podcast episode 1 (1)

Three friends, Regan, Eric, and Lizzie, introduce themselves in the first episode of their podcast. They discuss their interests and the purpose of the podcast, which is to have entertaining and deep conversations and involve others in the discussion. They mention the current difficulties in America, particularly regarding money and the high cost of living. They also talk about social mobility and the challenges faced by those using food stamps. The friends share their different experiences growing up, with Lizzie mentioning a lack of homelessness in their hometown compared to the situation in Greensboro, North Carolina. They touch on the stigma associated with poverty and homelessness and discuss the concept of intersectionality, which refers to the combination of different identities and how they shape a person's experiences. They highlight the importance of understanding intersectionality and its impact on people's lives. Hey guys, welcome to the Everything But Bagels podcast. My name is Regan and I'm here with Eric and Lizzie. Say hi guys. Hi guys. How's it going? Hello. Hi. So this is going to be the first episode of our podcast, so we should probably do a little introduction. My name is Regan and I'm currently studying psychology and sociology. I love video games and I've been wanting to do a podcast for a while, so this is fun. Go ahead. One of you. Eric, you can go. All right. So I'm Eric. I'm also in college. I'm studying computer science and I have a minor in software engineering. I watch a crap ton of podcasts. I've always wanted to do one, so here I am. And my name is Lizzie. Eric's my brother. I'm also in college and I am currently in the nursing field, I guess, pre-nursing, and I got dragged here by these two. Yes. She didn't have a choice. I'm just kidding. Okay. So basically, our hope, and I'm just kind of speaking for these two, our hope is that the podcast can be just like really entertaining because, you know, we tend to have some pretty deep conversations whenever we're on call with each other, like we're together, and, you know, we want to see what other people have to say about what we say, you know, get everybody else in on the conversation. We're planning to talk about a bunch of different things, some serious topics, some like really unhinged topics. Sometimes we're just going to be talking about whatever, bagels or something, actually, no, we're not talking about bagels, guys, it's in the title, but today's episode, we're going to kind of start out serious. We all, you know, we all know that living in America right now is really hard. You know, the past, what, four or five years have, you know, we've gone back in time, like 50 years, you know, Roe v. Wade have returned and the entirety of the Trump presidency. But what we want to talk about today is money. Things are expensive. People are putting off college just to go to work. Everything is pretty messed up right now. Now, I didn't say this in my introduction, but I am from North Carolina, a small town in North Carolina, and these two are both from Pennsylvania, so obviously we've got a few differences whenever it comes to how we experience things. But I work at a grocery store, and, you know, I'll be ringing people up, and I often hear people complaining about how people are using EBT or food stamps and how they can't pay for their groceries and, you know, kind of being inconsiderate, in my opinion. They'll be complaining that people don't want to work or that they need to get jobs, that they're lazy, but I personally don't think that, you know, Joe, who's in the line at the grocery store, doesn't, he doesn't know how hard it is for these people that are using food stamps. Like, they can't just, the majority of the time, they can't just go out and get a job and instantaneously get off food stamps, you know what I'm saying? And there is a word for that, and that word is social mobility, you know, being able to move between social classes. And if you live in America and, you know, you climb from, like, extreme poverty to upper middle class, that's, like, a miracle, you know what I'm saying? But I, that's my experience, you know, living here in North Carolina, but what was it like for you guys? Um, it was, like, definitely different. Like, I always say that where we lived, it was kind of like living in, like, a snow globe. It was almost like a utopia, like, the perfect, it was like a hallmark town. Like, there was, like, absolutely, like, no crime. Like, I could walk out at, like, two or three in the morning and everything would be fine. But it was, like, far as, like, the rich and the poor kind of situation, or, like, poor people. I don't think your experience was, like, an isolated thing. Poor people are just, like, generally looked down upon, especially homeless people. Where Elizabeth and I grew up, there wasn't a lot of homeless people, so I don't think Reagan mentioned it, but we ended up moving to North Carolina fairly recently. In Greensboro, the homelessness problem was, like, pretty bad. So that was kind of, like, a cultural shock a little bit. Yes. But, like you said, a lot of these people associate, like, being poor with laziness or drug addiction, et cetera. But a lot of these people just had a tough, tough life or had something go wrong, you know. I don't think a lot of people choose to be homeless. You just kind of find your way into it. And then it's, like, really tough to get out, especially with what we're going to be talking about later on, which is, like, intersectionality. Lizzie, do you have anything you want to add? I mean, I know you guys basically grew up the same. We, like, hit the nail on the head. Like, where we lived, you really didn't see much of it. Like, you would see, like, maybe one in a, like, once in a blue moon, like, someone would be on, like, the side of a street with, like, a sign. But it was just, it's so much different here, and you see it everywhere. It was kind of, like, just, like, a culture shock to go from Hallmark to down here, where it's, like, a much bigger problem. And, like, another thing with, like, the homelessness, I think you brought it up, Reagan. Like, it's hard to not be homeless once you're homeless. Like, for example, if you wanted to get a job, you need a permanent address to get everything mailed to it. If you're homeless, you don't exactly have a permanent address. You need, like, a way of contacting the job that you applied to. So you need, like, a cell phone or a home phone or some way of getting, you know, in contact with these people. And you also need, like, there's also, like, stigma with the company that's hiring you. Are they going to hire someone who's homeless, or are they going to hire someone who has, like, a reliable form of, like, transportation, a place to live, a place to sleep? Like, it's very, very tough. Yeah, I've thought about that before. Like, I saw this. Somebody made, like, a Facebook post basically saying, like, they went through, like, hey, you're a single mom with a child, and you get behind on one bill, right? And then you end up getting evicted, and then you end up having to live in your car, and then you get your kid taken away, and then, you know, you lose your job. It's just, like, that is so hard to recover from. And y'all said that homelessness was not, like, as noticeable, I guess, in, like, where you lived. I'm sorry, you go ahead. No, you're good. I would go as far as saying it was, like, nonexistent. You'd see, like, one or two person every couple years. Like, we lived, like, again, I'm going to use this analogy, like, in a hallmark, like, city or town, I mean. Like, it was so small. Everyone knew each other. Like, it was like a utopia. There was, like, no crime, no homelessness. Very rarely did you see homeless people on the street. I mean, it was crazy. I feel like you would see it, though, more if you went, like, 15 minutes out of our town towards, like, the bigger populated areas, then you would definitely see it more. Like, the crime rates would definitely be, like, higher. But it didn't, like, seep into our, like, little town as much. That's literally, like, why I said it's like a snow globe. Like, we were just so isolated from it. I'm looking at a map right now, which I'm going to try and link in the description of this podcast episode. So you guys who are listening can see it for yourself. It is basically data on the percent of the total population in poverty as of 2021. And Pennsylvania has roughly 12% living in poverty. And North Carolina has roughly 13.5% in poverty. But as you go further south, the percentages just keep rising, getting worse. It looks like New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, like, all the way to the east. Like, from that point all the way to the east coast is, like, in the red. Which could, you know, that could explain, you know, like, why you guys didn't really see. Like, you do have a lesser percentage of people living in poverty in your state. So Eric mentioned intersectionality, which I do want to touch on. And, you know, intersectionality is a word that I didn't learn about until I went to college. Like, and I took a sociology class. And obviously Eric knows what it means because he brought it up. But Lizzie, do you know what that term means? I feel like it was mentioned because I took sociology one-on-one last semester. And I'm pretty sure they mentioned it in, like, our one of our units, like, towards the end. But if you want to explain it, that'd be good. Yeah, so basically it's, like, where two parts of you come together in, like, a crossroads. So I am a white woman. So white is an identity. Being a woman is an identity. And so they come together and make an intersection of sorts. And so I experience things, you know, as a white woman. So what I wanted to say is that has a big – that plays a big part in how people experience things and, you know, honestly has an effect on everybody's life. So the example that I'm about to give is, like, say you're a black person and you're poor, right, and you're living where I live. You know, I – looking at jobs right now, I go on Indeed or something like that. Most places want you to have a college degree, you know, with a – they have a decent, you know, wage. And the places that hire, you know, with only high school degrees typically don't really pay you that much to survive, like cashier, say, per se. So say this person is struggling in school. This person is struggling in school. But it's not because they're not smart, right. It's because they have to worry about, say, maybe where their next meal is coming from because they're poor. But they're also black, so this person might also not focus on school because they're living in a predominantly white southern town, so they experience racism. People also may have more of a bias towards – like, against them because not only are they poor and not only are they black, but they're both, you know what I'm saying? Like, there's two things that intersection is working against them in our society because, you know, our society is – we have a lot of problems here. So do you – I know Eric had something – he had some stuff he wanted to say about this. His mic might have cut out. Yeah, his mic cut out. I was actually just talking. I apologize. No, but I was thinking about it almost like demographics is the way I've remembered intersectionality. Like, that was the easiest way. But you mentioned that, you know, if you don't have a college degree, you won't be able to survive pretty much. I agree and disagree. You're definitely able to make, like, a living wage if you don't have a college degree, but it's through, like, trades. So, like, welding, you know, plumbing, AC, stuff like that. Yeah, yeah. But I think the main disparity is with career earnings. So I was looking up, like, statistics on college degree holders versus non-college degree holders, and college degree holders actually earn over $1.2 million more over their lifetime than non-degree holders. So it isn't about, like, making a living wage. You're just way better off almost, and your job prospects are way better, I think, if you have a college degree. But back on the topic of intersectionality and using your example, if you're a black poor person, your chances of going to college are very, very slim if you don't have, you know, the ability to take out student loans or scholarships, et cetera, which a lot of the times with, like, social mobility, our country relies on, like, social credit. So, like, you have a credit score, you have, like, a FICO score, experience, stuff like that, whereas other countries in Europe, they have social welfare programs. So they have, you know, they pay you to go to school, or their schooling is free. And so it's, like, really hard with, like, social mobility as well to go from being black and poor or poor or, you know, whatever your situation is to being able to have an opportunity at bettering your life. Right. But back on that topic with, like, having a social credit score, basically, you can't get out school loans if your credit score is ruined, you know, or your parents' credit score is ruined. That'd be the only way you'd be able to make it to school if you were poor. So you're just stuck. It's terrible. Yeah. Sorry, Lizzie, you go ahead. No. Go ahead. Like, personally, my family went through quite a hard time when COVID hit. Like, my dad lost his job, and that's why we had to move. And because of that switch and everything just, like, basically crumbling in, like, the matter of a month, their credit score went down, like, quite a bit. And so when it came time for me to actually start, like, applying to colleges and, like, getting student loans, getting private loans, federal loans, like, anything like that, we were scared that I wasn't even going to be able to get the help that I needed because I was relying on my parents' credit score to get, like, private loans. And so I have, like, personal experience with, like, worrying about the credit score. And if I, like, wasn't able to get out of that, like, I would have – it's kind of like a snowball effect, like, generationally. Yeah. I had a friend who – her parents, you know, they work at the same place as me. And she has two other – two younger siblings, and she was just freaking out, you know, by the time it came to applying to schools or scholarships, anything like that, just because her parents had an awful credit score, you know. They were – have been late on paying, you know, certain payments before. And she had been working, you know, like, since she was able to. But obviously, that's not enough to pay for a university, you know. Definitely not cheap. Yeah, it's really not. And, you know, she did get some scholarships, but, you know, it wasn't enough. And I just remember her being so distraught about it and just stressed. She did end up only – it only took her a year, you know, to find a better job. She actually worked two jobs. She found a better job and kept the one that she had. And she has – she spent a year at the community college, and she's going to transfer, thank God. But I'm really proud of her, but, you know, that's just – that's so hard, you know. Like, I – Yeah, absolutely. That sucks. And I just – like, my first talking point, you know, like people talking down to, you know, those who can't afford education or, like, can't afford this, that, and the other. Yeah. Like, I feel like people just – they don't get it, you know. Like, they don't – they don't have that empathy. They only see what's, like – like, what's in front of them almost. Like, you – I don't know. This sounds, like, terrible, but, like, with my family, my parents have, like, made this comment, you know, like, driving past homeless people. You know, they're probably, like, drug addicts, or they probably have an alcohol problem, or they're just going to, you know, take this money and waste it on something, you know. There's just so much of a – like you said, that they don't have, like, empathy for these people in a terrible situation. I mean, you don't know what happened to them. They could have been, like, your friend, you know, who – their parents' credit score wasn't good. They just had, like, a tough going, and it's not their fault, and then it just kind of – you know, Lizzie, she was talking about how she was fortunate that she was able to go to school. What if, you know, she wasn't able to go to school? Like, she could have easily found herself in a situation, like, you're – you know, could have easily found her in a situation where she wouldn't have been able to go to school. So, it's, like, what do you do at that point? You know, you either get, like, a trade job, which, if you're a woman going into the trades, isn't something that, you know, it's not a very welcoming – it's not a very welcoming community. Yeah, you're right. When I was in sociology my first semester of college, we learned a thing called the just world phenomenon, which basically was people believe that people's circumstances are based on their personal choices and experiences rather than, like, outside sources. So, like, this person is homeless because they don't work hard enough, not because, oh, they had to take care of their parents going through, like, a medical condition, and then they ended up with nothing. So, I feel like that also comes into play on why people, like, look down on those less fortunate than them. Yeah, that makes total sense. And, like, you said with the comments of, like, oh, that person's, like, probably on drugs or something. I mean, I also don't think that, you know, like, people fall into addiction as a coping mechanism. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Like, these people probably weren't – most likely, I mean, I'm not saying this for everyone, but they most likely weren't addicts, you know, before this happened. And they probably were in a dark spot, you know, they became homeless or lost a job or something, and then they fell into that addiction. You know, you can't just be a hater, you know what I'm saying? Like, you can't just be a hater. Like, people – I feel like people really, really just lack empathy nowadays. And I think that, I mean, you know, just a basic sociology class or, like, a diversity class I feel like would benefit somebody so much. Absolutely. To, like, see – like, it opens your eyes, you know what I'm saying, like, to all of this. And I took an African-American dysphoria – I think that's how you say it, like, dysphoria study course. And it was like a 101. It was a 100-level class. And I thought that I was pretty open-minded, and I thought that I was pretty empathetic, but I learned so much from that class that I just – it honestly changed me, if I'm being honest. And I just feel like that should be – people need to learn these things. People need to be shown, you know, that it's not just, oh, that person is lazy. They need to be shown because they're not – unless we tell them or they read a book or something, like, they're not going to know. They're not going to change. They're just going to keep thinking the same way, and then we're going to be stuck in this system of hating the poor and not helping them, you know? Mm-hmm. Another thing that I want to bring up is, like, the riches idea of, you know, I worked hard, so I, like, deserve it. Or, like Elizabeth said, they must not work hard, so that's, like, why they're poor. Like, if you're rich – I think I learned this in a sociology class as well. People who are, like, wealthier think that they worked harder or they almost, like, deserve it in a way. Mm-hmm. Or, like, they worked a lot harder than what they actually did. Like, there's always, like, some kind of, like, struggle story when it comes to being wealthy when a lot of these people are just, like, generational wealth babies. You know what I mean? Yeah. So I think that it has a lot to do with why they hate poor people so much as well, because they think that they had a harder struggle than what they actually did. Yeah, like, dude, your dad was rich because your grandpa was rich, okay? And you're rich because your dad was rich. It's like Trump saying he only got, like, a small loan of a million dollars, you know? Just a small loan. Yeah, just a small loan. Give me that, please. Like – It's like, bro. Generational. I mean, I'm sure somewhere, like, a hundred years before that person, there was some hard work, you know? A hundred percent, yeah. But, I mean, right now, dude, you know, you're not – I mean, you're sitting on your butt, like, on a computer, you know, writing a few emails maybe, but I mean – Yeah. You didn't get here because of hard work, dude. You can't talk down on the lower class like that. Like, that's just how I feel about it. It's like the higher you go up, the less work you do. That's what I think. Yeah. But – Like, I work with – I mean, I said I work in a grocery store, and I probably work with some cashiers that work harder than the millionaires in my town, you know what I'm saying? We have, like, one or two millionaires, but, you know, they don't really do anything. They just kind of exist. Yeah. Well, that's like, what are you going to tell, like, that single mom that's working, like, three or four jobs to, like, support her children that she's, like, not working hard? That's, like, why she's poor? Like, how does that even make sense, you know? Yeah, that's just cruel, you know? That's just cruel in all honesty. Like, you're poor because you don't work hard enough, but, hey, dude, you're working, like, three jobs and, like, being a single mom. Just work harder. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps. Work harder. Yeah. Get another job. Like, what do you – like – You're working 80 hours a week? Why not 160? Just find something that pays more. Yeah, just get a better pay. So you never thought of that. This – yeah, this logic is just – I mean, I'm glad we can laugh about it because it's actually absurd. Yeah. And that we're not in that situation because, like, we would not be laughing if that was us. Yeah. Yeah. Just, you know, I hate rich people. I hate them. I think it's good also to recognize that you're privileged without – you might feel like you're struggling, but you – like, some people do have some privilege. Yeah, like, we're – like, I'm white, you know, obviously. We live in a society where white people have literally dictated everything. Yeah. For the past billion years, you know what I'm saying? Like, we got to recognize that. Yeah. Like, I had an assignment, you know, for my Social 101 class, and we had to talk about race and stuff. And, I mean, I knew that white privilege existed, but, I mean, I think it really hit the nail on the head because I had to, like – like, I think the prompt was, when did you realize what race you were, like, how has that affected you? And it really just hit me, like, I didn't, you know what I'm saying? Like, that wasn't something that I've had to deal with, and it really hit me. Like, I am very – like, I'm privileged, you know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. Yeah, I feel like the fact that you're, like, in college taking, like, a class on – like, a diversity class or, like, a sociology class. Like, that in and of itself is, like, very privileged because there's so many people, regardless of race, who would love to have the opportunity that all three of us are having right now being in college. Mm-hmm. Not everyone gets to do that, you know? So I just gotta – I gotta work hard, dude, you know? That's what I – you know, whenever you're struggling to stay awake during finals, just think of all those people who don't have the opportunity to study for finals and are, like, busting their ass at, you know, a nine-to-five making, like, minimum wage. That's what I do. Period. Oh, dang it. I gotta take a test. It's, like, I'm – you know what? This is good. Do it for Johnny. Do it for Johnny back at the seminar, you know? Yeah. Well, I think that that was a pretty good successful episode, guys. Yeah. It's a good maiden voyage. It's kind of, you know, off the cuff a little bit. Yeah. But I think we did okay. I think we did good, guys. Hopefully, y'all will stick around. Good job, guys. Yeah, stick around, guys. You know, we'll probably talk about, you know, some other issues. I don't know. Probably, like, gay people or something. It's just not bagels. Yeah, not bagels. We will never talk about bagels. We will never discuss bagels. You want that? Go somewhere else. Go somewhere else. Not here. Not here, dude. Not here. All right, y'all. Hope you enjoyed. See you next time. Bye. See you guys. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.