias, cognitive dissonance)- Which 18 brands Scott Galloway recommends targeting- How to pick ONE boycott you can actually sustain**The Bevolo & Des Challenge:** By next week's episode, pick one brand and cut it out. Then tell us what you picked.Spoiler: It's harder than it sounds. That's the point.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================#BeHerePod #NotEvenSupposedToBeHere #CulturalCommentary

If you've ever wondered how we got to a place where grandmothers defend ICE killing protesters, business leaders stay silent on human rights violations, and empathy itself is called a "weakness"—this episode is your group therapy session.Chris opens with justified rage at the "Necessary Conversation" podcast, where a MAGA mom twists herself into pretzels defending the ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Desiree provides the historical context this moment demands: from lynchings as family entertainment to Indian boarding schools to the Nazi playbook built on American Jim Crow.But this isn't just about pointing fingers. We break down the two groups who've lost empathy (the sheltered and the angry), why "economic system justification" makes people defend systems that hurt them, and what actually works when trying to reach people trapped in propaganda.You'll learn:- Why the right wing explicitly attacks empathy as "weakness"- How caste systems train us to dehumanize- The difference between people who can't see beyond their bubble vs those weaponizing their rage- Deep canvassing techniques that don't make you want to scream- How to welcome people changing their minds (SNL got it right)Resources mentioned:- Dan Ariely's "Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things"- Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents"- Beth Macy's "Paper Girl: The Ruined American Dream and the Hunt for Financial Salvation"- Tish Jones' "The Children Are Watching" (performed at Timberwolves MLK Day)This is group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. You're not crazy for feeling exhausted by this—the system is.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/====================

If you've ever watched mainstream media soften authoritarian language and wondered if you're the only one noticing: You're not. This week we unpack "sanewashing": the practice of making insane statements and authoritarian behavior sound normal and reasonable. From Trump's cognitive decline to media ownership by billionaires who need chaos to stay profitable, we break down why the news feels like gaslighting.You'll learn:- Why "bonkers" and "goons" are sanewashing words- How billionaire ownership changed journalism fundamentally  - Why CNN made $1 billion from Trump coverage (and needs him)- What Walter Cronkite-era journalism looked like vs. today- Specific independent journalists to follow insteadPlus: The independent journalists actually telling the truth (and how to support them instead of feeding the machine). (ProPublica, More Perfect Union, The Guardian, Joshua Doss, and more)https://www.instagram.com/doss.discourse/https://www.instagram.com/nowthisimpact/https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/https://www.instagram.com/thehumanityarchive/This is group therapy disguised as media criticism. You're not supposed to be here today—but here we are.====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287====================

If you've ever wondered whether you're being paranoid or whether your survival instincts are finally kicking in—this episode is for you.Desiree predicted it at Thanksgiving 2024: "We're going to experience things we never thought we would." Now, with ICE raids in Minneapolis, transgender family members making escape plans, and the Handmaid's Tale's "Little America" feeling less like fiction and more like foreshadowing, we're processing the fear that Americans aren't supposed to feel.We dive into:- The violence we thought only happened on other soil- Why Desiree watches documentaries about World War II to cope- The "Little America" scene that broke her- Epigenetics and inherited trauma - Why men have no concept of the fear women carry- The 2009 Tea Party moment that predicted all of this- Robert Reich's call for business, religious, and institutional leaders to speak up- Why Chris has no hope those leaders willThis is the rawest we've been. It's also the most necessary. For people who feel like they're taking crazy pills and need to know they're not alone.Content Warning: Discussions of potential violence, ICE raids, family estrangement, and realistic fear about American democracy.Resources mentioned:- Robert Reich's Substack: "The Emergency Is Now"- Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American====================Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast====================🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9====================Sponsored by Bearing 287====================

Why did the media treat Ryan Coogler's box office hit "Sinners" with skepticism while breathlessly hyping Josh Safdie's "Marty Supreme"—which made a fraction of the money?We trace the disparate coverage back to one source: Penske Media Corporation, which owns Variety, The Golden Globes, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. Turns out when one company controls entertainment journalism, narratives get... controlled.This week we explore:→ The return of #OscarsSoWhite energy (and why it never really left)→ How media consolidation shapes what films get celebrated→ Teyana Taylor's uncomfortable truth about Black women's hypersexualization→ The pattern of promised progress → quiet reversals→ Speaking with your dollars when you have zero control over HollywoodContent note: Discussion of racism, sexualization of Black women, and systemic media manipulation.Resources mentioned:- Penske Media holdings breakdown- National Museum of African American History & Culture- UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report- Dartmouth research on Hollywood representationNot Even Supposed to Be Here Today: Group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. We're talking WITH you, not AT you.https://www.bearing287.com/

If you've ever thought "I can't just sit here scrolling anymore" but had no idea where to start - same. This episode is for every exhausted professional who wants to DO something but doesn't know what. Chris and Des explore citizenship beyond voting: local politics, organizing, legal aid, documentation, and finding your role in the fight. Recorded hours after the Minneapolis Ice shooting, this is group therapy for people who are done just talking and ready to show up - but need a roadmap. You'll learn: → How to figure out if local politics is your path (spoiler: it might be) → The roles activists need that you've never heard of → Why "politics" is just showing up for a place → How photography can be activism → What "find the helpers" actually means in 2026 Content warning: Discusses Ice shooting, police violence, political activism Resources mentioned: Run for Something, local school boards, city councils, mutual aid networks Got questions or want to get involved? DM us or leave a comment.

If you've ever wondered why your family relationships feel like they have higher stakes than ever, this episode explains why.We're not talking about the therapy discourse around "toxic families" or whether Oprah and Mel Robbins are right about going "no contact." We're talking about the thing almost nobody is discussing: 26 states have filial responsibility laws that can make you legally liable for your parents' nursing home bills - which average $127,750 per year.The timing isn't coincidental. The government just enacted $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, and suddenly the cultural conversation shifted from "protect your mental health" to "life is too short to fight with family."Chris (Gen X) and Des (Elder Millennial) break down the economic, political, and ideological forces making the holidays more complicated than ever - plus what you actually need to do to protect yourself.This isn't about choosing sides. It's about understanding the game.---Episode Highlights:- The filial responsibility law most people don't know exists- Why the "no contact" backlash exploded in late 2025- What the Heritage Foundation has been planning since 1988- The Pennsylvania case that held a son liable for $92,943- Chris's experience as a caregiver for his dad- Actionable steps to take right nowResources: Standalone.org, state-by-state filial law guide, Medicaid cuts timeline---I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today is a conversational, culturally savvy podcast for people navigating information chaos, cultural absurdity, and democratic crisis through humor and historical context. Subscribe for weekly episodes.https://www.bearing287.com/Click here to watch a video of this episode. Click here to view the episode transcript.