...About Our Season 3 Finale?

Transcript (PDF) available here.

Hey kids, we're back to close out the year with a little reflection on the past year season/year and what we have planned for the year/season to come. We recorded this conversation back in September, before the events of October 7th and Israel's ongoing siege on Gaza, as such, they are not mentioned here, but were in our last newsletter with educational resources linked below. We wish you all some much needed rest over this holiday time and a prosperous new year! See you in 2024!

Resources
Poli Ed Palestine (Spotify Playlist)
Palestine Academy (online course)
Solidarity with Palestine - A Radical Black Feminist Mandate: A Reading List
Reading for Palestine (audio recordings of texts on Palestine and reading list)
Gaza Fights for Freedom (2019 documentary)
Fred Moten on Palestine and the Nation-State of Israel
Palestine Zines and Reading List

Transcript

Prakash  0:17  
Hey kids, and welcome back to Do the Kids Know. That is this show where we talk about race, media, politics, and pop culture in triple K Canada. I am Prakash host number one. And my other host number one is Kristen.

Kristen  0:34  
Hey. There's two ones?

Prakash  0:38  
Yeah, because we're equal. Equal partners in this partnership. And we're here to close up season three of this here show. We've made it to 22 episodes, which is you know, I think the standard number of episodes in a comedy television series and so...

Kristen  0:58  
Oh fun.

Prakash  0:59  
...thought it'd be appropriate to end here. And then we'll take a little break before season four. And so but before we do that, we thought we'd spend this episode thinking back to our previous seasons, this season, and forecast what will happen next. 

Kristen  1:18  
Yeah.

Prakash  1:19  
But first, let's talk about co-star. Kristen, do you wanna start us off with how co-star read you this week?

Kristen  1:28  
I will because it wasn't a read because it didn't make any sense. So this week co-star missed the mark a lot. But I think the one that missed the mark the most and therefore it was the most hilarious was Tuesday when co-star said, Don't ignore the red flags just because you want to be in love.

Prakash  1:56  
Yes. And I remember in my head cackling loudly.

Kristen  2:02  
I cackled out loud.

Prakash  2:05  
But then I remember but yeah, then I was like, there. I know. I know people who need to hear that. 

Kristen  2:12  
Yeah. 

Prakash  2:12  
Or who should have heard that. But it's too late now.

Kristen  2:14  
You did say that. Oh, no, it's too late. Oh awkward.

Prakash  2:17  
I mean... Listen.

Kristen  2:21  
Oh no. Well...

Prakash  2:25  
At least that's not a struggle you have to face. 

Kristen  2:28  
No, its not.

Prakash  2:29  
On top of your many other struggles. 

Kristen  2:31  
Right? 

Prakash  2:32  
Listen.

Kristen  2:32  
I'm like I do have struggles but not this one. 

Prakash  2:36  
No. 

Kristen  2:36  
This is not my struggle co-star. The way that this is not my struggle. Oh man. Yeah, so co-star really missed the mark with that one. And I thought it was really, still think, it's really, really funny how far off the mark that is. Um, yeah.

Prakash  3:01  
I guess it doesn't have to be limited to like romantic love. You can think about you know. Listen, sometimes if that plant does not want to live. You have to just let it go, Kristen.

Kristen  3:12  
I do. 

Prakash  3:14  
Okay. Yeah, I was like, I was like for all people I know who I think would have like good boundaries even amongst like friends, family whatever I'm like, its you. 

Kristen  3:24  
Yeah. 

Prakash  3:25  
Not taking any bullshit. 

Kristen  3:26  
No, I don't have time. If there's anything that my body has taught me. I don't have time for this. There are other things that I need to put first. Sorry. 

Prakash  3:46  
Yeah.

Kristen  3:46  
And I hope that you all are putting yourself first in the same way.

Prakash  3:51  
Yeah, you can only hope my co-star, I'm not sure whether or not it's on or off the mark. You can tell me.

Kristen  3:58  
Can I? 

Prakash  4:00  
It's also once again doubles as a six word story. 

Kristen  4:04  
Ooh, fun.

Prakash  4:05  
It is a question. asking, Where do you keep your sadness? 

Prakash  4:14  
Why did you gasp? Kristen is crying.

Kristen  4:29  
I am not okay. Um...

Prakash  4:34  
Okay, no, now I'm crying because I didn't, I didn't okay, you see, when I see these I just see like, your day at a glance. But I'm looking at it in the calendar part of co-star and it has like a fuller explanation. 

Kristen  4:48  
Oh, no. 

Prakash  4:49  
Um, let me just cut to paragraph three. 

Kristen  4:52  
Oh god.

Prakash  4:52  
Where it says, your main challenge right now...

Kristen  4:58  
Oh no.

Prakash  4:58  
...is to simplify your everyday life. 

Kristen  5:04  
Okay. 

Prakash  5:04  
So that it's easier to endure this period of insecurity and confusion. 

Kristen  5:07  
Shit.

Prakash  5:09  
Oh, and speaking of what we just talked about, it continues. There is no limit to suffering. It is a marvel that any of us survive. 

Kristen  5:16  
Wow.

Prakash  5:17  
You will never have enough tears for the exponential potential for human affliction. Try not to stoke the flames of your angst.

Kristen  5:25  
Shit. Co-star said you're a sad bitch right now. And that's okay.

Prakash  5:31  
I mean, I think at the time, it might have been cancer season still the end of cancer season. No, we were fully in Leo season. I don't know. I can't explain it. But yeah, we yeah, where do I keep my sadness, Kristen?

Kristen  5:46  
I don't know. Cuz, um, you don't cry. So... 

Prakash  5:53  
No. 

Kristen  5:55  
Do even know what your sadness is?

Prakash  5:58  
I don't know. I was actually just talking about this yesterday and I was like, I don't know. I don't think so. Like so few things like really upset me. 

Kristen  6:06  
Well...

Prakash  6:06  
To the point of like, sadness and not just like frustration.

Kristen  6:10  
Is upset the same as sadness? Does sadness equal tears?

Prakash  6:21  
I think that's how I tend to think of it. Like something is upsetting. I don't know. I think this is gonna require some more introspection, reflection, and we'll reconvene at another time off air.

Kristen  6:34  
Yeah, like read the rest of the paragraphs from co-star and have some thinks.

Prakash  6:40  
Yeah, but it has been my my mid my mid-year resolution to work on my mind body disconnect. So. 

Kristen  6:51  
I like it. 

Prakash  6:52  
Because yeah, my therapist too would often ask me, like, when I've been talking about, like, emotions, or, or feelings or whatever, she'd ask like, where, where, like, do I feel that in my body. And I'm just like...

Kristen  7:05  
You don't know.

Prakash  7:05  
I don't know her. Me, my body, strangers. So I'm trying to work on that relationship. That intrapersonal relationship. 

Kristen  7:18  
That's nice. 

Prakash  7:19  
All right. So let us move smoothly into our topic this week. Looking back at season three, but before that, let's look even back further to seasons one and two, because we've been doing this now for, I think this month, it's, yeah, we have been in it for over three years. Our little pandemic project. Why're you laughing?

Kristen  7:43  
Because I just like, that's crazy. 

Prakash  7:47  
Yeah. There's like, Yeah, over 70 episodes.

Kristen  7:52  
That's crazy.

Prakash  7:53  
I know. Who knew we had too much to say. 

Kristen  7:55  
I mean. 

Prakash  7:56  
We did. Cause we be talking? 

Kristen  7:58  
I knew you did. 

Prakash  8:01  
Wow. 

Kristen  8:03  
I didn't even mean that sideways. I've just like, real thoughts. You talk. And I listen.

Prakash  8:10  
I do be talking a lot. And now that's the whole job. And basically. 

Kristen  8:14  
Yeah. I mean, that's why the job makes sense. Whatchu mean?

Prakash  8:18  
Yeah. Writing my little articles. 

Kristen  8:22  
Yeah. 

Prakash  8:23  
Which is a form of talking. Right?

Kristen  8:25  
Getting your thoughts out there. Yeah, yeah.

Prakash  8:30  
Yeah, but looking like way back at season one. You know, this is like, pandemic project that, you know, really like came out of the Black Lives Matter resurgence that we saw in June of 2020. And so looking back at season one, this is kind of like my, I'm gonna get my impressions of our past seasons. 

Kristen  8:54  
Wicked.

Prakash  8:55  
Season one that was really like a kind of urgency in doing some, like really, 101, anti racism education. And I think both of us probably like most, like, you know, especially you as a Black woman receiving a lot of the, oh my god, I have no idea or, tell me this or I read this book, or did you see the news, or, you know, all of those things, which we'll actually be going into further detail in an upcoming episode that will...

Kristen  9:26  
Yeah. 

Prakash  9:27  
...come up sometime. So I won't belabour the point but clearly, the style and tone of the podcast has shifted. Where we went, like less scripted and more conversational and also using the space as a way to really also engage in dialogue where we ourselves are learning from each other that we weren't or we weren't always like at the same point of departure in the topics. Because season one was a lot of like a lot of these like 101 discussions, and then...

Kristen  10:04  
Here is the topic. Here are the definitions. Here's the things you need to know. Here are your resources to learn more. Please stop asking all of your coloured friends for this information. 

Prakash  10:16  
Yeah, and don't ask me IRL. We were preemptively doing the work that we knew would be asked for. So that was like season one in a nutshell. Season two, I think it was when we added the "and politics" to our introduction, because you really can't extract the racism and the way that we live, the racist institutions. Structural and systemic racism cannot really be removed from the ongoing politics, here in this country, and in the provinces and the cities that we live in. And so we started going more into contemporary politics. Some work in history to explain how we got here, and why we're still here, and how none of these things are new. And that, you know, really going back into these, like, structural unpacking of these structural dynamics. And also looking yeah, both through historical and contemporary lenses. Yeah, which leads us to season three, which we started in January 2022 a bit of a slower pace than we did seasons one and two. And I think that thematically, most of season three, I think would fall under the category of critique.

Kristen  11:42  
Yeah, I think so was much more. This is what's going on, and here's why we hate it. 

Prakash  11:48  
Yeah, looking at really more kind of like specific devices through which like issues of racism become pervasive in micro and macro ways. For example, we talked about blackface and digital blackface and, you know, like how these concepts continue to, like live in various forms. Kind of more on like a, on a micro scale, but a macro scale the way kind of like gentrification, especially, in somewhere like Montreal, that has seen, like, the forced expulsion of black people and people of colour out of neighbourhoods, through these like revitalization projects, or whatnot.

Kristen  12:28  
Quote, unquote.

Prakash  12:30  
Quote, unquote. Employ racism at a more of a macro scale. So now we're thinking more about season four. What's next?

Kristen  12:39  
But before we get there, I want to talk a bit about season three. And like, wrap it up, like how was Season Three for you? You hate that.

Prakash  12:54  
I'm like being asked questions. Interesting. Yeah, season three I think. I think both of us had a lot of changes happen in our personal lives. Between 2022 and 2023 We both moved. You to a whole other province, city. Me , still a Montreal girly, but I feel like this was like also like a big move for me emotionally. 

Kristen  13:22  
Yeah. 

Prakash  13:24  
We both finished our Saturn returns. So the astrological girlies will know. I will not elaborate. But big change has happened. You can just Google saturn return if you're not familiar. 

Kristen  13:41  
I mean, they would have done that anyway. 

Prakash  13:43  
Hopefully. 

Kristen  13:44  
Well, now they're going to specifically because you said to. 

Prakash  13:48  
Yeah. Cause yeah, if you're under 30 it might be worth seeing what's coming. And so, and I think that we have felt like less... I mean, the urgency is always there to, of doing the work of learning and unlearning. I think where I personally have lost the urgency is for when it's me, myself and I doing the work of teaching, especially when it comes to these like 101 topics. 

Prakash  14:22  
Like recently I've been as part of my work I've been doing these like tours in the Old Port of Montreal explaining how this like very commercial street used to be the kind of like slave auction street and the history of like slavery in Canada, Quebec, and how this exists. It has a 200 year history of enslavement in Canada. That's like, rarely talked about and that is not only people who are like, extracted from Africa who are prone to slavery who, you know, like, had this life, but also, there were like, indigenous people from the US who were also forcibly brought to Canada to be enslaved. And it's like, a lot of it kind of like everyday, like, not every day, but often I'm like, giving this tour, like, you know, walking through Montreal. Explaining this history being like, oh, yes, like, at the very... Its such a to me now, it feels like such a basic point that like, of course, this whole nation was founded upon theft, genocide, extractivism. And it comes up so much in my work that I'm like, exhausted, of like, having the same conversation. Over and over again. I kind of like, I'm sure that there is like an academic term for this or something. But like, I think we talked about climate grief a lot. Like how we just like live under these like, like unavoidable unignorable conditions of the climate catastrophe. Like I saw articles yesterday about how like, it's no longer global warming, it's global boiling. This is like the hottest July on record. And like, you can't... Like this year alone, we've had like tornado warnings, hurricane warnings, forest fires, floods all in July. All in the last like, three or four weeks. And it's so like, you can't look away and also the same thing that there's like as an individual there is kind of like nothing you can do. Of course, collective action can do things but you alone cannot Greta Thunberg your way into solving anything. And so we just live with his grief that like the world as we know it will end, is ending, has ended. And it feels like, you know, very difficult to live. 

Prakash  16:51  
And I feel that like a lot of us BIPOC folk who have like been very involved for a long time about the unlearning and unlearning of like how racism is so embedded into the fabric of life in North America, in Canada and the US, of course, other nations as well. But speaking from my experience, that it's already so present in my life that I don't want to continue to like, dwell on these points that are become more and more frustrating, the more you know, we evoke them. So I think that this has like pushed us to not do as much of the like, here are articles, here are facts, here are resources, because like we have been doing those, not only the two of us on the podcast, but like this work has been has been being done over so long. And at this point, if you have not caught up. I don't know what to... I just don't know what to say, I don't know what to do. But clearly, it's not gonna be me who's like leading you into the light, you know? You can like bring a horse to water, or whatever. But, yeah.

Kristen  18:01  
I think that was also like, part of the impetus for season one, because it was like, oh, well, we've been having these conversations, we always have had these conversations. And clearly, other folks in our circles have not been having these conversations. Here's the tools and resources you need to have the conversations we've been having. And I think that part of it now is realising that the dissonance out there is even wider than it was before. And so I want to go back to having the conversations that I've always had, without taking on worrying about what's happening out there. Like, if you've gotten to this point, and you still feel like you don't need to have these conversations and worry about these things. That's on you. Because all of the resources are there, all of the tools are there. And there are people around you who are willing to be there with you in this. And if that's not enough, I don't know what will be enough for you.

Prakash  19:14  
I'm also like, assuming at this point that the people that we're speaking to, either we're like, preaching to the choir in a sense, and people are feeling validated by the things that we're saying that like, I think often we sort of feel like we live in a silo in which like me and you are knowledgeable about these things to like a certain degree. But then like, the people that we see every day, maybe like our coworkers, or like older family members might not be like so up to date with like the facts and figures. Either that's this is my impression that either that is the, you know, that's who we're speaking to people who are not necessarily educating but are kind of like showing our solidarity with or that you know that there are someone else who's like feeling the same way as you do about the way that society functions and is formed. 

Prakash  20:12  
Or like my other kind of imagined audience are people who were, like, leftish who are like, I think maybe having some of these thoughts and like, I guess the hope is that they're like, that people are still learning or maybe like, developing also these tools of media and political analysis, of critique, that, like hearing us, like work through our own questions, through dialogue, that people are also able to do this exercise with us. Which I think is probably where we're going to keep going but maybe with a different, adifferent kind of lens. 

Kristen  20:57  
Yeah. 

Prakash  20:58  
So should we talk about where we're going? What's going on? What might change? 

Kristen  21:02  
Yeah, let's do it. 

Prakash  21:04  
So we'll come back in January with our brand new season season four. It'll probably have another similarly, like, relaxed, you know, release schedule. As Kristen and I take on, like, you know, too much.

Kristen  21:19  
I mean, speak for yourself. 

Prakash  21:21  
I mean, you told me like literally the other day, how you're working a new contract.

Kristen  21:26  
I did. You're right. 

Prakash  21:27  
Yeah. Like Kristen be so busy that like, she has been to Montreal now post leaving at least twice for professional things. And I have not seen her because her window is so short, and my window, stay covered with stickers of events and obligations, that...

Kristen  21:47  
I will also just say that the times that I've been to Montreal, it's been one day, like literally train in the morning and then train out in the evening. I go specifically for that event.

Prakash  22:01  
Fair. All this to say that we be busy. I think we're gonna go I mean, me, myself and I Prakash Krishnan, MA in Media Studies, is to go back into or I'm not sure if it's go back into the right phrasing but to do more of like media, deep dives on like specific media objects. Like, we I think we both read a lot of like really fascinating books that I'm excited to like, talk, and share.

Kristen  22:34  
Yeah, it's also that like, during season three, I think that we both, as we've been turning away from like, what are the resources? What are the tools? we've been turning back to things that have just been like, fun or interesting, and I think that we want to share that back. And season four will give us a chance to do that.

Prakash  22:57  
Yeah, cuz they got me back in one, or like, in season two we would share off on our Instagram, like things that we were reading. I think that sort of like my problem, or, uh, yeah, I think like before, my issue with social media, like pre-podcast was that like, this is not an effective platform in which to communicate complex and nuanced... 

Kristen  23:18  
Yeah.

Prakash  23:18  
...ideas and so the podcast format that gives you more time, you can like, yeah, talking, I guess, it's not real time because they're recorded. But this is like the pace in which I talk, I can get a lot more information in the same breath, then I can, like, you know, and typing. I don't know why I'm like mimicking this as like a, doing the actions of typing but this is an audio medium. But I feel that there often limits still with podcasting. Like we can't really... I mean, there's, there's always nuance and caveats...

Kristen  24:45  
Yeah.

Prakash  24:30  
... and specificities that get lost when you have to wrap a whole conversation or a whole topic, within like, you know, 40 minutes or less. But then, you know, like other other kinds of media, like books, television series, documentaries, these are also, you know, other forms with their own limitations. But then, by looking at larger texts, such as a book, to explore a topic, like COVID, versus a collection of news articles, which we know also have, like their own limitations, I think, will give us a chance to have like a really important source material from which we can like, do good analysis and take our collective knowledge further. So I feel like that's probably where we're will be headed in the new year, new season?

Kristen  24:46  
I think so. That'll be fun.

Prakash  24:49  
Do you have any, like hopes or goals or things you want to accomplish in the next season, next year, or in the interim, Kristen?

Kristen  25:02  
That's a good question but I hate that you asked it. I guess what I really just hoping that like, we can, I don't know, have conversations that get people thinking and talking like that is always the goal here. To have the sorts of conversations that we always have, and then record them so that other people can think about the same things that we're thinking about, talk about the same things that we're talking about, like spark further conversation, because these are things that people should be thinking about, talking about in a wider context. Yeah, I think that that's my hope, is to like spread these conversations even further. Because, like, there are folks who listen to the podcast who we don't know. And so I'm interested to see what comes of their conversations, because we don't even know those folks. And so, yeah, I'm excited for the far reaching nature of conversation. 

Prakash  26:03  
Yeah, me too. I'm also curious to see like, you know, to like, hear people's feedback. Yeah. I'm also interested to see like, what kinds of texts we're gonna be circulating, like, between ourselves between, like, I feel like, I've read a lot of like, really interesting books recently. And there was one where I like, I kind of like offhand mentioned it to a friend who I don't really like, necessarily, who I know, is a reader, but then of more like trade publications. And so when I mentioned this book, I think I just mentioned it because I don't know, I just sort of said it in passing. But then they read it and had like, so much to say and was like... 

Kristen  26:42  
Oh, nice. 

Prakash  26:43  
Yeah, not someone who I would typically talk to about like about books, or like, even like, like, the topic of this book was like, also, like, kind of heavy and like, not politically about about race or anything, but just like about social conditions. And I was like, oh, this is like, really, I'm like, I'm surprised that you like latched on to it, like so deeply and like that you really, like, got something from that, because I don't think were the intended audience. But I'm, like, really glad that you know, then we, that is like, through that we're able to, I think also kind of like, deepen our relationship. Because now that I know that you can be reached through this medium, like maybe, I don't think they listen to this podcast, but it's like, so maybe, you know, maybe this is not, no medium is for every person but...

Kristen  27:26  
Yeah. 

Prakash  27:27  
It was just, it was just interesting. And then suddenly, I've like, gotten like a lot of like, recommendations of like, really interesting books recently.

Kristen  27:35  
Nice. 

Prakash  27:35  
That I think also I'm excited to, like, do more reading and read more widely now that school is in the past. And yeah, also I'm like, I'm like, tired of TV. I'm not sure about you, but I've sort of like fallen out of  my TV watching practices, so I'm like I have time. 

Kristen  27:57  
Interesting.

Prakash  27:58  
I'm like, back into reading. Reading and movies.

Kristen  28:01  
I mean, I watch murder shows. So weird note to end on.

Prakash  28:10  
Barbienheimer? Have you seen it? 

Kristen  28:12  
No. 

Prakash  28:13  
I saw Barbie. I think you'd like it. 

Kristen  28:15  
Probably. It would require that I leave my house. So I'll probably just wait until I don't have to leave it to watch it.

Prakash  28:22  
I think it's worth the theatrical viewing. Maybe not now. Wait until it's been a few weeks.

Kristen  28:27  
I'm sure that it is. And I'm equally sure that I will probably not leave my house to watch it in a theatre. 

Prakash  28:32  
Okay. I think this is also a weird place to end. So maybe we can end it there wherever there is. We will see you in 2024 with season four but in the meantime, you will still hear from us we have some bonus stuff that will be coming out between now and then we have our monthly newsletter.

Kristen  29:03  
Which we will do a better job of sending out on time. And that all. 

Prakash  29:10  
Yeah, I mean it's summertime okay, I'm literally recording this at my workspace and I'm sure like aside from like, random people walking through that there is no one in this building who is like working and I think it's just a sign that you know, we should all be taking it easy. It's summer. It's so hot. Yeah. No thoughts, just hot.

Kristen  29:38  
No thoughts, just hot. Stay in the know. 

Prakash  29:41  
Stay in the know, bye.

Kristen  29:54  
Bye.

Kristen  29:54  
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