Pandora's been moving house and Dolly's been hosting Pretendmas (don't ask; she'll tell you all about it anyway) but there are still plenty of water cooler topics to discuss this week.
From some brilliant pieces of journalism (including a heart-breaking piece by Empire Editor Terri White on the vital role a woman's refuge played in both her own childhood and in British society as a whole) to plenty of podcast recommendations from the ultimate podcat, Dolly, this week we discuss 'Cat Person', the New Yorker short story that went viral - and what this piece of fiction tells us about modern relationships; toxic masculinity; bad sex and female pleasure.
We also play you an excerpt of the shocking and riveting speech given by former Facebook VP Chamath Palihapitiya at Stanford University, on how Facebook is ripping society apart. In light of this and plenty of other disclaimers from both former and present tech execs, we discuss the dangers of social media in both a personal and a social context. From the richest (first world FOMO caused by your Instagram feed) to the poorest (Whatsapp hoax that caused violence in a rural Indian village), we are all affected by social media in its myriad forms.
What we are reading, watching and listening to:
A Woman's Refuge Saved My Family, by Terri White for The Pool https://www.the-pool.com/life/life-honestly/2017/49/Terri-White-on-the-funding-crisis-hitting-women-s-refuges
I Made My Shed The Top Rated Restaurant on Trip Advisor, by Oobah Butler for VICE https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/434gqw/i-made-my-shed-the-top-rated-restaurant-on-tripadvisor
The People vs O.J.Simpson: American Crime Story, on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80083977
'Cat Person' - a short story, by Kristen Roupenian for The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/11/cat-person
Fallout, by Sadie Jones https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fallout-Sadie-Jones/dp/0701188502
Ladybird directed by Greta Gerwig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNi_HC839Wo
Cariad Lloyd's Griefcast with Adam Buxton:
https://www.acast.com/griefcast/episode-1---adam-buxton
James Franco on WTF:
http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-870-james-franco
Cariad Lloyd's Made of Human with Jo Brand:
http://mohpod.libsyn.com/31-jo-brand-i-was-surprised-the-heroin-addict-was-unfaithful
Felicity Morse on Cat Person for The Debrief:
https://thedebrief.co.uk/news/real-life/cat-person-short-story-new-yorker-consent/
Amy Jones on Cat Person for The Pool:
A Bumper Spring Book Special
An Author Special About Navigating and Embracing Failure with Elizabeth Day
An Interview With Director Dan Reed About Leaving Neverland
An author special with Fatima Bhutto on radicalism & what the West doesn’t understand about ISIS
A LIVE episode on Emma Thompson’s Open Letter & Discovering Self-Discipline
Separating the Intrinsic from the Extrinsic; & An Author Special with Candice Carty-Williams
The Complicated Case of Shamima Begum; & Why The ‘Tortured Artist’ Debate Should Be Retired
Valentine's Day, Liam Neeson's Race Row & A Most Literary Liar
Fyre Festival, Sex Education & A Bumper Book Chat
A Pretty Daft End to 2018
A Jolly Christmas Special
Why We Should Be Cautious Of Banning Songs; & The Internet’s Abuse Against Women
A LIVE Episode on 'Emotional Labour' - The New Gas-Lighting? - & How We Discuss Our Bodies on Social Media
M&S Undiesgate; Lena Dunham's Bare-All Interview; & The Missionary Killed By A Tribe
The Curious Case of Mrs Hinch; & Comedy's Diversity Issue
Collins Word of The Year; Iceland's Banned Xmas Ad; & Why Do 46% of Men Remove Their Body Hair?
A Deep-Dive Into The Epidemic of Anxiety, with Author Olivia Sudjic
We Talk Mini Skirts; Philip Green; & The Role of Injunctions in Modern Society
An Author Special with Lindsey Hilsum, On Marie Colvin and War Journalism
Why 1/3 of Gen Z Don’t Drink; & How Feelings Took Over The World
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