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Introducing: If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It
33 Plays2 months ago
What happens when the people in power double down on breaking things instead of fixing them? Introducing "If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It", a podcast about people, politics, and Alabama.
Hosts Zephyr Scalzetti and Faye Hobbes take listeners on a journey each week to humorously break down the structures, the policies, and the people in power who’ve made Alabama the way it is today.
Along the way we'll be interviewing Alabamians, discussing current news in the state, and opening the door a little wider to the weird insular world of Alabama politics.
So grab your favorite seat, make sure your tea is sweet, and tune in to "If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It".
This podcast is ad free and entirely supported by our listeners. Please support us at patreon.com/ItAintFixedPod to get bonus episodes and other perks.
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Transcript
Dissatisfaction in Alabama
00:00:00
Speaker
You know, we always say help is on the way, but help don't get here. Listen, this is not government. This is religion here. Lord have mercy. This building is a piece of garbage. Ain't nobody happy just to be in here. We ain't here trying to do work. ain't right. It ain't right. I don't see this moving Alabama for. As Rick and Bobby say, if you ain't first, you're last. If it ain't this. Boy. don't Don't think we should break it. Break it. I'll break it. How do we break it down even more?
00:00:25
Speaker
Everybody's thinking they are doing the right thing. This is not the right thing to do. I want this fixed today.
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:32
Speaker
Hello and welcome to If It Ain't Fixed, Don't Break It, a podcast about people, politics and Alabama. I'm Zephyr Scalzetti. I'm Faye Homs. And together, we're gonna tell y'all about our home state, Alabama.
00:00:45
Speaker
Zef, how long have you been here? I've lived in Alabama for over a decade, basically my entire adult life, and I've been involved in advocacy and politics and activism for about seven years now. Faye, you were born here, right? I was born in the South, but I've been in Alabama since I was two years old, so to say that it is my home would be something of an understatement.
00:01:04
Speaker
I'm also fully the product of my hometown's public education system, so I expect this to be an enlightening process. Yeah, it's a scary prospect. So why Alabama?
Alabama's National Influence
00:01:14
Speaker
Well, as they say, write what you know, and Alabama is what we know. And perhaps more frighteningly, Alabama is coming for the rest of y'all. And unfortunately, it's not coming with a side of white sauce. You might wonder what impact a place that frequently shows up in the 40s of many rankings of the 50 states has on the nation and the world at large.
00:01:32
Speaker
But from our viewpoint? We see executive orders and national laws copy-pasted from our state politicians and people in power acting above the law. In other words, the rest of the United States is starting to look very, very familiar to the residents of the Yellowhammer State.
Historical Contradictions
00:01:48
Speaker
And if you want to understand American fascism and American authoritarianism, you need to understand Jim Crow. You need to grapple with the contradictions that come from a place that birthed the Confederacy and formed the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.
00:02:00
Speaker
Above all, you need to understand that Alabamians are people, just like people everywhere. Well, maybe not just like people everywhere, because Alabama is the third blackest state. Maybe not quite like everywhere else, because the South as a region has more queer and trans people than any other place in the United States.
00:02:17
Speaker
The South is also the most ethnically diverse region in the United States. We are marginalized. We are suppressed. We are people. And I care deeply about people. We care deeply about people.
00:02:30
Speaker
About what is hurting them, what is helping them. We care about their pain and their joy and what happens to them.
Understanding Alabama Today
00:02:36
Speaker
I'm not a historian, but I will be talking about history to contextualize what is happening in the present.
00:02:41
Speaker
I'm not a professionally trained journalist, but I will be doing some original reporting and interviewing. So we hope you'll come along with us as we talk about the structures, the policies, and the people in charge who've made Alabama the way it is.
00:02:53
Speaker
The same people and structures that are doubling down on breaking Alabama instead of fixing it. And perhaps we'll find a way together to a better Alabama.
Supporting the Podcast
00:03:01
Speaker
And we'll be finding our way on our own because we are entirely supported by our listeners and we'll never run ads because fuck them corpos.
00:03:08
Speaker
Please support us at Patreon ah at patreon.com slash it ain't fixed pod. Just $5 a month gets you access to bonus episodes, a cool shout out in future episodes, and the knowledge that you are helping fuel future research trips, interviews, equipment, and the meat meccas that we are constrained to on this mortal coil.
00:03:27
Speaker
Also rent. Rent is very important. Also please rate, review, and share this podcast. Every little bit helps.