About this season
What do representations of gender, race and sexuality in pop culture have to do with current social and political climate? The FREQ Show looks at today’s most pressing social issues to consider how the things that what we watch, listen to and play actively influence our daily interactions.
Episodes (5)
1. It's A Privilege Party And Most Of You Are Not Invited
Aired 3 May 2018
In this episode, we're talking all about privilege. With a little help from the character creator in the very realistic, meticulously crafted game Real Life Simulator 2K18, we explore the numerous different forms that privilege takes, how it manifests and why, and what other forces like heteronormativity and cisnormativity have to do with it.
2. What Is Intersectionality?
Aired 7 June 2018
There’s a good chance that you’ve heard the term “intersectionality” a lot in recent years. But do you know the fascinating story of where the term comes from? And do you know what it actually means? In this episode of The FREQ Show, we’ve got you covered, taking you on an entertaining and illuminating journey through the origins of the term intersectionality, what intersectionality really is, and why it is so crucial to modern feminist and social justice movements. In this season of The FREQ Show, Ebony and Carolyn are joining the fun as we take you on a guided tour through many of the cultural forces that shape our lives every day, whether we realize it or not. Watch this episode now and stay tuned for the rest of the season as we illuminate the interconnected web of forces such as white supremacy and misogyny that have a profound impact on how we live while simultaneously remaining seemingly invisible to so many. This episode owes a debt to the work of Ijeoma Oluo. We strongly encourage anyone interested in issues of race, feminism, and intersectionality to read her book, So You Want to Talk About Race.
3. Misogyny Mayhem: How Sexism Works
Aired 19 July 2018
It’s time for every woman’s least favorite game show, Misogyny Mayhem! Join us as our host Kevin takes us through a rousing round of the game you can’t stop playing and you can never win! Actually, this latest episode of The FREQ Show is all about breaking down the often insidious ways in which misogyny works, and what allows so many people to carry it around and to perpetuate it without even realizing they’re doing it. We discuss the differences between misogyny and sexism and talk about how men suffer under patriarchy as well, and then respond to some of the most common arguments used to suggest that there’s no longer a need for feminism in our culture. Finally, Carolyn presents us with a not-so-foolproof plan for eliminating misogyny once and for all.
4. White Supremacy: An American Tradition
Aired 23 August 2018
What's as American as baseball and apple pie? Well, the spectacular shirt Ebony's sporting in this video, for one thing, but no, we're talking about white supremacy, which is irrevocably woven through our nation's history and, sadly, is very much alive and well today. Join us for this entertaining and illuminating crash course on white supremacy: how wealthy white people have used it as a tool to shore up their own power, how it's evolved (but never been eliminated) over time, and how it manifests today.
5. Sea Lions, Tone Police and Concern Trolls, OH MY
Aired 27 September 2018
For anyone interested in discussing intersectional feminist topics, the internet can sometimes feel like an exhausting obstacle course populated with people who use an assortment of tactics in an effort to prevent those conversations from happening. But how can you tell the difference between someone who wants to participate in a conversation and someone who wants to derail it? In this video, we help you identify the tactics of sea lions, tone police, concern trolls, and other denizens of online spaces who just want to stop you from actually talking about the things that matter to you.