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S3 Ep3: Dispelling Misinformation in the Romance Industry
31 Plays2 months ago
Heather and Veronica discuss some of the rumors that have been flying around the romance book world. From Colleen Hoover to Oklahoma laws, they give a brief breakdown and explain whether you should be stressed or not about the rumors.
A podcast from 1853 Media.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'For Book's Sake'
00:00:00
Heather Roberts
Hi, I'm Heather Roberts.
00:00:01
Veronica Adams
and I am Veronica Adams and together we are 1852 Media.
00:00:07
Heather Roberts
Welcome back to For Book's Sake.
00:00:18
Heather Roberts
Oh my gosh, it's been so long since we recorded. I almost forgot how to do the opening.
00:00:23
Veronica Adams
I know I had like a deer in the headlights moment there for a second. I was like, wait, wait.
00:00:27
Heather Roberts
oh
00:00:27
Veronica Adams
Oh, that's right. Oh, yes, of course.
00:00:29
Veronica Adams
Here we are. ah The new format for 2025 is new formatting.
00:00:30
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:00:35
Heather Roberts
It's new formatting. I was like, I will muddle through this. and And we got through it. So welcome.
00:00:38
Veronica Adams
a ah
00:00:41
Heather Roberts
Welcome back. Happy to be here.
00:00:42
Veronica Adams
Yes.
Current Challenges and Future Teasers
00:00:44
Heather Roberts
We've had some scheduling conflicts, which is why we haven't had an episode so far. Some snow days, some
00:00:49
Veronica Adams
Life, life be life-ing.
00:00:51
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:00:52
Heather Roberts
life be life-ing.
00:00:54
Heather Roberts
And so now we are recording on a ah Sunday afternoon, um which we were dropping this tomorrow.
00:00:57
Veronica Adams
That's right.
00:01:00
Heather Roberts
So you are actually only hearing this a day later than recorded.
00:01:02
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:01:03
Veronica Adams
and All of our references will be timely for a change.
00:01:03
Heather Roberts
Look at us go.
00:01:05
Heather Roberts
um I know. Our next episode though, let me tease that real quick because we are really excited about that.
00:01:10
Veronica Adams
Yes, this is a good one. I'm very excited about this.
00:01:13
Heather Roberts
Yeah. This is a guest episode and we have a representative from PEN America coming on and we are going to be talking about book banning.
00:01:22
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:01:23
Heather Roberts
And if you recall, we did one of our legal ah breakdowns, if you will, of the lawsuits surrounding PEN America. So we're so excited that we have a representative from them coming on.
00:01:35
Veronica Adams
Just circle back and touch base with them and and hear from them directly about how their efforts are going.
00:01:39
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:01:43
Heather Roberts
Exactly. So we're going to hear it from the horse's mouth what is that is exactly is going on um and be able to have a further discussion about censorship and book banning in America right now.
00:01:43
Veronica Adams
Wow.
00:01:52
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:01:55
Heather Roberts
So look out for that. That one's going to be recorded in about a week.
00:01:58
Veronica Adams
yes
00:01:59
Heather Roberts
so we are yeah And we'll drop it soon after. So really excited about that.
00:02:03
Veronica Adams
Definitely.
Misinformation in Romance Publishing
00:02:04
Heather Roberts
But today we wanted to talk a little bit about some misinformation that we have been seeing flying around romance landia and just trying to dispel some of that.
00:02:15
Veronica Adams
yeah
00:02:17
Heather Roberts
Because listen, we are in a clown show. We are aware we're in a clown show.
00:02:22
Veronica Adams
I like to call it the Wild West.
00:02:23
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:02:23
Veronica Adams
It's just completely unregulated, right?
00:02:24
Heather Roberts
but
00:02:25
Veronica Adams
Like, we're all kind of hustling, doing the best we can.
00:02:27
Heather Roberts
yeah
00:02:29
Veronica Adams
Well, most of us are hustling, doing the best we can. Some of us are grifters. But um yeah, like, here there are no rules here, right?
00:02:35
Heather Roberts
Oh, in the industry, wild, wild, wild.
00:02:39
Veronica Adams
Like, and people see some of the craziest, dumbest shit ever. And i like, that's how we got to this episode.
00:02:39
Heather Roberts
Yeah, yeah.
00:02:47
Heather Roberts
Yeah, the industry, I totally agree with you. I meant more of our government is the clown term right now.
00:02:52
Veronica Adams
ear Girl, girl.
00:02:54
Heather Roberts
um So I understand that things are crazy. I guess that was my point. Things are nutty in the world right now. So it is completely understandable that you could see something and immediately believe it because things are believable now that previously.
00:03:09
Veronica Adams
Well, I mean. you
00:03:12
Veronica Adams
We obviously have a media literacy issue as a society in this country in particular.
00:03:12
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:03:16
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:03:20
Veronica Adams
It's pretty easy to think that every single thing you see has veracity to it, right? Because it's been published in some way, shape, or form. Someone has put it out there on the internet in in the form of content.
00:03:32
Veronica Adams
So why would they do that?
00:03:34
Heather Roberts
With confidence.
00:03:34
Veronica Adams
Why would they do that if it's not true?
00:03:37
Heather Roberts
Right.
00:03:38
Veronica Adams
So yeah, discernment is very important.
00:03:40
Heather Roberts
So there's a lot of that going on right now.
00:03:45
Heather Roberts
Yes. So, well, let's see.
Colleen Hoover Rumor Clarification
00:03:47
Heather Roberts
The first thing, let's talk about Colleen Hoover, for example.
00:03:49
Veronica Adams
Girl.
00:03:50
Heather Roberts
Oh my God, so many rumors flying around about Colleen.
00:03:53
Veronica Adams
Well, the the Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni thing has gotten so completely messy. i'm I'm not at all surprised that Coho has gotten dragged into the fray and that like there are now rumors and allegations and suspicions and questions about her the future of her career. like
00:04:13
Heather Roberts
Well, yes. I mean, people have said that she's deleted all of her social media.
00:04:16
Veronica Adams
She has not. I saw a story this morning.
00:04:17
Veronica Adams
She posted with a puppy on it. So cute.
00:04:18
Heather Roberts
She's not.
00:04:21
Heather Roberts
Yeah, she's not deleted it.
00:04:22
Veronica Adams
Nope.
00:04:23
Heather Roberts
Maybe maybe she's just limited. ah Who's seeing it? I don't know.
00:04:26
Veronica Adams
ah Listen, who hasn't limited their social recently?
00:04:30
Heather Roberts
Right, right. But she has not deleted all of her social media. She might have you know deactivated some of it just because she doesn't want to deal with it.
00:04:34
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:04:36
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:04:40
Heather Roberts
um I don't believe that the rumors about her not writing ever again in the future are true either.
00:04:45
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:04:46
Heather Roberts
That would be surprising to me. I imagine she doesn't need to, but she's a writer um and she loves to write. So I would be surprised if she never wrote anything again.
00:04:59
Heather Roberts
She likely will be taking a long break because she can um and good for her. So.
00:05:03
Veronica Adams
listen Listen, E.L. James hasn't done much since the film Options for Fifty Shades.
00:05:09
Heather Roberts
Right.
00:05:09
Veronica Adams
Like, she she hasn't had to. She's very selective about what what she works on and what she's done since.
00:05:13
Heather Roberts
Right.
00:05:17
Heather Roberts
What project she does and she does she has written some.
00:05:19
Veronica Adams
Colleen will now enjoy that same privilege.
00:05:22
Veronica Adams
And she should!
00:05:22
Heather Roberts
Exactly.
00:05:24
Veronica Adams
if that's her prerogative, yeah.
00:05:24
Heather Roberts
As she should.
00:05:26
Heather Roberts
right So yeah, calm down everyone.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Legal Saga
00:05:30
Heather Roberts
ah Speaking about the Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni situation, we are well aware, we owe you a part two.
00:05:39
Heather Roberts
We we are well aware. There has been so much that has dropped since we did that first episode.
00:05:46
Veronica Adams
Yeah, we you should just transpose two clown emojis over our faces for the video right now because you and I thought, okay, the suits are out. We've got the allegations. We're going to go to trial. There will be a mediation.
00:05:58
Veronica Adams
They'll settle. It'll all go away, right? Oh, no. No, no, no.
00:05:58
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:06:02
Veronica Adams
We had no idea this shit that was still yet to be dropped. And my God, has it been a messy, what, three or four weeks since we first addressed the lawsuits?
00:06:02
Heather Roberts
No.
00:06:10
Heather Roberts
Right. It's been a lot. And so we want to make sure that we're only providing accurate information and that we are able to provide proper opinions, right?
00:06:13
Veronica Adams
Whoo.
00:06:21
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:06:22
Heather Roberts
I want to be able to have some information to be able to fully talk about this so that we're not just another show where it's just throwing out allegations or or whatnot.
00:06:31
Veronica Adams
I would love to throw out some allegations, but I'll save them for the episode.
00:06:31
Heather Roberts
So, yeah.
00:06:36
Heather Roberts
Well, you definitely do that. But we can tell you right now, I need to read some of the the the more recent filings and I haven't had time to do that.
00:06:41
Veronica Adams
Yes. Yeah.
00:06:44
Veronica Adams
Well, it like more stuff comes out. it's It's constant with these two. And I don't i don't know, in in the name of in the in the name of transparency, I don't really know who to believe. I think there's probably a little bit of truth and a little bit of non-truth on both sides here.
00:06:44
Heather Roberts
We have some, I mean, it's constant.
00:06:59
Veronica Adams
um But like it it just keeps getting messier and messier.
00:07:00
Heather Roberts
Sure.
00:07:05
Veronica Adams
and it
00:07:06
Heather Roberts
doing that.
00:07:08
Heather Roberts
From like an overarching view, just looking down without having read in detail all the most recent filings, I will say that it looks like both sides were super messy, like both sides had different expectations of what was happening in here.
00:07:09
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:07:13
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:07:22
Veronica Adams
Yup.
00:07:26
Heather Roberts
And then you add in the publicist drama
00:07:28
Veronica Adams
Girl.
00:07:30
Heather Roberts
And they were back channeling, they had their own intentions and their own things that they were trying to, PR nightmare.
00:07:34
Veronica Adams
The GR nightmare.
00:07:38
Heather Roberts
When PR firms need a PR firm, that is a problem, okay?
00:07:38
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:07:41
Heather Roberts
It's a problem. so Yeah, your publishers should not need their own publicist.
00:07:45
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:07:49
Heather Roberts
Okay. But yeah, so that's a whole messy, drama, tastic filled lawsuit thing.
00:07:53
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:07:56
Heather Roberts
And the plans that were put out about that and then, I mean, the videos and the text messages that have been dropped since the initial lawsuits have been filed.
00:08:05
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:08:08
Heather Roberts
Yeah, there's there' is a lot there that's dispelling ah some of the claims that were made, but then also it brings up other questions.
00:08:18
Veronica Adams
Yeah, yeah.
00:08:20
Heather Roberts
So there's just, yeah, we need to go through it a little closer, with ah like a little deeper with a fine tooth comb.
00:08:26
Veronica Adams
What we need is for these people to go to mediation, file nothing for about two weeks, and then we can catch up and do a deep dive into where we're at while they're mediating. Like, yes, I believe that one of the most recent filings has been petitions by both sides to ah forego mediation and just proceed to trial.
00:08:36
Heather Roberts
True, true. But didn't they just decide not to do mediation?
00:08:49
Veronica Adams
Like any federal judge is going to be like, yeah, sure. Let's avoid the dispute resolution process. Let me just get you right here on my calendar.
00:08:49
Heather Roberts
Which is, you know, right.
00:08:57
Heather Roberts
I've never, I've never known a federal judge that would be like, yeah, sure.
00:08:58
Veronica Adams
It's next summer work for you guys.
00:09:02
Veronica Adams
Never. Never.
00:09:05
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:09:05
Veronica Adams
If they can get a retired judge or a professional mediator to settle it for them, they always will.
00:09:06
Heather Roberts
Now, always will.
00:09:10
Veronica Adams
Always.
00:09:12
Heather Roberts
They don't want it on their calendar.
00:09:12
Veronica Adams
No.
00:09:13
Heather Roberts
They have enough shit on their calendars, okay?
00:09:15
Veronica Adams
Right.
00:09:16
Heather Roberts
They do not want something else, so they would prefer you work it out.
00:09:19
Veronica Adams
yeah.
00:09:21
Heather Roberts
Now, granted, if you can't work it out, fine, whatever, but you've gone through the mediation process. I have never known a federal judge to be like, sure, you can dispel mediation. Let's just go to trial. So we'll see what happens.
00:09:33
Heather Roberts
um but right now they don't wanna go to mediation.
00:09:35
Veronica Adams
yeah yeah.
00:09:37
Heather Roberts
So, you know.
00:09:38
Veronica Adams
yep there's some subpoenas out there that are probably.
00:09:40
Heather Roberts
and
00:09:42
Veronica Adams
as broad as you would expect them to be and perhaps over broad and we'll have to also be litigated via discovery motion practice.
00:09:49
Heather Roberts
And i have I have to throw it out there. um It is very possible that somebody's social media accounts could be deactivated due to some of the subpoena processes that are happening.
00:10:00
Veronica Adams
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:10:02
Veronica Adams
but Preservation of evidence.
00:10:03
Heather Roberts
I don't know if that is true or not.
00:10:05
Heather Roberts
Yes. um So that could be another reason why things are appearing the way that they are.
00:10:11
Veronica Adams
Ooh.
00:10:12
Heather Roberts
We don't know, but it is an idea.
00:10:13
Veronica Adams
Yeah. one one One would anticipate that perhaps the author would have inside knowledge or data in the form of communications that might need to be preserved and turned over to the attorneys as part of their preparations for trial and taking depositions and everything else that happens.
00:10:21
Heather Roberts
One would think. Yeah.
00:10:33
Veronica Adams
But yeah.
00:10:35
Heather Roberts
So things things are happening there. And we will get into the nitty gritty when we have a moment to breathe and can actually dive into it in a proper way.
00:10:37
Veronica Adams
Crazy. Yes.
00:10:45
Heather Roberts
But we recognize it's probably not just going to be two parts. This is going to be an ongoing situation until resolved.
00:10:50
Veronica Adams
Until this case settles or there's a a verdict.
00:10:55
Veronica Adams
We'll just have to have like a ah once monthly Blake and Justin check in. It did not in fact end with us. It is ongoing indefinitely, maybe into perpetuity.
00:10:56
Heather Roberts
which Yeah, I going to say,
00:11:04
Heather Roberts
the
00:11:09
Heather Roberts
Yeah, it did not in fact end with us. um And yeah, we were not aware when we signed up to, you know, voluntarily, obviously, we did this for ourselves, that we were going to be in this for a minute.
00:11:18
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:11:24
Heather Roberts
But we're in it now. So it is.
00:11:25
Veronica Adams
It's the gift that keeps on giving.
00:11:29
Heather Roberts
um And we will talk about it as things continue to come out.
00:11:32
Veronica Adams
Absolutely.
00:11:33
Heather Roberts
But <unk> I just wanted to give you an update about that. ah So that's why we haven't done that episode.
00:11:36
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:11:40
Heather Roberts
we've we've Life's been lifing over here um in a positive way. I have some family in town.
00:11:43
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:11:45
Heather Roberts
you had Your child's school was canceled due to some other things.
00:11:50
Veronica Adams
Yep.
00:11:52
Heather Roberts
So we've we've had some some things going on.
00:11:54
Veronica Adams
We have had some things.
00:11:56
Heather Roberts
We had some things. Um, but, oh, so other misinformation I've seen flying around.
00:11:58
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
Controversy over Oklahoma Bill on Romance Novels
00:12:04
Heather Roberts
and Okay. Is this Oklahoma bill that is being put out, um, the posts that I've seen have said like, you know, this, this is going to ban romance books.
00:12:16
Veronica Adams
In the state of Oklahoma.
00:12:17
Heather Roberts
Okay.
00:12:18
Heather Roberts
In the state of Oklahoma, this dude, um,
00:12:19
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:12:23
Veronica Adams
this state legislator, this elected official.
00:12:26
Heather Roberts
yeah, state legislature. elected official has put forth a bill that essentially tries to ban pornography. Okay. That is the basics of the bill. And the problem is there, there's, I mean, so there's a couple of things here. Number one, the bill as it is currently written, even in its most generous take,
00:12:54
Heather Roberts
um does would not cover written materials, okay?
00:12:56
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:12:58
Heather Roberts
um So it's talking about video um and and then the like.
00:13:01
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:13:03
Heather Roberts
Another problem with it is that it takes out, it it doesn't, it's not constitutional in which, the way in which it is written. There is ah something, I mean, not that he cares, but there's something called the Miller test that was issued by the Supreme Court for now that currently, yeah,
00:13:18
Veronica Adams
For now. For now there's now there is something called the Miller test.
00:13:24
Heather Roberts
And it uses, so the Miller test requires that something, ah you know, it talks about obscenity, right?
00:13:30
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:13:31
Heather Roberts
And it's, what is obscenity? I know it when I see it, but that's one of the quotes, you know, from the Supreme Court.
00:13:35
Veronica Adams
Potter Stewart, man. I know it when I see it.
00:13:38
Heather Roberts
Yeah, I know it when I see it.
00:13:39
Veronica Adams
It's classic.
00:13:41
Heather Roberts
But the Miller test specifically talks about, you know, like the, what, what you see, we don't need to get into all of that.
00:13:45
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:13:47
Heather Roberts
But one of the pieces, no,
00:13:48
Veronica Adams
It appeals to the Purian interest and all of that if it has no artistic, literary, political or scientific value.
00:13:56
Heather Roberts
overall that the overall work has no sign scientific artistic political value.
00:13:56
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:14:00
Veronica Adams
the laps test, yeah.
00:14:02
Heather Roberts
Yes. What this particular Oklahoma bill does is take that and instead of saying overall, it it allows you to pull out like a piece and ask if that has any scientific artistic or political value.
00:14:15
Veronica Adams
Oh, so we're drilling down and we're bypassing the over, we're we're not taking the work as a whole. we are If we can find anything in it that lacks any sort of redeeming value under the lapse test, we are banning it because we are afraid of consenting adults making their own decisions about how they have fun with their own bodies.
00:14:22
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:14:26
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:14:35
Heather Roberts
yeah that Yes. That is what this law does. Now, is that an easy?
00:14:39
Veronica Adams
People have lost their damn minds.
00:14:43
Heather Roberts
I know. Is that an easy slippery slope to romance novels?
00:14:47
Veronica Adams
It's huge.
00:14:48
Heather Roberts
1,000%. 1,000%.
00:14:48
Veronica Adams
that that is that is us that That is a speeding train to romance novels.
00:14:53
Heather Roberts
Yes. So do I understand why people are alert? Yes.
00:14:59
Veronica Adams
Absolutely.
00:15:01
Heather Roberts
However, I will know that this elected official is notorious for putting up these types of bills. Okay. This is his shtick. This is what he does.
00:15:11
Veronica Adams
he's he's He's pandering to the base and doing stuff that he can raise money on and run on run for reelection with the support of.
00:15:14
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:15:19
Veronica Adams
See, I did this in furtherance of you the things that you guys appreciate as part of our our culture war.
00:15:20
Heather Roberts
Yes. Right. Look, I tried.
00:15:25
Veronica Adams
right like i am I'm the good guy.
00:15:26
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:15:28
Veronica Adams
I understand the interpretation of this holy text and I'm now trying to legislate based on it the way you want me to. Now give me money so I can run for reelection.
00:15:36
Heather Roberts
Right. I'd love to see this guy's browser history. um But also,
00:15:40
Veronica Adams
I'd love to keep him a hundred yards away from my son.
00:15:44
Heather Roberts
that too, that too. But yeah, not one of his bills has ever, ever, ever, ever been passed in the Oklahoma legislature.
00:15:52
Veronica Adams
No, there's a first time for everything.
00:15:53
Heather Roberts
Okay. There is always a first time for everything, but not one of them has ever been passed.
00:15:59
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:16:00
Heather Roberts
And also, um you know, he's, he does this notoriously. This is what he does. He's drumming up in, you know, to his he is pandering.
00:16:05
Veronica Adams
He's that guy.
00:16:09
Heather Roberts
So the fact that this is out there, you know, not great. Is it going to go anywhere? Probably not. But the fact that it exists and it is real, yes, that is concerning.
00:16:19
Veronica Adams
yeah
00:16:20
Heather Roberts
But I just want everybody to take a breath and not, you know,
00:16:25
Heather Roberts
dive off the deep end when they see things like this. Let's look at these things.
00:16:27
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:16:29
Heather Roberts
Let's take a breath, realize that they're bad. Why are they bad?
00:16:31
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:16:33
Heather Roberts
What could they lead to? But also recognize that this doesn't have any real relevant effect right now.
00:16:37
Veronica Adams
yeah Well, not to get too deeply political, but in the
00:16:46
Veronica Adams
in me In the post-row world in which we live, it's it that this is how it happened, right?
00:16:46
Heather Roberts
yeah We've already and far died on that hill.
00:16:51
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:16:53
Veronica Adams
Something that something that was seen by moderates and people from center to left as absolutely impossible.
00:16:54
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:17:03
Veronica Adams
um you know it It's how many times how many sitting members of the Supreme Court are on record during their congressional hearing saying it's subtle precedent.
00:17:04
Heather Roberts
Sure.
00:17:13
Veronica Adams
It's subtle precedent. It's subtle precedent, right? like We can probably we could probably pull out nine video quotes of all nine of them saying it's subtle precedent, right?
00:17:14
Heather Roberts
Oh my God, all of them.
00:17:17
Heather Roberts
100% of them.
00:17:21
Heather Roberts
ah
00:17:23
Veronica Adams
And then one day it wasn't anymore. And you know that's scary.
00:17:26
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:17:28
Veronica Adams
in a situation like this, where you just want the right to consume the entertainment that you want to consume as a consenting adult.
00:17:37
Heather Roberts
Right. So I get it. I 1000% agree.
00:17:39
Veronica Adams
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:41
Heather Roberts
And I get it. I just want people I've seen a lot of posts of people talking about how this is happening right now.
00:17:46
Veronica Adams
and Take a deep breath.
00:17:46
Heather Roberts
And like, yeah, take a deep breath, like
00:17:48
Veronica Adams
it It's a threat, but it's not real yet.
00:17:52
Heather Roberts
Correct, correct.
00:17:52
Veronica Adams
Yeah, yeah.
00:17:54
Heather Roberts
Just like how red, white, and blue land is not real yet. Okay,
Humor in Political and Social Issues
00:18:01
Veronica Adams
I'm sorry. i The flooding, the zone with all of the bullshit, the distractions and stuff. it it I shouldn't laugh. It's not funny. um People are going to be hurt.
00:18:01
Heather Roberts
so.
00:18:11
Heather Roberts
as It is.
00:18:11
Veronica Adams
But like, it it it's such a circus. It's such a circus.
00:18:17
Heather Roberts
As I told a Canadian friend when I, I laughed at something and she was like, this is really serious. Like we're not taking this. Like this isn't funny. And I was like, listen, I get it's not funny. I understand that, but we laugh because if we laugh, we will, if we don't laugh, we will cry.
00:18:31
Veronica Adams
Right.
00:18:32
Heather Roberts
Like, and I cannot be in a constant state of depression for four years.
00:18:33
Veronica Adams
Right. Listen, I have to make fun of the Gulf of America because these people could not respect transgender folks changing their names and their pronouns.
00:18:35
Heather Roberts
and
00:18:38
Heather Roberts
Yes.
00:18:41
Veronica Adams
But now we're calling a whole body of water by a brand new name, because we don't like Mexicans anymore. Like what the fuck?
00:18:50
Heather Roberts
It's wild. The whole thing is wild.
00:18:51
Veronica Adams
Right, right.
00:18:53
Veronica Adams
So hope with that with a bit of dark humor and laughter and and making fun of the stuff that is actually so unserious, it is really laughable.
00:18:53
Heather Roberts
So we have, we have to laugh.
00:19:02
Heather Roberts
Yeah. But we recognize that these things are, you know, potentially harmful.
00:19:07
Veronica Adams
Of course, of course.
00:19:08
Heather Roberts
Um, we're not, we're not, yeah.
00:19:08
Veronica Adams
And not everybody agrees about every piece of them either. like And that's okay too.
00:19:12
Heather Roberts
Right.
00:19:13
Veronica Adams
For now, wallets while we still don't have thought crime in this country, although that's probably going to happen eventually too.
00:19:22
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
Relevance of 'The Handmaid's Tale'
00:19:23
Heather Roberts
i So I tell you, I'm rewatching Handmaid's Tale right now.
00:19:23
Veronica Adams
yeah Oh God, how? i I'm sorry, I'm clinging to the neoliberal hope of West Wing and the newsroom and
00:19:35
Heather Roberts
Yeah. I mean, ah classic favorites. But no, well, there's a new season coming out in April, OK, number one.
00:19:42
Veronica Adams
Yeah, yes.
00:19:42
Heather Roberts
and Number two, I don't know. i I'm a masochist. I don't know. I'm just rewatching it.
00:19:48
Veronica Adams
No, you're a prepper is what you are.
00:19:52
Heather Roberts
Yeah, honestly, it's giving me hope. And yes,
00:19:53
Veronica Adams
This is like you politically color coding a spreadsheet for class or for work. Like you're studying the game tape right now is what you're doing.
00:20:01
Heather Roberts
that's basically what this is. Yeah, so I am watching this and you know it's really good the second time around. I think it's because the first time you're so shocked by everything that's happening.
00:20:13
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:20:15
Heather Roberts
The second time you pick up on more and you can actually follow the story more.
00:20:18
Veronica Adams
Especially if you haven't read Atwood, because the Handmaid's Tale is one of my favorite books from like my teen years. I found Margaret Atwood when we were probably in 9th or 10th grade.
00:20:25
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:20:28
Veronica Adams
And um my husband had never read Atwood at all, none of her stuff. And so when we watched it the first time together, like he was floored and I'm like, oh, just wait until you see what happens.
00:20:39
Heather Roberts
ah Just wait and see.
00:20:40
Veronica Adams
Yeah, so it's it it there there is that big shock value and that shock factor in the first watch especially, but um you're taking more away from it now on the rewatch.
00:20:48
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:20:52
Veronica Adams
Awesome. Awesome.
00:20:52
Heather Roberts
Yeah, oh, absolutely.
00:20:56
Heather Roberts
um So yeah, I mean, so that's what I'm doing.
Closing Thoughts and Next Episode Preview
00:20:59
Heather Roberts
We're trying to prepare. I'm just asking everybody Take a deep breath with misinformation as you see it.
00:21:03
Veronica Adams
Yeah.
00:21:07
Heather Roberts
Let's you know all come together collectively to try to make it through this.
00:21:10
Veronica Adams
Question everything.
00:21:12
Heather Roberts
Question everything.
00:21:12
Veronica Adams
Question everything.
00:21:14
Heather Roberts
Yeah.
00:21:14
Veronica Adams
Do your own research.
00:21:17
Heather Roberts
Let's see your own research.
00:21:18
Veronica Adams
Facts don't care about your feelings.
00:21:21
Heather Roberts
Yes. And we will be back this next week with a representative from Pan America.
00:21:26
Veronica Adams
Yes.
00:21:28
Veronica Adams
That'll be a great episode.
00:21:28
Heather Roberts
And we are so excited about that.
00:21:30
Veronica Adams
Absolutely.
00:21:31
Heather Roberts
So we will see you then.
00:21:33
Heather Roberts
Thank you for coming to this episode of For Book's Sake.