Potstirrer Podcast

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes brief discussion of physical violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised. This multi-episode series is about efforts to suppress or limit the vote in certain communities across the United States in order to achieve specific outcomes. In Part 1, Jaye discusses the history of the vote in the United States as it pertains to race and ethn...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of homophobia and mental illness. Listener discretion is advised. In this public release of a bonus episode originally released on Patreon in August 2019, Jaye discusses the divorce announcement of Joshua Harris, the author of Christian self-help book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and his wife, singer Shannon Bonne, and their apparent ongoing deconstruc...

The Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, 2021 were one of many large-scale shooting incidents that occurred after a lull in mass gun violence due to the pandemic. But this spree shooting stuck out due to the various issues the tragedy touched on, including gun control and the Second Amendment, stereotyping and discrimination against Asian people, racialized misogyny, policing biases, and toxic teach...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of physical violence, physical suffering and death. Listener discretion is advised.  In this public release of a Patreon bonus episode originally released in July 2019, Jaye discusses graphic images of suffering and oppression. Should these be protected by content warnings? The episode dives into the history of violent images and how  una...

It is the middle of President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office, and his administration has been hard at work attempting to end the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, as well as other policy priorities. But actions on immigration-related policy, as it relates to a shift in direction from Donald Trump, have been more modest. Jaye discusses Biden's ending of the Muslim Travel Ban and the lif...

In this public release of a Patreon bonus episode originally released in January 2020, Jaye tells the story of the 1969 University of Wyoming Cowboys football team. Fourteen African-American players on the team were dismissed by their head coach in the middle of the 1969 season for asking permission to protest. How is the Black 14 incident, and the aftermath, instructive for understanding social p...

How could seemingly normal Americans end up becoming right-wing extremists? Jaye discusses the role of extremist Christianity as a gateway to radical right-wing movements. Does the fact that Christianity is the dominant religion in the United States blind us to the possibility of family, friends and others we associate with becoming radicalized? Twitter: @potstirrercast IG: @potstirrerpodcast Face...

The year 2021 has begun in the United States with a tragic attack on democracy. On January 6, pro-Trump rioters who were taking part in a protest stormed the US Capitol Building in Washington DC, during a joint session of Congress held to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Capitol attack, incited by the rhetoric of Donald Trump and other Republican politicians, led to the d...

In the fourth annual Potstirrer Podcast War on Christmas Special, Jaye reflects on the strange, horrifying year that was 2020. Would a decently better response to the pandemic have netted Donald Trump a second term? And does incoming president Joe Biden have the fight in him to take on the groups who are seeking to end democracy in the United States? Twitter: @potstirrercast IG: @potstirrerpodcast...

In this flashback bonus episode - originally a two-parter first released in May and June of 2019, Jaye shares her Top Five Terrible Humans List. These are influential Americans, dead or alive, who made a negative contribution to their sphere of influence during their lifetime. In this episode, Jaye discusses her purely, 100 percent subjective criteria, dishonorable mentions, and the full list of T...

The 2020 US general election has taken place, and after days of counting in several swing states, former Vice-President Joe Biden has won the election decisively over Donald Trump. However, the expected gains for Democrats in Congress - the "blue wave" - were not realized. Why did this result occur? Jaye details what she believes is the real reason why centrist Democrats are blaming progressives a...

The 2020 US general election is coming up, and it's time to get ready! Jaye discusses political polling - including why the 2016 presidential poll predictions were not as much of a failure as it has been reported in the press. Will 2020 be a repeat of 2016? Also, Jaye discusses the current landscape and provides guidance in case of a Donald Trump victory or should Joe Biden win the election. Elect...

In the runup to the 2020 US general election, many events have occurred on local, state and federal levels that point to an authoritarian slide for the United States. Jaye discusses some of these events, including the presidential and vice-presidential debates, the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Kentucky grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case, Donald Trump's ban of...

Christian fiction author Allison K. Garcia returns to Potstirrer Podcast to share with us about her upcoming novel, Finding Seguridad, the second in the Buscando Home series. The conversation includes discussion of themes in the book, as well as a range of topics, including the experiences of Latino immigrants and other marginalized groups in the current political and social environment, domestic...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes discussion of violent themes, specifically war and genocide. Listener discretion is advised. This multi-episode series is about the history of relations between the United States and the Middle East, including both US foreign policy and the Middle Eastern immigrant experience. In this episode, Jaye discusses the decline and fall of the Ottoman Empire...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode involves discussion of crime, police brutality and bigotry, including physical violence, murder, and racism. Listener discretion is advised. In this commentary episode, Jaye shares her reaction to the events during the week of the 2020 Republican National Convention, including the shooting of Jacob Blake Jr. by police, and the shooting at the resulting Kenosh...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes discussion of physical and sexual abuse, including the abuse of children. Listener discretion is advised. In this flashback bonus episode first released as a Patreon bonus episode in August 2018 originally entitled "Abuse: Endorsed by Scripture?," Jaye discusses the use of Romans 13:1-5, a passage in the Bible invoked by then-Attorney General Jeff Se...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode involves discussion of crime, police brutality and bigotry, including physical violence, sexual assault, murder, racism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia. Listener discretion is advised. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, and the resulting Black Lives Matter uprisings and protests, there has been an ongoing nationa...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode involves discussion of crime and police brutality, including violence, injury & death. Listener discretion is advised. In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police, and the resulting Black Lives Matter uprisings and protests, there has been an ongoing national conversation regarding police brutality and race. In Part 1 of a two-episo...

In the public release of February 2019's Patreon bonus episode, Jaye discusses the news story from January 2019 about the confrontation in Washington DC, between Catholic high school students from Northern Kentucky and a Native American elder. How does a seemingly straightforward news story, complete with video, morph into a controversy dividing society along the familiar lines of partisanship and...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode involves discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic, police brutality, and historical events related to racial, ethnic, disability and class discrimination, including discussion of violence, illness, injury & death. Listener discretion is advised. Against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic, the fabric of the United States is coming undone. Jaye discusses the impact o...

This multi-episode series is about the history of relations between the United States and the Middle East, including both US foreign policy and the Middle Eastern immigrant experience. In this episode, Jaye recounts the early history of relations between the United States and the Middle East, focusing on the Barbary Wars, and delves into early immigration to the US from the Middle East. What role...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes discussion of war, with references to physical and sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised. This multi-episode series is about the history of relations between the United States and the Middle East, including both US foreign policy and the Middle Eastern immigrant experience. This episode is a brief history of the Middle East and Mediterranea...

In the public release of the September 2019 Patreon Exclusive, Jaye discusses Donald Trump's "disloyalty" comments regarding Jewish Democrats. Why would Trump rely on an anti-Semitic trope while stating he is an ardent supporter of Israel? Jaye also outlines reasons why white evangelicals, who are overwhelmingly loyal to Donald Trump, are also ardent supporters of the state of Israel. How do their...

CONTENT WARNING: The following episode includes discussion of terrorism, hate crimes, disasters, & public health crises that have involved illness, injury & death. Listener discretion is advised. None of the content of this episode is a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical con...