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When you hear that polarization is on the rise, you think it means politics is becoming more radical and extreme. That's not necessarily the case, but it still comes with big, big consequences. Huge.This episode covers all of the best, most fascinating bits of the book, Why We're Polarized By Ezra Klein in just 15 minutes. Maybe political polarization is not a flaw in the system, but it’s the exact outcome the system is designed to achieve.Your listen next list:The Ugly Truth About News Media on Apple & SpotifyMy Journey to a Better Life and a Bigger Impact on Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

What happens when news media stops considering what we need to hear and starts playing into what we want to hear? When they stop treating us like students and start treating us like consumers? Answer: Bad stuff. Very bad stuff.In this episode, I explain how informing and entertaining have opposite purposes that don't play together nicely. We also talk about a lot of things that I’m convinced are bad for your soul (doomscrolling, political memes, echo chambers, etc) and how to take care of yourself (ditching the memes, diversifying your news feed, local engagement, etc).Referenced: Why We're Polarized by Ezra KleinYour listen next list:Polarization Ruins Everything, But Not In The Way You Think on Apple & SpotifyMy Journey to a Better Life and a Bigger Impact on Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

I stopped referring to myself as a victim of racism for a few reasons, and they're worth sharing. In this episode, I weave together my personal journey with big, important topics like identity, oppression, and empowerment. Your listen next list:Important Terms You Should Know (That Are Often Misused) on Apple & SpotifyWe're Getting Privilege All Wrong on Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Should white people be taking the lead and practicing antiracism or stepping aside and following people of color? Do people of color want to speak for themselves, or does that burden them with representing their entire race?In this episode, we examine the role that white people have to play in the antiracism movement. We talk through the ethics of different contexts: white people who have careers in antiracism, whether white people should lead antiracism-focused organizations, and what role white people have in conversations about race. (Spoiler: It's an important one!)Sources:HBR, Does Diversity Training Work the Way It’s Supposed To? (2019)HBR, Unconscious Bias Training That Works (2021)Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Dr. Beverly Daniel-TatumThe Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.Your listen next list:Critical Race Theory 101: The 5 Basic Ideas You Need to Know on Apple & SpotifyCritical Race Theory 102: Three Important Criticisms You Need to Know on Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Gaslighting is the word of the year of 2022, and I have very mixed feelings about it. In this episode, I teach you what gaslighting is, where the term comes from, and I share personal examples of feeling gaslit. But there are also a lot of issues with how we think of gaslighting, and I explain how my views of gaslighting led me to get certain things really wrong. SourcesBBC News, Gaslighting: Merriam-Webster picks its word of the year Merriam-Webster, Word of the Year 2022: Gaslighting CNN, Believe it – Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is ‘gaslighting’ By Scottie AndrewNBC, ‘Gaslighting’ is the word of the year. What took it so long?NPR, It's no trick; Merriam-Webster says 'gaslighting' is the word of the yearYour listen next list:Why Trigger Warnings Are Controversial (And Even Counterproductive) on Apple & SpotifyTone Policing: Problematic Prejudice or Reasonable Request for Respect? on Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

I’m back with a fan-favorite episode, but we’ve got all new terms to unpack. Let's talk through the dos and don'ts of common terms relating to antiracism. We're focusing on terms (like tokenizing, ally versus accomplice, racial battle fatigue, and more) that are misused, controversial, and/ or misunderstood.Should you call yourself a white ally? Is that up to you to decide? What do I mean when I say that not all racism is discrimination? What does it mean to tokenize someone? What is racial battle fatigue? I address all of these questions and more.Part 1- Important Terms You Should Know (That Are Often Misused) on Apple & SpotifyMentioned:The episode "Racist or Racially Insensitive?" on Apple & Spotify The episode "We're Getting Privilege All Wrong" on Apple & SpotifyWhy Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Dr. Beverly Daniel TatumTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

"I really didn't like his tone." "She just seems so angry." "I can't listen to her when she's heated like that."We're breaking down tone policing, setting out to answer this question: In conversations about race, does tone matter? Should it matter? In this episode, I run through all of the best perspectives so you can figure out where you stand.Referenced: APA, Prospective Teachers Misperceive Black Children as AngryYour listen next list:Should White People Do Diversity Work? on Apple & SpotifyWhat People of Color Need From Their White Friends Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

Let's talk through the dos and don'ts of common terms relating to antiracism. We're focusing on terms (like BIPOC, minority, microaggression, and more) that are misused, controversial, and/ or misunderstood. When should I say "BIPOC" and when should I not? Should I say minority or minoritized? What about underprivileged? What does virtue signaling really mean? Why is the term "microaggression" controversial, even in the antiracism movement? What's the problem with saying underprivileged? I address all of these questions and more.Sources:BIPOC: What does it mean and where does it come from? By Chevaz ClarkeWhy Forbes Won’t Use The Term Minority To Classify Black And Brown People by Rashaad LambertThe Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg LukianoffWikipedia’s Microaggression PageAlso Mentioned:Why Trigger Warnings Are Controversial (And Even Counterproductive) via Apple & Spotify We're Getting Privilege All Wrong via Apple & Spotify My post on virtue signaling and performative activismTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

It can be easy to dismiss any criticism and write it off as problematic, but I'm confident that there are some important things to learn from critics of CRT.Critical race theory is a great diagnosis of the issue of racism, but when we try to go from diagnosis of the problem to solution, we can get things really wrong.Part 1: CRT 101: The 5 Basic Ideas You Need to Know on Apple & SpotifySources:The Basic Tenets of Critical Race Theory via BritannicaA Lesson on Critical Race Theory by the American BarIntersectionality, explained by VoxStereotype Threat: The effect of racial primes on the test performance of African-American and European-American children by Steele, Bianchi, AmbadyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.

For every call-to-action encouraging white people to build relationships with people of color, there should be a lesson on how to do this well. Because increased contact doesn't guarantee increased fellowship. I wanted to break up some of the lesson-type episodes with a personal story. In this episode, we’re breaking down an experience I had when a white woman came up to me and said some kind words that actually carried a tough message. We’ve all been there, where good intentions don’t play out quite right. So we all have something to learn from this. Referenced: Breaking The Habit of Prejudice by Patricia DevineYour listen next list:Should White People Do Diversity Work? on Apple & SpotifyWhat People of Color Need From Their White Friends Apple & SpotifyTo support Marie and get exclusive resources, head to patreon.com/mariebeech. To learn more about Marie's DEI services, head to mariebeecham.com.