The Discourse

Courtenay Roche

A deep-ish dive into the cultural conversations dominating our screens week-to-week. Twin sisters Courtenay and Cecile wield the fading remnants of their liberal arts educations to take on such vital topics as: Is there a male loneliness epidemic? Did liberal feminism ruin the workplace? Will generative AI be the death knell of the influencer era? Does the world really need another podcast helmed by two white Zillennials? Let's discuss.

  1. 1d ago

    The Genius and Cowardice of You Can See Everything

    We watched You Can See Everything. Let's talk about it.

  2. Oct 18

    Discourse We Missed: Lesbian Bar Drama, Iced Coffee Discourse, Macklemore Lovers Get Vindicated, & the Taylor Encore Nobody Asked For

    The Discourse is back, baby!!! Did you miss us? We sure missed YOU!  …And it turns out we missed a lot else, too. In the few short weeks since we last recorded, the internet has endured a maelstrom of dramas and discourses, ranging from the lighthearted (is iced coffee unprofessional?) to the patently absurd (do lesbian bar owners deserve to live if they don’t conform to my narrow standards of how to do so?). We knew we couldn’t stand idly by and watch it all unfold without throwing our own hats in the ring.  With the help of recurring character Cousin Caroline, The Discourse hops back in the saddle to beat some proverbial horses til they are “well and truly deceased.”  Giddyup! (idk why this became horse themed. just go with it.)

  3. Sep 19

    Discourse Digest: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 5 Recap

    MomTok cannot, in fact, survive this one. SLOMW Season 5 is here, and C + C are bringing you the freshest takes West of Salt Lake City. We're talking Mikayla's glow-up, TFP's breakdown, and everything in between. Grab your dirtiest soda and your longest extensions and settle in for our very first reality recap.

  4. Sep 10

    How the Nerds Ruined Dating for the Rest of Us

    In what one host described as “the juiciest episode yet,” Court, Cecile, and guest-host-slash-armchair-psychologist Linnea regale listeners with tales from the trenches of modern dating.  Featuring:  The time Linnea got serenaded by a famous chef (in a bad way)The time Court was so awkward on a first date that she became the unwitting subject of a friend group betting poolThe time Cecile got wined, dined, and definitely NOT 69-ed by the sleaziest guy in Boston But, before that... In true Discourse fashion, we can’t resist unpacking exactly how Silicon Valley nerds ruined romance. Court schools her co-hosts on the oft-forgotten role LGBTQ culture played in pioneering dating apps, and then we take a depressing look at what quantitative research says about how bad the swipe-dating landscape actually is.   We spend the latter half of the episode doling out advice to the less romantically fortunate (JOKE) while simultaneously debunking dating myths that have infiltrated modern discourse. For example, sometimes a breakup text IS, in fact, the best way to get rejected….take it from Court, who has twice suffered the brutal “dinner date breakup”. Also, ladies, please stop demanding comped Uber rides to first dates. It is not cute, and you’re ruining it for the rest of us!  We promise some genuine advice hidden amongst the engagement bait (lol), including Linnea’s adorable “how we met” story and her passionate stance on having a “list” when dating.  So, you swiping right?

  5. Aug 31

    Discourse Digest: Lindsay Clancy Conspiracies, Surrogacy Woes, and Court Gets Consensually Cat-Called

    Another fun-sized installment of The Discourse...with some decidedly not-so-fun subject matter. Speaking off-the-cuff (read: no outline), C + C take on some of the month's hottest controversies, from the mothers suing their surrogates to the online communities spinning wild theories about Lindsay Clancy's husband. They also invent some controversies of their own: Court questions the ethics of cat-calling while Cecile brings light to the oft-ignored issue of reverse sexism (jk! I think?). Though it may be short, this one packs a punch—particularly for our listeners who delight in a good sisterly quarrel. Love ya! ;)

  6. Aug 22

    How The Cringey OpenAI Brand Trip Proves Dead Internet Theory

    TL;DR: Dead internet theory is true, the influencer recession is upon us, OpenAI brand trip cringe, and the real meaning of AI psychosis.  Courtenay consorts with Cousin Caroline, a friend of the pod and Bay Area native who currently resides in the belly of the AI beast—San Francisco. We discuss how a fringe message-board conspiracy theory became a mainstream talking point and what "dead internet theory" actually means for (human) internet users. While AI remains central to the theory, our discussion focuses more on some of the forces that brought us here: capitalism, greed, and enshittification (redundant?). The so-called “enshittification” of the internet is inextricably linked to the “dead internet" conversation. It’s not just that bots are flooding the internet; it’s also that the internet is becoming more and more unusable for HUMANS. Even the parts of the internet that emerged organically, like influencing, inevitably become tools of capitalism, hollowed of authenticity and used merely as vehicles to sell us more stuff.  But we may have reached a tipping point. According to NY Mag, we’re in an influencer recession—and it’s causing some content creators to stoop to new lows in pursuit of engagement. From ridiculous ragebait to AI slop to insane brand partnerships (OpenAI brand trip, anyone?), we’re sharing the wild ways influencers are trying to make ends meet. We’ll even journey over to LinkedIn to stalk a corporate slop-fluencer trying to reclaim the term “AI psychosis” (and failing).  Finally, we attempt to end on a hopeful note with a report on platforms such as Spotify, Substack, and LinkedIn rolling out AI spam filters and detection tools to curb the flood of low-quality content crowding our feeds. We discuss whether this signifies a larger move to combat enshittification, or if it’s just a blip that will soon be overshadowed by the rapid acceleration of AI.  Sources (unpaywalled!):  Dead internet theory Atlantic article from 2021: https://archive.is/20260527091626/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/08/dead-internet-theory-wrong-but-feels-true/619937/#selection-927.0-930.0   Bots now make up over 50% of web traffic: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://fortune.com/2026/07/23/dead-internet-theory-bots-agents-majority-web-traffic/ The “open internet” is at risk: https://www.techpolicy.press/the-open-internet-was-always-american-now-its-a-weapon/  AI model collapse: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.forbes.com.au/news/innovation/is-ai-quietly-killing-itself-and-the-internet/  The influencer recession: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.vulture.com/article/influencer-recession-audrey-peters-interview.html  OpenAI brand trip: https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/influencers-draw-backlash-for-attending-openais-first-luxury-trip/#google_vignette Grace McCarrick on “AI psychosis”: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gracemccarrick_i-went-on-openais-first-ever-brand-trip-activity-7489983409877049344-4XSx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACKWuaQB90OwxN2aP2bUxbkbCnJMLg5s_Ew

  7. Aug 10

    Discourse Digest: Caroline Calloway, Coldplay Cheaters 2.0, AI Startup Cringe, and Spiderman: Brand New Day

    In the second edition of the Discourse Digest, C + C cover all the digital debates that are slightly too irrelevant to make their way into a full-length pod—but just juicy enough to bite into on a Sunday afternoon. (ETA: Wishful thinking; I was not done editing til 11pm on Sunday). You'll hear our hot takes on: The cultural commentators who Caroline Calloway thinks are "the fakest bitches in NYC"Being too honest about mental illness in your hinge profileAn AI startup's cruel, dystopian marketing gimmick: Free tattoosWhy the Central Park cheating video is emblematic of societal decayHow Tom Holland's Spider-Man can save us from MCU slop hell Take a bite—and tell us your thoughts on this week's hottest online discourse.

  8. Aug 1

    Into the Manosphere: Andrew Tate and the Men Who Worship Him

    Andrew Tate, self-avowed misogynist and king of toxic masculinity, was arrested in Miami just last week after being hit with 38 new charges in his long-running battle with the law. He is facing life in prison for sex trafficking, kidnapping, abuse, child pornography, and crimes against fashion. (OK, that last one is fake—but come on, purple capri pants?) As Tate suffers from diarrhea in solitary confinement, women around the world rejoice.  Tate’s arrest comes on the heels of a copycat incident: In June, investigators busted a sex trafficking ring in Bellevue, WA run by a 21-year-old Tate devotee, Nikita Tyukalo. The operation saw young girls pimped out in online chat rooms to the tune of millions of dollars—just not for the girls, of course.  How did Tyukalo manage to build a trafficking empire with no industry connections and only a high school education? He didn’t have a college degree, but he did have his PHD—his Pimpin’ Hoes Degree, that is.  In today’s episode, we retrace Andrew Tate’s journey from pro kickboxer to pimp professor, plus all the grifts in between. We’ll explore how his teachings have poisoned a new generation of men, encouraging them to take misogyny to its extremes in pursuit of power.  This is not a topic we take lightly. We encourage you to listen with care!

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About

A deep-ish dive into the cultural conversations dominating our screens week-to-week. Twin sisters Courtenay and Cecile wield the fading remnants of their liberal arts educations to take on such vital topics as: Is there a male loneliness epidemic? Did liberal feminism ruin the workplace? Will generative AI be the death knell of the influencer era? Does the world really need another podcast helmed by two white Zillennials? Let's discuss.

Information

  • Creator
    Courtenay Roche
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Courtenay Roche
  • Show Website
    The Discourse

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