Semi-Woke

Pranav and Sheria talk about whether it's ageist and ableist to make fun of Dianne Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, and the other elderly oligarchs who control our lives while the skin melts off their bones. We also cancel Ice Spice for having a child twerk in her video and Sheria spreads misinformation about this week's Problematic Fave, Carlee Russell.

Pranav and Sheria saw the Barbie movie and they can't stop talking about it. Is it woke enough to warrant all this discourse? Is Greta Gerwig this generation's Valerie Solanas? Or is it yassified Wayne's World? Also, where was Theresa? Barbie movie spoilers abound for the three people who haven't seen it.

Sheria teaches Pranav about getting and staying "on code" and the pros and cons of Black cultural codes of conduct. We talk about the online blowback from the texturism episode, the pros and cons of cultural gatekeeping and policing Blackness. We also read out our first listener-sent Problematic Fave. Send us your Problematic Fave. Message Semi-Woke on IG and we might read it on the show...

Pranav and Sheria talk about the spate of insecure men being exposed or exposing themselves all over the internet, in particular Jonah Hill, Keke Palmer's baby daddy, Lightskin Keisha's fiance, and Chloe Bailey's Z-list twitch streamer/ failed rapper boyfriend. Are these men controlling or are they setting boundaries and being vulnerable? Does society groom women to accept control and...

Pranav and Sheria argue about the benefits and the harms of #cancelculture, discuss some recent cancellations like DaBaby, Chika, and that crazy lady who tried to steal a Citibike. Rate, follow and review.

Pranav and Sheria sit down with the hilarious Liz Glazer and talk about grieving with comedy, laughing after stillbirth, fascist baby sleep tutorials, and driving on ketamine. Check out Liz's comedy album, A Very Particular Experience . Available on Spotify , iTunes , and Bandcamp .

Pranav and Sheria discuss the ethics of mocking the billionaires on imploding submersibles, media coverage of Oceangate vs the 300 migrants who capsized in the Mediterranean just a week before, why we need to steal from the rich for their own sake, and more!

This week we sit down with Pranav's kickboxing coach Alex Adisorn, owner and operator of Big Bear Muay Thai in Brooklyn. We discuss the pros and cons of combat sports, whether it's ethical to participate in or support MMA, the consequences of head injuries and CTE, and how to make an empowering space for Queer people to learn self-defense. Also, Sheria begs Alex not to turn Pranav's br...

Sheria and Pranav discuss Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid, fall in love with Halle Bailey and argue about race-swapped casting. Is a Black mermaid revolutionary? If not, why does it cause such furor? We talk about the origins of race-swapped casting, yellowface, blackface, and the time Sheria got hate-crimed via an all-white production of Once on This Island. Follow us, rate us 5 stars...

Sheria teaches Pranav about texturism, the natural hair movement, the history of hair-typing, and why laid edges are a tool of White supremacy. We talk about the connection between eugenics, genocide, and hair discrimination, and Sheria tries to sneak in some K-pop talk while Pranav cries. It's a good time. Like, follow, rate us 5 stars and keep it kinky.

Happy Pride! Pranav and Sheria discuss Rainbow Capitalism, Bud Light, Target, and the insane reaction to Dylan Mulvaney taking ONE sip of beer. Can we shop our way to liberation? Do brands really support the Queer community? No. Obviously not. Don't be ridiculous. Enjoy!

Sheria brainwashes Pranav even more by teaching him about Adrienne Rich's theory of Compulsive Heterosexuality, the Comp-Het Tumblr doc, and why Queer communists should destroy the nuclear family. Read Compulsive Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence by Adrienne Rich here .

This Sheria talks with Pranav about fatphobia*, body positivity, medical racism, Pranav's dick, self-acceptance vs. growth, and lots more! THIS WEEK'S PROBLEMATIC FAVE IS A BERNIE MAC JOKE AND IT IS GREAT! *This is part one of the conversation. We will have a guest with a better understanding of fatphobia and the fat experience to add much-needed nuance to this topic.

CW: This week, Pranav and Sheria discuss the death of Jordan Neely, the homelessness crisis in America, the mental health crisis in America, and the crisis of America in general. Sheria reflects on seeing her father in Jordan Neely and her struggles with mental health institutions. Pranav discusses an altercation he had with an unhoused person on his stoop who stole his expensive ass vacuum. Sheri...

Sheria and Pranav talk to Benny Feldman (Comedy Central, Just for Laughs Montreal), a hilarious NY comedian with Tourette's. Pranav and Benny met at a show where Pranav made an offensive joke about Tourette's ... it bombed. We discuss that awkward encounter, eating bugs to end capitalism and demi-sexuality. Follow Benny on IG @feldfrog. We love him and so will you.

Clara Olshansky is NYC Queer comedy royalty, a TikTok icon, and co-host of the My First Joke podcast. We got them to talk about comedy, gender, problematic Beatles lyrics, and being mistaken for a f*ckboi. Pranav struggles with they/them pronouns and Sheria starts sweating like Whitney Houston but we have a good time.

Can you ethically consume true crime? This week Pranav and Sheria discuss Sheria's obsession with true crime and whether or not it is possible to consume True Crime ethically. They also discuss women breaking the glass ceiling of serial murder, whether women have the libido to be proper serial killers, and ask who's eviler; Aileen Wuornos or Hilary Clinton (HRC duh). This is all things tru...

Pranav and Sheria talk about colorism in the Black and Indian communities. Why is colorism so pervasive? Is it worse for women and femmes? Do light-skin jokes reinforce colorism? ...Yes! We also reminisce about Pranav's formerly fat booty. He was dummy thicc. A lot of butt talk in this episode for some reason.

Update! There was an echo on the previous audio. It has been fixed. Episode 3: An Indian man and a Black woman walk into a podcast booth to talk about appropriation. Write your own punchline.

In the second episode of Semi-Woke Pranav and Sheria discuss the "I know it smell crazy in there" Twitter race war and dissect Black and Indian race relations. Will they usher in a new era of poc solidarity? Will they slap-box? Who will win? Tune in to find out.

On the first episode of Semi-Woke Pranav and Sheria break down what "woke" means and discuss the use of The "R" Word. CW: We use the Hard R in this episode. Both of them.

Semi-woke is a collab between stand-up comedians, Sheria Mattis and Pranav Behari where Sheria brainwashes Pranav with one woke concept a week until he turns gay. Join the Semi-Woke mob and follow us wherever you stream your podcasts.