The Popaganda Podcast

Shannon Perez-Darby & Tashmica Torok
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Do you love reality television, true crime, memes, TikTok and all other forms of pop culture? Are you also interested in communal care outside of harmful state systems? Do you struggle to reconcile the two? Join Tashmica Torok and Shannon Perez-Darby on Popaganda, as we dive deep into our love of transformative justice, pop culture and where the two meet. Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast and we might feature it in an upcoming episode! You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us at popagandapod@gmail.com.  Follow us on Social media! TikTok - @Popaganda_Pod YouTube - The Popaganda PodcastInstagram - @popagandapod  Sponsored in part by: Accountable Communities Consortium and The Firecracker Foundation. Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcasts! Content Warning: The Popaganda Podcast explores the intersections of transformative justice, prison abolition, and pop culture. We will be talking in general about the existence of domestic, sexual and state violence and our experiences with these forms of violence. Credits: Executive Producers: Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok Audio Production: Shannon Perez-Darby Show Notes + Graphic Design: Tashmica Torok

  1. Virginia Guiffre told you.

    FEB 2

    Virginia Guiffre told you.

    In this episode of The Popaganda Podcast, survivor activists Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok bring intimate storytelling and expert analysis to Virginia Giuffre’s posthumously published memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice. Before “release the Epstein files” became the public’s favorite internet punchline, Giuffre was a teenager trying to escape her father’s sexual and physical abuse by running away—only to find herself working for Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. She became one of the most prominent survivors to share detailed accounts of how Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein targeted, groomed, and sexually abused children—then trafficked them through Epstein’s network of rich, powerful global leaders and celebrities, including Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Tashmica and Shannon wade through the public’s performative shock and unproductive political theater to center one simple, devastating question: Why did we ignore the truth that survivors have been telling us for years? As more unredacted files are released to the public, the justice promised by the criminal legal system only gets more elusive. The details are horrific, triggering, and retraumatizing for survivors of sexual violence—but don’t worry: this is not your typical true crime wrap-up. Listen in as two pop culture besties who also happen to be survivors share survivor-to-survivor care and truth-telling, connecting Nobody’s Girl to the systems that enable harm, use children as political leverage, and prop up a criminal legal system that can’t—and won’t—ever live up to the hype. Pop Culture HomeworkRead (or listen): Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice Read: “Sex Trafficking Prosecutions Won’t Stop the Next Epstein. Here’s What Will.” (Truthout) Revisit: our episode on Sound of Freedom + how Christian nationalist anti-trafficking narratives shape public “common sense” Revisit: our Wayward conversation + the troubled teen industry connections that show up here Reflect: what would it mean to treat child safety like an emergency at scale—not a scandal, not a spectacle, not a campaign prop? Subscribe and listen everywhere you get your podcasts. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition. Content NoteThis episode discusses themes of domestic violence, sexual violence, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and suicide. We focus on themes and systems, not graphic details. Support PopagandaIf you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a five-star review—it really does help people find the show. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.  You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us at: popagandapod@gmail.com. Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com

    1h 22m
  2. Breaking Up with Platforms: Boycotts, Billionaires and Fascist Creeps.

    JAN 12

    Breaking Up with Platforms: Boycotts, Billionaires and Fascist Creeps.

    What happens when your comfort shows stop comforting—and your “fun little apps” start feeling like tiny extensions of state power? In this episode, Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok talk about how living under fascism is reshaping our relationship to pop culture, streaming, and the platforms we’ve treated like default companions. From canceling Hulu/Disney after the Jimmy Kimmel controversy (and the bigger question of what a boycott is actually asking for), to rethinking Spotify amid reports of ICE recruitment ads, we share what we’re wrestling with: values vs. convenience, visibility vs. safety, and how to stop “overstaying” in unhealthy relationships. We also get real about grief (yes, even for a 20-year relationship with Grey’s Anatomy), the algorithmic slide into right-wing propaganda and diet-culture-as-evangelism, and why our nervous systems are demanding different kinds of stories right now—like audiobooks, games, and community-centered ways of staying connected that don’t depend on billionaire-owned platforms. Are you in your breakup era, too? Then put on your softest sweatpants, order some takeout, and come on over for a lonely hearts club episode of The Popaganda Podcast.  Pop Culture HomeworkListen: Dungeon Crawler Carl (audiobook) Watch: No Other Land and support Masafer Yatta. Reflect: What platform or subscription are you “overstaying” with—and what would a clean, loving exit look like? Support PopagandaIf you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and leave a five-star review—it really does help people find the show. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.

    1h 7m

  3. 12/24/2025

    Die Hard: Copaganda Final Boss

    Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? In Tashmica’s house, absolutely—and it’s also a masterclass in copaganda. In this special holiday episode, Shannon and Tashmica rewatch Die Hard the way Tashmica’s family does every year: loud, talk-back style, like a Christmas Rocky Horror—except the call-and-response is all about how the “good cop” story gets built. We break down how the film makes John McLane (Bruce Willis) irresistible—young, tender, “just a guy trying to get his family back”—while quietly selling us a whole worldview: cops can bend rules, instincts count as evidence, police violence is redemption, and everyone else (dispatch, LAPD, FBI, the “system”) is incompetent until the right cop takes charge. Along the way, we unpack: why the “terrorists” being white matters, how the Black characters are positioned (from “Black nerd” to “cop who needs his gun back”), why the ham-radio emergency line moment is peak “rules don’t apply to cops,” and how even the Christmas sparkle (hello, “Ho Ho Ho, now I have a machine gun too”) is part of the package. Welcome to the holiday copaganda workshop you didn’t ask for—but probably need. Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker! Pop Culture Homework: Watch: Die Hard (1988)Read: The Fence: A Police Cover-up Along Boston’s Racial Divide – the book Tashmica mentions on police culture + the “blue wall” logic*Reflect/Discuss: What’s the ‘cop intuition’ moment in your favorite cop show/movie—and what does it train us to excuse? *Correction corner: Michael Cox, the focus of the book The Fence, was brutally beaten, but he survived the attack and the cover-up that followed. Hosts: Tashmica Torok & Shannon Perez-Darby 🎧 Stream now, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it really helps others find the show. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com Help keep Popaganda independent—shop our merch! → https://shopaganda.sellfy.store/ Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium and Aletheia Coaching & Consulting Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast

    1h 12m

  4. 12/12/2025

    Wayward

    What if our best tool for fighting fascism is embracing all of our ‘Wayward’ teens and their imagination for resistance? In this episode, Shannon and Tashmica rave about the talented nonbinary artist Mae Martin (they/them), and Wayward, the limited series they created for Netflix. Set in 2003, the story follows Leila and Abby, teenage best friends and a local police officer, Alex, as they uncover dark secrets surrounding the town and their strange relationship with a local academy for troubled teens. Martin’s portrayal of Alex (he/him), a trans man, and his relationship with his pregnant wife Lauren, delivered a captivating story that normalized the existence of trans people and queer family dynamics while also giving us one of the hottest queer sex scenes we’ve ever seen on a mainstream platform. Listen in as we talk cultish spiritual vibes, that time Republicans crashed Grindr, and the all too real impact of the for-profit, unregulated Troubled Teen Industry (TTI). Welcome to Tall Pines. We think you’ll like it here.  Pop Culture Homework: Watch: WaywardRead: Officials calling for state investigations over use of force in East Lansing, Michigan Listen: The Autobiography of Assata Shakur, Pen and Paper: Library of A Pan African Communist | Podcast on Spotify  Hosts: Tashmica Torok & Shannon Perez-Darby. 🎧 Stream now, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it really helps others find the show. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com  Help keep Popaganda independent—shop our merch! → https://shopaganda.sellfy.store/ Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium and Aletheia Coaching & Consulting Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast

    1h 10m
  5. Pee-Wee as Himself

    10/21/2025

    Pee-Wee as Himself

    Fascism trains us to shrink. Pee-wee shows another path: bold, maximal, unashamed. What can Paul Reubens teach us about refusing to comply in advance? In this episode, hosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok discuss the pressure to get small under rising Fascism—and how Paul Reubens, through Pee-wee Herman, modeled color, camp, and audacity anyway. From 70s/80s performance-art roots to TV fame, we trace what it means when a persona eclipses a person, how moral panic + policing criminalize marginalized people, and why maximalist self-expression is not a luxury but a practice of selfhood as resistance. Pop Culture Homework: Watch: Pee-wee as Himself (HBO), dir. Matt Wolf. 🎧 Stream now, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it really helps others find the show. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com  Help keep Popaganda independent—shop our merch! → https://shopaganda.sellfy.store/ Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium and Aletheia Coaching & Consulting Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast

    1h 6m
  6. We Are Lady Parts

    08/27/2025

    We Are Lady Parts

    This week on Papaganda, Shannon and Tashmica dive into We Are Lady Parts, the brilliant British sitcom about an all-Muslim punk band that has captured hearts with its humor, complexity, and radical tenderness. From awkward first gigs to the band’s unapologetic “villain era,” we explore themes of friendship, family, self-determination, and joy in claiming your full personhood. As this episode comes out, it marks the year anniversary of the passing of Shannon’s dear friend and beloved community member Alix 'Ponyboy' Kolar. Ponyboy was a deep lover of pop culture, so many of Shannon’s fondest memories are sitting on the couch watching TV with Alix. Ponyboy loved We Are Lady Parts, so in his loving memory, with all the laughter and joy, we dedicate this episode to you, Alix 'Ponyboy' Kolar. Make sure you stay until the end of the episode for a sweet dedication to the one and only Ponyboy. Thank you to Lisa Nims for letting us share your beautiful words. There was no one quite like you Ponyboy, we miss you. We love you. 🎧 Stream now, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it really helps others find the show. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com  Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium and Aletheia Coaching & Consulting Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast

    1h 16m
  7. Pop Culture Chisme 2025

    08/25/2025

    Pop Culture Chisme 2025

    What if you could sit in on our group chat—unedited, unfiltered, and supported by a quick check-in with Daddy Google? In our 2nd annual Pop Culture Chisme episode, we unpack the messiness of reality TV, the chokehold The Pit had on us, and the power of Alex Cooper naming abuse in sports. This time, we edit nothing—no cuts, lots of “ums,” and even more chisme. You’ll feel like you’re sitting in on a late-night text chain, jumping from how Love Island USA disaster crash-outs say more about race and gender than romance to the tragedy of diluted queer representation in And Just Like That. We get nostalgic over ER via The Pit, and add Alex Cooper’s Call Her Alex documentary to each other’s pop culture homework. No one gets our complex relationship with Couples Therapy and our favorite TV therapist, Orna Guralnik more than Marina & Micah from Couplet Comedy. Join us as we celebrate 5,000 downloads! What started as a fun experiment for two pop culture besties has become the space we dreamed of—where TV, movies, and headlines open the door to deeper conversations about Transformative Justice, abolition, care, and the world we’re building together. This Week’s Pop Culture Homework  How to End Family Policing, coauthored by our own, Shannon Perez-Darby, and Erin Miles Cloud, Erica R. Meiners and Charity Tolliver! Grounded in the work of over 20 contributors, How to End Family Policing: From Outrage to Action lays out a vision for alternatives to family policing. From leading abolitionist organizers, this book is a much-needed intervention arguing that the systems that purport to protect children make them-and our communities-less safe. Offered by Haymarket Books. Pre-Order now! http:bit.ly/endfamilypolicing Subscribe and listen everywhere you get your podcasts. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com  Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast, and we might feature it in an upcoming episode!  You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us at: popagandapod@gmail.com. Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcast

    59 min
  8. Sinners: Black History, Biracial Hauntings, and the Horrors of White Supremacy Culture

    07/21/2025

    Sinners: Black History, Biracial Hauntings, and the Horrors of White Supremacy Culture

    What do you get when you mix juke joint resistance, supernatural horror, and a masterclass in Black storytelling? Sinners—Ryan Coogler’s 2025 genre-defying masterpiece—sets the Mississippi Delta on fire, and The Popaganda Podcast is here for that Smoke (and Stack). In this episode, co-hosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok sink their teeth into the historical brilliance, Black cultural references, and intergenerational reckoning that make Sinners a film for the ages. From Michael B. Jordan’s dual-role performance to Wunmi Mosaku’s heartbreakingly embodied magic, we explore themes of vampire lore as white supremacy, biracial identity, cultural reclamation, ancestor hunger, and radical resistance—plus some very hot sex scenes. Whether it’s Grace's Molotov rage, Mary’s weak link behavior, or a juke joint dance sequence that turns into a spiritual time-travel portal—this film is layered, lush, and full of rabbit holes that will have us jumping for a long time into the future. This Week’s Pop Culture Homework Watch Sinners! Now streaming on Max.The 'Sinners' Movie Syllabus by Jemar Tisby & Keisha N. BlainSubscribe and listen everywhere you get your podcasts. Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition. To learn more, visit: www.popagandapod.com Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast, and we might feature it in an upcoming episode! You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us at: popagandapod@gmail.com. Sponsored in part by: The Accountable Communities Consortium Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcasts Content Warning: The Popaganda Podcast explores the intersections of transformative justice, prison abolition, and pop culture. In this episode, we discuss themes of trauma exploitation, survivorship, and systemic harm, including references to sexual violence and political violence. While we do not delve into graphic details, we invite you to make choices about what feels right for you.

    1h 33m
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About

Do you love reality television, true crime, memes, TikTok and all other forms of pop culture? Are you also interested in communal care outside of harmful state systems? Do you struggle to reconcile the two? Join Tashmica Torok and Shannon Perez-Darby on Popaganda, as we dive deep into our love of transformative justice, pop culture and where the two meet. Leave a 5-star review for The Popaganda Podcast and we might feature it in an upcoming episode! You can also send us love or suggest show topics by emailing us at popagandapod@gmail.com.  Follow us on Social media! TikTok - @Popaganda_Pod YouTube - The Popaganda PodcastInstagram - @popagandapod  Sponsored in part by: Accountable Communities Consortium and The Firecracker Foundation. Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcasts! Content Warning: The Popaganda Podcast explores the intersections of transformative justice, prison abolition, and pop culture. We will be talking in general about the existence of domestic, sexual and state violence and our experiences with these forms of violence. Credits: Executive Producers: Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok Audio Production: Shannon Perez-Darby Show Notes + Graphic Design: Tashmica Torok

Information

  • Creator
    Shannon Perez-Darby & Tashmica Torok
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Popaganda Podcast

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