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Together, we research and break down complex, and even controversial, topics facing our society. Our goal isn’t to convince you to see things our way. We want to build a foundational understanding of these complicated topics so that we can address them together. We talk about some pretty heavy stuff on this show, and we tackle topics that might feel polarizing. But we do that because we have an important goal in mind: We want to change the way people have hard conversations. And, we think we can do that using research and discussion to create common understanding. And, since you’re here, we hope you want the same thing. So we suggest getting comfortable, and maybe having a good drink on hand as we work through this stuff. Welcome to our fireside.
Episodes
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Monday Sep 13, 2021
This week, we’re spending some time talking about bias. Yes, we know that there are so many headlines and conversations that are begging for a rational and information based perspective. Trust us, we want to and will talk about those things. But we’ve noticed - a lot lately - that at the roots of many of these conversations are some basic dysfunctions that keep us from being able to effectively and civilly discuss these topics. Bias is one of those dysfunctions, so we’re going to start there. Explicit, implicit, cognitive... We’re talking about all of it. And the truth of the matter is that EVERYONE could probably use a primer on this stuff - ourselves included.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to help us reach our goal of hiring a professional editor, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Erica F.!
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
We’re trying something new in this episode! We’re still going to bring you the deep dives we love the most. But starting with this episode, we’re also going to sprinkle in some ripped-from-the-headlines content and try to contribute to the conversation with information grounded in fact rather than polarized opinion. This week, we’re talking about TX SB8 - The Texas Abortion Law.
No pressure.
We're talking about what Roe v. Wade really means, why this law is tricky and what implications it might have, and why the term "fetal heartbeat" is more spin than medical milestone. This one is more from the hip (with facts as our sidearm), so there are fewer cited sources and the shownotes are... messy. But we're as committed as ever to having these hard conversations.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Catherine N!
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
This week we’re going to close out our series breaking down the viral Twitter thread from a commentator named Darryl Cooper, known on Twitter as MartyrMade. It’s been an interesting exercise, to say the least, as we moved tweet by tweet through the events he claims have shaped conservative perspectives over the last 5 years and led to the mindset that justified forcefully breaching the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
It was hard to bring the same enthusiasm to this breakdown considering the very heavy events taking place in the middle east. But we're glad to bring you the news that the GoFundMe that benefits Savannah's interpreter Stone is LIVE! If you'd like to directly impact the lives of an American ally and his family, you can do that here: https://gofund.me/822e43e1
We also spend some time discussing why it's important to tackle topics like this, and what we hope that listeners - especially those who don't often agree with us - are able to gain from this exercise.
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
No show notes this week because... well, things hit the fan, to be honest. We tell you all about it in this week's episode. Guest Savannah Cannon discusses aspects of her time as a Marine serving in Afghanistan, and the impact the sudden reemergence of the Taliban has had on veterans.
If you would like to donate to help the family discussed in this episode, Savannah is currently using Venmo until the GoFundMe is authorized. You can donate to @Savannah-Cannon1. All funds go to assisting the family and providing food, shelter, and transportation as they work to establish a new life in America.
As always:
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
No Shownotes this week, but check out previous episodes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Well, if it isn't obvious from the title of this episode, we're back again breaking down more #CooperClaims. This time, we're talking about the difference between riots and protests; looking at his claims of cooperation between protest organizers, local officials, and media outlets; learning about Color Revolutions; talking about the nuts and bolts of media censorship; and spending more time talking about pee than we ever have before.
Buckle up kids, this one's a wild ride.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page! We are so excited to welcome our newest patron Catherine N!
Monday Aug 09, 2021
Monday Aug 09, 2021
”We now know that Trump's request for Ukraine to cooperate w/the DOJ regarding Biden's financial activities in Ukraine was in support of an active investigation being pursued by the FBI and Ukraine AG at the time, and so a completely legitimate request.” - Darryl Cooper (@MartyrMade)
Those, sir, are some big claims.
We’re back this week with our second episode breaking down Cooper’s viral Twitter rant. This time, we’re going to jump a little out of order. And, honestly, this one could easily be a series by itself. Buckle up, because it's time to dive into the Ukraine/Biden/Burisma/Trump conspiracy milieu.
Oh! And we have a mystery we hope that you super sleuthy listeners can help us tease out! We get to it toward the end of the episode.
If you’d like to get in touch…
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from our Contact page!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
Monday Aug 02, 2021
Monday Aug 02, 2021
This week, we’re moving from one big headline topic to the next as we pivot from talking about Critical Race Theory and focus our attention on the insurrection at the Capitol. We know there's a lot of ground to cover there, but this episode doesn't focus on a play by play of that day’s events.
Instead, we’re breaking down a Twitter monologue.
Darryl Cooper, or @MartyrMade on Twitter, published one hell of a rant filled with a combination of asserted "facts" and rationalization for the thoughts and feelings of those who stormed the Capitol in January. And, someone asked us directly if we felt like any of this information was disputable, so...
As always, shownotes with all our sources are available at www.firesidebreakdowns.com
We'd greatly appreciate a review from you: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
And you can find us on social media by searching Fireside Breakdowns.
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Monday Jul 26, 2021
In our intro we promise you complex and controversial conversations, and we are back again to wrap up our conversation on one of the most complex and controversial topics of the last 12 months - Critical Race Theory.
Last week, we told you the story of how this bootstrapped, leap of faith framework came to be; and how it came to dominate conversations in the news media and at the company watercooler. This week we’re diving into the shallow end of the pool of academia to talk about how CRT and other social science theories are used, and take a look at the areas in which the application of Critical Race Theory is the most controversial - in schools, and in diversity training. Oh yeah, and then we’ll tackle that whole CRT= Marxism thing.
Want to talk to us?
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note on our website!
As usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that in our Shownotes!
And, if you’d like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times, you can check out our Patreon Page!
Monday Jul 19, 2021
Monday Jul 19, 2021
We’re going to take an educated guess here, and assume that you’ve probably heard of tonight’s topic - Critical Race Theory. And that you’ve been hearing about it almost constantly for more than a year. It’s a deep and nuanced subject, and everyone from former President Trump, to the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, to your uncle Pete at the 4th of July BBQ has an opinion on it. And, just about every issues-focused podcast, social media channel, or even news channel has their own explanation of what it is.
That’s why tonight, we’re taking a different approach. Yes, we want to make sure we give you a good enough understanding of what CRT is that you can have informed, reasonable conversations. But when it comes to something as… experiential… as CRT is for many people, just spitting names, dates, and statistics at you isn’t going to help you really absorb the idea. This is one of those topics that you have to feel to know, and to make decisions about. So we’re going to try to teach you about CRT the good old fashioned way - through storytelling.
We would LOVE to hear from you:
You can leave us a review at: https://ratethispodcast.com/fireside
Or you can drop us a note from the Contact page on our NEW WEBSITE!
And, as usual, if you want to check our sources you can do that (also on our site) in our Shownotes!
Oh, and we have a Patreon account too! In case you'd like to buy us a cup of coffee or a subscription to the NY Times: https://www.patreon.com/firesidebreakdowns
Monday Jul 12, 2021
Monday Jul 12, 2021
We did it! We made it a whole year! And we’re kicking off Fireside Breakdowns Season 2 with a look back at some of the things we loved - and learned - the most this year. That is, after we give a little clarifying context to our last series on voter-rights issues. And we definitely don’t make a Bare Naked Ladies reference. Definitely.
We spent the episode chatting, so no detailed notes this week. BUT you CAN still find some of our favorite memories on our social media accounts (just search Fireside Breakdowns).
You can find our brand new website at: http://www.firesidebreakdowns.com
And, we mentioned a special prize for anyone who leaves us a review in the next month. So if you want to claim yours, you can leave us a review easily by following this link: ratethispodcast.com/fireside