Cancel Me, Daddy

Katelyn Burns, Christine Grimaldi, Flytrap Media
Cancel Me, Daddy

The pearl clutching about “cancel culture” and “censorship” has become louder and more absurd while also getting more and more play in the media. Journalists Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi see this panic for what it is though: a grift. They take a closer look at these temper tantrums, dispelling myths, laughing at the most outrageous takes, and shedding light on which perspectives are actually being suppressed and left out of the conversation. You can join our community and support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy A Flytrap Media Production

  1. JAN 16

    Cancelling the Insurrection (ft. Meredith Shiner)

    January 6, 2025 marked two grim occasions: the four year anniversary of Donald Trump inciting his followers to take over the U.S. Capitol and the present-day Congress certifying Trump’s 2.0’s presidential election victory. This week, Katelyn, Christine, and special guest Meredith Shiner compare and contrast their experiences as congressional reporters on Capitol Hill. Meredith, a communications consultant and journalist, is the preeminent critic of the insurrection that aired live and what she calls the “polite coup”—the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory. Biden and the Democrats abdication of their responsibility to any timely or enduring accountability and the mainstream media’s passivity, exacerbated by consolidation under their billionaire owners, are recurring topics. But the discussion does not get mired in cynicism. This episode’s energy is what we all must hold on to heading into next week’s second Trump inauguration, and whatever comes after. Links: Follow Meredith Shiner on Bluesky Meredith Shiner for The New Republic: The Capitol Riot Killed “Both Sides” Journalism Katelyn Burns for Rewire News Group: Lawmakers Who Survived Sexual Assault Demand Halt to Kavanaugh Hearings Follow HuffPost’s Jennifer Bendery—a great Washingtion reporter—on Bluesky Alexander Mallin for ABC News: Where the Jan. 6 Capitol attack investigation stands, by the numbers: DOJ Chris Canipe and Jason Lange for Reuters: The Republicans who voted to overturn the election Ben Jacobs for The Guardian: 'This needs to stop': Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs' statement to court Claire Wang for NBC News: Behind the viral photo of Rep. Andy Kim cleaning up at midnight after riots Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park for Reuters: South Korean investigators question arrested President Yoon in insurrection probe Greg Owen for LGBTQ Nation: Trans & wildly popular “Oprah of China” suddenly blackballed by Chinese government Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 8m
  2. JAN 2

    Blake Lively and the Making of a Cancellation

    “Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands,” Melissa Nathan—the crisis public relations expert who preserved alleged domestic abuser Johnny Depp’s public image—texted behind the scenes of her latest smear-campaign-for-hire. The New York Times called Nathan’s bluff. publishing the extent of her actor-director client Justin Baldoni’s alleged retaliatory social media operation to turn public sentiment against actress Blake Lively, the target of his alleged workplace sexual harassment on their film “It Ends with Us.” This week, Katelyn and Christine discuss the coordinated campaign against Lively, perpetrated by our old enemies behind the Amber Heard defamation allegation. We highly recommend you check out the links in the show notes for the context that Cancel Me, Daddy has been providing since its beginnings with Oliver and Katelyn! Revisit the 2022 “Depp-ception” episode with guest and “Cancel Gunkle” Michael Hobbes, who returned in 2023 to cancel The New York Times over spurious and harmful reporting about trans kids. We’re still side-eyeing the paper and the byline. Links: Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for The New York Times: ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine Cancel Me, Daddy, 05/26/2022: Deep Depp-ception (ft. Michael Hobbes) Cancel Me, Daddy, 06/09/2022: Fallout Of A Verdict (ft. Moira Donegan) Transgender Map by Andrea James: Megan Twohey vs. transgender people Cancel Me, Daddy, 01/26/2023: We're Back to Cancel the New York Times (ft. Michael Hobbes) Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein: Slain Healthcare CEO’s Life Airbrushed by Media Andrew Beaujon for Washingtonian: Felicia Sonmez’s Dismissal by the Washington Post Will Go Before the NLRB Porpentine for The New Inquiry: Hot Allostatic Load Emily St. James for Vox: How Twitter can ruin a life It’s Been a Minute, 06/16/2023: Are children a marginalized group? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    39 min
  3. 12/19/2024

    Delay, Deny, Depose (this is not a threat)

    The health insurer horror stories haven’t stopped coming in the two weeks since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed by alleged murderer-turned-folk hero Luigi Mangione. And the ruling class is not having it! Elected officials, corporate CEOs, and the mainstream media with the power to change or buck the system are hell bent on protecting it, at the expense of many more lives. This week, Katelyn and Christine discuss the sudden, ongoing suppression of free speech, sharing each of their experiences with health insurance, censorship be damned. Their conversation spans UHC’s denials and demands for Christine’s mental health records in 2024 to Kate’s gender-affirming surgeries, which she crammed into one year to meet her deductible under one of the various insurance plans that Americans will have in their lifetime. Thirsty Internet assassin boyfriend memes, of course, rise to the top. And Kate asks Christine to name the greater Italian American—Christopher Columbus, or Luigi Mangione? Tune in for her answer! Links: Katelyn Burns: “Among Us” skeet via Bluesky Annie Waldman for ProPublica: How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk Jeanne Pinder for Clear Health Costs: UnitedHealthcare delays mental health payments, causing outrage Independent journalist Marisa Kabas’ Mangione family Bluesky skeet censored Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein: New Crisis Hotline for CEOs? Taylor Ardrey for USA Today: 'Delay, Deny, Depose': Florida woman arrested, accused of threatening insurance company Reductress: Luigi Mangione meme Samantha Irby: Luigi Mangione meme via Instagram r/WhitePeopleTwitter (and Bluesky): Luigi Mangione versus Kyle Rittenhouse meme Your Ombudsmon's Corner: Marisa Kabas skeet critiquing Semafor Editor in Chief Ben Smith defending Bluesky’s apparent welcome to transphobes and trolls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    43 min
  4. 12/05/2024

    Alf Hog and the Bluesky X-odus (ft. Faine Greenewood)

    Last month’s Loser Election prompted an X-odus from Elon Musk’s crumbling app to Bluesky, which grew by 1 million users per day toward the end of November. Despite the grim news cycles, Bluesky is far from all doom and gloom. It is, in fact, putting the social back in social networking. This week, Katelyn and Christine chat with Faine Greenwood, who created the “Alf hog” meme that caught the attention of everyone from AOC to Jeri Ryan to Jake Tapper in the early days of Bluesky. Katelyn, Christine, and Faine have fun with verbal shitposting and Internet shitposting and give credit to the nascent trans accounts that helped shape Bluesky, which they hope will remain a safe and fun space amid an influx of anti-trans and anti-abortion trolls. In Flytrap news: Subscribe to read Christine’s first essay about her colonoscopy for Christ, “The Red Mass Went Up My Ass,” edited by the inimitable Katelyn herself! Links: Faine Greenwood on Bluesky: @faineg.bsky.social Follow Katelyn at @katelynburns.com and Christine at ​​@yourombudsmom.bsky.social on Bluesky! ‬ Gael Cooper for CNET: Bluesky Climbs to 22 Million Users, and Luke Skywalker Is One: Should You Join? Faine Greenwood: The Great Bluesky Migration: I Answer (Some) Of Your Questions Memes, Memes Everywhere: Tom Bombadil with boobs, and  https://lychgate.tumblr.com/post/699130356376403968/i-have-painted-the-fellowship-of-the-big-naturals and https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gandalf-big-naturals Gita Jackson for The Aftermath: For The Love of God, Make Your Own Website Elon Green for The Awl: Topless Geraldo Furry art by Biohazard Bluesky’s trans origins—some trans people are now leaving due to harassment Simon’s Rock closing Support Cancel Me, Daddy by supporting our Patreon and subscribing to our worker-owned feminist media collective, The Flytrap! Cancel Me, Daddy is a Flytrap Media production. Edited by Maria Paleologos. Graphics by Eden M-W, music by D Peterschmidt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    58 min
  5. 11/14/2024

    The Loser Election (ft Michael Hobbes)

    The “Daddy Election” did not go as Cancel Me, Daddy planned. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what woulda, coulda, shoulda changed the outcome of the “Loser Election,” in which we’re all losers reading and skeeting our way through the Orange Fallout. This week, Katelyn and Christine make sense of the “multiverse” of election takes with “Cancel Gunkle” Michael Hobbes, journalist and co-host of Maintenance Phase and If Books Could Kill. Kate, Christine, and Mike discuss checking our priors and checking each other, turning what could have been a hot mess into a thoughtful discussion and mutual thirst for Paul Newman (RIP), both of which we encourage you to contribute to via Bluesky. Everyone has an opinion, and we want to hear yours. Keep up the infighting! And take care of each other. That act is more important than any opinion poised to change over the days and weeks to come. Links: Michael Hobbes: Bluesky edition Follow Katelyn at @transscribe and Christine at @yourombudsmom on Bluesky!  Blueprint poll asking voters whether “Kamala Harris is focused more on cultural issues like transgender issues rather than helping the middle class”:  Katelyn Burns via Bluesky: The rent is too damn high Katelyn Burns for Xtra: Trans issues didn’t doom the Democrats Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    54 min
  6. The Daddy Election (ft. Talia Lavin)

    10/31/2024

    The Daddy Election (ft. Talia Lavin)

    Our regularly scheduled episode happens to fall on Halloween! And spooky season is feeling extra—as extra as Tucker Carlson rallying “Daddy Trump” to give America a “vigorous spanking” for being a “bad little girl.” It’d be funny if it wasn’t sickening, and terrifying. We’re just five days from the 2024 presidential election, featuring the return of the Orange Fascist—and white evangelical power could strong-arm the strongman back into the White House. This week, author and friend of the pod Talia Lavin unravels the intricacies of the movement, the subject of her new book, “Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America,” with Katelyn and Christine. To well-funded white evangelical nationalists, only Trump can deliver us from the literal demons behind every abortion and pronoun. We need to take this group seriously, or the joke is on us come Election Day. Content Warning: This episode includes extensive discussion of child abuse and corporal punishment, which Wild Faith explores as central to the Christian right’s political project: creating the conditions for future generations of obedient soldiers for God and country. Please listen with care, and take good care.  Links: Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America by Talia Lavin Talia Lavin for MSNBC: Tucker Carlson’s “daddy” comments speak volumes about the far right Martha Ross for The Mercury News: Tucker Carlson: How early rejection by hippie San Francisco mom made him shameless William Grimes for The New York Times: Alice Miller, Psychoanalyst, Dies at 87; Laid Human Problems to Parental Acts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    57 min
4.2
out of 5
355 Ratings

About

The pearl clutching about “cancel culture” and “censorship” has become louder and more absurd while also getting more and more play in the media. Journalists Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi see this panic for what it is though: a grift. They take a closer look at these temper tantrums, dispelling myths, laughing at the most outrageous takes, and shedding light on which perspectives are actually being suppressed and left out of the conversation. You can join our community and support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cancelmedaddy A Flytrap Media Production

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