Remember the Titans | Bonus

Show Notes:

Co-hosts Julia Washington and Natalie Katona discuss the 1999 biographical film Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton. 

In 1971 Herman Boone is hired to lead the newly integrated football team of a Virginia Highschool. Tension mounts as the coaches and players grapple with the changing times. 

---

Transcript:

Julia: Are we live? There we go. 

Natalie: We are alive. But are we live? 

Julia: I was like smiling like an idiot. 

Natalie: Hi YouTube, it's us. It's Naly and Jules. And this is still Comfy. Remember the Titans? I'm, this is a show where Jules and I like to spend our free time watching shows that we loved and cherished and making sure that we can still love and cherish them.

Natalie: Jules, tell everyone who you are. . 

Julia: Hello, friends. I'm Julia Washington. I'm your host of pop Culture. Makes me jealous where we analyze pop culture through the lens of race or gender and sometimes both. And also I do other things. , I dunno what that was. 

Natalie: And she just stares off into the distance to contemplate the term. Other things, . 

Julia: I was like, should I say also I like, like cuz I'm in the middle of. Greeting card manufacturing right 

Julia: now. I think you do. You have greeting cards right? In arms. I saw them. This one's cute. Jules was making greeting cards. This one turned out okay. Yeah. Oh, and these ones are the cutest. Is it the orchid on?

Julia: No. Oh, the orchids are beautiful. Those aren't link, those 

Julia: aren't in arms 

Natalie: reach. That is really cute. You 

Julia: can go to Hughes by Jules on Instagram to pick out the orchid ones. 

Natalie: So Jules has been making greening cards and 

Julia: it's the holiday 

Natalie: season and I've just been dedicated to figuring out how the bucket is.

Natalie: We get Taylor Swift tickets cause they're like 18 steps. 

Julia: There's so many steps that I didn't even try cuz I kept forgetting cuz everyone was like, get in line. I'm like, I'll do it and then I'll, I got distracted. 

Natalie: I'll get into the physical line and then the line. lived in our heads. . Mm-hmm. . I'm your host, Natalie Catona of two.

Natalie: All the men I've tolerated before. Your weekly look at everyday misogyny and it's my YouTube channel. So I'm confused why you're here if you don't know who 

Julia: I am. . Um, if you are here, tell us in the comments cuz we can't see you when we 

Natalie: see you YouTube, and that you tell us YouTube insist that we use a third party system and therefore your name does not pop up unless you tell us to.

Natalie: You're saying hello. It's telling me what our wifi signal is right now, which I'm like, that's new. . Oh, alright. Strong string yard. Right. Well, are you ready to dive in to remember the 

Julia: Titans? Really? We should retitle this show to how many times will Julia get emotional and cry during this episode? . 

Natalie: All right, cool.

Natalie: I wasn't prepared for that. Um, Do you wanna do the recap then, or do you want me to do it one Tree Hill style? 

Julia: Aren't I, I will get, I will get emotional if I do the recap. Really 

Natalie: cool. Um, let me look up the imdb so I actually know the coach's real names and not just Denzel and a white guy. Coach Boone. 

Julia: And Coach Yost.

Julia: Is it Bill? 

Natalie: I just call him Coach cuz that's what Hayden Pan 

Julia: calls him. Yeah, it's Yost. His last name is Yost. 

Natalie: All right. 

Julia: Herman Boone. Herman Boone. Yeah. 

Natalie: You got it? Mm-hmm. . You got it. Herman Boone. Are they in Texas? They're in Virginia. Virginia, that's right. That's why they go to Gettysburg in a little town in Virginia.

Natalie: there lives a man named Coach Yost and he is on the. Of winning Coach of the Year, and his little girl is very dedicated to him winning that award because her mother has abandoned her 

Julia: because his, their dad was so obsessed with football, 

Natalie: right? So she has to be obsessed with football as well in order to earn his love.

Natalie: We've all been there. Tell us in the comments what your dad made you love in order to garner his affection. Jules, what about yours?

Natalie: was it baseball? 

Julia: No. My dad does not like baseball, which is hilarious because his dad loved baseball, so it skipped a generation. 

Natalie: Meanwhile, uh, while Coach Yost is preparing for his football season, there is a man played by Denzel Washington, and his name is Coach Boone. And Coach Boone has just been offered the head coaching job of the Titans in order for Virginia to pretend like they have fixed racism.

Natalie: Because what do we know about sports movies? They fix racism. . They fix everything. They fix everything. Yeah. They fix everything.

Julia: They don't fix domestic 

Natalie: violence though. No, not at any point in time. Um, so then Coach Boone shows up. He's trying to lead his boys who are so excited because the school that the Titans play for is one of the first integrated schools of Virginia. Right. It's one of, it's one of 

Julia: the last ones last.

Julia: Virginia was one of the last states to integrate. Yeah. Which is ironic because Virginia is the state that gave us the striking down of interracial marriage being. 

Natalie: You know what? Our country is a complicated thing, . It's very complicated. And our, and like my mother, our attitudes and our moods change with the wind

Natalie: So there's tension. There's tension between boons players and you know players. But they go to camp, they learn to let music soothe their differences. God is a part of it. And Gettysburg. And then they come home and they have a perfect season and they fix racism. And that is your recap for, remember the Titans

Natalie: Oh wait, the white quarterback gets in a car accident, there you go, and 

Julia: then dies. , no. He gets in a debilitating car accident and then dies 10 years later. He doesn't die during the the perfect season. 

Natalie: That's true. He just yells at nurses during the perfect season. Yes. Um, my first note for the movie, I was like, because Hayden, Diana Tee are, is introducing us to the like, intro of the movie and why we're at this funeral.

Natalie: and I wrote notice the date she said was in the seventies. It wasn't until 71, until Alexandria Integrated. Mm-hmm. . I like to always put the dates out there even though I don't like numbers because people are like, oh, you know when we ended slavery in 1814? And I'm like, Nope. . 

Julia: Well, and I think too, it highlights just how long Brown versus Board Ed Brown versus Board of Education took for it to sort of roll out because it wasn't an easy, simple process.

Julia: I actually think today is the anniversary anniversary of Ruby Bridges, um, being one of the first little girls ex allowed to attend. Excuse me, a public school and she's still alive, y'all. She and she's still alive. Sixties. Like y'all. This is heavy. 

Natalie: Heavy Ruby Bridges, stage of Ruby Bridges. Yeah. And I hope that when we celebrate this day, and you have to look at those pictures all over Instagram, it isn't triggering for you.

Natalie: Yeah. 

Julia: And I do wanna add, 1971 is the year my parents got married. Oh my gosh. So this movie came out in 2000. Mm-hmm. . So I'm 16 year old Julia. Mm-hmm. , only having known my family, knowing the history. 1967 is the year Loving versus Virginia. The court struck down the whole thing, like I know the inner workings of the Loving versus Virginia Case.

Julia: My knowledge of it nowadays is a little less good. . Yeah. Good. But at the time, I could tell you exactly like who was the hotel that denied them. I could tell you all the things. So in 2016 year old Julia is watching this movie going, holy shit. That's the year my parents got married. Yeah. And this is like, my dad is from West Virginia, but still.

Natalie: But still. Yeah. You need 

Julia: to tell me that My mom and dad had hurdles when they got married. Mm-hmm. because people didn't like that. My daddy was black. Mind blowing for 16 year old Julia. Because in my mind, at 16, while I had experienced my own issues with people saying weird shit, I didn't fully understand microaggressions cuz we didn't have a name for it at the time.

Julia: Mm-hmm. And I didn't fully understand like the weird things. And you just assume that your parents can get really married and everything is fine. You don't realize they fled to California for safety Probably. 

Natalie: Yeah. Yeah. Denzel Washington had to tell 

Julia: you that. Denzel Washington had to tell me that. And you know what the funny thing is?

Julia: We used to joke that Denzel was a long lost relative. Could have been my dad's brother because they actually, when they were both, like if you look at them in their twenties, thirties and forties, they really do look like they could be related. Mm-hmm. , um, But yeah, if only, 

Natalie: well Denzel hit us up if you've done a 23 in me.

Natalie: Yeah, I 

Julia: would be curious because I do find John David Washington who Denzel's son, who is my age, a very attractive man. Weird. He could be your 

Natalie: cousin. I know. I 

Julia: just said that out loud. I'm, 

Natalie: I know. I don't know how to hang. It's because we're watching the crown for the Instagram. Still comfy. So you're like, I could marry my cousin.

Natalie: Who even cares. Who even cares, who even cares. 

Julia: Keep bloodlines. That's how you keep the bloodlines pure and 

Natalie: royal. Yep. Purple is the day they were born.

Natalie: I love remember the Titan And this is why, because as we know, I am ly anti sport. I am antis sport, and. Specifically anti football due to the fact that we just ignore concussions. And then when those men get violent, we're like, who saw it coming? Who knew that their brain had been rattled around a lot?

Natalie: Who? Not the doctors. 

Julia: Heaven forbid we 

Natalie: listen to the doctors. I have been. We ever have science around anything, so I am, as we know and as we've talked about anti sport. But what I love about, remember the Titans, is they look half the football. And they actually didn't come together over their silly little game.

Natalie: They came together through the power of music, . 

Julia: You know, they put the music in after, right. ? They shot all the scenes and then they put the music in. Oh, that's not true. In the locker room. Yeah. And then the singing. Yeah. Okay. Okay, okay. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How did Louis Louie, 

Natalie: my baby Angel. My baby Angel Louie.

Natalie: Oh, you got, I'm your hair, but I, I refuse to let you go. And then Ryan Gosling's like doing this head go Skinny. Ryan Gosling. Skinny Ryan Goling. And then his friend hits him and he is like, yeah, I don't like the Temptations. Nope. . Nope. 

Julia: That friend. 

Natalie: Not a good friend. Not a good friend. There's always one history.

Natalie: Dean. Dean. It's always a dean. It's always a dean for a dean.

Natalie: Dean's probably related to Dan Cook somehow. Oh God. So I love that. Yes, there was sports ball happening and Denzel, you know, yelled at those boys about the sports, the entire movie. But I was like, it was some music that brought them together. It was a chanting and it was what white people do best. Getting on board with black people's art and making it something that they wanna celebrate and chant and do themselves.

Julia: Yeah. You know, and it, you, you, so there's a scene when they're at camp. Mm-hmm. where, you know, um, Gary goes up to. Julius and he's like, man, you, 

Natalie: what is wrong with you? 

Julia: Blah, blah, blah. You're a waste of God-given talent, da da da. And he's like, you really wanna know my opinion. You really wanna know and lays into 'em.

Julia: Yeah. He's like, why aren't your white boys protecting Rev? Like if you really want us to be a team and be in this game, you have to be a captain. And so you wanna, so if that's not what's gonna happen, then I'm gonna do my job. I'm gonna get mine and I'm gonna get out. And Gary's response was, that's the wrong attitude bitch.

Julia: No acknowledgement of the fact that your boys are pulling their punches when it comes to protecting Rev. Yeah. And Rev gets 

Natalie: hurt over it. Like 

Julia: you and for, to me as an adult. Mm-hmm. 22 years ago probably didn't register. But now as an adult having lived life and done life and experienced people who have interesting life views, right.

Julia: That is a classic. I'm not the problem. You the problem. That I've experienced from people who are usually not people of color. 

Natalie: Yeah. It's, it's the, I'm your buddy in the locker room, but don't expect me to be your buddy out on the streets. 

Julia: Yeah. Because you're, Julius is basically saying, you guys are doing the same thing.

Julia: Like, I gonna get mine. You're gonna get yours. Let's all just live in harmony and make everyone think we're fine. Right. And he's like, that's a, that's the wrong attitude, boy. That's what you're doing. That's literally what you're doing, Gary. Well, and 

Natalie: as we've learned through the overturning of Roe v Wade, there are people that you thought, that person's a great person in my life, and they support me right up until they get to the voting polls.

Natalie: And that means that they don't support you. Mm-hmm. . That means that they don't that even though they may tell you every day that they love you and they might buy you birthday presents and all of it, if they truly loved you, they would vote. So you had body autonomy. Yes. 

Julia: So I really appreciate how, and granted it's Disney, it's Jerry Bruckheimer, so there's an element to it that is fantastical in a way.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , with that said, I do think that they do a really good job at showing like, here's the tension. Yes. Because the opening scene other, well, once we get to the flashback, the opening scene is this scene where you have people protesting the murder of a young black man. Mm-hmm. and then you, so you see families and moms and dads just protesting outside of this store and then the, the football players.

Julia: Um, that are under, you know, under Coach Yost are like, how dare these people protest kind of attitude. And that is such a relatable event because even though this film takes place in 1971, you could drop it 50 years later and it's still shit that's happening today. Which again, back to like reference our thumb and Louise stuff, it's sad that we still have these things that are happening that happened 50 years ago we could drop today.

Julia: And it's still 

Natalie: relevant. Right. It's crazy to me how no matter what movie we've watched, we haven't been able to go, wow, I can't believe that's how it went down. Exactly. 

Julia: Honestly, it's so sad. I do wanna point out though, there were a lot of reviewers who didn't understand, because again, it's Disney and Jerry Brocker, so there's a lot of lack of like pre of, um, background information that we don't get so, so Herman Boone cuz na, I like to tell Natalie all the time that I've seen him speak.

Julia: Publicly live. And she's like, I don't sport. 

Natalie: And I'm like, that's fine. And then I get fragile and I go, well, I've had lunch with Coach Carter . Yeah. . 

Julia: Um, I acknowledge that you, I appreciate that you acknowledge that You get fragile though. So he, I mean, so he, so he moved to Virginia specifically to coach the black high school.

Julia: Mm-hmm. . So then when the high schools integrated, they were like, well, we gotta do something 

Natalie: with you. You gotta do 

Julia: something with you. And he was, you know, and yes, he was originally like, brought in to, to kind of bring that team together. But our, our, our resident favorite misogynist, Roger Ebert was like, I don't understand why he would come from, you know, wherever he came from to Virginia to coach this team.

Julia: Like, why wouldn't they just hire the black high school coach Roger Eber? They did . They did. 

Natalie: I love that Roger Eber is talking about Coach Boone, like he's Big bird and like Big Bird didn't make a choice. That made sense. And it's like, well, yeah, it's Big Bird. He's a Muppet. Like Boone was a real man who got hired for a job.

Julia: Yeah. And then his job changed too, and I appreciate that. The film showed that side of the coin as well where Denzel's like, I literally got passed over a job. That's why I came here and now you're asking me to do the same thing. Like how can, like that's not okay. Granted he moves on and takes it and does it anyway.

Julia: But you know, still, I appreciate that they had the wherewithal to say like, this is the, like this is literally the same thing. I 

Natalie: think like what's refreshing about, remember the Titans in comparison to other movies that are trying to be like, we fixed racism with sports and the arts. We did it. is that there is almost an absence of a white savior complex.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. , because everyone is so integrated into the story. Yeah. So it's like, yes, Gary pulled his weight after Julius called him out to get people on board with being a team. But Julius also had to do that as well as Yost got a raw deal. Mm-hmm. and was technically demoted, but it was only because Boone got a raw deal and also got put into the situation that he did not sign up for.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. . So it's not like Boone got hired, didn't know the ropes of Virginia High School, and Yost was like, it's okay buddy. We'll be friends and it'll, and it'll all work out. Like Sandra Bullock in the Blind side, , where they just like show like two really like 10 scenes and you're like, oh, that's right.

Natalie: Prejudice. Mm-hmm. . And then Sandra Bullock's like, but it's okay. Cause tomorrow we're gonna have pancakes right before practice. . You're like, oh, Sandy B, she fixed it. She fixed it, and they won an award. , 

Julia: do you know they always win awards? , do you 

Natalie: know, do you know that like the thing that bothered me about Blindside is that I, for whatever reason, probably because I didn't, I don't sport, is I didn't understand like the crooked side of college football.

Natalie: So I'm like, why are they kicking that boy outta. And my boyfriend at the time had to be like, well, they think that Sandra Bullock and her husband recruited him on purpose for Ole Miss. And I was like, do people do that? And he's like, yes. Yeah. I go, so people adapt to children off the street to be like, you should play for my alma mater.

Natalie: Make that make sense to me. It's kind of a 

Julia: crazy thing, like, you know, my son's played sports. Yeah. And then he did summer before freshman year, baseball camp. And that was his realization of like, oh, this is a fun game for me. Mm-hmm. , and, and he's very talented and naturally gifted as an athlete. So it's kind of like one of those things where the system sort of crushes the soul because he realized like, this is a, like, there's a lot of shitty things that go on here to get to the next level, to get to the next level, and so on.

Julia: And he, he was just like, I don't want, I just wanna play ball. Like, that's all I want. Um, So he, he stepped down, which that's a decision he'll have to deal with his whole life on whether or not it ended up being a good one or not. But I do appreciate that he realized like, there are hoops, there are games within the game.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , and I don't think I wanna do it because, and you, but here's the thing that's really sad about it is a 13 year old shouldn't have to be like, aware of that and be like, oh, this is the reality. Mm-hmm. , I just wanted to play a teen sport. 

Natalie: Yeah, exactly. So I like rage in a man's bedroom. I was like, is that really how it fucking goes?

Natalie: I go, it's literally a game. And he is like, well, in the south, he goes, you watched Friday night lights and read the. I was like, I did . I did. And I thought that, remember the Titans, Denzel also throws up after the first game, but then I was like, no, that's Kyle Chandler in Friday. Nightlight. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm.

Julia: Yeah. Well, Denzel throws up before the first game. Oh, there it's, yeah, because he finds out before the first game that the minute his team loses mm-hmm. , they're firing him. Yeah. 

Natalie: Um, well, and I think a great scene that illustrates your son's point and why he quit is the, is when one of those poor boys tells Denzel that he's here to have a good time.

Natalie: And Denzel screams at him, oh, is this a fun game? And I was like, I think, I think it's supposed to be coach. I don't know 

Julia: though. . Yeah. You know what? And I love PDs story and Donald Faison, you are still in my heart. I love you and I probably will love you forever. Please don't do anything weird. Um, What I loved about PD storyline, and so remember the Titans is one of the ones I'll put on in the background when I need a good cry or just when I need to feel something.

Julia: Yeah, and this time around, so I haven't watched it probably since before summer of 2020 because I was working so much, blah, blah. This time around watching Pete's storyline unfold was totally different. Yeah. Here you have this sweet kid. He just wants to have a good time on a football team. He's got a big personality.

Julia: He's a lot of fun. He's full of joy, he's black joy, embodiment for a man. The world is trash to him. Yeah. Denzel sees and knows what the road is ahead of him and his version of preparing him for that doesn't bode well for Pete. Mm-hmm. with PD rather. So then comes Coach Yost, who's like, come work, play for me.

Julia: And he fucking crushes it. Yeah. But then Boone says to Yost, you're not doing these boys any favors. And by boys I mean the black kids. Yeah. Because the world is gonna be angry and mean and awful to them and he's, and Yost doesn't get it. Mm-hmm. because he doesn't have to live that life. But what I thought was so interesting this time, what I realized this time.

Julia: How much a joyful black boy really and truly isn't allowed to exist. Yeah. Because the harshness of the reality and being prepared for that didn't work for Pete. He doesn't respond to that. It makes him feel overwhelmed. It makes him feel bad about himself. It makes him feel low. Whereas Julius can handle it.

Julia: Julius handles it differently. He can handle that kind of like garbage pressure that is happening. Mm-hmm. , he is in my mind, Denzel future Denzel. Whereas Pete's like, I can't hang with this sort of like scream at me tactic, which is pretty much what the world is gonna do to PD the rest of his life. Mm-hmm.

Julia: and that just broke my heart because it's how many little happy boys are we killing? . We have to be like, this is the harsh reality when, when you encounter, you know what I mean? Yeah. Like, it, it, it plays into my conversations I've had on my show where we don't get to be wild mm-hmm. and free, because that could let lead us to death.

Natalie: No, I, I taught an entire charter school full of them for two years. Yeah. Where it was very clear from the administration and why I had to leave, that we could only have fun on someone else's terms and we couldn't have fun in the way that was natural for my kids. Yeah. So it had to be controlled, fun, quiet, fun like, Not a lot of body movement fun.

Natalie: And if we were going to have a pep rally or a little moment of celebration, it was gonna be for the 

Julia: state testing. Yeah. And, and I think that's part, it ties into why HBCUs are so important sometimes. Mm-hmm. not sometimes because it creates this element of, you know, you get to be wild and free and, and, and not have to worry.

Julia: Um, to an extent, I can't speak from personal experience because I did not go off to college . Um, but from what I understand from my people I know who have, you know, it's a different, it's like you get to experience what it would be like if Yeah. The world was void of racism. Yeah. And then to. 

Natalie: And then what ends up happening to these little boys and the PD is they do become surly and then they become that kid in your classroom who's always got an attitude, who always cops a tone, who always doesn't wanna do nothing because it's like, you're always the most, and I'm like, yeah, I am always the most, like, I thought we could just do, just dance for a little bit.

Natalie: Yeah. And, and it's really hard and I appreciate you bringing that up about PD because he is the one that's constantly punched down on mm-hmm. . Cause he doesn't know. He has the same problem that I do. We don't know when to watch our mouths. 

Julia: Well, and he's, and early on when they're at camp, the dean, do you have a daddy?

Julia: I have a father. Is Pete's response. Yeah. So that to me means that he has a tense relationship with his dad. Mm-hmm. . And so then I interpret that as his dad probably mirrors Denzel in his approach. And that could be why he's very sensitive to it. Rather than learning the language of your child and helping them thrive in that language, you are pushing them down and trying to make them fit into a box.

Julia: And again, we've talked about this before, it's the generations before response to keep you safe. Yeah. But it doesn't feel like 

Natalie: it, right. It doesn't feel like we're being kept safe. It feels like we're being like put down very like, like squished. Mm-hmm. just like tampered down. Mm-hmm. , dulled out. Mm-hmm.

Natalie: And I 

Julia: love pd. I love pd. I mean, honestly, that's the guy I would've dated in high 

Natalie: school. Mm-hmm. , he would've been my favorite student in class. I love the mouthy ones in class cuz I myself am mouthy. And the fun thing about Mouthy kids is you can get Mai with them and you can literally tell them 

anything.

Julia: Yeah. And it's, and it's a great, cuz then they feel respected. Yeah. Like there's an element to it and it just, I, it hit me this time. His story hit me differently this time because it was a reminder, I think it was me realizing just how much the system hurts boys that aren't strong and stoic. Yeah. Cause Pete's strong in his own way.

Julia: He's just not stoic like Julius is. Right.

Natalie: No, that's a very good point. That highlights a lot of what I struggled with when I was leaving the school that I was teaching because I was tired of having meeting after meeting. Mm-hmm. where I was just screaming. What would it be like if we were just happy for our kids? Honestly, what would it be like if instead of telling the six kids, you're always in the red, you need to get out of the red, this, that, and the other.

Natalie: We just thank them for not throwing a chair at me during the stressful, uh, test, because sometimes that is my expectation 

Julia: and that's probably the only way they know how to communicate at this point. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, I mean, there comes a point where it's like, what is going on in that person's life that's putting them in this situation?

Julia: Like children aren't, we should not expect children. Mm-hmm. , even high school kids. The expectation to have children. Through the age of 25 to be fully formed, functioning humans is just 

Natalie: cruel when we do nothing to help them out. Correct. Because all these monthly assessments that kids go through and whatever, and constantly being told that they're in the red or the triangle group or the like, you know, you know, you know when you're in the lowest rating group mm-hmm.

Natalie: it doesn't help. It doesn't help to continuously make them take those tests and know that like, hey, here's a test at a fourth grade reading level. Good luck with your first grade brain. Mm-hmm. , because we wouldn't, and I've said that before I go, you wouldn't hand that. I go, should I down, go down the hall and hand this test to one of the first graders?

Natalie: And they were like, and I'm like, so my student doesn't understand phonics, but he has to take this test because he is nine. Make it make sense. 

Julia: Yeah. It's like we're setting kids up for failure and then you add the layer of racism, which a child of 10 should never have to deal with. But we saw what they did to Ruby Bridges.

Julia: Correct. And all the other little children of the world who have been treated poorly because of the color of their skin. So yeah. Okay. Like, I'm sorry. It's not okay. It's not okay that the only people who can live wild and free and be fully formed and flushed out with no problems whatsoever are white and privileged.

Julia: And when I'm prefer a privileged, I mean money in the system. 

Natalie: Well, and given the chance to actually make 

Julia: mistakes. Yes. Right. Because children are like pd. Pd. None of them. None of the kids, none of them even. And even Herman Moon as a man is not allowed to make mistakes. One loss. And he's out. I'm sorry.

Natalie: Sports are not easy. No. And we, like I said, 

Julia: pretend we can be Joe Montana or whatever big baseball player or Aaron Judge or whatever. We like to pretend we could do it when we talk shit on shows and these commentators on Twitter. But y'all know you cannot hit like these men. So, and 

Natalie: it's like when we were doing a league of their own and I was like, they're supposed to be a loser.

Natalie: Yeah. There's always gonna be someone that comes in last. Yeah. There's always gonna be someone who doesn't run as fast as the last guy or misses a catch or whatever. To me, that's what makes the game exciting. Yes. Is the fumbles and the stumbles and how you overcome. But hey, let's all play perfect games and just give millions of dollars for the same outcome all the 

Julia: time.

Julia: And establishing that expectation is not okay and we see, but we see. For the Titans, it works out because in the final game when you know Herman's like, y'all did great. This is a great season. I'm proud of y'all. Just go out there and have fun. And Julius is like, with all due respect, sir, you've demanded perfection.

Julia: So that is what we are doing. Yeah. And because it's Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer works out, but in reality there's a lot of pressure. And how many of those kids have like serious issues now because of that demand for perfection. 

Natalie: Well, and how many of those kids went home to a dad who's like, you can't lose this season thinking that you'll play ball next season.

Natalie: Yeah. And then all of the ways that we tie sports into the privilege to go to school mm-hmm. and the privilege to get out of your town. Mm-hmm. . 

Julia: And it's a, it's a gateway for a lot of kids. Like my mom, when she was working in mental health services at a university, she had a student athlete who broke a body part during practice.

Julia: Mm-hmm. on scholarship. So she's feeling all the feels and you know, it's just heartbreaking. The amount of pressure we put on 18 year olds, it's not okay. Yeah, 

Natalie: it's not okay. And it re reflects a lot about how we. View ourselves in this existence of our society. Anyways, like yesterday I was at book club. I did not read the book.

Natalie: That was that I overheard these people discussing. I was discussing another book. What book? What book was book club 

Julia: reading? Oh, you told me. 

Natalie: Nevermind. There were three. Okay. The Witches of Eastwood, which I read 4% of because you know who should never write about witches? Men. Men, . Then there was this science book, homo Deus, and it's about like the evolutions of humans, I believe.

Natalie: And I guess someone had gotten to a part of the book where they're like, we're gonna eradicate jobs to the point with technology, to the point where we will have more people on this earth than we do logical jobs. Oh. And I looked at my friend Sam, because they were like trying to discuss, well, what does that look like?

Natalie: What happens? I looked at Sam, I went, that's not the fucking goal. We're not making robots so we don't have to work anymore. Like why wouldn't that be the goal? I go, shouldn't that be the fucking goal? Is that like one day we all just get to exist because the computer's got it and someone just has to turn on the computer.

Natalie: But it's this whole thing that we're like all tied up and like, well, our value is our labor and our labor is our love. . All of it. 

Julia: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's just all capitalistic bullshit. It's all capitalistic bullshit. Y'all, the only reason why we have to work for money is because of capitalism. I mean, they weren't doing that shit before People discovered money.

Julia: Like remember when people just bartered and traded 

Natalie: and barter makes so much 

Julia: sense to me, harvested the land so they could survive. Like that's what you, that's, I mean, granted, I do not want to be in charge of killing tonight's dinner. With that said, I will happily build a hut. So we have shelter when it snows.

Natalie: Yeah, correct. I was, we were, we talked about that too, where like money doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense at, at this point it's not even physical. It's just a number in my phone. I don't care what that number is. Honestly. 

Julia: I mean the last time, cuz somebody, so somebody ordered some, uh, greeting cards and I was like, yeah, totally.

Julia: She's like, I don't do Venmo. I can pay you cash or check. And I was like, I don't even know the last time I got paid in a check . But also like, when's the last time I had cash in the house? Like 

Natalie: I know people, you know what I mean? Yeah. I know people who don't know how to fill out checks and I'm like, it's all labeled

Natalie: It is all labeled for what you have to do. Yeah. Yeah. So it'll make sense. It doesn't make sense and it doesn't make sense that football just can't be a game and it has to be this thing where we can't under where we built sports to have winners and losers. Mm-hmm. . But then we're like, but don't be the loser.

Natalie: And I'm like, I get it. . Yeah. Remember there's always gonna be a 

Julia: loser. Yeah. Um, and what's interesting too, I don't know, since you don't pay attention to sport and I have pay attention, I don't really fully pay attention to football. It has to make like the networks or NPR for me to know what's going on.

Julia: Mm-hmm. . But there was a serious issue with the ncaa, which is, you know, the college level Yeah. Sporting, whatever. And the amount of money that universities are allowed to make off of student athletes and like their images. And so like yeah. That's what pissed me off during blindside. Yeah. And like, so the ability, because it's part of the thing, like if you're a student athlete, you can't do endorsement deals.

Julia: You can't do any of this stuff. And, but the schools can. But the schools can. So now, now there was a court case that was challenging that I don't remember where it came from. It might have been, it might have been from one of the. In the South, but there's a court case. There was, or is a court case challenging that?

Julia: And it is or will be going to the Supreme Court. 

Natalie: I think they covered that on another one of my favorite teen trash shows. Grown-ish . 

Julia: I love Grown-ish. Oh my God. I don't think it's a trash show. 

Natalie: I think nothing. I am free job now. I freeform is trash. I'm just continuously told that it's trash. Who's, 

Julia: who's telling you that 

Natalie: Freeform is trash?

Natalie: Take a guess. You know, the people who don't like to believe I'm smart. 

Julia: Freeform has a lot of really brilliant and it's like subtly brilliant. So they're like subtly infiltrating the next generation by the children are getting it right? Yeah. And it's like, so they, so they've been branded as trash Uhhuh,

Julia: So it's non-threatening I guess. Mm-hmm 

Natalie: speaking of no one wanting to believe that I'm. I audibly grown during the line where they told Yos we had to give them something. I'm like, that attitude still persists today. Mm-hmm. , because I've had men ask me, well, Natalie, do you want them to set jobs aside for women or do you wanna know that you're talented and good enough for that job?

Natalie: I go, number one, I know that I'm fucking fantastic. So walk yourself back, walking back. Yeah. I know exactly how talented I am and where my skills lie. Thank you. Thank you. Also, I try to explain to people when they wanna get mad that we let black people and women into middle Earth and I'm like, listen. And they're like, they just did it to make a point.

Natalie: I'm like, cuz we're still making points. And we've been making points for 40 to 60 years. Yeah. And y'all still won't just naturally hire a black person to be an EL in middle Earth, so they gotta hold jobs. and they gotta write about it in variety. Yeah. 

Julia: And affirmative action again, is going to the Supreme Court for college acceptances.

Julia: And it's just really frustrating because if it really truly was an equal playing field mm-hmm. , then we wouldn't have underfunded schools. Right. 

Natalie: You get to talk to me about how talented or not talented I feel I am in the workforce when I make 100% of the dollar a man makes. Yeah. 

Julia: That fair. And we don't need to set aside jobs when we actually have equitable education.

Julia: Mm-hmm. and access to resources. Because when I was looking at s a t prep for my son Yeah. $2,000. 

Natalie: Fuck that. I was like, 

Julia: I, I don't. Like I don't even, at the time, I wasn't even making enough to pay one, like there was no expendable cash. So here is my very intelligent child who has to figure out how to study for the SATs on his own with no help.

Julia: Still managed to get a 1300. Very proud of him for that. 

Natalie: What about the fact that you have to pay $60 a test? 

Julia: We didn't have to because we qualified. Our whole school district was like, oh, look at that. Everyone is pretty much poor. So we're letting we're paying for it, thank God. Yeah. But it's like, but again, you, to your point, like not every school district is in a position where they can be like, we're just gonna cover the cost for all of our students.

Julia: Like 

Natalie: I was floored that my friend's kids don't have free and reduced lunch. Not because of her neighborhood, but because I thought it had finally become the 

Julia: norm. Oh my gosh. So in California, during the pandemic, every school, every child who was in a school that was affected by the closure got a pandemic E B T card.

Julia: Yeah. Did 

Natalie: they do that in Ohio too? We did something like that, at least in Dayton. Okay. Or we had. , like packed lunches set up. Yeah. 

Julia: Like, so, so that made a 

Natalie: huge 

Julia: difference because we did a lot of, cuz we didn't really qualify for E B T even though I didn't really have a lot of expendable cash. Right. So it was a, it made a huge difference in our Yeah.

Julia: Budget. Like massive, like, we were not feeling, like the feeling of being hungry and not having satisfying food for three years didn't exist. Mm-hmm. as opposed to prior to that was, you're hungry, I worked 12 hours, let's call a grandparent to have dinner because you probably, cuz his breakfast consisted of a muffin.

Julia: Yeah. And lunch was whatever school was 

Natalie: serving, which isn't always great. 

Julia: And for a high energy person who burns a lot of calories, never 

Natalie: enough, never enough. They're very small portions and he has 7.5 minutes 

Julia: to eat it. Yeah. And then he is hungry again. And it's just the whole sy the whole system and structure makes zero sense.

Julia: It's not about community, it's not about health and wellness and, and not in the way that health and wellness has been commandeered by these like people who, you know what 

Natalie: I'm talking about? I know the people. Yeah. The people that we talk about on that show. 

Julia: Yeah. It just, you cranky. 

Natalie: We should probably get back on topic.

Natalie: So you probably cry as soon as Hay and Hannah Tear starts talking in this movie. But I, the first I clocked every time I. Um, because I've never, I don't think I've cried. I think the only sports movie I've cried during was radio. 

Julia: Aw, that was a, that was, yeah. I 

Natalie: haven't seen that movie in forever. I've only seen it once because I'm like, I can't even tell if this is a nice movie that was wreck.

Natalie: I'm just wrecked Cuba. I just wrecked. Um, yeah, so I very rarely cried during the sports movies, and so I clocked every time I cried. And the first time I cried was when all of Boone's neighbors showed up 

Julia: in his, oh my God. That's literally the first time 

Natalie: I cried too. Yeah. Second time when Louis showed up, when he just came running into the gym with all of the black players and he didn't understand.

Natalie: Why it was so weird for him to be there. I'm like, Louie, you Angel, are you lost? Hey, they said football. So I came running . I gotta, well, anyways, my eyes, well, hell hit people. Like that's how I go through life with, 

Julia: I love that scene too. And you know, I think it, it really shows too, like, again, he's an army brat.

Julia: And the same thing with California with sunshine, like is same, similar thing like the Army does. The Army does give a shit cuz the army grew, is segregated for a very long time. Mm-hmm. . But by the time Vietnam came along, the army was just like, we will take people. Anybody, anybody. And, and Sunshine and Louis were sort of that representation of like, Hey, the world is bigger than this.

Julia: Y'all are being dumb. Let's just do, 

Natalie: yeah. There's a lot that I feel grateful for when it comes to the neighborhoods that I ended up teaching in. Mm-hmm. because, I fully believe that that's what made me the most empathetic and accepting person that I am today. Cuz I lived in Whitey White, Indiana. Mm-hmm where you like to pretend that you're very accepting right up until you're put to the test.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. and you're in an environment that is not your own. I am lectured every time I might breathe in Chicago about what safety looks like in Chicago. And I'm like, I've never felt unsafe in Chicago because I know how to pay attention. . 

Julia: Yeah. You know, it's interesting too. When you, so when you bring that up, the whole, um, um, being aware and paying attention and all that with Coach Yost, everyone's so angry that he's not, quote, doing more to be like on the white side of things.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , he's always acting in the best interests of his players. Yeah. And even if it, in the beginning is just in the best interest of the white players, he really does take a turn when he takes on PD and under and begins to fully understand like, oh, like we need to just be there for the boys. And then it really takes a turn when he realizes that they were just out to, to tin boom no matter what.

Natalie: Yeah. My first year of teaching in my rougher school in a rougher neighborhood, I was mama. Mm-hmm. and my co-teacher who had them for math and science, and I had them for reading and social studies. Um, he was a black man and he was a large black man, and he would tell me, well, when mama's happy, we're all happy.

Natalie: So would you like to see her smile again? Act right. Mm-hmm. act, right? Mm-hmm. and I got a lot out of those kids and it taught me a lot about our world and how we talk to kids in our world and how all of these things that happen. And remember the titans still happen today in our American school systems.

Natalie: Yeah. And they're all pd. Yeah. They're all little kids. Just old to be sitting down quiet. And we've got, we, we like to pat ourselves on the back to be like, we've come so far, we have Title one reading support, and we use the term neuro divergent now, and it's like we haven't fucking done anything. Yeah.

Natalie: Except for books, stickers on things, so we feel better. Yeah. 

Julia: Honestly, like there's a, there was a point in the movie where I did get increasingly uncomfortable because of the realities of the situation. Right. Like on the Daily Show, was it Roy Jr. Or was it Trevor Noah himself? Like he did this bit about how there was a portion of a specific state that banned his, you know, there was the banning of slavery.

Julia: Mm-hmm. and like, it was still like a very small percentage, but enough of a percentage that didn't vote or either didn't vote, no one banning slavery. Yeah. So my first thought was like, okay, so that bill or whatever it was, was probably written very confusingly. So maybe those people were like, we don't know.

Julia: But then, but then I was like, but let's be real. If it says cuz in California in the sample ballot, it'll tell you voting no. Does this. Voting Yes. Does this? Yeah. And so if voting yes. Makes, because we had that issue in, in, in 2008 with prop eight. Mm-hmm. voting Yes on prop eight, kept marriage between a man and a woman.

Julia: So you wanted to vote no on prop eight. Right. So voting no on prop eight means you legalize marriage for everybody. So I 

Natalie: literally had to make posters that said Prop A is hate. They had to make it rhyme so people would vote 

Julia: correctly. Exactly. And it was the same with Proposition one here in our state just recently.

Julia: Prop one, if you voted no, it kept it in the abortion at the same level. But if you voted yes, it codified it and made it a constitutional right. Yeah. So, and like there was a lot of confusion for people around that. 

Natalie: And they do that. They do that on purpose. Yeah. And I'm like, 

Julia: it's 20. And you have to ask, should we ban slavery?

Julia: Well, the amendment essentially like legalizes slavery if somebody's a criminal. But that's a whole other conversation. 

Natalie: I saw the politics documentary. I 

Julia: like those types of things kind of made me uncomfortable. Cause it's just like we're still doing things to set up for failure and we're still having to vote on things so that way my people could be a little bit 

Natalie: more human.

Natalie: Well, and at what point does it not have to be a vote anymore? And it just gets to be like an oopsy. We left this in the Constitution for too long. Thank you. Like, at what point does anyone in the government actually do their job and be like, we believe in freedom in this country that we lie to you about freedom in

Natalie: Yeah. 

Julia: Like I get it. Elon Musk is totally creating a completely horrific environment with Twitter. I understand cuz watching it fall apart is hilarious because watching a man who we've all been told is a genius, actually genius, be a brilliant genius. Come to light is such great, such great, it's, it's so validating.

Julia: I 

Natalie: love the, like it's Santa with a check mark being like, I love gay rights. And I'm like, do it Santa, do it Sandra. 

Julia: But also when the congressperson or senator who somebody was able to verify themselves as him. makes a statement of like, fix it or We'll fix it for you, sir. You have other shit to fix first.

Julia: Like, yeah, we don't need to worry about Twitter. Human 

Natalie: rights, , we don't need to worry about Twitter. Take the app off. I hate Twitter. It's successful. Yeah. Like worry about Elon 

Julia: and Twitter later. I wanna make sure that if I have to go to a state, they can't 

Natalie: lynch me. So I had a revelation during the scene during the parade of white male ego where all of the white players just silently came in with yo and then just mean mugged everybody.

Natalie: Yeah. . And I was like, oh, remember the Titans was the first time I clocked that White men literally. Just believe that they get it. Yeah. That they don't have to try to get it. That they don't have to try out, that they don't have to work for it. Yeah. My God, I've been playing for football for three years.

Natalie: Why wouldn't I get to play for four? And that's their attitude. Yeah. Because if it wasn't their attitude, when there were more people to try out football, they would've just gone to tryouts. But instead they had to parade their white male egos. And make a stink and be like, oh, don't worry, I'm starting my daddy's white.

Natalie: Andy's rich. Okay. . 

Julia: And it, and it plays into that um, idea that if you work really hard, you earn things. Yeah. 

Natalie: Yes. So like, well, I've put in my time. Okay. Calm down. 

Julia: Yeah. I put in my time too and I'm still getting fucked over. So. 

Natalie: Right. Y'all lied to us about what would make us successful. Uhhuh. . I would like to have a word with Denzel and or Coach Boone.

Natalie: Y'all lie. 

Julia: Coach Boone. R i the real coach Boone. R 

Natalie: i all lied to candle tonight. Yeah. Maybe 

Julia: is around. And he'll talk to me also. R i p . 

Natalie: I'll get the gie. Um, but yeah, like what's my note for it? It just, Oh, here it comes. The parade of white male egos. For me, it's the idea that white men have never felt like they should have to compete to be better.

Natalie: Mm. They never, I get your jobs. I'm a white man. Yeah. I get to play football. If I say I get to play football, I'm a white man. Yeah. If I wanna push you around a little bit and tell my cop friends, it was no big deal. I can, cuz I'm a white man. Mm-hmm. . 

Julia: Yeah. And it was legal to beat your wife until 

Natalie: like 50 years ago.

Natalie: Yeah. Get my dinner. Oh. Why would I come home and my dinner isn't ready by six 30 I'm a white man. I don't understand. Y'all need to start spotting it out and don't you tell me I'm wrong. Don't you tell me I'm wrong. Cuz remember the Titans showed me. Mm-hmm. . Y'all watched it. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . And you all like to tell me does not my attitude at all 

Julia: until you, like you said earlier, until you're challenged.

Julia: Right. Until 

Natalie: you're challenged. And I go, I don't wanna go to Chili's. I want sushi tonight. And then y'all mad cuz you're like, the margaritas are $5 at Chili's. And I'm like, you know. And those baby back ribs baby back ribs at baby, baby bag. I Chilis,

Julia: I don't even, I, we've had this conversation. I don't, I, if anybody in my area is listening, I need to know do we still have a Chilis? Cuz I 

Natalie: don't know, you may not have been in a Chilis recently, but you were working the Applebee's. Yeah. You were in the Bastard son. Applebee's, . They do long at 

Julia: apples. You 

Natalie: know why?

Natalie: Cause they're why Applebee's is what I 

Julia: refer to it as. Yeah, yeah. Cuz they are, they do free meals for vets. And my dad's a vet, so we go every year. It's my only, I literally go to Applebee's once a year. , 

Natalie: no. Then I have those whole mindset where I'm like, is boom, the reason Denzel, are you the reason I was so sarcastic with those poor children and I used to just look at them and be like, let me tell you about life one more time.

Natalie: Come over in here. Let me tell you about life, the Kroger and how you're not acting that way outside of my gaze. And then I went, and then he denied those boys' water for like hours and I was like, boom, let those boys drink water. We're supposed to, hydration is important to athletes and your joints 

Julia: and especially it's August, in August, Virginia that.

Natalie: Let those boys have some water. What are we trying to prove? Yeah. The men in Gettysburg would give those boys water bills. It was such 

Julia: a, like, it's such a, it that's, and it's such a, it's a tactic that even I think the military uses like break them down, broke them down so they so come to you. 

Natalie: Yep. Well, and that's how we're taught to teach coach and lead.

Natalie: Yeah. Which don't lead with kinda, 

Julia: which we learn doesn't bode well with people like pd. 

Natalie: No. Why do a lot of kids that are neuro divergent have a hard time in the classroom? Because classrooms are taught to be a dictatorship. Yeah. Where it's like teachers are like, teachers are like, God. Yeah. And you're just supposed to do what I say because I'm the adult in this room.

Natalie: Yeah. 

Julia: Yeah. You know, it's interesting because I don. We, well, this is not the type of place 

Natalie: for that conversation. And there are, yeah, there are a ton of teachers who are fighting that narrative all the time. A lot of them are getting fired. I see. On TikTok. Yeah. A lot of them are getting on fi, getting fired.

Natalie: Because as a former teacher, that is never how I wanted to teach. Yeah. I wanted to sing Temptations. I wanted to teach math with, remember the Titans chance? Yeah. I wanted to have brain breaks. I wanted water in my classroom. Snacks, please. I love a snack. Yeah. It's, we boil down children to numbers in this country and, um, no one believes that water is gonna get your test scores up.

Natalie: So yeah, I had to reign it in and then I had to quit. Yeah. 

Julia: I noticed a lot of people that I really admired as instructors started leaving is 

Natalie: common Core. Is that everywhere? It's supposed to be. That's why it's common. Okay. 

Julia: Omaha, California. California does its thing 

Natalie: and then the rest of people adopt it, and then people don't adopt it.

Natalie: And then it's like, so what is it? Yeah. So 

Julia: when Common Core kind of started popping up, I noticed a lot of the teachers that I had were kind of like, how can I shift my career so I can still be effective, but then also not have to do Common Core ? 

Natalie: Where are my teachers at? What are your most hated phrases when it comes to teaching mine rigorous was your lesson.

Natalie: Rigorous. I don't want my day to be rigorous. I want my day to be right at the level that I can compete completed at. You 

Julia: know, that you, and you're familiar with this phrase too, the school to prison pipeline really still predominantly represents, you know, a lot of, like, there's still a lot of statistics that support it when it comes to the black community.

Julia: What I feel like is happening now is that it's just any school that's potentially not funded properly. Um mm-hmm. , 

Natalie: that's how 

Julia: we get schools for profit. Mm-hmm. , I mean, I sent my son to a charter school for crying out loud from K to eight, and it was a public charter, so it was a part of the public, um, county school system.

Julia: With that said, it still, like we still had, it was still, it still was just. . Yeah. And it makes, and I, and I, I am part of the problem because I sent my son to a charter school, but I also recognize that a public, a traditional public school was going to kill him. Mm-hmm. , they were gonna, it was gonna kill his spirit.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , they gonna punish him for, for being a little boy. Mm-hmm. rather than like anything. And he's so bright and so, and so, like fourth day of preschool, he comes home and he goes, are they gonna teach us anything? I don't. 

Natalie: Probably not son. 

Julia: Well I told him, I was like, hang in there baby. We don't know what they're gonna teach him cuz he's being raised by me.

Julia: Two teachers. Yeah. And my mother who was a librarian before becoming a social worker and my politically active dad, like, 

Natalie: probably not son. Probably not. And neither will college. Yeah. Which he already 

Julia: learned. Yeah. And he, you know, and it's hard cuz like we value not having your phone around the dinner table.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , we value putting, you know, investing in time and having spirited conversations and reading and being up to date on, you know, what's going on in the world. And he came home and he was like, I'm learning people just don't do that. And it's so foreign to me. I don't understand, like, this is a generational thing.

Julia: My grandparents on both sides were like this. We did not have family get togethers that were not full of conversations about like, 

Natalie: Look, you know, my people like take a, sit in a listen. We don't talk smart, but we like to get in a circle and tell stories in the round . But that's still an 

Julia: element. Yeah, but that's, there's still an element there too, right?

Julia: Like that's like oral history, storytelling. That's a hu Like that's still part of it. Yeah. And I think, I don't know. I don't know. I hate to be one of those like, fuck, cuz you know, the millennials, we were the youngest ones for the longest time. And now like some of us are hitting middle age. 

Natalie: I don't blame these younger kids though.

Natalie: I don't blame these young kids for how they, like how disconnected we all became. Yeah. Because. It all started when we took away recess at school. You can quote me. Yeah. I, I don't disagree. Yeah. When we decided that recess was not a fundamental skill for students and that they should have no time to socialize, we just, 

Julia: sorry, go ahead.

Julia: And then 

Natalie: everyone wants to be like, why are the kids so weird? ? Why do they only wanna talk to their phones and not look anyone in the eye? And I'm like, cuz they've never looked anyone in the eye. That's another 

Julia: reason why I chose to send 'em to the charter school because they did lunchtime as family style.

Julia: And I was like, as a partial Italian, that is appealing to me because you manja with the people you love. Yes. Like you sit and community and there's so much community and sitting around and eating a meal together. Right. Yeah. And I loved, like, that was a huge draw for me. It was like, yeah, sit around the table, a bunch of six year olds.

Julia: It may not make any fucking sense, but it's a skill. 

Natalie: Yeah. Do you know how many kids I run into that have a real fucking problem during art class? Because it's all, oh my god. 

Julia: Okay. Can I just tell you? Yeah. I'm very proud of California. I mean Prish because we had a proposition that was like, should art be a part of the normal funding in schools?

Julia: Yes. Rather than like a thing that goes first when we have money problems. Mm-hmm. and it overwhelmingly passed. So art is now a part of like regular curriculum, thank fucking 

Natalie: God. And give it up to these art teachers cuz I had to do it during C I had to teach kids art during C cuz I was tutoring. And I was like, let's play with play do.

Natalie: And kids don't know how to do it. And it's stressful because they don't know how to take a nothing and make it a 

Julia: something. You just need time to sit around and be bored for a minute and then figure shit out. I don't even know. Are kids allowed to be bored anymore? Oh no. And this is why I feel like an old ass person when I say shit like this, 

Natalie: put it in the comments.

Natalie: If your parent has your gener ever taken liquid glue and put it on their hands and then peel it off . Cause that's how we were geniuses. Or like I used to do, I don't 

Julia: know if I'd take a pencil because we weren't allowed a mechanical pencils growing up, but I would take a pencil and just tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap it, and then just doodle and then start writing.

Julia: And then it turned into something like, 

Natalie: people laugh at me for doodling. I'm like, I gotta be doing something. You 

Julia: boring. Well, and it turns into something, right? Yeah. Like, I don't know, I've, my mother tells a story that I couldn't leave the house without a pencil and paper cause I had to write down everything I observed.

Julia: Still true to this day. Mm-hmm. . However, had she not forced us to have quiet time where we had to do something that didn't, and at the time phone screens weren't a thing. Right. Um, would I have turned into a person who sat down during that hour and wrote stories or made up stories for my dolls or started doodling on paper, which is now turned into what's becoming a lucrative greeting card design situation.

Julia: You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, 

Natalie: listen, thank God that, remember the titans put mu music in their movie, so I would pay attention. Yeah. 

Julia: You didn't, you didn't find any of, well, I mean, I guess this question is stupid, but I I, I, did you like find any of them cute? Yeah. Denzel's voice was like butter. He, oh my god.

Julia: Denzel 

Natalie: does he turn pre as u as thin. So if you're trying to get me to admit that, that man was good luck. 

Julia: He looks like afoot. Hairy. No, I didn't. I thought Julius was So, 

Natalie: Julius was beautiful. Beautiful man. And then we got, you know, baby Ryan Gosling and Sunshine. Mm-hmm. . And 

Julia: Rev was so cute too. I love Rev.

Julia: Re was so handsome, but Julius was like, oh, you a man. Was it ? Oh, you a man. You a man. And I'm here for it. My phone number is this. Find me at this address. 

Natalie: Sorry. Can we talk about Dean? Uh, here's my, there's always a dean. There's always a dean and I, this is my note. Dean is a great example of how even when hate is in small numbers and no longer cool, there's always that one asshole who cannot deal.

Natalie: And Gary's girlfriend, Hannah Anna, whatever, whatever her name is, she, she, Kate Bosworth. She gets over it. Like, she's like, I can't, change is hard. I'm like, girl, I'm in there. But like you on the wrong side of history on this one. Like changing your hair, very hard, changing how you feel about black people.

Natalie: Mm. Maybe reconsider on whether or not that's hard. . Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, but Dean, ugh. And like, we all know a dean. We all know a dean who will literally sit there and argue with you about how, why about, well, women have babies and they have to leave the workforce and that's why we don't pay them what it's for their, that, uh, pay reduction.

Natalie: That's for the eventual maternity leave. And I. I don't want kids. And they're like, well I don't know. You should have had a uterus. You should've tried being us. And I'm like, this is not your fault though, that you're trying to outlaw that surgery in the United States as well. So stop. Yeah. Like, 

Julia: okay, thanks.

Julia: Thank you. . 

Natalie: Dean's a pile of shit. Dean's a pile of shit. And good on Gary. Cuz I feel like that was a really good moment too, because how many of us still have our shitty friends around? Mm. Not me. I got rid of them all. But how many of us still have our shitty friends around? Because they've been around since kindergarten and you're like, man, he says some ignorant shit.

Natalie: So I'm not gonna bring them around my cool new friends, but I guess I'm still gonna call him every Thursday. Stop calling him. Yeah. Stop him. Yeah. 

Julia: Yeah, because you are the company, you keep as much as I wanna, as much as I wish that weren't true because I have been in friend groups that I didn't realize were doing shitty things after I went home.

Julia: Mm-hmm. , they like at least had the wherewithal to not include me in that stuff. But if everyone knows that you do X and we hang out, they're just gonna assume I do it too, regardless of what time you start doing it. Right. Um, but I appreciate that when, you know, cuz in the beginning he's like, rev better be grateful that I even bothered to block his black ass.

Julia: And then makes that veiled thread of like, all, you know, I'm biting my time and then he acts on it. Mm-hmm. in the most, in, in a way that's very easy to argue that he doesn't act on it. and Gary is in a moment where he could be like, I back up. You know? I don't know. It just happened. Rev got her or he could do what he did, which was coach.

Julia: He did that on purpose. It, that was shitty. 

Natalie: And you know what? Good on Gary too, because he knew Dean and he knew Dean's mom and he had known any new dean's last name because it floors me the way that white men will jump into loyalty over other white men that they have never met. It could be a hypothetical white man that doesn't even exist, and you still won't admit that they're 

Julia: wrong.

Julia: All the men who still support Elon Musk 

Natalie: mm-hmm. , like all the buddies that you watched, uh, drug girls drinks, and you're like, man, if only it was easier for him to get chicks, he'd stop doing that. No, he won't. No he won't. We just gotta set him up with the right one. Don't do that. Don't do that. She's probably don't that used.

Natalie: But yeah, like the dean of it all, because we all still know deans and like, we're still all kind of blindsided by them because at least some of them have learned how to be quiet. Mm-hmm. . But it's the quiet ones that are tricky. Mm-hmm. because then all of a sudden you're at Thanksgiving and they said something ignorant and you're like, fuck, we've been married for four years.

Julia: Yes. . Yes. I've had that dating situation multiple times. 

Natalie: I think one of the bachelorettes never came public about it, but it was during the height of Covid and I think that the man that she chose for her final rose said something ridiculous and racist during the George Floyd, um, , um, right. Uh, the, when all of that was happening and was a Trump supporter and everything, and she's like, fuck, I got a go.

Natalie: And everyone had like their conspiracy theories and I was like, You think that Bachelorette is the only woman who is going to bed every night being like, this is the man I chose. He hates women and people of color, and the gays and his vote cancels out my vote, which means I don't get body autonomy. And I have been married to him for 12 years 

Julia: and even worse have 

Natalie: children with him and have children with him.

Julia: Mm-hmm. . So there's many hymns 

Natalie: running around the shock, and I don't wanna talk about it every show, but the shock that overcomes my friend's face when I tell them, uh, that means that he doesn't value you. What he talks about, he talks to you that way because he does not value your labor. Yeah. Yeah. He does not value what you bring to your own goddamn home.

Julia: Yeah. It's like the whole argument when people were pissed about Mackenzie Scott's divorce settlement amount, what did she do? 

Natalie: She had a Ooh, ooh, what did she do? 

Julia: Oh my God. Way to devalue.

Julia: All the things. 

Natalie: Mm-hmm. . So if you are married to a dean, I will do all the legal Googling that we need to do to get you out. Get out. Because deans come in many shapes and sizes. Yes. 

Julia: They're very, they're very mis um, deceiving. 

Natalie: They are married, deceiving, because they're usually pretty cool, pretty and charming.

Natalie: What? Yeah. 

Julia: And charming. The scene wasn't very charming, but I think that was intentional in the movie. But I can see him being so in real, like if goal wasn't for him to be the bad guy. 

Natalie: No, I mentioned he was charming in class and I mentioned he was charming around chicks and at parties. They just didn't 

Julia: show him that way in this, in 

Natalie: this particular film.

Natalie: So we both safe with Erie. Mm-hmm. . Wait until the ignorant assholes feel safe with you. And then they're like, you know? Yeah. And you're like, no, I don't know. Step back, step back. 

Julia: I don't need the, you know, 

Natalie: and. The first time someone talks to you ignorant like Dean talks to Gary, you believe them and you act on it because that's who you truly are.

Natalie: That's who you truly are. If you have a friend who is pissed off that the bro movie exists, they're always gonna be pissed off when we have progression in our country. So they gotta go, I love the bro movie it. We all love the movie. I saw it three times , but it, but if you've gotten a text message that because they let black people into middle Earth, it's not true to some dead guys' text.

Natalie: Those people have to go because they're gonna fight for, they're gonna fight everything. They're gonna be the first people that vote. I don't know, like, hmm. Gay marriage isn't that big of a deal. They're the, I'm still gonna vote straight party cuz I 

Julia: can Yeah. I will say, I do wanna acknowledge though that it is really hard to make that decision when you have history with somebody.

Julia: I had a similar situation in 2020 where someone said something during, you know, the summer of unrest and our sheriff had come out and even said, this is not how we behave in law enforcement. This is important. Um, and a certain person made a comment comfortable in my presence. Mm-hmm. , because we'd known each other for some time and you, and said something where I was just like, wow.

Julia: Even our local law enforcement came out and said that was a bad guy. Mm-hmm. or That action was bad. I don't think they said he was a bad guy. I think they said his action was. Yeah. And that's, that's what you said with me right here in the privacy because you think I'm, because we've known each other for so long, so you obviously feel I'm a safe person.

Julia: But you still, you felt safe enough to say that to me, a person of color.

Natalie: Cause I don't value you 

Julia: and I Well and there's a whole, yeah, there's a whole lot of that person didn't value me history. Mm-hmm. that it was that moment that woke me up to reflecting on the relationship and realizing this is not a situation I need to be 

Natalie: in. I'm gonna start answering the phrase, I love you with the vote for my body.

Natalie: Autonomy. Yeah. Honestly, then vote to make sure that I'm safe on the streets. Mm-hmm. , I have a story 

Julia: about that. I will tell you offline cuz it's not for public consumption. 

Natalie: Yeah. Um, I would like to thank Jules for bringing the empathy into my, burn it all to the ground and then walk away from it attitude.

Natalie: But I am so tired. I'm so tired and people know why I walk away from them is because they say ignorant shit. I think it the, and then the story becomes, and I think this is what happens to Gary too. Oh, Natalie can't hang. Yeah. up, huh? They, 

Julia: they totally do. When, when Kate Bosworth breaks up with him and she's like, Gary, we're on different paths and I think that, you know, you're on the wrong side of this, or whatever the bullshit she says, yeah.

Julia: And you're just like, Gary's on the right side of history, bitch. . I mean, I'm glad she came around. Did we? She came around. Came around. Have we noted that 

Natalie: yet? It wasn't until Gary was in that car accident, Gary had to 

Julia: almost die for her to 

Natalie: realize, for her to shake 

Julia: ju it wouldn't let her in the hospital room.

Julia: But they let Julius in and she had to reflect, like why would 

Natalie: they ? Oh my God. 

Julia: Julius that fine looking 

Natalie: man. There was a line. And I can't remember what the line is or when it even happens in the movie, and it says, make sure to talk about the difference between liking someone and respecting someone.

Natalie: Maybe it was the Dean thing where maybe Gary said something stupid like, I like you Dean, but I cannot respect you. Well, 

Julia: and there, but I, I feel like there was a lot of that in the movie, especially with Coach Yos. Mm-hmm. . Because in the final scene, and I don't know if this is where it prompted you, but this prompts, this is what prompted me in the final game.

Julia: They're getting creamed by this team that thinks they're the New York Jets, um, New York Giants, whatever. I also don't football and coach yo says, You know, we've been talking a whole lot about how we need to trust men by the measure of they are not the color of their skin. And it's time I finally do the same.

Julia: Coach Boone, I need help. They're kicking us out, they're beating us up out there. Mm-hmm. . And this whole time he's doing this whole movie, he's doing things that sort of are perceived, in my opinion, as being a defense of what's happening, right? Like, this is the times we need to move with it. Like, I'm gonna join the, the, the, the, um, coaching staff cause a job and I wanna protect my boys.

Julia: But he's always into it for protecting his boys. But if you're not really paying attention, you could see it as he's doing the right thing indirectly. Yeah. Uh, Because he's still respecting Coach Boone. He's still respecting the sport. He's still respecting the decision of the board until he's not, because the board's like, we're gonna fuck over Boone

Natalie: Yeah. I, I feel like I've been in a lot of situations socially where I've been well liked, but probably not well respected. Hey, we've got it. Oh, 

Julia: just kidding. They left. They left. 

Natalie: So, cause I heard maybe it was one of those people who liked me but didn't respect me. Oh, aw. You hate to see it. Um, I'm a fun, charismatic girl.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. . I can usually turn a wor turn the world round with my smile. I'm a Mary Tyler Moore type of bitch. magnetic back. We honey we're smile . I can make a nothing day and make it all seem worthwhile. Yeah. Um, it's me girl, and I know it. Yeah. . But wait, so what ends up happening because I'm so charismatic and fucking charming and I know it is that I truly believe that there are a lot of people in the room who not only like the fact that I've got jokes, but they also respect me.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. . And then you watch by proxy how they talk to other women in the room or other people in the room and you're like, Nope, nevermind. Mm-hmm. , you just like that. I got jokes. You like that adrenaline 

Julia: rush? Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . 

Natalie: Yeah. I had a lot of boys who like to sleep with me. They do not respect me.

Natalie: that's true for a lot of us. I know. Put 'em in the comments. We, it'll be afterwards. We won't read their names out loud, but if you need a moment, To write, say their names. Well write 'em in the comments if you need to be like, yep, this one did it. He did it to me. This one did it. It's not, you like sleeping with me.

Natalie: But he did not respect me. No. And I feel like, I feel like you can like someone without respecting them. I find it very hard to respect someone without actually liking them. Yeah. 

Julia: I'm having, I, I'm literally trying to think, is there anybody that I like that I don't respect? Well, people, people 

Natalie: literally try to make that argument and it's like, well, I can still have them around even though I don't respect anything that comes out of their mouth.

Natalie: No. just in 

Julia: general. Yeah. I, I think I've told you this story before. There was this person that used to come around our group and everyone was like, why are you so awful to her? I said, I'm not awful to her. I just don't play into her. Cause I don't think that, I don't think she's charming, I don't think Sure.

Julia: Her stories are good. Like she just bless her heart that you all think that she is a fun person to be around. I do not see it. 

Natalie: Right. Not everyone deserves to be in my presence, so more people need to start being grateful. 

Julia: Yeah. And then people will be like, you're so mean to her. I'm not being mean. Me standing here not saying anything isn't being mean just because I, I 

Natalie: didn't tell her to leave and I have.

Natalie: So 

Julia: Yeah, it's really interesting. I mean, I just can't, if I don't respect you, it's hard for me to be 

Natalie: Well, and I don't buy into the kindergarten notion that we all do have to be friends, and we do all, do have to like one another. And just because you wound up at the same chilies as I did, I have to respect you.

Natalie: Yeah. I feel 

Julia: like, oh, maybe that's it. Like a polite hello is fine. 

Natalie: Yeah. And. And I hate when people are like, well, God made everyone to love everybody. Shut up. . Did he? Did he though? Because I feel like we wouldn't have any of these problems if he did. Maybe he did, but I think you missed the ball in carrying that out.

Natalie: Yeah. Yeah. Shut up. Hundred percent. A hundred percent. You get to tell me that when you show me your ballot and whether or not you voted for everyone to have marital rights or not be enslaved or that, cause there is a state that chose to keep that on the ballot cuz they dumb. Yeah, I saw that mean. Yeah.

Natalie: Yeah. So don't come out me with, you gotta be nice to everybody cuz we're all God's children. I blame him. It's sometimes, you 

Julia: know, we're all different kinds of magnets. We don't need to, we don't need to force it, you know? Right. There are people I, there are people on this planet who think that I am a horrible person who do not buy me charming, who think that I'm not kind.

Julia: And you know what? That's their experience and I am not gonna apologize for it because I probably think the same of them too. But then there's the other side of the coin where people think I'm delightful and lovely. Mm-hmm. and the most generous person because you know what? The people who probably see the bad in me probably bring out the bad in me

Natalie: Yeah. So, yeah. It's their fault. . Is that 

Julia: what I was saying? Shit, . 

Natalie: Um, do you, okay, one last thing that I wanna talk about is when PD and Rev tried to tell, Baby face, Ryan Goling and Sunshine, that they cannot go into that diner. And they're like, it's fine. My privilege will link into you. And I'm like, we're not at that point in the timeline yet, gentlemen.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. 

Julia: Are we ever at that point in the 

Natalie: timeline, ? No. No. But people like to believe that they have privilege by proximity, so I wanted to respect that. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . And, and then, you know, I think PD gets upset about it cuz he's a, you know, he's the emotional one. He's an impath. Let's just call him an impath and Revel will just pray about it later.

Natalie: Yeah. Um, and I wrote, this was the note I wrote down for that. I was like, oh, when your white friends eat dinner with you out for the first time and then they didn't know how to listen to your oppression. And I'm like, yeah, I watched that happen before . Yeah. 

Julia: And Pete calls him out. He doesn't see it cuz he don't wanna know.

Natalie: Yeah. It's very comfortable to pretend like your favorite restaurant isn't owned by racist people of shit. Mm-hmm. and that everyone's welcome. It is very comfortable to sit there and eat your french fries and pretend like you are not being treated differently because you are sitting at a table filled with people of color.

Natalie: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . And then there was another point. Oh, it was the one that shitty ass coach. What? Here's coach side pick to Yost. No, here's Coach Moon. They won a game and he is giving those boys not just a good job, but a specific thing that they did well in that goddamn game. Yeah. Do you think I could keep track of a goddamn thing that everyone did well in that game?

Natalie: No. There's Boone clapping them on the shoulder telling them that was good. Off size. Good hustle, good tackle. What sports. Yeah. And that coach wouldn't shake his hand. And I was like, that's what it is for me. When you're so indignant and prideful that you can't even watch someone be good to your boys that you're supposed to love and coach and lead and whatever.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. and respect the fact that he was good to your boys. 

Julia: Yeah. Yes. And that scene is brilliant because earlier in a news interview, he said he reuses several negative Yeah. Words about black people. Mm-hmm. and then refers to Coach Boone as a monkey. Mm-hmm. . Um, and then, so when Coach Boone is isn't reciprocated, he Oh, hey coach.

Julia: And then tosses them a banana. 

Natalie: Yes. Cause Denzel always gonna get. 

Julia: Denzel gets the last work forever and always. 

Natalie: Yeah. Denzel always gonna get his, don't worry. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , don't worry, he's a man on fire. 

Julia: Yes. Yes he is. , he's one of those celebrities that honestly, he doesn't, he's not in public life in the way that some other ones do.

Julia: He does a lot of work for veterans and he does a lot of charity work and he's not out here toting it. Like, look at how good I am doing my vet work. Like bring a PR team. He's just out there doing the damn work. Mm-hmm. and I love him for it. 

Natalie: We love you Denzel. This is our plug 

Julia: for also do a 23andme so I can confirm your son and I are not related.

Natalie: It's fine if you wanna date your cousin. We're watching a whole show about it per the Crown . Yeah. And then, oh, the way that the white people immediately turn on Coach Yost, because we love to demonize someone who isn't on the side of hate. Yeah. And power is like, we're powerful over here. If you start acting like they're people, they might think they're people.

Julia: The best parts were whenever they would reference back to being church folk. And you're just like, this is not how God wants you to behave. 

Natalie: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. If a little girl who kicks grown men, when she doesn't like what they gotta say, can learn to appreciate and integrate and stop her bigotry that she's grown up with in Virginia her entire life, even though she is very disappointed, her daddy's not gonna win a trophy.

Natalie: Then I feel like grown men who love God should be able to do it. 

Julia: Mm-hmm. , I do wanna add, if memory serves Co Gios does eventually make it into the high school Hall of 

Natalie: Fame. He gets to do it. And we're proud of you. Coach Yost? Mm-hmm. . R I P R I P. Le Candle. Give the oui. Um, I can't keep track of who's all dead.

Natalie: Who, who? And my sister tried to tell me was dead last year. Stocker chanting is, I was dead. We would've, no, she's alive. I know. Oh, okay. My sister tried to tell me, she's like, I said something about I can't wait to be stocker chanting or whatever, and maybe she'll hang out or whatever. And my sister was like, the stalker chanting died.

Natalie: And I was like, I am, DD does not have an end date on her. And she's like, oh, I'm a. I thought she had died. And, and the shit I get from my family when I don't know someone has died, cuz one time I was like, Janice Joplin's coming to date. And my mom was like, no, she's not. She's been dead 10 years. And I was like, oh, Janice Joplin impersonator,

Natalie: You know, I can't keep track of everybody. There's just, 

Julia: there's 7 billion people on this. I think it's actually 8 billion now. So 

Natalie: yeah. And if anyone in the comments who thought that you would stumble upon this movie and we would know things about football and wanna talk football. Um, here's my last, uh, note on the actual sport.

Natalie: What in the hell is the honest to God point of the goddamn men who just crash into one another when the ball moves? He's just men that just hit one another. What's the point of that? I don't know. But you know, 

Julia: isn't it the audacity of Amer, of the United States of America to take a sport that. Is already known as football and call it something else.

Julia: So they can call American football. 

Natalie: Football. Yeah. And then they come up with a whole other as where they're like, soccer. Stop it. Yeah. 

Julia: Nobody knows what soccer is when you, no one knows what soccer is. Um, the only things I know about football are as follows. They wear tight little pants. Mm-hmm. , they crash into each other.

Julia: Uhhuh, . And they have sexy arms. 

Natalie: You forgot the part where they have enough concussions per year that it fries their brain and then when they murder their wives, , we just let it go. Cuz their brain had a spasm. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Natalie: Mm-hmm. . I've been listening to the oj You were wrong abouts. . Oh my. I haven't heard There are so many. Oj you were wrong abouts. 

Julia: I haven't even attempted cause I'm like, cuz it, cuz I remember all of that happening so vividly. 

Natalie: And then my sister says that they don't even finish them because she just keeps finding people to feature.

Natalie: She's like, you never get to the trial . And I was like, what do you mean you never get to the trial? I'm gonna have to rewatch that FX show. Eye opening. Yes. I love the American Crime story series as you know, . 

Julia: Yes. And they also did, what was her name? Marsha Clark. Mm-hmm. . She has a series. She did a one season series.

Julia: And it's loosely based though. She kind of denies that it was ever based on OJ and I can't remember what it's called. Listen, if 

Natalie: Marshall Clark wants to be on Team Toor, I talk to her for an hour and then she's 

Julia: fascinating. I'll find the IMDB and send it to you cause I think you would actually enjoy the show.

Julia: Um, cuz Max Medina is in it and he place this horrible gross, um, attorney and you're just like, no, you're supposed to be the sweet, delightful guy. That Laurel, I didn't love . 

Natalie: Yeah, but he's also Shep and New girl or is that, are there two Mac Green? I said 

Julia: Max Medina from Guild 

Natalie: there. I just heard what I wanted to hear.

Natalie: Yeah, it's okay. It happens. Um, but, and if, uh, Marsha isn't available, I will take Sarah Paulson. If Sarah Paulson just wants to talk about the research that she did for the role. Yeah. I love and the haircut mm-hmm. that she had 

Julia: to get. Yeah. She, man, gosh, she really becomes the character she plays. Like, 

Natalie: listen, if Sarah wants to talk to me about anything, it doesn't have to be on the record.

Natalie: I'll just tell people that we talked . 

Julia: Yeah. She's, she's an incredible actress. I'm very impressed with her skill and ability. 

Natalie: My last note for the movie, I like that they have a romcom line for the coaches at the last game. They have, they have this line where they just like look at one another and tell one another without telling one another how much they love each other.

Natalie: And I'm like, look at that romcom line between two grown ass men. Yeah. You, you, no one 

Julia: else could have done it, but you, Bo you were the right man for the job. And then, Your Hall of Fame in my 

Natalie: book. That's what it was. Your hall of fame in my book.

Natalie: Yeah. I was like, look at that. That was beautiful. That was a beautiful exchange. They're just being a little cutie. I ship it. I ship Boone and Yost. I know they have, well, Yost used to have a wife, uh, Boone. 

Julia: Yeah, Boone. Boone died within six months of when his wife died and they have three kids. I know. It's like babies.

Natalie: Sad. Well, Jules, we come to the time where we need to ask you if you're still comfortable with, remember the Titans being the only sports movie that I'll watch twice. 

Julia: I'm still comfortable. I fucking love this movie. Think I always love this movie. I think a lot of times too when we have movies that are about sort of race relations, like they're ones that are like really have a lot of issues like the help.

Julia: And I recently learned Hidden Figures has some problems, which I did not, God damn it, fully aware of myself. But I think I know, I think remember the Titans will always have a special place in my heart because it's the year my parents got married and the year it was released was kind of the 2000 was sort of my I, the year 2000 is when I started having a hard time with my racial identity and being very, very confused and remember the Titans kind of infused, being proud of being mixed, but it wasn't strong enough.

Julia: It wasn't as strong as it is now. Yeah. But it sort of planted that seed of like, look, I'm the product of something that overcame this. 

Natalie: Yeah, I love that answer. I too am comfortable with, remember the Titans. Um, my new favorite game is going to be when ignorant White people also know that I did this show about remember The Titans?

Natalie: And they go, I love, remember the Titans? I'm gonna start saying, oh, if only you would've 

Julia: listened. . I love that response. 

Natalie: If only you, I understand that Disney gave you a party package with Denzel and your brain went, we think Denzel's hot, so we're not racist. , 

Julia: I can't think, I can't be racist if I think Denzel's hot.

Julia: Oh my God. The preview for the new Rocky movie with Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. I was like, Y. Y'all. I can't with the fighting movies, but you best believe I'm gonna watch that movie cuz you cannot. You cannot put both those men. They are beauty. I love Michael 

Natalie: B. Jordan. 

Julia: You cannot put them in a movie shirtless and expect me not to show up.

Natalie: Number one, I did not know that we had a Creed number two. So when they flashed Creed number three, I was like, Ooh, I missed something. I haven't 

Julia: seen any of them. I don't like Box. 

Natalie: I haven't seen any of them. I like, I'm not 

Julia: a Rocky fan, I don't give a shit. But Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. Yes please.

Julia: Sorry I are closing. 

Natalie: Ooh, I miss something. I love Michael B. Jordan and I won't say anything about Black Panther and or whether or not he was involved.

Natalie: Because people still haven't seen it. People still haven't seen it. When do you think it's appropriate for me to start spoiling Black 

Julia: Panther? Somebody I follow a, a comedian I follow is like, y'all have till Monday. here? Yeah, I That prayer. Yeah. Thursday. Cuz he saw a Thursday show. He's like, y'all have till Monday.

Julia: Oh, Monday. 

Natalie: That's what we gave for Don't worry Darlene. And that movie actually has spoilers. Like you have to actually like, it ruins the whole thing if we just don't use the 

Julia: plot. Yeah, yeah. Um, which is currently streaming now on HBO Max. 

Natalie: Yeah. And we still have our still comfy episode with Mario from movies with Mr.

Natalie: Mario up on, I believe this No, your YouTube channel. Uh, yeah, it's on our's Telecom playlist. That's why I put them all on a playlist. Yeah. So I can just say my channel. Yeah. . Um, oh um, black Panther. There was something that you brought up and I believe it was about black joy. . It may have been about me being like, white people love to love black people music, but not actually respect the black people around them.

Natalie: Yeah. It gave the temptations, um, Would you like to tell everyone, um, how frustrating it was to sit near people who had never heard African music before? , I don't know where people live, Jules. Where they're confused when drums happen in a song. . So, and 

Julia: this is the end cr like this is before we get, this is like when the music starts rolling, it's very much an African influence, right?

Julia: Y'all never seen the Lion King and the Wom. The couple next. First of all, this woman talked the whole fucking time and I told Natalie this, I really wish I had gotten to experience watching Black Panther in a theater with a more diverse crowd, cuz I was probably the only black person in the room. That's 

Natalie: so unfortunate.

Julia: Mm-hmm. . And so the music starts and she goes, oh, what is this? I don't think I like this girl. We just watched a movie about Wakanda, like every lead character in this film is brown or black. Oh my God. 

Natalie: I was just like, did you call, you should have whispered something about her being a colonizer. 

Julia: I should have, but I think her husband got the message because in the beginning Montage, you know when they do the Marvel?

Julia: Mm-hmm. , they bring it up the Marvel and there's like a streaming roll of credits of Marvel stuff. Yeah. She, oh well that was such a nice montage. Me,

Natalie: I was silently 

Julia: weeding at that part. Me too. I got a good 10 minutes of her being fucking quiet at that point. But that was it. So I should have side more because 

Natalie: I refused. Yeah. Cause 

Julia: I refused to talk in a movie theater. That's not why we're here. If we wanted to talk about the movie, I'm gonna rent it and sit on my couch so we can talk about the movie.

Julia: During the movie 

Natalie: I talked during scary movie. and movies that I know are bad. But I went, anyways, listen, I don't go, that's my right. These scary 

Julia: movies. So I feel like I can't be mad at that. But like if the movie's bad, what are you gonna do? You know? 

Natalie: I, you know what I feel, I feel like scary movies were made so we all made noise in the movie theater.

Natalie: Unless it was at fucking John Kazinski in the Quiet Place. . 

Julia: Yeah. That's different. Yeah. Which I refuse to see cuz we all know I can't handle it. 

Natalie: I truly don't know where people have been when they get so confused when like a drum isn't a song. I, number one, I stopped moving. You can't keep me still during a rhythm.

Julia: And I literally was wearing this, I was wearing my black 

Natalie: Barbie shirt. Like yeah we looked that Black Barbie shirt. You can watch it from wearing that the last 15 times. I've seen you up 

Julia: here. I know. Cause it's, it's literally, I'm just so happy. Barbie made Black Barbie and 

Natalie: then made Black Barbie up here.

Natalie: You know what, I did a target pickup today. I even tried to look to see if I could just order that sweatshirt and pick it up with my skin to minute. I've been wearing the Ron deodorant. I've been wearing my like purse deodorant for emergencies because my deodorant, you know, fell. It. Did the Die. The Die.

Natalie: Yeah. And so I've been wearing the Ron deodorant and boy can I tell around 2:00 PM I'm like, mm. This just doesn't have a lasting power as my degree. Mm-hmm. as my degree, sexy intrigue or whatever the fuck is that I wear. intrigue. That what? It's called . It's called Degree Sexy Intrigue. I love it. I love it.

Natalie: Let me know if you want me. Don't monster you with that. Like, I'm just like, oh man, I really thought my per deodorant was my brand, but it's definitely not. Definitely not. It's definitely not. Just getting my chicken wings out. Mm-hmm. . Um, on that note, I'm still very comfy with, remember the Titans. I'm going to start being uncomfy to the people who watched Remember The Titans, but did not perceive the message.

Natalie: Yeah. or thought that watching. Remember the Titans once cured their internalized racism. Ooh, good point. Right? Remember the Titans? It's like, it's like the white fragility book of two of the early two thousands. Like I read that book. You're right, you're cured. . I saw that Denzel movie. Mm-hmm. . 

Julia: It's like everyone who Loves To Kill a Mockingbird, and I'm over here like it's a white savior book.

Julia: And then a friend of mine, like year, a couple years ago was like, oh my, Did you know Tequila Mockingbird is a white savior book. This is a new friend you like Meme like I met her in 2019. Yeah. So like I felt like it was okay for her to say that cuz she hasn't been listening to me talk about how Tequila Mockingbird is white savior.

Julia: And I was like, yeah girl, it totally is. She's like, oh my God. She's like, how does that make you feel? It's like, let's just say it's not a book in my top 10 . 

Natalie: Did you tell her about how the crowd ads is just a, it's just to kill a Mockingbird, but with a white girl in the swamp? 

Julia: No, I haven't, cuz she hasn't read the book.

Julia: So if she asks me about my recommendation, I am gonna kind of lead with that. 

Natalie: It's just to Kill a Mockingbird. But with a white girl in the swamp that everyone who read the book assumed was black because she was having a bad time. And I'm like, that's also wrong, . Yeah. Stop yelling at Taylor Swift about this

Natalie: Yeah. Everyone stop yelling 

Julia: at Taylor Swift. Yeah, it's not her fault. Don't get mad at her just cuz she's more talented than you. Like, come on, she's, you know, stop yelling, stop yelling at women. God damn it. 

Natalie: Everyone put both the energy that you would like to yell at Taylor Swift with and manifest me getting my Taylor Swift type goods.

Julia: That's a good I, yeah, do that. 

Natalie: Three out of four of us, I'm the fourth, have gotten codes. So I feel like I'm the loser of my group . I'm like, what did I do? Ticketmaster knows. Ticketmaster knows. Like she ain't the one with money. She can't be in charge of getting the Oh the 

Julia: ticket, a ticket yet. 

Natalie: Whatever. I told my, I told my friend I'd sell my car if it meant that we got good tickets.

Natalie: I sell my car. It's fine. I love that. Friends, this is an Ambie Catona with two all the men I've tolerated before. Um, you can catch new episodes of two Al The Men I've tolerated before on Thursdays. Haha, just kidding. This Thursday is our last new episode until 2023. Cause we're going on holiday break. But Natalie, what will you do in the meantime to make sure that you are consistent because that is the rule of podcasting that will make you money one day.

Natalie: I'm so glad that you asked. Uh, . I will be releasing the audio versions of our Still Comfy episodes that Jules was kind enough to provide me. What else will I be doing? Oh my gosh. Do you know I'll be designing more merch? Merch. I will also be making bracelets that you can, uh, purchase on my posh mark and my Etsy.

Natalie: Uh, there will be art prints for days and I don't, maybe I'll nap. I don't know. I think like my birthday's on Christmas. Maybe I'll take that day off. I don't know though. Um, and I'm gonna go see the zoo lights at the Cincinnati Zoo, so that's what I'll be doing. But if you're new to this, welcome, um, all of the episodes of two.

Natalie: All the men I've tolerated before can be found wherever you find podcasts. And we're on Instagram at Men. I've tolerated Pod. There's a handy little link because I know people don't like to Google things. And then it'll tell you all in the places that you can listen. Jules. 

Julia: Hello friends. Jelly Pops. Jelly Pops.

Julia: I'm your host of pop culture. Makes me jealous, Julia Washington, where we analyze pop culture through the lens of race or gender and sometimes both. Mm-hmm. . And you can find new episodes of our show every Wednesday because that way you listen to my show and then you get to listen to Natalie's the next day.

Julia: So we don't have any competition cuz you should be listening 

Natalie: to us both. Right. It's an hour of your week, it's two if you listen to both of us. 

Julia: Yeah. And we spread it out so that way you can make sure that you're giving us the same amount of attention. 

Natalie: I make a TikTok every week that shows you all the ways that you can be listening to us because I love you.

Natalie: Yes. And and I don't want you to stress about 

Julia: it. I, I feel like our, our friends at home should really appreciate all the work you do in that. Should they 

Natalie: appreciate us enough that they join Patriot. I was gonna 

Julia: say other ways that you can support both of us, that Natalie. Sh left for me to mention is our Patreons.

Julia: You can support both of our shows@patreon.com slash mm-hmm. Men I've Tolerated before. Yep. Or, and and cuz some you support us both. You wanna be in both clubs. You wanna be in both clubs cuz we're kind of amazing and, and you get different parts with each one. So patreon.com/men I've tolerated pod patreon.com/pop culture makes me jealous and you get all kinds of tons of really cool perks by being patrons.

Julia: So check it out. Also, you can find my show wherever you stream your podcasts or on our website Pop culture Makes me jealous. We also have merch. We also have, that's it for the show. Um, this week we're talking about a simple. The movie starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, 

Natalie: one of my favorite movies that I brought up on a Patreon episode.

Julia: Love that. Um, our guest is Mario Mellows. He's a regular Natalie and I have done shows with him and he's a regular on pop culture. Makes me jealous. I also wanna add for all the other things that Natalie and I do, the crafty, artsy things is actually kinda cool shit. It doesn't add any sort of stress or anything to your life.

Julia: And for the low, low price of whatever we're selling it for, you can have some joy in your life. 

Natalie: This is a work in progress. It's not done yet. . See, see the 

Julia: joy that you could have in your life. So, you know, check us out. Natalie's got a link tree. I also have a link tree. Um, you can find me on Instagram, the Julia Washington.

Julia: There's a link tree there. So just support small, local businesses, especially during this holiday season. Jeff Bezos has enough money. 

Natalie: Fuck Jeff Bezos. I mean, he is funding my Taylor Swift 

Julia: tickets. Yeah. So he, and he also announced that he's giving away all like the bulk of his wealth. But you know what, Bezos, he's still union busting.

Julia: So I'm not pleased, , 

Natalie: I didn't get my email that I was getting Bezos money. Where's my email? Honestly, he 

Julia: could literally pay off all of our student debt, I feel like, and he should, 

Natalie: because they sued Biden are 

Julia: gonna fucking lay off 11,000 employee or 10,000 employees from Amazon. So I love that you have all these profits, but still find a, a way to fire people anyway, that's not the point.

Julia: The point is, is when you support businesses like Natalie and myself, you are supporting local, small businesses who do things to keep their communities thriving local and. 

Natalie: And should you be a person in Dayton or in the California area That Jules is in . I don't know what she wants to say. 

Julia: My non-descript, I talk about, I live in Modesto.

Julia: George Lucas is from here. Somebody just started a satire account about Modesto's love for George Lucas. And it's really fucking funny. 

Natalie: implore you to say hello to me. When you see me on the streets, it makes me feel very famous. Oh, I love that. I once had a man from uh, walk the Streets with me one time and several people said hello to me and he was like, does that have him wherever you go?

Natalie: And I went, it sure does. . Yeah. I love that. And that was before the podcast. So , 

Julia: just imagine now, 

Natalie: um, next, tomorrow, Tuesday. And next Tuesday. No, not next Tuesday, because Thanksgiving next week we're taking a break. That's right. I'm going to see Legally Blonde. But tomorrow, Tuesday we will be on Jules's Instagram covering the crown.

Natalie: R IP Elizabeth, and we'll be talking about Princess Diana and her impact on our childhood. 

Julia: Yes. Season five episodes one and two is what we'll be specifically covering, but we cannot guarantee that we will stay focused on those episodes because we lived through this season in real life. We did, 

Natalie: we did. I have the commemorative, maybe I'll find it.

Natalie: I have the Beanie Baby. I, I wouldn't, I 

Julia: would love if you found it and then shared it with everybody on the live. I'll 

Natalie: look. , I got bins. Um, so anyone, anyways, everybody in December, we're only doing still comfy movies once and it's gonna be this Santa Clause with horrendously uncomfy to me. Mm-hmm. . Not Daddy, Santa Claus, Kurt Russell.

Natalie: No. Horrendously Uncomfy, Santa Claus. Tim Allen. Yes. One day we'll do Daddy 

Julia: Santa 

Natalie: and do the Santa 

Julia: Chronicles . Kurt Russell is not okay, but we're grateful for you. 

Natalie: He's Debbie. I saw that Santa A and I was like, Ooh, when does Santa become daddy? Right? 

Julia: Like, hello. I've been a good girl. I've 

Natalie: been the best girl.

Natalie: And with that, I implore you to stay cozy. Stay comfy and we'll see you tomorrow at Buckingham Palace. . Do the Disney wave. Oh no. My mouse is dead and we're never gonna get off. Oh my gosh. This is 

Julia: the live that.

Looking for more?

Episode Directory

• Bonus 8
• Book to Screen 15
• Disney 1
• Patreon 1
• Season 1 31
• Season 2 25
• Season 3 25
• Season 4 30
• Season 5 21
• Still Comfy? 2