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A podcast celebrating political moments on TV teen dramas, hosted by union communicator and teen drama enthusiast Maria DiPasquale. Produced by Jeff McHale, with art by Maddy Wiryo (logo + season 1) and Charles O’Leary (seasons 2-4, special eps)
Episodes
Sunday Nov 05, 2023
Sunday Nov 05, 2023
Leftist Teen Drama is back! Still in the midst of the 2023 Hollywood strikes, we ground Season 3 in the very real labor struggle behind the teen dramas we love to watch and analyze. Then, we dive into our usual political teen drama fare, covering everything from abortion access and indigenous representation to prison abolition and a sit-in or two for good measure. Enjoy this little teaser of Season 3, premiering on Sundays starting on November 12, 2023 through the end of the year. Solidarity forever!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. She splits her free time between devouring teen dramas, creating this podcast, and writing and reading fanfiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
CHARLES S. O’LEARY (they/them; art) is a “writer,” “designer,” and “content strategist” based in Brooklyn, NY. A survivor of the 2010s Tumblr wars, leftist media criticism is all they know. To learn about them professionally, visit charles-oleary.biz. To learn about them personally, visit their Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
Sunday Oct 08, 2023
Sunday Oct 08, 2023
In our first ever Special Episode of Leftist Teen Drama, Maria introduces Kelly Diaz, who recently defended her dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania entitled “Lights, Camera, [Social] Action!: The Goals, Messages, and Impact of Youth Activism on Television.” (Maria—and Leftist Teen Drama—were featured in the dissertation!) Maria and Kelly delve into the project, unpacking everything from Kelly’s motivations to undertake the topic to the studies she carried out with screenwriters and young adult TV viewers. The results and insights shared will be of interest to anyone who cares about political organizing/activism and young TV characters!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions.
KELLY DIAZ (she/her; recurring guest) is an adjunct instructor of media studies at City College New York. She has a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania where she wrote her dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television. She loves to analyze and discuss the intersection of pop culture and politics and is passionate about the role entertainment plays in social justice movements. She has a dog, Matilda "Tillie," who is named after the magical, brilliant, and justice-serving character!
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Logo art by Maddy Wiryo
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- Bandura, A. (2018). Toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 130-136.
- Beaumont, E. (2010). Political agency and empowerment: pathways for developing a sense of political efficacy in young adults. In L. Sherrod, J. Torney-Purta, & C. Flanagan (Eds.), Handbook of research on civic engagement in youth (pp. 525-558). Hoboken: Wiley.
- Hollywood Health & Society
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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:
- Cooper, E. (2015). “Teens win”: Purveying fantasies of effortless economic mobility and social attainment on rich teen soaps. Popular Culture, 48(4), 731-746.
- Griffin, R. A., & Meyer, M. D. E. (Eds.). (2018). Adventures in shondaland: Identity politics and the power of representation. Rutgers University Press.
- Hall, A. E. (2020). Audience responses to diverse superheroes: The roles of gender and race in forging connections with media characters in superhero franchise films. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000363
- Hirmer, K. (2013). Female empowerment: Buffy and her heiresses in control. In B. Brodman and J. E. Doan (Eds.), Images of the modern vampire: The hip and the atavistic (pp. 63-75). Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
- Hoewe, L. & Sherrill, A. (2019). The influence of female lead characters in political TV shows: Links to political engagement. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59-76.
- Johnson, B., & Faill, D. (Eds.) (2015). Glee and New Directions for Social Change. Youth, Media, and Culture
- Jones, C. W. & Paris, C. (2018). It’s the end of the world and they know it: How dystopian fiction shapes political attitudes.” Perspectives on Politics, 969-989.
- Klein, B. (2011). Entertaining ideas: Social issues in entertainment television. Media, Culture & Society, 33 (2), 905-921.
- Kligler-Vilenchik, N. (2016). “Decreasing world suck”: Harnessing popular culture for fan activism.
- In Jenkins, H., Shreshthova, S., Gamber-Thompson, L., Kligler-Vilenchik, N., & Zimmerman, A. By any media necessary: The new youth activism (pp. 102-148). New York University Press. https://doi-org.proxy.library.upenn.edu/10.18574/nyu/9781479829712.001.0001
- Marghitu, S. (2021). Teen TV. Routledge.
- Moore, S., Hope, E., Eisman, A., & Zimmerman, M. (2016). Predictors of civic engagement among highly involved young adults: Exploring the relationship between agency and systems worldview. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(7), 888-903.
- Moyer-Gusé, E., Chung, A. H., Jain, P. (2011). Identification with characters and discussion of taboo topics after exposure to entertainment narrative about sexual health. Journal of Communication, 61(3).
- Mutz, D. & Nir, L. (2010). Not necessarily the news: Does fictional television influence real-world policy preferences? Mass Communication & Society, 13, 196-217.
Sunday Jul 03, 2022
Sunday Jul 03, 2022
It’s the Pogues vs. the Kooks, the PCHers vs. the 09ers, the Harbor School vs. Newport Union! In the Season 2 finale of Leftist Teen Drama, Maria is joined by guests Kelly Gilbert and Nicki Morris to discuss the class conflict inherent to the plot and setting of three teen dramas: THE O.C. (2003-2007), VERONICA MARS (2004-2019), and OUTER BANKS (2020-present.) From star-crossed romances and parallel fights on the beach to a Neptune High election based around an elitist points system, Maria and her guests discuss all facets of these teen drama class wars.
TW: discussion of marital rape around 44:16 - 46:56
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with THE O.C. Seasons 1-4, streaming on HBO Max and Hulu; OUTER BANKS Seasons 1-2, streaming on Netflix; and VERONICA MARS Seasons 1-3, streaming on Hulu.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
KELLY GILBERT (she/her; recurring guest) is a medical worker and union/teen drama stan living in Brooklyn. Follow her @baeblade5 on insta and @yungworker69 for sporadic, unhinged tweets!
NICKI MORRIS (she/her; recurring guest) is a labor communications strategist at a unionized shop! She loves cats, corn, and comrades. Her favorite teen show is Degrassi because she knows we can "make it through" with solidarity! Enjoys watching all good crime shows: The Wire, Claws, Good Girls, Killing Eve, Arrested Development. Follow her on Twitter @NickiMorris321.
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- July 19, 2019, Bustle, The Town in 'Veronica Mars' Takes Inspiration From This Famously Affluent Place In California by Savannah Walsh
- The Debt Collective
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
Sunday Jun 26, 2022
“How do you feel?” “Like I’ve come home.” In a follow-up to Leftist Teen Drama’s first-ever podcast episode, Maria and guest Dondré Taylor-Stewart trace the season 3 journey of Eric Effiong on SEX EDUCATION (2019-present.) Maria and Dondré discuss the life-changing experience Eric has during his visit to Nigeria, with his season bookended by a turbulent relationship with Adam. From the various mechanics of gay male sex to the nuances of being LGBTQIA+ in Nigeria, Maria and Dondré discuss all the groundbreaking material the SEX EDUCATION writers continue to give Eric Effiong, a truly revolutionary character.
For this episode, we recommend you first listen to episode #1 of Leftist Teen Drama, as well as watch or have familiarity with SEX EDUCATION Season 3, streaming on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him, recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer whose work often employs satire to examine the cultural crossroads of his identity. He splits his time in Los Angeles with a day job in environmental public policy, freelance writing gigs, and crafting original pilots. Ultimately, Dondré dreams of sustaining a highly collaborative career telling Black stories to help expand imaginations. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
Sunday Jun 19, 2022
Sunday Jun 19, 2022
In the fictional neighborhood of Freeridge, Los Angeles, four Black and Brown kids get to solve a mystery in the midst of their largely immigrant community rife with gun violence and poverty. Maria and her guest Xiomara Loarte discuss all four seasons of ON MY BLOCK (2018-2021), which doesn’t shy away from showing all the everyday realities of growing up with gun violence, from Ruby’s PTSD to the immigration system and prison industrial complex to the teens’ game guessing the caliber of gun shots that ring out in their neighborhood.
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with ON MY BLOCK Seasons 1-4, streaming on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
XIOMARA LOARTE (she/her/ella; guest) is a NYC/NJ regular, Master's student at CUNY SLU, and a first time parent who is working towards becoming a seasoned labor organizer. In between being in the good fight she's bumping Salsa, Bad Bunny, or indulging in something fucking delicious. Bad at social media but pretty decent socially, IG: Totalmentexio Twitter: xiomaraloarte
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- Welcome to the OC, Bitches podcast episode: The Music of the O.C.
- On My Block playlists for Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, and Season 4.
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
Sunday Jun 12, 2022
Remember the time Summer Roberts from THE O.C. (2003-2007) went to college and became a hardcore environmental activist? Maria and her guests Emma and Hailey trace Summer’s Season 4 journey to find her destiny as an early 2000s climate activist, in the long tradition of teen drama mean girls finding their voices through organizing. With many of Summer’s demands sounding eerily similar to the demands of today’s climate justice movement, Maria also takes the opportunity to discuss the Green New Deal, with the help of A Planet To Win: Why We Need A Green New Deal by Kate Aronoff, Alyssa Battistoni, Daniel Aldana Cohen, and Thea Riofrancos. Maria and her guests discuss this ambitious and exciting policy framework that Summer Roberts would certainly be fighting to pass in the present.
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with THE O.C. Season 4, streaming on HBO Max and Hulu.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
EMMA ROSE (she/her; recurring guest) watches a lot—and she means a lot—of reality tv, with the occasional teen drama or murder mystery or sci-fi thriller thrown in for good measure. When she's not watching said television, you can find her listening to podcasts and diving into internet content about said television. Sometimes she posts on instagram @emmaaaaaroseeeee (5 a's and 5 e's)
HAILEY MCINNES (she/her; recurring guest) is a market researcher based in NYC. When she isn't nerding out over data, she can be found binging all of the TV, drinking all the chilled red wine, and hanging with her cat son and human husband. IG: haileymcinnes / TW: haileymcinnes13
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- Welcome to the OC, Bitches! podcast with Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke
- A Planet To Win: Why We Need A Green New Deal by Kate Aronoff, Alyssa Battistoni, Daniel Aldana Cohen, and Thea Riofrancos (with foreword by Naomi Klein)
- 2019 Forbes article, Report: The U.S. Military Emits More CO2 Than Many Industrialized Nations [Infographic]
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SUGGESTED FURTHER ACTION/LISTENING:
plug in to…Sunrise Movement
plug in to…DSA Ecosocialists
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
We’re talking about SPORTS—and specifically, the long history of protest through sport as it’s depicted on two teen dramas. Maria and guest Dondré Taylor-Stewart dive into early 2000s football teen drama FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2006-2011) and its 2010s-20s counterpart ALL AMERICAN (2018-present) as both shows tackle football strikes for racial justice. We analyze the differences between a Black football player strike, led by Smash Williams, that takes place before Kaepernick ever took a knee, and the escalating collective action Spencer James and his Black teammates engage in, which is very much influenced by Kaepernick. There are also lots of parallels, including similar talks Smash Williams and Spencer James each have with their mothers about the weight of responsibility for your community vs. for your own personal growth.
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 1x15 “Blinders” and 1x16 “Black Eyes and Broken Hearts,” streaming on Netflix and Hulu, and ALL AMERICAN 3x11 “The Bigger Picture” and 3x12 “Fight the Power,” streaming on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him, recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer whose work often employs satire to examine the cultural crossroads of his identity. He splits his time in Los Angeles with a day job in environmental public policy, freelance writing gigs, and crafting original pilots. Ultimately, Dondré dreams of sustaining a highly collaborative career telling Black stories to help expand imaginations. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- September 13, 2020, The Sporting News, Colin Kaepernick kneeling timeline: How protests during the national anthem started a movement in the NFL by Tadd Haislop
- September 1, 2021, NBC Sports,Kaepernick's kneeling protest still misunderstood five years later by Monte Pool
- June 5, 2020, The New York Times, Kneeling, Fiercely Debated in the N.F.L., Resonates in Protests, by Kurt Streeter
- October 15, 2021, Labor 411, Scab Crashes Tractor, 911 Called On Day 1 Of John Deere’s Replacement Of Striking Workers
Sunday May 29, 2022
Sunday May 29, 2022
You’ve seen it on Instagram. It made you smile, it made you cry: the moment the other girls show up to help Aimee Gibbs from SEX EDUCATION (2019-present) get on the bus where she was assaulted. But the reason Maria, along with guests Kelly Gilbert and Nicki Morris, analyze this stunning plotline, is because Aimee’s healing journey doesn’t stop there, and instead continues into season 3. From the moment when Aimee’s assaulted while on the bus to school until her most recent therapy session with Dr. Jean Milburn, Maria and her guests follow Aimee on her gorgeously depicted, nonlinear healing journey (so far). We also touch on the title IX activism we all took part in as college students, and the larger movement against campus sexual assault.
CW: sexual assault
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with SEX EDUCATION, but especially seasons 2-3, streaming on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
KELLY GILBERT (she/her; recurring guest) is a medical worker and union/teen drama stan living in Brooklyn. Follow her @baeblade5 on insta and @yungworker69 for sporadic, unhinged tweets!
NICKI MORRIS (she/her; recurring guest) is a labor communications strategist at a unionized shop! She loves cats, corn, and comrades. Her favorite teen show is Degrassi because she knows we can "make it through" with solidarity! Enjoys watching all good crime shows: The Wire, Claws, Good Girls, Killing Eve, Arrested Development. Follow her on Twitter @NickiMorris321.
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- Chanel Miller, Know My Name: A Memoir
- September 21, 2014, The New York Times, In a Mattress, a Lever for Art and Political Protest by Roberta Smith
Sunday May 22, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
GMOs and anti-Muslim bigotry, it *must* be the George Bush era. Maria and her guests, childhood friends Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Rosalie Murray, go back in time to the first two seasons of DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (2001-2015) to discuss political storylines headed by resident activist girl Emma Nelson and resident Early-2000s-Black-Woman-Who-Deserved-Better Hazel Aden. From Emma telling off teasing boys when she gets her period to Hazel’s journey accepting her Somalian identity publicly in a post-9/11 world to Emma’s GMO protest turned free speech protest, we run the gamut of early 2000s politics in our first (but certainly not our last) DEGRASSI episode.
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION Seasons 1-2, especially episodes 1x05 “Parents Day,” 1x09 “Coming of Age,” 2x11 “Don’t Believe the Hype,” and 2x19 “Fight For Your Right,” all streaming on HBO Max.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him, recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer whose work often employs satire to examine the cultural crossroads of his identity. He splits his time in Los Angeles with a day job in environmental public policy, freelance writing gigs, and crafting original pilots. Ultimately, Dondré dreams of sustaining a highly collaborative career telling Black stories to help expand imaginations. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta
ROSALIE MURRAY (she/her, guest) is an elementary school social worker/human living in Queens, NY. Besides spending time with her cat, Louise, she loves to cook tasty ass vegan food with friends, karaoke-ing or starting another unfinished crochet project. She also loves to watch endless youtube videos, reality television and, of course, Degrassi.
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- December 9, 2021, WYPR, Baltimore's squeegee kids: debating how the community should respond
- Disney Channel 9/11 PSAs: here’s one, and here’s another. And this video has a lot of them too.
- July 6, 2015, The Washington Post: Why we’re so scared of GMOs, according to someone who has studied them since the start by Roberto A. Ferdman
- June 25, 2003, IATP.org, Hundreds Demonstrate Against Genetically Modified Food | IATP by Oscar Duron
- May 22, 2012, The Guardian, GM crops: protesters go back to the battlefields by Leo Hickman
- September 20, 2020, BBC News, GM crops: The Greenpeace activists who risked jail to destroy a field of maize - BBC News by Orla Moore and Zoe Applegate
- March 26, 2000, CNN Money, Protest erupts at BIO meet by Martha Slud
Sunday May 15, 2022
Sunday May 15, 2022
You know we had to do it: it’s time for Marxist Paris Geller! In this season 6 episode of GILMORE GIRLS (2000-2007), rich girl Paris Geller is forced to work a catering job and finally connects with Marxist theory. Hilarity ensues. Maria is joined by her childhood friends and fellow GILMORE GIRLS superfans Laura Marino and Jessica Hajdukiewicz to discuss this iconic moment. But before we get to the main event of Paris discovering Marx, we touch on Rory and Paris’s short-lived activism to free the Burmese prisoners, Rory’s political journalism in the Yale Daily News through the years, and the time that actual Yale labor history was depicted in the background of the show. We also dissect the weird and complicated class dynamics present in GILMORE GIRLS as a whole, from Lorelai’s background as a working class maid to Emily Gilmore being one of the worst bosses on television. (Of course we also talk some shit about the revival and ASP’s blatant anti-fat nonsense.)
For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with GILMORE GIRLS Seasons 1-6 but especially GILMORE GIRLS 6x05, “We’ve Got Magic to Do,” streaming on Netflix. Bonus points/god bless you if you’ve seen season 7 and GILMORE GIRLS: A YEAR IN THE LIFE, also streaming on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com
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ABOUT US:
MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead
JESSICA HAJDUKIEWICZ (she/her; guest) is a law student in New Jersey pursuing labor and employment law. She doesn't watch (tooooo) much tv, but when she does she almost always gravitates to her comfort shows including Gilmore Girls!
LAURA MARINO (she/her; guest) works in advertising by day and watches, reads, and talks too much about television by night. She has enjoyed yelling about television with Maria for well over a decade, and credits Television Without Pity (RIP) as the first forum to shape her love of deep character and plot analysis.
CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.
JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.
Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.
intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats
All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.
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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:
- Photo of Rory and Logan crossing the GESO picket line at Yale in 2005
- Yale Daily News, April 18, 2005, GESO strike reflects years of TA tension by Julie Post
- Maria's OG blog post about Marxist Paris Geller on "MDip Rewatch"
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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING/LISTENING:
- All the Marx your heart desires! Shop at your local bookstore.
- Also, if you want to learn more about Rana Plaza, here’s an article to start with: The New Yorker, May 1, 2013, Death Traps: The Bangladesh Garment-Factory Disaster by Sarah Stillman.
As promised, places to plug into anti-capitalist organizing: