Shows
The World According to Jen & CarolynUnpacking Vaccine Hesitancy and the Autism MythSend us a textIn this episode, Jen & Carolyn tackle one of the most persistent and damaging myths in modern medicine: that vaccines cause autism.Despite being thoroughly debunked by decades of research, this false claim continues to drive vaccine hesitancy across communities. This has only been made worse by RFK, one of the loudest voices in the world of vaccine skepticism, being appointed to oversee the Health and Human Services department. So today, we’re going to explore where this myth came from, why it stuck around, and how we can move forward with sc...2025-07-281h 00The World According to Jen & CarolynThe Paintbrush and the Protest: Art & Media in Political MovementsSend us a textIn this episode, Jen & Carolyn explore a force that’s shaped revolutions, shaken regimes, and spoken louder than speeches: art and media. From protest murals in Chile, to Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-winning rap about Black America, to viral TikToks calling out injustice—art is activism. And media? It’s the megaphone.MoMA: Emory Douglas – Museum of Modern Art retrospectiveEmoryDouglas.com – Official websiteBlack Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas (2007, Rizzoli Publishing) – Book collecting his most iconic imagesThe Guardian – “The Visual Vanguard of the Black Panthers”Th...2025-07-1037 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynTrans Trailblazers: Achievements That Changed the WorldSend us a textIn honor of pride month, Jen & Carolyn are amplifying the achievements of transgender people — individuals who have broken barriers, shattered stereotypes, and made history in ways that inspire us all. Jen & Carolyn recognize that transgender people have always been part of the human story — and today, we’re lifting up some of their most notable contributions across activism, science, arts, politics, and sports.Trans Activists You Need to KnowTrans Women in Sports: Facts Over Fear | SF.gov.Transgender Athletes In HistoryReutersAdvocate. Factbox...2025-06-2340 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynLet’s Count the ways Trump has Shat on the ConstitutionSend us a textToday, we’re tackling a question that’s come up repeatedly since 2016: Which parts of the Constitution has Donald Trump violated—or is alleged to have violated?Now, let’s be clear: There’s no official, court-verified list of constitutional provisions Trump has been found guilty of violating. But over the years, a range of legal scholars, watchdog groups, and even Congress have raised serious concerns about whether his actions have conflicted with the Constitution’s letter—or its spirit.So today, we're breaking down the most important constitutional clauses and am...2025-06-0333 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynTax the Rich: Wealth Inequality and Policy SolutionsSend us a textIn this episode, Jen and Carolyn are tackling one of the most urgent and controversial topics in American politics: Taxing the Rich. From record-breaking billionaire wealth to working families living paycheck to paycheck, America’s wealth gap has never been wider. But what can we actually do about it? And what does it mean to 'tax the rich' in policy terms—not just as a rallying cry, but as a real solution?Institute for Policy Studies (2023). “Billionaire Wealth Surges Amid Crisis.”Federal Reserve, Distributional Financial Accounts (2023).Joint Committee on Taxation...2025-05-1259 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynChristian Nationalism and the Weird Women of MAGASend us a textBecause Jen and Carolyn are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we decided to focus this episode exclusively on the “colorful” cornucopia that comprises the ladies of the MAGA movement. While some are loud and proud, willing to flagrantly vape and engage in sex acts in public, others, like Ginni Thomas, make moves more insidiously. While they all differ slightly, there’s one thing they’re united on-they want the US to be a pilar of Christian Nationalism. So, get ready to be zapped by Jewish space lasers because we’re going to tell you a...2025-05-031h 07The World According to Jen & CarolynSilenced: A History of Censorship in the U.S.Send us a textToday, we’re diving into a conversation that feels more urgent than ever: censorship. Across the country — in classrooms, libraries, boardrooms, and online spaces — powerful forces are working overtime to erase the voices of women, LGBTQ folks, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Books are being banned. Websites are being scrubbed. Histories are being rewritten. And the dangerous truth is: when we lose these ystories, we lose part of ourselves. On this show, we believe that storytelling is survival. That visibility matters. That history belongs to everyone — not just those in power. And so t...2025-04-231h 01The World According to Jen & CarolynTariffs, Trade Wars, and the Trump EffectSend us a textWTF is a tariff and will the imposition of tariffs on foreign imports help or hinder the US economy? Join Jen and Carolyn as we attempt to break down complex economic policies into real-world impacts. Today, we’re diving into tariffs—what they are, how they've shaped U.S. history, and why Trump's aggressive tariff strategy could put the U.S. economy at risk of a recession.U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Impact of Tariffs on the Economy (2023)Moody’s Analytics – Economic Cost of Trump’s Trade War (2019)Brookings Institution – How Tariffs Hurt U.S. Jobs...2025-04-0258 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynGovernment Guinea PigsSend us a textThe U.S. government has a documented history of conducting unethical experiments on people, often without their consent. These experiments, spanning from the 19th century through the late 20th century, were sometimes justified under the guise of medical research, national security, or public health. Join Jen and Carolyn as they take you on a disturbing historical journey highlighting the most egregious experiments conducted by our government-mostly on American citizens. Prepare to be disgusted and angry!https://ew.com/chaos-the-manson-murders-biggest-bombshells-netflix-11692444?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33731260...2025-03-2658 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynYou say "aa · luh · gaar · kee," Jen & Carolyn say "O-luh-gaar-kee!"Send us a textCan Jen & Carolyn pronounce "oligarchy?" Apparently not. But do we know that the US is being controlled by one? Hell yeah, we do! Oligarchy is a word that has been popping up a lot lately to describe the Trump administration and we think it fits! Simply put, an oligarchy is a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.We think this shoe fits, so we’re going to break down the elements of an oligarchy as well as try to answer the question “has the U.S. actually been...2025-03-1258 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynUnpacking Elon: From Daddy Issues to DOGESend us a textWho the hell is Elon Musk? No, he isn’t technically our president, but he may as well be. I think a lot of us, especially those of us who live in California are a bit confused about Elon’s descent into MAGA madness. Wasn’t he the guy who helped design the most popular electric car in an effort to save the environment from climate change? Or, was all of his rhetoric about saving the planet tied to his need to “save” humanity while amassing billions of dollars? Join Jen and Carolyn as they br...2025-03-041h 04The World According to Jen & CarolynThe CIA, Latin America, and ImmigrationSend us a textEver wonder why so many migrants from Central America, South America, and Mexico come to the U.S. in search of a better life? Hint: it’s not because America is the greatest country on earth. It has more to do with the lingering effects of American colonial interventionist policies and coups orchestrated and perpetrated by the CIA. Join Jen and Carolyn as they discuss the dirty deeds of the CIA and how the overthrowing of democratically elected governments results in long-term destabilization of the region and out migration. We’ll also throw in s...2025-02-2059 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynDisaster Capitalism: Profiting off of PainSend us a textWe don’t think anyone who is critical of our government or economic system would be surprised to learn that profiting off of tragedy is big business in the U.S. Disaster capitalism refers to a phenomenon in which businesses, governments, or other entities capitalize on disasters—whether natural (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, pandemics) or man-made (e.g., wars, economic crises)—to implement policies or practices that may exacerbate inequality or prioritize profit over public well-being. The term gained prominence through Naomi Klein's 2007 book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, which critiq...2025-02-0557 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynOh, Boycott...Send us a textBoycotts! We don’t talk about them much anymore. Still, considering that the founding of our country technically started with American revolutionaries boycotting British goods, we think it’s important to discuss their history as well as where boycotts have worked and where they could work again. This is America and the one language we all speak is the dialect of the dollar. But, do boycotts actually hurt corporate revenue or is the potential or actual harm to a business’s reputation the tactic that moves the needle? All this and more with Jen...2025-01-221h 05The World According to Jen & CarolynThe History of the Insurance IndustrySend us a textOn December 4, 2024, a young man named Luigi Mangione, gunned down United Healthcare Insurance CEO, Brian Thompson. Instead of reacting with shock and disgust, people took to the internet to defend Luigi’s actions, offering fake alibis and posting health insurance horror stories. The resounding sense of shared disdain for the health insurance industry was palpable and, as far as Jen and Carolyn are concerned, totally understandable. Join Jen and Carolyn as they review the history of the insurance industry with a special focus on the reprehensible health insurance industry. The History of...2025-01-131h 04The World According to Jen & CarolynProject 2025: Part IISend us a textHere we are at part deux or as Jen’s kid would say “part doo doo.” Project 2025 is indeed a flaming pile of feces and in this episode, Jen and Carolyn will be discussing just how this plan intends to dismantle federal agencies in accordance with a Christian, rightwing agenda. We’ll be discussing how far encompassing this plan will be for virtually everyone in the US if the guidelines within its 900 pages are implemented. If you think you won’t be impacted by what amounts to an assault on the things most Americans...2024-12-271h 08The World According to Jen & CarolynProject 2025: Part ISend us a textWho the hell has time to read all 900 pages of this horrid document? Not us, but we do have time to put together a two-part episode on the low lights of this truly frightening nonsense. Project 2025 is a playbook that outlines the forthcoming, Trump-led right wing power grab of our democracy. It also wages a war on women and all things perceived to be “woke”- you know like human rights and civil liberties. For the first part of this episode, we’ll be focusing on the latter, breaking down whose rights are at stake...2024-12-101h 05The World According to Jen & CarolynMy Body, your Choice?Send us a textCarolyn and Jen are still having difficulty wrapping their heads around the sad fact that Roe v Wade has been overturned. With the re-election of Trump, the man who proudly takes credit for depriving millions of women of the right to do what they want with their bodies, we fear things are only going to get worse. Join Jen and Carolyn as they discuss the origin of abortion in the U.S. and the horrific methods that women had to resort to before Roe became the law of the land. We’ll also di...2024-11-211h 09The World According to Jen & CarolynBreaking down the Authoritarian PlaybookSend us a textWell, here we are finishing this episode up the night after the election and boy have things changed. In spite of his comments about shooting Liz Cheney and not minding if folks shot at the press, in spite of his unhinged, world salad rants that make George W. look like a goddamn poet laureate, in spite of his recent comments about how he should have never left the white house, this piece of felonious trash who can’t even legally do business in New York and can’t vote in most states is pres...2024-11-131h 05The World According to Jen & CarolynA Brief History of Cemeteries in AmericaSend us a textDid you know that cemeteries were some of the first public parks Americans had access to? Wild! Whether you think they’re hauntingly beautiful and historic like Jen and Carolyn or, they give you the creeps, you’ll appreciate this episode on the origin of cemeteries in the United States. Bust out your black lipstick and join Jen and Carolyn as they break down the difference between a cemetery and a graveyard and discuss why cemeteries often evoke feelings of peace. You'll also learn about the "tombstone tourism" industry and hear all about the...2024-10-3048 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynWhy do we Still have the Electoral College?Send us a textEver wonder why we still have, and if we even need, the electoral college? Yeah, bro-us too. Join Jen and Carolyn as we discuss the racist origins of the electoral college, as well as the ways in which the current system is manipulated in order to favor a specific party (we’re looking at you, Republicans). We’ll try to answer the big question that so many Americans have-is this antiquated system still even necessary? Electoral College | Definition, Map, History, Votes, & Facts | BritannicaWhat is the Electoral College? | National ArchivesE...2024-10-2252 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynDonald Trump: the man, the myth the Megalomaniac Part IISend us a textFolks, I don't know what the hell happened to our audio on this one. Jen sounds like she's talking into a pillow and Carolyn sounds like she has a sinus infection. Forgive us!That presidential debate was the last damn straw. Donald Trump is a racist, sexist, lover of authoritarianism hellbent on dismantling the foundation of our democracy. If you think Jen and Carolyn are being hyperbolic, think again. Allow us to take you on a journey through Trump’s childhood, his rise to fame, and ultimately, his embarrassing bungling of on...2024-10-151h 01The World According to Jen & CarolynDonald Trump: the Man, the Myth, the Megalomaniac Part ISend us a textThat most recent presidential debate was the last damn straw. Donald Trump is a racist, sexist, lover of authoritarianism hellbent on dismantling the foundation of our democracy. If you think Jen and Carolyn are being hyperbolic, think again. Allow us to take you on a journey through Trump’s childhood, his rise to fame, and ultimately, his embarrassing bungling of one of the most sacred and significant jobs in the world. In the spirit of Mary Trump, we’ll go deep into Trump’s psychology and discuss some of the pivotal factors that contri...2024-10-0557 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynUrban LegendsSend us a textJen and Carolyn are jumping into scary season with both feet! Turn out the lights, pour yourself a pumpkin spice whatever, and fire up a fall scented candle because Jen and Carolyn are going to tell you all about Urban Legends. We’ll take a look at the origins of infamous urban legends like Bloody Mary, hook hand dude, and La Llorona as well as explore whether or not there is any truth to these tales that keep us in line and up at night. This multi-cultural journey will take a look at th...2024-09-1152 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynNext Stop . . . The Inflation StationSend us a textEverything, and we mean everything, is increasing in cost and most of us are feeling the pain. From the grocery store to the gas station, average Americans like Jen and Carolyn are contending with what economists are calling the impact of inflation. Join Jen and Carolyn as they muddle through defining inflation, but also examine how much inflation is actually responsible for the rising costs of so many goods and services that we need to survive. Is there something more nefarious afoot? We think so and we’re going to tell you all ab...2024-09-0457 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynOur Fascination with FearSend us a textWhy the hell do so many humans enjoy the feeling of being afraid? We’re pretty sure that this is unique to human animals and probably has a lot to do with “fictional” fear vs. a genuine threat of, say, being literally eaten by something. Regardless of the source, fear is stressful as hell, yet so many of us legitimately love the feeling of being afraid. What the hell is wrong with us humans? Join Jen and Carolyn as we explore the psychology of fear and dissect why so many of us relish in the...2024-08-2254 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynWelcome to the Olympics!Send us a textWhether you’re a summer Olympics fan or prefer winter sports, this worldwide competition featuring the planet’s greatest athletes is captivating. From breathtaking gymnastics routines to triple axles on the ice, the Olympics have been around for literally thousands of years. Join Jen and Carolyn as they delve into the history of the Olympics, the challenges Olympians face both in and outside of the spotlight, as well as the real and contrived controversies that have always been a part of this event. 'A deep depression after the Olympics.' The chall...2024-08-1655 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynThe History of the Modeling IndustrySend us a textIf you grew up in the 80s and 90s like Jen and Carolyn, then you know how iconic supermodels were. Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss-these were the women who represented feminine perfection. Oh, and don’t get us started on male models like Tyson Beckford, Fabio Lanzoni, and Jason Lewis. Hot times, my friends. But they were also dark times and, as we delve into the history of modeling, you’ll learn that darkness has been an ever present theme in this industry. Join Jen and Carolyn as they walk...2024-08-011h 00The World According to Jen & CarolynThe Greatest Show on EarthSend us a textStep right up and listen to Jen and Carolyn’s episode on the history of the circus! Whether you’re a “freak show” enthusiast, fan of clowns, or just plain love animal abuse, we guarantee this episode will have something for everyone. The circus is one of those uniquely American pastimes that seems to have largely disappeared from public view. Join Jen and Carolyn as they cover the history, spectator psychology, and overall fascination with what was regarded for nearly two centuries as the greatest show on earth. America’s...2024-07-2359 minThe World According to Jen & CarolynThe History of TattoosSend us a textJen and Carolyn love tattoos-unless you’re a white man with tribal tattoos. That’s just a big, fat cultural appropriation “no.” Join us as we explore the history of tattoos and what tattoos mean to different cultures, as well as why tattoos are such a vital piece of self expression. The Worldwide History of Tattoos | SmithsonianA Guide To The History Of TattoosOpinion: A note on cultural appropriation of tattoos - The Mancunionhttp...2024-07-1255 min