Offline Thoughts

Gisèle Pelicot's life was turned upside down in 2020 when her husband of nearly 50 years was up skirting women in their provincial town. What the police uncovered was more evil than anyone could have predicted. What is striking about Gisèle's husband is that behind his extraordinarily heinous crimes was a man who was as ordinary in public as he was monstrous in private. Please send your thoughts a...

The DOJ in January 2026 released another tranche of the "Epstein Files". At this point the disturbing contents contained in the files only affirms what we already knew about men as a group. This episode looks at the propaganda the patriarchy perpetuates about the nature of men and what we can learn from the Epstein files. Key words: Jeffrey Epstein, patriarchy, sexual violence of men, protector an...

Polyamorous relationships from those who choose them sounds great - you get the best parts of having partners without the downsides of monogamy such as possessiveness, control, sexual ownership, and frankly, boredom. But is this something new or a return to something old? Key words: polyamory, monogamy, ethical non-monogamy, love, relationships, Please share your thoughts or questions to offlineth...

Despite occupying ideologically opposite terrains, the far left and far right in some respects are different sides of the same coin. At the political level you only need to look at the outcomes of each sides' time in office to understand that shared allegiance. At the interpersonal level - whether on the extreme left or extreme right, their lives and values converge, The question is to what extent...

Onyeka Ehie's TikTok story time titled "The Danish Deception" has been a sensation spawning thousands of response and commentary videos. It is easy to understand why the story is captivating. A tall, handsome and wealthy Nordic man with a royal title, falls in love with a beautiful American woman and sets on wooing her by flying her across the world, sparing no expense in showing her a good time....

Charlie Sheen's Netflix documentary "aka Charlie Sheen" chronicles the actor's extreme highs (no pun intended) and lows. It is supposed to be an unflinching dive into all the things he has been through as well the sins of his past. For this podcaster, it feels like he should have kept those curtains closed - this will not be the redemptive and humanising documentary he hoped it would be. Charlie i...

Kirk in life was an extremist who believed all kinds of things about women, people of colour and religion. His killing at the hands of Tyler Robinson has unleashed a divide between those who believe it is disrespectful to speak ill of the dead, and those who believe accountability goes beyond the grave. This episode looks at both those sides. Send me your thoughts and comments at offlinethoughts.p...

The sprinkle sprinkle lady is as entertaining as she is notorious. Her wit, her comedic timing and her branding have made her prolific on TikTok. What she brings to the table is the kind of advice broken-hearted women would have appreciated had they known what lay ahead - particularly those women who are prone to choosing poor dating mates. The thing is, though, when you drill into what Shera's co...

If there is one thing that will define the last few years it's the slow march to a recession. All the red flags are there - 260,000 people lost their jobs in the first four months of this year, the government is seeking to eliminate tens of thousands more, big tech companies like Microsoft, Tesla and Meta are reducing their headcount on levels not seen since the financial crisis of 2008 and this j...

Articles and resources: New York Post, 2024. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ record labels marked by murder, death, prison. [online] Available at: https://nypost.com/2024/03/31/us-news/sean-diddy-combs-record-labels-marked-by-murder-death-prison/ [Accessed 3 June 2025]. The New York Times, 1973. Ten found guilty of heroin charge; convicted of taking part in drug ring. [online] Available at: https://www.nytime...

The worst happens - a happy pregnancy turns into a nightmare when untreated severe headaches result in catastrophic brain clots that result in being declared legally brain dead. When a Georgia hospital decides to keep the pregnant woman on life support for a further 23 weeks in order to deliver the child with a chance of survival the story quickly becomes a political volleyball between the politic...

Sinners is breaking records everywhere you look and it has instantly become a classic. It is easy to see why. Against a background of 1932 Mississippi and its accompanying Jim Crow, the film somehow manages to make us think about heavy themes whilst not being a film about black suffering. The film has love, community and dreaming big at its heart whilst also being a classic horror film with vampir...

One of the inevitabilities of interracial friendships are that sooner or later - there will be microagressions. When those moments arise, is it worthwhile to teach the person how to be better or is it a red flag that necessitates immediate dumping?

The UK Supreme Court's ruling on the definitions of "woman", "man" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 on biological terms was for some controversial, but for many a welcome decision. The aftermath of the ruling has perhaps been the most interesting - many organisations have swiftly revised their positions on including trans women in single sex spaces. Amongst these have been governing sports bodie...

On 16 April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled that "sex," "woman," and "man" as defined in the Equality Act 2010 referred to biological sex. Consequently, trans women and trans men holding Gender Recognition Certificates are recognised under the Act according to their biological sex. This decision carries significant implications for single-sex spaces, including sports, schools, hospital wards, pri...

Every black woman will have horror stories of their experiences in black hair salons and at the hands of black hair stylists. From lateness, to rudeness, to low hygiene, to hair damage - we've experienced it all. This episode focuses on why this negative experience is universal. Key words: regulating black salons, lack of access to capital, beauty schools, internalised anti-blackness and racism. I...

Articles and resources Amzat, J., Kanmodi, K. K., Ismail, A., & Egbedina, E. A. (2023). Euthanasia in Africa: A scoping review of empirical evidence. Health science reports, 6(5), e1239. https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.1239 Riley, L. and Hehir, D. (2021), Last Resort: The hidden truth about how dying people take their own lives in the UK, published by Campaign for Dignity in Dying: https://cdn.di...

At some point in our work careers we will quit jobs. That is inevitable. But there is an art to quitting well and in a way that doesn't compromise your reputation, financial security or future prospects. Timing is also important and one of the pitfalls we fall under is allowing ourselves to be deceived by the lie that we owe our workplaces loyalty. Believing this lie sometimes mean we leave on the...

Against a backdrop of nosediving car sales across Europe, China and the US, political activism that has seen its dealers set ablaze and in some cases shot at, and most recently the beginnings of institutional investors on Wall Street turning away from Tesla - retail investors continue to buy the stock at unprecedented levels. The question is... why? Key words: Tesla, retail investors, Elon Musk, G...

In a world where money is worshipped, one of the worst positions to find yourself in is having none. Or so we're told. In fact, there is a much worse fate - the fate of having all the money in the world, but never feeling enough. Key words: status symbols, consumer behaviour, low self-worth, mindless consumption Please send your thoughts and questions to offlinethoughts.podcast@gmail.com .

Church is supposed to be the spiritual house we flock to for spiritual and psychological nourishing. However, modern congregations have become increasingly loathe to attend mass on a regular basis. What accounts for this? It is likely the language of the "inherent" sinful nature of human beings and other language that condemns us. It is also other glaring issues - a church with a large proportion...

Citigroup's DEI initiatives has lasted for a shorter period of time than the company's invasion and occupation of Haiti. Beginning in the 1910s Citigroup, then known as the National City Bank of New York persuaded the US government to invade Haiti. Citigroup understood that by taking control of the country and of its central bank, it could make hundreds of millions of dollars by seizing the island...

The speed with which many corporations have aborted DEI initiatives that they were "committed to" only two months ago tells us two things: (1) they have no scruples and (2) they were never truly committed to DEI. If we are honest with ourselves, we could tell from their haphazard initiatives that often focused on virtue signalling over substance and at times, resulted in marginalised people caught...

Workplaces operate on unspoken rules that can make or break a career. This episode looks at the realities of office life: the critical importance of first impressions, the silent consequences of breaking social norms, and why hard work alone doesn’t guarantee promotions. From navigating office politics to avoiding the pitfalls of workplace relationships, this "survival" guide breaks down how to su...

Karma is another form of believing in cosmic justice - the idea that bad people will be punished for their misdeeds. And whilst that may make us feel good and prevent us from taking revenge into our own hands, it also means believing an ugly implication. That implication, no matter how you look at it, is that the poor, the sick and the misfortunate deserve their fate, Key words: karma, poor people...