Shows
The Popaganda PodcastCCFF x Popaganda Presents: FirebreakThe Popaganda Podcast is an official Cast & Crew Sponsor of the 15th Annual Capital City Film Fest.Join cohosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok in an episode spotlighting the Midwest premiere and Closing Night Feature Firebreak, a deeply moving documentary screening. Firebreak follows Brandon and Royal, two formerly incarcerated firefighters who turned exploitation into transformation—and built a nonprofit, the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program, to help others like them access careers in wildland firefighting. 💥 What We Talk About in This Episode:Prison labor, fire camps, and the myth of redemptive sufferingReentry, shame...2025-03-3155 min
The Popaganda PodcastKing of the ApocalypseDakota Adams and the Cost of Extremism.This episode unpacks King of the Apocalypse, a new documentary exposing Stuart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers and key figure in the January 6th insurrection. But this isn’t his story—it’s about the people who survived him.Through the eyes of Dakota Adams, we explore how radicalization and abuse shaped the family Rhodes tormented, the years of planning that went into their escape, and the systemic failures that left them unprotected.Now, Stuart Rhodes is free. Pardoned. No parole. No restri...2025-03-241h 32
The Popaganda PodcastNeil Gaiman: Power, Control, & ConsentWhat do Neil Gaiman, Scientology, and NDAs have in common? More than you'd think—and none of it is good.Join hosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok as they break down the accounts of harm, the power imbalances, and the larger cultural problem with how we talk (or don’t talk) about consent. Listen in as they unpack why we need better ways to talk about sexual violence—because the binary of "totally consensual" or "definitely rape" just doesn’t cut it.They also get into:Why we struggle to ask for what we want in...2025-02-051h 06
The Popaganda PodcastAnatomy of LiesOn this episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica and Shannon talk about the explosive new psychodrama series, Anatomy of Lies, which uncovers the jaw-dropping story of Elisabeth Finch, a Grey’s Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story, exploited the empathy of her colleagues, and used the trauma of others for personal gain. Stories like Finch’s weaponize trust and harm the very communities they pretend to support, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond Hollywood.But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Using Finch’s story as a starting point, we tackle a deeper, systemic issue: the pers...2025-01-161h 11
The Popaganda PodcastIt Ends With UsShannon and Tashmica discuss It Ends With Us, a TikTok famous, bestselling romance novel written by Colleen Hoover now adapted into the recently released blockbuster drama.Based on the relationship between the author's mother and father, It Ends With Us follows the life and love of the fictional character Lily Bloom starting with her childhood experiences of domestic violence. Calling it "the hardest book I've ever written, Hoover delivers a harrowing and heartbreaking story about a future where the violence doesn't end but is carried forward into Lily's adult romantic relationship with the handsome and rich neurologist...2024-12-161h 11
The Popaganda PodcastI believe you, Big Bird.On the sweetest episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica tells Shannon a heartwarming story about Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, and the political aspirations of America's longest-running children's TV show, Sesame Street.Big Bird loves his best friend, Aloysius Snuffleupagus and all he wants to do is introduce him to his grownup friends on Sesame Street. There's only one problem. No one believes him. This story is about what happens when adults don't trust children and how they can practice accountability and repair to create healthier, safe(r) relationships in the future.Listen in as we learn...2024-11-041h 03
The Popaganda PodcastThe Walking Dead with Guest Mia MingusOn this episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica and Shannon talk with guest Mia Mingus about the post-apocalyptic TV series, The Walking Dead.Viewers watched in horror as Negan brutally murdered Glen in front of his wife Maggie. None of us knew that we'd be on a Transformative Justice journey with two of the show's most compelling characters up until the final seasons. We watched the drama as characters tried to secure community safety by first recreating policing, jails, and prisons, and then turning towards reformation, and a complex process of accountability and repair. Tune...2024-10-141h 03
The Popaganda PodcastThe Popaganda Podcast: Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.The Popaganda Podcast is an award-winning social justice podcast that explores the pop culture we love and how it inspires us to build a safer, more just world for everyone. Hosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok are lifelong survivor activists and pop culture besties who use elevated unscripted commentary to normalize transformative justice practices and prison abolition strategies by amplifying one culture-shifting truth – we keep us safe. Episodes drop monthly. Listen everywhere you get your podcasts. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.You can learn more by visiting www.popagandapod.com.S...2024-10-1401 min
The Popaganda PodcastGet Raptured, Bitch!On this episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica guides Shannon through the American religious thriller film series, Left Behind. In what feels like an accelerated Vacation Bible School experience, they discuss how and why traditional Evangelical Christian teachings have been used to implement harmful legislation, institutional policies, and social practices that dishonor our relationship with ourselves, our children, and our loved ones.Tune in for a conversation about the rapture, bad theology, and what it means when Tashmica tells someone to "Get raptured, bitch!"Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition....2024-08-061h 10
The Popaganda PodcastMathilda Zeller: Never Whistle at NightOn this episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Shannon and Tashmica talk with Mathilda Zeller, author of "Kushtuka”, one of the 29 spine-tingling horror stories included in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. She also got in trouble with Tashmica at a tamalada for talking about transformative justice when they were supposed to be making tamales. Happens to the best of us!Mathilda shares why she chooses to write horror and spills the tea on white women authors acting badly on the internet. Tune in for a conversation about how the monsters under our beds exist in...2024-07-171h 01
The Popaganda PodcastHow we Failed Amber HeardOn this episode of The Popaganda Podcast Shannon and Tashmica discuss how we failed Amber Heard. Despite decades of work to disrupt the stigma and myths surrounding domestic violence, the Depp v. Heard trial gave us all a look at how the court of public opinion continues to demonize survivors seeking justice.Tune in for a conversation about what went wrong and what you need to know to support loved ones experiencing violence within their most intimate relationships.Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.For this week’s pop culture ho...2024-07-0150 min
The Popaganda PodcastGrey's AnatomyOn this episode of The Popaganda Podcast Shannon and Tashmica are joined by special guest, Hoai An Pham, an abolitionist organizer, graphic designer, animator, public health student, and avid lover of Grey's Anatomy. Together they discuss the radical storytelling that pops up in the halls and on-call rooms of Seattle's Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital and @Grey'sAbolition, a new Instagram account that continually reminds us to pick abolition, choose abolition, and love abolition. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.For this week’s pop culture homework visit www.popagandapod.com.Leave a 5-st...2024-06-1758 min
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! ConservatorshipOur guest zara raven (zara/z), taught us a lot about conservatorship through their love of Britney Spears. Turns out, we were only scratching the surface of this important Disability Justice issue. Find out more on this week's episode of Lingo Plinko.Find the full show notes and links at www.popagandapod.com2024-06-1209 min
The Popaganda PodcastBaby ReindeerJoin Tashmica and Shannon as we discuss the Netflix drama Baby Reindeer. We explore the complexities of surviving domestic and sexual violence, the nuanced portrayals of male survivors and our deep love of the character Teri played by the fabulous and brilliant Nava Mau.Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.For this week’s pop culture homework visit www.popagandapod.com.Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast and we might feature it in an upcoming episode! You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us...2024-06-031h 02
Queue PointsCringe Songs & Transformative Justice w/ Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok of Popaganda PodcastIn this episode of Queue Points, co-hosts Jay Ray and DJ Sir Daniel are joined by Tashmica Torok and Shannon Perez-Darby from the Popaganda podcast. They discuss the complexities of supporting some of our favorite pop culture moments, problematic faves, the importance of accountability, the impact of pop culture on society, and creating safer communities for women. The conversation delves into how recognizable tracks like Shaggy's 'It Wasn't Me' and Prince's 'Head' resonate with listeners despite their problematic lyrics, and explores the broader implications of sexual violence and transformative justice.This episode is a journey into the intersections of...2024-05-281h 06
The Popaganda PodcastTrue Detective Night CountryTrue Detective Night Country was a massive success with not-so-great reviews. Led by Kali Reis, the first Indigenous lead of an HBO series, Hollywood legend Jodie Foster, and Issa Lopez, the Mexican Filmmaker who created, wrote, and directed this powerful supernatural thriller, this season had us - and a record-breaking 3.2 million viewers - on the edge of our seats for the season finale.So then why are people being such haters?Kali ‘Meuquinonoag’ Reis is an Afro-Indigenous storyteller that is raising the visibility of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) through her portrayal of Alaskan Nati...2024-05-2857 min
The Popaganda PodcastSatan Wants YouIn today’s episode of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica introduces Shannon to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s through the award-winning documentary, Satan Wants You. To scare people back into a Sunday pew, the Catholic Church funded the publication of a book based on the account of a woman who claimed to have survived satanic ritualistic child abuse. Michelle Remembers was a bestseller and the survivor Michelle Smith and Dr. Larry Pazder, her therapist, coauthor, and eventually her husband, spent their time promoting the book on talk shows or training law enforcement to spot this new crime spr...2024-05-1454 min
Am I Old Yet? — Comedy audio dramaCleaning Up, One Way or AnotherRemember how Helen discovered in Season 6 that she could blow litter up into the outer atmosphere, with a single puff of her magic breath? Well, apparently the Institude for Digitised Research in Atlanta, Georgia, is still working on the project to collect it into capsules and shoot it all into the sun. This Bonus episode introduces Australian actress and director, Suzanne Little, to the team. Suzanne also happens to be Associate Professor, Theatre Studies, School of Performing Arts, and Director – Performance of the Real Research Theme at the University of Otago | Te Whare...2024-05-1313 min
The Popaganda PodcastBritney Spears with Guest Zara RavenShannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok discuss Britney Spears, the nuances of conservatorship, mad liberation, and the liberatory possibilities of dancing on the internet with our first guest ever - mad queer mama, Zara Raven.Zara Raven isn't just our premiere Abolitionist Britney building a world without prisons + policing, starting at home. They are the coordinator for Queenies Crew, an initiative that engages children in learning about building communities of care without prisons or policing, the former director of Collective Action for Safe Spaces in D.C., a grassroots, trans and queer-led organization that focuses on creating safe...2024-05-061h 00
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! Abortion Trafficking is the New Satanic PanicWhat do abortion and human trafficking have in common? Find out on this week's episode of Lingo Plinko.Read the full article at https://accountablecommunities.com/writing Find the full show notes and links at www.popagandapod.com2024-05-0306 min
The Popaganda PodcastSound of FreedomTim Ballard is a lying, McLiar face (allegedly) but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had an indelible impact on how everyday Americans understand or misunderstand the sexual exploitation of children around the globe. But how did this qanon-tinged thriller become the 10th biggest domestic film of the year? Join Shannon and Tashmica for a conversation about Operation Underground Railroad, the scam behind the ‘new’ Anti-Trafficking Movement, and why the mythology created by Ballard is a threat to your reproductive rights.We watched The Sound of Freedom so you don’t have to. Please don’t watch it. W...2024-04-291h 09
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! Criminal Legal SystemWhy do Shannon and Tashmica say the criminal legal system instead of the criminal justice system? Tashmica breaks it down with a little help from the Bureau of Justice and the Vera Institute for Justice.Functions of Criminal JusticeWhy we say "criminal legal system," Not "criminal justice system"Season 2 of The Popaganda Podcast launched on Monday, April 22nd. Did you know that a 9-minute video called “Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise, Scientologist” was leaked to the media in 2008? In a bizarrely intense interview, Cruise claimed that Scientologists are the only people on the p...2024-04-2305 min
The Popaganda PodcastTom Cruise & ScientologyTom Cruise once claimed Scientology had solved humanity’s greatest challenges. To which Shannon and Tashmica say, “What now?”The Popaganda Podcast kicks off season 2 with a conversation about “Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise, Scientologist”. An American actor, producer, and celebrity Scientologist, Tom Cruise is the lead in major blockbuster films like Top Gun and the spy series Mission: Impossible. As latchkey kids, we will never forget him jumping on Oprah’s couch over his love for Katie Holmes. Long since divorced under questionable circumstances, Cruise has given millions to a religious organization despite repeated accusations of abuse and he...2024-04-2259 min
The Popaganda PodcastThe Popaganda Podcast Season 2 TrailerThe Popaganda Podcast: an award-winning social justice podcast about the pop culture we love and how it inspires us to build a safer, more just world for everyone. Hosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok are former latchkey kids who grew up to become survivor activists and pop culture besties. Tune in for elevated unscripted commentary that normalizes transformative justice practices and prison abolition strategies by amplifying one culture-shifting truth – we keep us safe.Season 2 launches on April 22, 2024. Listen everywhere you get your podcasts.Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.Leave a...2024-04-1701 min
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! Box BreathingLingo Plinko is a minisode of The Popaganda Podcast with Shannon Perez Darby and Tashmica Torok. On Monday, we dropped a bonus episode about the HBO original documentary, Great Photo, Lovely Life that came with a trigger warning and an encouragement to listen with care. So instead of breaking down our working definitions of the transformative justice terms that we use throughout the podcast episodes, we’re going to explore the practice of box breathing. Click here to for the Box Breathing playlist on our YouTube channel. Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast and...2024-04-1006 min
The Popaganda PodcastGreat Photo, Lovely LifeCW/TW: child sexual abuse.In anticipation of the Popaganda season 2 launch on April 22nd, cohosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok reconnect to discuss the original HBO documentary, Great Photo, Lovely Life. This poignant film follows Photojournalist Amanda Mustard as she investigates her ‘touchy-feely grandpa’ and his role in decades of serial sexual abuse through archival photos, home videos, and interviews with the children he harmed and the bystanders who were tricked into believing that everything was fine. Listen in as two lifelong survivor activists consider how turning towards the violence we experience in our famil...2024-04-0823 min
The Popaganda PodcastPop Culture ChismePopaganda Season 2 launches on April 22nd but Shannon and Tashmica can’t wait that long to talk pop culture chisme and transformative justice. In this bonus episode, we talk about cults, communes, and the surveillance state through the experiences of the recently released but not quite free Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, the docuseries Natalia Speaks, and HBO’s The Garden. Download and listen to this episode to join the conversation!This might also be a good time to revisit the Copaganda episode from Season 1. Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get...2024-03-2955 min
The Popaganda PodcastRadical Visions - It Takes More Power to Build Than to BurnIt takes more power to build than to burn and Shannon Perez Darby and Tashmica Torok want to build.In the season finale of The Popaganda Podcast, you are invited to jump into a time machine and look into their radical visions for a future where transformative justice practices and abolition frameworks are realized. Listen in as they reflect on how their lived experiences in childhood and within their family systems have helped them see the sci-fi possibilities that have helped sustain their hopefulness in a future that they will likely never see.What can...2023-10-231h 16
The Popaganda PodcastTrue CrimeIn episode 5 of The Popaganda Podcast, Tashmica Torok guides Shannon Perez-Darby through where her love of True Crime began and how it has changed over time. The people who are the most interested in the True Crime genre are also those who experience the highest rates of sexual and domestic violence. How can this be?Listen in as we explore what may be our unhealthiest relationship with Copaganda or a tool to help our loved ones see the criminal legal system for what it truly is.PS - if you need a primer on Copaganda...2023-10-161h 00
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! TERFLingo Plinko is a minisode of the Popaganda Podcast with Shannon Perez Darby and Tashmica Torok. During these short and sweet segments, we'll be breaking down our working definitions of the transformative justice terms that we use throughout the podcast episodes.So far, you’ve heard us drop the acronym TERF at least twice. But do you know what a TERF is or what Shannon means by “TERF-y” talking points?Listen in as Tashmica talks about Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism (TERF) so that you can spot and disrupt TERF-y talking points and learn how to be a b...2023-10-1304 min
The Popaganda PodcastTikTok BeefOne thing about Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok is they're gonna get to the bottom of a TikTok beef. In episode four of Popaganda, join them as they scroll through a collection of bookmarked beefs and discuss cancellations that have pushed popular influencers into digital exiles.Whether we're creating parasocial or for real social relationships online, we are creating patterns that we can all learn from.Pop Culture HomeworkJustice Producer's CollaborativeUnlocking Us with Brene Brown@mikaylanogueira@witchytwitchytv@mercurystardustSponsored by:The Firecracker FoundationAccountable CommunitiesSu...2023-10-091h 06
The Popaganda PodcastLingo Plinko! AbolitionLingo Plinko is a minisode of the Popaganda Podcast with Shannon Perez Darby and Tashmica Torok. During these short and sweet segments, we'll be breaking down our working definitions of the transformative justice terms that we use throughout the podcast episodes.Listen in as Tashmica talks about what we mean by the word 'Abolition' and offers real world examples of abolitionist practices.For more information about the movement to Stop Cop City, visit stopcop.city. If you want to dive deeper on abolition 101, check out Transform Harm or Critical Resistance. To be in...2023-10-0503 min
The Popaganda PodcastBachelor NationIn the third episode of Popaganda, Shannon Perez-Darby invites Tashmica Torok for a hometown visit to one of her favorite pop culture stomping grounds -- Bachelor Nation!Listen in as we reflect on examples of harm, accountability, and repair lived out by the Bachelor Nation contestants. And because we have a few extra roses to hand out, we'll throw in a conversation about a couple of our favorite podcast hosts - Dax Shephard and Jonathon Van Ness.This may be the most dramatic episode of the Popaganda Podcast yet!Pop Culture HomeworkBach...2023-10-051h 16
The Popaganda PodcastCopagandaIn the second episode of Popaganda, Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok talk about what Copaganda is and how it impacts survivors as they attempt to seek out justice for themselves and their communities. Cops are always singing, whatcha gonna do when they come for you but we want to know, whatcha gonna do when they don’t. As children, McGruff taught us to take a bite out of crime but something must’ve gone wrong because he’s not taking our calls.#QOTD"Law enforcement is the same institution that will tell us that th...2023-09-251h 06
The Popaganda PodcastWhy Pop Culture and Abolition?In the first episode of Popaganda, Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok make some pretty big confessions. Shannon has spent hundreds of hours watching the Kardashians and as if that’s not bad enough, Tashmica spent much of 2022 soothing herself by secretly watching The Cosby Show. They say they’re abolitionists but, do they even go here?Listen in as they talk about how they discovered Transformative Justice (TJ) and where they see connections between the pop culture they love and the prison abolition work we all need to accomplish in order to remake the world into a more...2023-09-1848 min
The Popaganda PodcastIntroducing The Popaganda Podcast!Come for the pop culture, stay for the abolition.Do you love reality television, true crime, memes, TikTok, and all other forms of pop culture? Are you also interested in communal care outside of harmful state systems? Do you struggle to reconcile the two? Join Tashmica Torok and Shannon Perez-Darby on Popaganda, as we dive deep into our love of transformative justice, pop culture, and where the two meet. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!Sponsored by:The Firecracker FoundationAccountable CommunitiesSubscribe, Like, and Follow!TikTok: @Po...2023-09-1201 min