This week, I give a brief recap of my life and some rapid topic thoughts on news topics that have come up over the past two weeks. Also, I delve into the first two episodes of Quiet on Set, a documentary shedding light on the mistreatment endured by staff and child actors within Nickelodeon. Streaming on Max, this eye-opening series exposes the horrors of gender inequality, racism, and the blatant child abuse adults did very little about. Buckle up, because as a Millennial who grew up watching shows like All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake and Josh, I have plenty to discuss and a lot unpack and I only got through the first two episodes!
Twitter: @GatherThemPod
IG: @GatherThemPod
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/weallgatherhere
Email: Gatherthempod@gmail.com
This week, I give a brief recap of my life and some rapid topic thoughts on news topics that have come up over the past two weeks. Also, I delve into the first two episodes of Quiet on Set, a documentary shedding light on the mistreatment endured by staff and child actors within Nickelodeon. Streaming on Max, this eye-opening series exposes the horrors of gender inequality, racism, and the blatant child abuse adults did very little about. Buckle up, because as a Millennial who grew up watching shows like All That, The Amanda Show, and Drake and Josh, I have plenty to discuss and a lot unpack and I only got through the first two episodes!
Twitter: @GatherThemPod
IG: @GatherThemPod
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/weallgatherhere
Email: Gatherthempod@gmail.com
What's up? Gays, thays Straps? Why would I start a podcast like that? I don't know? You're back to another episode of Gather them Podcast. I'm your host, jerome. We're back for another week, another episode.
Speaker 1:I was not here last week, unfortunately, because I was not feeling great. I also don't feel great this week, but I'm also in a better space to record because I've just been dealing with a lot of anxiety and it's been really hard, I think, lately just trying to navigate the world with everything that's going on. So for me it's just been very challenging to do things that are even things that I like doing. I'll say that I've been trying to do things that I even like doing or being a part of and things like that, and so it's been a very rough couple of weeks. We are finally out of Pisces season and to Aries seasons. I feel like everybody came in hot with Aries season fanning into flames. It's the start of the new astrological new year. Yeah, so it's been an interesting one so far. I'll say that I'm looking forward to the summer. It's like weird weather right now. Here in Philly. The weather is last week was pretty warm, like I was wearing a sweater to work, and this week it is very chilly, so doesn't feel quite like spring yet, but spring is here.
Speaker 1:I am finished my grant writing class, kind of sort of. I'm not really finished in the sense of you know, I still have an assignment to turn in to get my certificate, but it is finished in the sense that I don't have to attend Wednesday nights anymore. Thank goodness, I love learning and I love going to classes and I love I just love like the school process, like I love you know writing papers and you know all of that stuff. Even if it is a pain in the ass to do. I much rather would do that than actually work a job. I'm not going to lie, but it is exhausting when you have to work a job and go to school. So you know, and this was only six weeks, like this was a six week class. So I like 100% respect people that go to school and work Like I used to. I kind of sort of did it with my internship when I was in my second year of grad school, but I would say for like this around this was like my first time actually doing a class while full time working, like I wasn't even like full time working then when I was in grad school, so that was.
Speaker 1:It could be a lot Just like really draining when you have to like deal with a bunch of personalities during the day and then also having to deal with personalities. You can't do it, just go home and lay down. You have to like literally be ready, prepare all of that. But I will say that the nice thing about going to school or like taking classes as an adult is that nine times out of 10, you're going to meet people that are also like really interested in a thing that you're interested in, and that makes it so much easier to because you're spending your own money essentially it's not free so you meet people who are also interested in learning and the way in which you're interested in learning, and so I think that that makes it way, way, way easier to navigate, because everyone's motivated to pass or to get something out of it. So I think that that makes a big difference for me. It makes me a little bit more like excited to do classes and to learn and all of that jazz.
Speaker 1:What else? Oh, I'm going to just keep this kind of short because I feel like all of this like introduction stuff, because I have a lot to talk about, like not you know too much, but you know in terms of in the beginning, like not too much to talk about. Because I really want to get into the meat you know the meat of the show. I kind of feel weird saying that now. I should cut that out. But I really want to talk about the quiet on set documentary Just at least the first two episodes. I'm going to get into that, but I needed to also talk about some other things, like rapid news topics.
Speaker 1:One more thing, before I even get into that is I just want to say fuck, how expensive everything is right now. Because I took my car a couple weeks ago to get an inspection done. Like I'm way out of, like the way I was way out of the window of getting that done and come to find out they did the inspection. Or like well, your battery is bad, go in bed. It's like not, you know, it's going to die soon. You need spark plugs, you need to replace the brakes, you need new windshield wipers, which they did replace. And then they need or I need to get like brake fluid or whatever, and I'm just like basically everything comes to $2,000. If I get them to do it and I'm just like what the entire fuck? Like I already I just caved and got insurance again because I didn't have insurance for like a month and I just like, because I was like, okay, well, I need to get this done in case I need to go somewhere.
Speaker 1:I don't really drive my car ever, like honestly, like I really want to sell it, but the selling value of it is like I need to spend, like I need to buy more in order to sell it. But I really want to sell it because I'm just like I don't really even drive that much. I feel like it's an extra bill. Insurance is ridiculous right now, the cost of insurance. Like I got like the highest deductible, whatever plan, just to have minimum payments on the car, because I'm just like I don't go anywhere, like I literally like it'd be different if I was driving my car. So like the way I was when I was going up to New York and, you know, when I was going to the job in Bucks County.
Speaker 1:But I'm not doing that anymore. Like my Monday through Fridays is me taking the bus or walking to work or walking from work, or I'm just at home at the one the weekends, nine times out of 10. Because my friends, you know, are usually busy, or you know, if we do hang out, it's not like I want to be in a position to drink and drive, or like pop a nettle and drive or anything like that. So for me it's just like it doesn't make sense to like have a car anymore, and it just feels like it's just. This is another expense of like $500 a month, essentially between car insurance, gas and the car payment of just like that could be going to something else, you know. So that's like really frustrating for me and I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I'll figure it out, though.
Speaker 1:But yes, I wanted to jump into like some rapid fire news topics really quickly, just because, excuse me, just because I and I'm also sorry, like not to apologize again, but like my sinuses are fucked up right now and I got mucus, so I'm so sorry, but this would not get recorded on time if I did not. You know, go ahead and just record, you know. But anyhow, I just wanted to talk about some rapid news topics, quick, rapid news. I might do this like a thing of like doing a five minute rapid news thing in a way in which it happens on TikTok, but I don't know like I feel like because there's one follower that I have that I like one follow person that I follow not a follower, but a person that I follow that does oh my God, what is her? I don't even remember where her account is off the top of my head, but she does craziest things I've seen on TikTok. I should like talk about them for like two minutes, two, three minutes and it's like really interesting because I get some of my news that way.
Speaker 1:I get some of my the things that, like that, inspire me to talk about different topics and things like that, and I feel like I, you know, mentioned I don't really want to talk about the news as much because the news is depressing, but there are things that I really do want to like highlight or point out, because a lot of you know my show is talking about pop culture and the things that I'm noticing, the things that are troubling, the things that are good, like some of the good things that are happening in the world, some of the topics that come up that are relationship based or dating based or workplace relationships with, like friends and family, like things like that that come up in the news or things that people are doing to improve their communities, and I think that that's important to talk about. So I'm going to just kind of jump into this really quickly and then we'll get into the crux of the show. Not the, not the meat. I felt weird saying to me, because I'm like we're going to be talking about the kid thing with them, with the Nickelodeon kids Also. I feel like I'll just say I'm not going to go ahead and go. I'm going to just say I'm just we just want to do this.
Speaker 1:So, going to the rapid topics, let's start. I don't know if I'll put a timer on. Let me put a timer on Hold on. Wait a minute, hold on. Oh, I forgot, I was supposed to go to Target. I just saw that list. I'm just like girl. Another thing Also since there, like I said, there was no episode last week, I just feel like I need to go ahead and just do this, and I also should have did this like before this, you know, like just to not ramble right here, but this is me in real, real time as I talk through this, and then I'm going to put the timer. Let's say I don't know what, I don't know, let's start with like five minutes and then we'll see what that feels like.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I just started, so, all right, a couple of things. First thing is the TikTok ban. So the United States House and Senate I believe both unanimously voted to ban TikTok, which to me is a slap in the face to American citizens. I honestly feel like the fact that they can unanimously agree on that, but can't unanimously agree on what to do about hunger, homelessness, inflation, economic hardships that people are going through right now, student loans, like all of it. It's just very telling, I think, of where our country is heading. You know, I think that we've been out of a democracy a long time ago.
Speaker 1:I think that they've been pulling the strings the whole time and I think that also, with the way in which the media is trying to portray the Palestinian genocide, I feel like that is also very significant as well. And this whole thing of, oh, we're not going to bomb them during Ramadan, which they are like doing, like actively, like Israel is actively doing that and the US is aiding in that, and at the same time, they're like, oh, we're dropping aid to Palestine and you know, the aid is like killing people, because the aid is also like hitting people in the heads and it's expired food and it's just like it's such a fucking mess. It's a lot of money just being wasted. You know it just is getting to be very ridiculous at this point. So, ramadan Mubar I think I said that right to all the Muslim listeners. Again, I don't know how you guys are doing it right now because the world is so hard, but I get it. It's the faith and you know it's what you're called to do. I get that.
Speaker 1:Also, there was John Cena nude at the Academy Awards, which was not a big deal to me. I mean again like I feel like certain people can get away with things like that. You know I'm not really going to go into detail too much about that. And also I mean not too much on John Cena, just because like oh no, he's hot, like I don't know he's not. Like to me he's like a harmless kind of white guy, like he doesn't seem like, like he just does stuff to be funny. Like to me, like that's what I get from him, like he hasn't done to me anything that seemed like really repulsive or anything that's been like really just stand. That stands out to me in my brain like outside of his WWE persona, which was wild and you know he does still portray. But I'm like there are a lot of, you know, white people that are appropriate black culture at this point and I'm just like I don't really have the energy to keep fighting that fight when there's so much other stuff that is like happening in the world. So, yeah, he's just, I don't know, it's just something about him that doesn't seem like he doesn't come off that way. But again, that's just me being looking in and just knowing like what I see, have seen or know.
Speaker 1:The next thing, really quickly, is just the Nef Campbell is back on scream seven, which I'm I mean I'm not going to watch but I guess get your bad girl Don limit. Don Lemon lost to show after one episode. Elon Musk canceled it, which is just so telling because Elon Musk is always like diversity, is burning everything. And then you hire someone to do a diverse show and then you decide to kick them off that show. And then, lastly, kate Middleton. We found out that she's had been struggling with cancer and had to have surgeries done. I hope that she gets well. It's very interesting to me.
Speaker 1:The internet, you know, has been reacting to this in a way in which she has, I guess, essentially disappeared and everyone's like, well, where is she? We don't know where she's at. I just I didn't know really what was going on until, like, I did a little digging because, you know, it just comes up across my timeline when people talk about things like that. I'm not actively looking into what the Royals do, but then everyone's like, oh, she's getting a BBL and she's doing this and she's doing it, and it's like you don't know what's happening in this woman's life. And I'm going to talk about that a little bit later when I talk about this Nickelodeon thing. But like, it's just like, sometimes y'all just got to like stay out of people's business, but until then, do your change. That's all I'm gonna say about it right now. But yeah, I did that under five minutes as of now, okay.
Speaker 1:So let's move on to the Media Lab titled House of Horrors, and this is basically just talking about the first two. Like I said in the beginning of the show, the first two episodes of the Quiet Onset documentary that is on Max right now through, I think it is I did ID discovery, investigative. I said ID discovery, I mean ID channel, but investigative discovery is the name of the ID channel, and so I broke things into at least like three main topics, because I Feel like these areas stuck out to me when I was watching the first two episodes like things that like overarching things or type topics, I will say like that overarching topics that were that stood out just in terms of putting them in a category of social impact or Some kind of like social issue that is High-lit in the first two episodes. I just want to say too that, like I don't know how everyone like Bench this, because as a millennial growing up watching this, it just it was. So it was a lot. There were sketches I do remember that they played, that were, and now that I'm an adult I'm like, yeah, this is fucked up. Like why would you do that? Like why would you have a child do that? A lot of the shows I watched were they talked about all that. They talked about the Amanda show, they talked about Double dare. They talked about On air dare, which was one I didn't watch. I don't know why I didn't watch that one.
Speaker 1:Again, I didn't have cable all the time, so a lot of what I was watching was like Fox kids or Wb kids, what was that channel like? 17 and Philly, what else? Pbs Dates like I was watching Jerry Springer, mari, like shit. I wasn't supposed to be watching, because we've always had cable like, and whenever I would go to my grandma's house, like that's when I would get to watch the shows I wanted to watch. Or If we did get like some kind of cable package for a year or something like that, we'd have cable for the year but the next year we might not have cable. So it wasn't like I was ever glued to Disney, cartoon Network or Nickelodeon Growing up. It wasn't really until my teenage years where we had cable consistently and by that point it was like late 2000s. So I wasn't really checking for, you know, any of the shows really I was maybe watching, like I currently, and that's pretty much it. Honestly, when I think about it off the top of my head, because I was watching the grassy and all of those shows on the end more so than I was watching what was it more so than watching, like Nickelodeon at that point, and SpongeBob as well. So those were mainly the shows I was watching and no late 2000s.
Speaker 1:But the first thing I guess I wanted to talk about was the gender inequality and bias, gender biases and sexism Misogyny on the show or well, on the set more so, and I guess on some of the shows as well. But the Idea that the two women writers had to split their salaries, yet the white men were getting promoted left and right, wasn't surprising to me. I Feel like it also wasn't surprising for the women writers to say that, that they felt like they had to accept that because, essentially, what Dan Schneider did was manipulate these women into thinking that like no one's gonna hire you Because this idea that like women aren't funny, which is interesting. I had to take a sip, which is very interesting, because Even in the late 90s, like we saw a lot of women More front and center. We saw Zina, we saw a Buffy, we saw the charm sisters. God, who else? Oh, my god, felicity was like another show. Eventually, amanda Bines went on to do all about you. That was like another one. Like that was leading her Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. So it was like very interesting to hear that perspective that women aren't funny.
Speaker 1:And then you think about some of these shows and the idea that the Lee writers were white men, josh Whedon particularly, and I remember which harmed. My god, I can't remember her name. She was like one of the head either. She was one of the heads of the show and then eventually she got let go around the time a page came on the show and what's his face? Brad, something I think. Don't quote me on it, but somebody, just some man, took over and that's why I feel like the show kind of got terrible. Like all of it was basically for me with Charmed, not to you know. So I tried too much, but was it started to become too like man obsessed for me, like that's the only thing that where Charms starts to lose me is it was less about their bond as sisters as the series went on and they all ended up becoming more tied into their relationships with men, which is why I kind of feel like Charmed could have maybe ended at like season five, not gonna lie, but any who?
Speaker 1:It doesn't surprise me that in the background, there were literally these like gender biases and wage inequity Issues that were going on and the idea that, like you know, you would even hire women to write on these shows. It's like clearly you need a woman's Perspective, you need something like or I don't know if you're trying to meet some kind of quota for diversity or Set like I don't know if that's what it is or If it was just again, cuz it's like, well, I hire women, like that's where you know I come in at. I think it's weird to not hire women because I Don't know, like a room full of men is a little Intimidating, even for me as a man. Like a room full of women feels like a room full of just one person or one type of person is Weird to me. I feel like diversity does matter and it does Allow for us to create ideas that are very good, and I think that that's why a Lot of these shows do really well is because there are you know there were mixed bag of people and it wasn't like there was not really diversity. Sometimes there was like diversity for diversity's sake, but it did mix it up a little bit when you saw like a woman or like a girl or Someone that was black or of a different, you know, ethnic background. Like it just made it a little bit more inclusive.
Speaker 1:Whether or not like it made a difference on the actual shows is kind of very like it really depends on the writing. Like. To me it made sense that, like on Buffy or charm, there wasn't any black characters because they lived in California and like the suburbs Maybe not. I mean charm was weird because it was like it was San Francisco, like that was a little weird. But Buffy was like the middle of like nowhere is sunny Dell, california, which is like a small town. So to me that didn't really bother me watching the show but like charmed at times I was like, huh, you have this one black cop that's like sometimes featured. That's weird.
Speaker 1:I'm asking the one Writer to act out. The sodomy thing shouldn't have even been a thing that came up in a writing room, a Like one, you know, a writing room that's focused in a children's show or children's narrative or perspective. That's weird. I can also understand why the women were like Didn't immediately say no, I can't, you know, do this or I Quit. You know, because again, it's like as a writer, especially back then I mean it still is now, but like really, especially back then, it was like really hard for women and Individuals that were not white cis men to get Jobs in Hollywood, like that.
Speaker 1:Like a lot of people were typecasted as actors, a lot of people were, you know, had to deal with shitty conditions, because it's like, well, if I don't do good on this, then like, that's it Like you. You feel like you blow, you blew your shot and that's unfortunate, that sucks, and I think it sounds like to me like an outsider looking in. Dan Schneider knew this and really took advantage of it and that's We'll get into him in a little bit, but that was like I did. I was like taking it back. I was like wow, and then the crew also had to be expected to work 24-7, went under contract, which to me is barbaric as hell because not good, because I think the one writer says she went to the movie Writer says she went to the movies With some friends or something and gotten trouble for that. That's like fucking weird to me. Like why would you get in trouble for something like that? You like you should be allowed to live your life, especially on the weekends, especially with a TV show. If, like, you have a dedicated writing time or Everyone has their like individual parts that they're maybe coming up with, or skits and things like that, and I'm like, okay, if I'm done, I'm done. You know I still need to do other things. Or, you know, connect with the people in my life. So that was barbaric, is a shit.
Speaker 1:I thought the Amanda Bynes thing coming up Was obvious, like I knew it was coming. I feel like it was a little weird to talk about her, with her not being included in the documentary and for her to not give her own opinion on what was going on in the background, because a lot of it was just speculation. A lot of it was, you know, she has this connection with him and you know she's holding his waist and she's, you know, rubbing his back and all of this and that, and it's like, well, okay, but like she also didn't have a chance to Tell what was really going on. And I think that this documentary, which was made to be informative to the public, to add layers of speculation of life, hmm, we really wonder what's going on there. It's like you don't, like no one asked her, like no one. You know, dot, hey, like you know, are you cool with us saying anything or how do you feel about that? Like it just was.
Speaker 1:It leaves so much like speculation when we know, at the end of the day, ra, almost a Rob Schneider, dan Schneider did so much stuff to these children and like the people that worked for him and None of it was really like incriminating, like that's I. That's the thing that kind of blows my mind, like he should be under the jail, quite frankly, but he's out walking around still, you know, in business and that's like very Wild to me. And then also, too, is, I think, intriguing as well, because for me, amanda Bynes was one of the funniest actresses, I think, when Nickelodeon at the time. For me, I think that she's like really funny, talented and interesting. I also feel like there's just so much that has happened to her that we don't know and I just feel like it's like unfair to speculate.
Speaker 1:Considering her history of like mental health and you know what it's, maybe like what the media exposure has done to her like I, I Can't imagine, you know, what she must feel like watching a show like this and our documentary like this and not having her say and like what Happened. And then also the fact that this could be something that re-traumatizes her and makes her feel like she has to say something or has to relive something she wasn't ready to talk about. It almost feels like Forcing her hand to do something in a way or to say something, or because then again, like that's what people are doing. People are now speculating well oh Well, it makes so much sense why she's just like so messed up because, like you know she, or why she looks different now, or why she's acting different and why she's talking different, because All of this stuff happened to her and you know, and it's all speculation.
Speaker 1:It's like Anything could have happened, like literally anything. Like she was pretty much in her prime around the time, you know, when she started breaking into Films and like things like that, and Anything could have happened. It could have not been the Nickelodeon Stuff or it could have been, you know, that could have been like a small part of what you know led to her Having these like breaks in her mental health, and so, again, I just think it's not fair to label or address that stuff without her say Because she's a grown woman, she you could, you know, she could talk about it, she could do it, you know, whatever she wants and she doesn't want to address it. That's also fair, like I don't feel like any of these celebrities owe us anything. I think it's interesting when they do give us a glimpse into what's happening or peek behind the curtain, because, you know, I think it's insightful for people to understand that, like these shows and the media, this is what happens behind the scenes. Like everything looks Happy and fun on the surface and it's like in the background you are. You know these people are getting abused, you know. So it's very interesting To watch and I also thought the interesting thing about this is my last thing under the gender kind of topic is the ideals of the two archetypes of girls and women in Hollywood and how they get portrayed.
Speaker 1:You know the idea that you could be this sweet girl and you know you Play by the rules and you know this is just one form of who you are. I think of like Shirley temple, for example, like that's what comes to mind for me. Or like a Dorothy, the girl. That's like very sweet, very, you know, innocent, that archetype. And then I think of like the sexy you know that's the other one they talked about, the sexy archetype of. You know, I Don't know, I can't think of sexy archetypes off the top of my head. But like what is the girl name? Betty, betty Boop, yes, or what's another one? Oh, no, you know my brain is tired. If someone could think of another one, let me know off the top. Who would y'all say is a sexy archetype? I really want to know.
Speaker 1:I Guess prior to like the 90s or in the 90s Phoebe Hallowell maybe, but like, I feel like that's the thing about. The thing about and this is kind of gonna be my point of you know, amanda Bynes, is that she's like the third thing, like the funny girl. She's the one that is funny. She's pretty, you know. Of course she's not overly sex, sex Sexified. I guess when Nickelodeon from what I remember, of course they had her doing sexual things or you know, all of the kids were doing things that were, you know, quote-unquote, sex related. Or you know the end in Jew windows of sexual behavior. But like it wasn't, it was more so. She was like the funny girl. You know, the girl that was funny, that could tell a joke, which is ironic, considering Dan said that women are funny, but that's him.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I feel like in the 90s they've really started to create more of a Slew of archetypes for women and that women could be more than just eye candy or Just more than you know the way in which men have always portrayed them, to be like Buffy, for example. You know, she's just a girl that you know, is given these powers that make her Super strong and super fast and super agile and athletic, and men struggle to keep up with her, and that's something that we've not really seen too much of in the media up until that point. So, you know, the women, the charmed girls they also, you know, are another example of that. I keep using those but, like, those are examples that are really at the forefront of my brain. But, like you know, they use their power to fight off demons and warlocks. And a lot of those warlocks and demons were male and you know, it was almost like they were both a slave to their Love lives and to the patriarch patriarchy in some ways. But then they also showed ways in which they were able to use their powers to, in their, you know, sisterhood, to Advocate for the greater good and for themselves. So I think the 90s, the late 90s, really did begin to create these women that were just multi Fascinated and three-dimensional, you know.
Speaker 1:But that's it for the Sexism races were moving into the racism, but racism really quickly, because I don't have too much to say, but it didn't surprise me one bit on a documentary that they talked about racism, or that was a, that was something that came up because I truly believe in my heart of hearts that black people are always going to be kicked to the side by society until we unify and become our own force against the system. It doesn't matter what culture it is. You know, you would think that like as as Interesting then I've someone said this but like, white people are really the minority in the world, which is kind of Interesting how they've somehow dominated the zeitgeist, so to speak, of culture and the way in which they're able to Be. Yeah, I don't know, I could talk about this like maybe on a different episode, but it's just like really interesting how, like white people have created this thing for themselves where they want to oppress everyone, but then it's like they also want to be a part of their oppression and At the same time, take everyone else's rights away. Like that, to me, is weird. That is very weird to me. It doesn't make sense to me.
Speaker 1:You know, again in the United States, like I feel like If you're non-white, you're, you know and you're in like the non-white versus white, like your non-white is the majority. Yet they run the country and and Everything has to go by, go through them, you know, and then you go to other countries like China or Anywhere like in the world, and it's like you get called a nigger monkey by an Asian person, or you know A Latin person or another black person like that. You know an African person that maybe feels like, you know, as a black American you're lesser, you know, so it to me just feels like as a black person that lives in America with the you know, I guess, of ethnicity, of African-American or whatever. I feel like Until we do our own shit, like it's gonna keep, this is gonna keep happening. And at the same time I also feel like we still need to advocate for ourselves when it's all said and done, like I think that the listening to the story about Brian, her knees mom and how you know him and his mom kind of fell out because of the misunderstanding between what she was noticing and you know he was noticing, and then also this like feeling of I might be further in my career if it wasn't for my mom, you know, if she had just like kind of kept quiet, then I wouldn't be fired from the show. Like that's fucked up and unfortunately, you know, dan Schneider did that, like a white man put that divide between a black mother and her son so pretty heavy to talk about or identify. But I Is just something interesting that I've known that I noticed watching the show and I also just feel like a show with primarily white cast and crew is gonna somehow Result in some form of racism. I already kind of spoke about this, but, like the idea of having to have diversity, it almost feels like more appealing if, like, you're not included, instead of like including someone and then sending them through the ringer just because of who they are like, who they look like, what their experiences are like that are different from yours. Like that's just very odd to me, odd behavior, and it bothers me to just add diversity for diversity sake. Also shout out to like Giovanni Samuels.
Speaker 1:I love her, like she's like even growing up, like I kind of I I mean, I identified her with her because she's black, but like it was nice to kind of See her talk about the things that she noticed once that and experienced as well you know, being on the cast of all that because it's just a lot, like it's a lot and I think that as people you know continue to come forward and talk about things, I think more and more is just gonna unfold in the long run. Again, I was really happy that Brian's mom spoke up and I think that she may have saved him from a lot of grief in the end. I think at the time he didn't see it that way, which was, I mean, as a kid I agree like I feel like I've been like mom, you fucked up my chance. But then you find out all of the other things that happened to the other kids on the show and you're just on the well, different shows and you realize you're just like well, damn, like I Guess my mom was looking out. You know it wasn't that you're not determined, was it felt like maybe she was being a pain, but like damn, like she was looking to fuck out. So what else? I think that's it for the race, part of what I just noticed or wanted to talk about.
Speaker 1:And then the last one is just the child abuse. And I would say like, if you are like trigger warning, I maybe should have put a trigger warning on some of this already. But trigger warning, I feel like if you are very sensitive to Discussions on like child abuse and like sex acts and things like that, I would definitely skip ahead. I'll probably spin like no more, I'm gonna like put a timer one no more than 15 minutes and I'm gonna watch the timer. All right, so, jumping in, I feel like it was way easy, like way too easy, to manipulate the parents and to doing a lot of the things for their kids, like saying yes to producers and staff when they should have said no Again. Because I think that it's easy to guess like parents and manipulate. Manipulate them when you appear nice on the surface and you are Saying that everything's on the up and up. You know it's very easy to appease a parent if they can garner some sense of trust out of you, and I feel like that's the downfall for a lot of parents and children that are in the industry is that you can't be too trusting.
Speaker 1:I think it was interesting that Amanda Bynes's parents Did say no to a lot of stuff. That was like they were trying to like, like not too much, because like they also were trying to control her career and you know we're very close with Dan and working with him and getting you know her, her own show and you know, then moving her to like all about us and you know she Kind of suffer. I mean she did suffer a little bit from the hands of both of them, in that sense of they were too Invested in her career as a child actress and they did look out when it was like we don't want her dating some older guy. You know the story about Brandy's mother. I can't remember her mom's name off the top of her head, off the top of my head, but this story of her mother Wanting to be in the industry when she was a little girl and then her mom not letting her be in the industry so she let Brandy be in the industry, was Heartbreaking because I feel like a lot of times parents don't talk to their kids about the reasons why they don't let them do things and they just say no, and so that creates this, like you know. Well, I'm gonna do it for my child.
Speaker 1:If my child asked me and then end up in a situation like this that her mother, like the mom did not like fully warn her about, of what could happen, you know, if I were to let you be a child actress and this sick industry, you know I Feel like, let me see. Yeah, I just kind of feel like that's mainly why, like you know, brandy ended up in that situation was cuz like Her mom didn't have this like full understanding of. Like this is what comes with the industry. Like not all the times. Like there are people they get out and they're pretty, you know they don't have to face trauma or you know abuse because they're around, actual, like good adults, good people. But there are so many cases of children like facing abuse by Some adult that you know their parents supposedly trusted, not even just in the industry, but like in the end world, like our world in general. Like this happens all of the time.
Speaker 1:Also, fuck Jason Michael Hardy. There's so many people out there like him that are just disgusting, like pedophiles behind a scene, like that journal entry or those journal entries rocked me because he just so openly admitted to being a pedophile and then keeping those zip lock bags like it like Makes me want to like throw the fuck up. You know it just was so sick and nasty and just to be like smiling him like people's faces and Trying to come off as this good guy. When it's like in the shadows, you're really the Boogieman. Like you are the boogieman. Like that is terrifying. I Also wanted to just quickly just say to that, like the Abuse that Jeanette McCurdy, you know, talked about her book, which I discussed in my podcast Title note, and I, you know, released that back around the time the book came out in August 2022.
Speaker 1:I Think it's interesting that, like you know, it at like, some of the things that these children had to go through echoed what her sentiments were and, you know, like her mom forcing her to, you know, participate in things that she didn't want to do Once said, or being like, well, I trust Dan to, like you know, help and do things and yada, yada, yada, and then, you know, guilting her into being like, well, you are the provider for this family and it'd be a shame if, you know, you lost your job and you know, I just feel like there's so many other stories that are like that that you know I'm only two episodes in and could have maybe have happened, but I do applaud her for, like, opening the door at least to talking about the things that children, like child actors, have to face, and I think that having to be a provider for your family Is a lot like, that's a lot to put on a child like. That's to me, kind of abuse within itself. You know, I feel like it's something that, should you know there needs to be some monitoring or something like something needs to. Like there needs to be somebody there to be like, like a non-biased person to just say yes and no to people, because you end up in situations like this where you know kids are feeling uncomfortable Brian Harney talked about that with wearing the leotards and that you know he felt very uncomfortable, and then how the like noses on his outfit look like penises, which they do. So it just to me like reminded me that like again, you know children aren't. That's a heavy burden to put on a child to tell them that they need to be the providers for their family. Like that is a lot.
Speaker 1:The physical abuse on TV shows, like on air dares, like eating a scorpion, the drowning of like sugar and coffee on all that. Like I remember that watching that and thinking it was funny at the time, but like in retrospect, my you know, with my grown adult brain, I'm like that was really fucked up because you know, first of all, a child drinking coffee is crazy and then to be drowning in it, like choking on coffee and sugar, is disgusting. I couldn't imagine what that's like. I'm very curious to see what Drake Bell says about his experience. I'm not to that part yet. I think that's where part two ends. Part two ends with him coming out to talk about his you know to go into part three to talk about his experience with Nickelodeon and I avoided the internet, like talking about that, because I rather hear it from him.
Speaker 1:And just speaking of that too, like the pickle boy stuff like did seem sus to me with Brian Peck. I it was interesting being a kid and seeing him on TV and being like, oh, he seems like a good guy and he seems like just weird. And I'm like, is it you got to really look out for the weird guys? Is that what it is? Because I'm like I couldn't put it, put my finger on it. I was like, okay, the pickle thing was weird, like my parents would talk to me about. You know how the media would try to influence children on certain things and how there were like these sexual innuendos that you don't really pick up one as a kid. It's just funny as a kid, like you're not looking that into it, but you know to be like I don't know to have kids just around this man like Frankie Munez, like you know, eating a pickle. You know all of the all that kids eating pickles off of this man's tray, and then the glory whole thing with Ray Romano like that was weird, of course, because Ray is like moaning as he's eating this pickle, which is very sexual.
Speaker 1:Looking back again, I didn't Some of these things I feel like I missed because I wasn't, didn't know, I didn't always have cable again, you know. So I feel like it's one of those things where I really missed some of the things that happened. But yet finding out he was a sex offender was just like like disgusting, like who can you trust anymore? Like if you can't trust, like people that are around, like literally around children, like people that are adults, like you think that people are screened, you know, you think that people are on the up and up and the reality of it all is is that you just never really know someone and that's scary, that is very scary to not know who your kids are around. And there are so many things like not even just in media, but like crime dramas or not crime dramas, but like crime podcast.
Speaker 1:I'll say where kids maybe go over, you know, to their friend's house and their friends. Dad ends up being like a child molester or kids are just walking down the street and you know the guy that with the weird van you know just so happens to roll up and drag the kid into the van and it's like, oh, being a kid is hard. Like that shit is very hard. You're just trying to live your life, just be regular, just have fun, see your friends, you know all of that good stuff. And then you have people like older people that know better, creeping on you like that is disgusting. I feel like you really can't trust anyone in the media. Like for sure, I will say that.
Speaker 1:And then also to the John Wayne Gacy thing like I just would have been calling the police station right then and there, like pen pal, pen pals with John Wayne Gacy is so beyond me. Like he sent you a photo, like a clown photo of him. No, I'd have been on the phone. It said Rocky, I'd have been like you know, we, we out of here. Like I can't do this and I feel like that's the thing too. Like I will say that a lot of people need to just start speaking up, like when they see stuff, because it's just it'd be so obvious sometimes and I just can't, like it's too much. So see, we have three minutes left. I feel like that's pretty much it, like I don't have too much else to talk about.
Speaker 1:And just in regards to the child abuse stuff, I just think it's like really interesting how people might say things like oh, they're always, you know, tearing into, like the black man, like R Kelly or Blinken or like other black child abusers, but him specifically, they're like oh, he's tearing down, they're tearing down a black man. It's like no, like this, literally like their white men that are out here that are doing the same thing. There are people, there are women that are out here doing the same thing. People are terrible to children. You know, we try to pretend like and I say we, the universal, we but like try to pretend that you know children are the future and you know children are the leaders of the world and this set any other, and blah, blah, blah, and it's like, behind closed doors, you're hurting them, you're hurting their development, you're causing harm, you're not sorry for it Like you're, you know, you just keep doing it like you admit to writing it down in a journal. So it's like do you? You don't really mean it like. That's just where, to me, it comes off as it's, like you don't really mean it, you don't really care if you know you got caught or if you get caught, the idea or the fact that that man was like Jason, Jason Hardy, was like sending, like inching his way into Brandy's life and just like sent her a photo of him masturbating. Like that is sick, like you need to be in hell, like literally under the hell, because what makes you think that like that's okay, and then it traumatized her to do that and that her mom, not at the time like doing the steps of like reporting it, reporting the behaviors that she was noticing. It's like you got to like speak the fuck up. I'm going to just go into my final thoughts segment Now because I feel like I covered a lot. I just want to kind of highlight to that.
Speaker 1:I asked a couple of my followers why is my followers on IG? If you're not following, gather them, pod. Definitely go follow, but I asked them to leave comments or what they wanted to say about the documentary. One of the followers, scorpio Antic, said we should have more, we have to be more diligent as a society about the signs of petapiles in our midst, and that's my point to like. Very true.
Speaker 1:We need to be like, when we have that gut feeling or something's not curling over, remove your child. Or if it's like blatantly obvious like you say, your pen pals with John Wayne Gacy I'm like you need to maybe call child line and just be like, hey, this person's not, it's not curling over for me, you know just to sweep it under the rug. Or you know you might have saved your child but you might not save the next one. And that's the unfortunate part about the speaking up thing, like whether or not you feel like, okay, if I take my child out, like that's fine, but if you don't speak up, it's like it almost feels like you inadvertently put someone else, someone else's child, in danger, which I don't know. I don't know how you really live with that. Or if you care, you know, I don't know if people care, but I feel like I would feel some sort of guilt by not saying something if something happened to someone else's child when I knew there were signs or I was able to point them out, because there's no telling what has already been done to children, if this man is giddy like John Wayne Gacy, like if he's giddy to show you a photo he got from or not. John Wayne Gacy, brian Peck is giddy to show you a photo that he's gotten, or picture he's gotten from John Wayne Gacy and he's bragging about being pen pals with a child murderer like and sex abuser like. That, to me, is a big shining in your face red flag. There's no way around that, none whatsoever.
Speaker 1:My other followers shout out to my girl, deondra hers is Her handle is XO underscore Deondra Kiera. She said there needs to be a social worker, slash advocate, on set with children, another Statement I completely agree with. I feel like Once set, you know, if I was on set I'd be dialing down one one immediately, like I would be on the phone like Get these, like pack them up, get them out. I Feel like Dan Schneider, particularly, was able to get away with so much because he didn't, like I said earlier, outright leave, physically put his hands on, or I'm Send like naked photos or you know there weren't reports of him like touching kids inappropriately. It was just that he was able to get away with as much as he did because he had like the people around him doing all of this stuff like it wasn't like he himself needed to do it. He was able to manipulate people and gaslight people and, you know, intimidate and blackmail people, but he wasn't the kind a person and that's like the scariest part of it. Like you can do all of that and then have your, the people surrounding you, doing the things like doing the actual acts of harm to people, and that is that's frightening.
Speaker 1:I think that him you know Allowing people the opportunity to you know abuse children and then like cross some of the boundaries of Things that are not outwardly, that are weird. Like things that you would like you're not gonna. Fucking Like you're not gonna ask a child that you don't know, like that, for a neck massage. Like you're not gonna ask a child to Like if a child grabs your waist and you don't know the child, like you're not gonna be like Just standing there with the child on your waist, like that's weird. Like I would just be like what the like? That's fucking weird. Like you're not, they're like mom, you're not, they're dead, you're not anyone related to them that's fucking weird.
Speaker 1:And then to be asking for head massages and like Spending special time with kids like no, mm-hmm. Off the table Immediately. Be like there needs to be at least two adults Like around a child, a group of adults. Every single time a scene is happening because and no, going to the dressing room. No, like Secret, you know we're going to get ice cream together. Nope, we all gonna go. That's, that's just it. That's that's just it. Um, parents included. Like we're not telling the parents to Leave the room, we're not telling the parents like no, we're not doing it, like they got, like everybody's got to be involved, um, that, that is just like so.
Speaker 1:And that's again the thing for me. I'm like I don't understand how people were able to just binge um this documentary because, just reflecting, I feel Myself like I feel stupid, almost, um, not too much, but like I feel Like as a kid, like I have to, I guess, compartmentalize, but like, as a kid, like you don't really know what's happening at the time, you think that, again, you're supposed to put your trust in adults. You're told, as a kid, to follow the rules and you're told to um, abide by, like, what the adult says and you're supposed to stay in a child's place. And I think that At the time, these tv shows were also encouraging us to Create a self of like responsibility. That is like you don't need your parents around or you don't need your parents to be like To tell you what to do, or you don't need your parents for help, um, and you know, have this go-getter attitude of you, know that you're self-sufficient without your parents. So I feel like those ideals were very instilled in us through those tv shows.
Speaker 1:Um, any idea of like we someone had made this comment on the documentary but like, just the idea of like not having Parents around really on a lot of these shows, like I think about. I mean, rugrest was a cartoon, but I think about that. I think about the amanda show like her dad was like goofy as hell falling down because he like Lost his toe or cut his toe, got cut off, her mom's just up in a blimp somewhere flying around. Um, on the moody show, like that was weird being in the hot tub with dan schneider, like fucking weird, like you know. So I just feel like it's it made you almost feel like or the goal feels like it was trying to make you feel like you're one of the adults, like you're one of the adults in the room you are.
Speaker 1:You have a place, um, at the table, and that's dangerous because you're very prone to being manipulated as a child. You're very prone to abuse, um, mistreatment, disrespect. Like you don't know what is Like up and down as a child, like you don't really know until you have a fully developed brain and I don't know what is acceptable and what's acceptable, you and I See I don't want it and also. So just to kind of just say like. Also, my other thought was just like I just felt like even with my parents, like when my parents went around, I just was like I Don't know, I just feel like I was.
Speaker 1:These were like the adults that we're watching us, if that makes sense. Like you were watching these shows With these adults that were supposed to be the models of like what a good adult is. Like a good adult is someone that you know they have a good relationship with a child, they are mentors, they are Figures that you feel like you can go to or be around and feel safe. And it's like you get this peak behind a curtain and you just start to see that like that's false In a lot of ways. Like you're not safe around everyone. You're not. You know you're not Able to trust everyone. You know you have to. Trust is earned, even for children, trust is earned. We have to account for the fact that children are Allow to be Mistrustful of adults. They're not. They don't have to Just respect some adult because you say they do. You know, and that's what a lot of kids are told and that's unfortunate because, again, children are you know.
Speaker 1:As you learn and you grow, you know you have to learn it for yourself. If that makes sense, you have to learn it from yourself and it starts with your parents and it starts with you know your immediate circle of like teachers, maybe your friends, parents, like it takes a village, like it really like. When people say it takes a village to raise a child, it really does take a village and To have a monster in that village, I feel like you need to cut the Head off before it continues like before or anything further happens. When you recognize the signs or you see the signs like there's sometimes dead in your face the signs and children won't see that because children are children like I don't understand how people put so much on children To just know everything. It's like your child, you don't know everything. You didn't know everything where you were a child, so you can't expect a child to know everything. I also just want to kind of say to.
Speaker 1:Lastly, the Dan Schneider. I think he is a narcissistic loser and I don't even care if he was bullied as a child. They tried to say that at first that like he was bullied as a child, he was lesser than in his family, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But threatening, blackmailing people, abusing people is Disgusting, and then especially that edit layer of you know, children who were innocent and all of this and it just it's just so disgusting, honestly, like I don't even have any other words to really say.
Speaker 1:I think that Him with the fake apology of you know, I'm sorry that this happened and you know, whatever, I don't, I didn't even listen to the apology, but all I know is that I just feel like you're sorry because you got caught. Everyone's sorry, the producers are sorry because they got caught, they got exposed and and it's public now and that's how I feel about that. I feel like no one's really sorry, because if you were sorry, you would have stopped a long time ago. That's kind of the whole point or you would have said something Specifically when it started coming up. You would have said I made some wrong choices, you know I made some wrong, but again, like people that are wrong and you know that are in these situations, are not going to admit when they're wrong. So that's kind of when that that you know lies. What else, what else? I Was gonna talk about some other stuff, but I think I'm pretty done.
Speaker 1:I do want to say, like it is interesting again that Jeanette McCurdy kind of I mean, this wasn't like just her Starting to talk about this and that's what opened the door, what you know. They were kind of working on this, you know, before her book came out, but I think that within recent like her being the first to put a book out and and talk about this openly and then for them to put this Documentary out that they've been working on for a few years. I Think it's like spreading awareness of, like what is happening behind in Hollywood. I remember Hearing about when Shirley Temple was growing up in the industry and how she was faced with abuse in the industry. Brian Singer, you know, abused a bunch of people, kids in the industry we're currently talking about Diddy abusing kids. You know, having kids at sex parties, like serving, or you know, serving drinks and like being trafficked allegedly.
Speaker 1:I guess it's just very Interesting that there's just so many people and so many stories in the industry that people would even question that this is false. Like to me, it feels like, okay, I have to believe it. Like I have to believe it if more than one person is saying that it is true, because why would everyone make up the same story Like, why would everyone have such a visceral response when talking about their trauma? Why would they feel like this heavy Feeling of overwhelm and guilt and sadness and shame? You know, like when the one writer was talking about you know how she had to. You know, perform that sodomy. Like what would look like. You know to perform sodomy in front of that group of men. It's like you have to believe these stories because who would make this up? Like who? No one wants to be abused. Like no one wants to claim abuse. You don't get anything out of that. Like you, if anything, it becomes more of a thing of like oh, you asked for it, or you know well, why did you stay? Like you get all of these questions and why would someone put their livelihood on the line if these things weren't true? That's what I just always come back to and that's the way I feel about it.
Speaker 1:Again, I wholeheartedly believe there are so many other stories and I'm very interested in and hearing them come out. I'm also very interested in, you know, if people want to just kind of stay quiet about it. I think that you know this is a time where people are, you know, becoming exposed for who they really are and this, like separation from Hollywood, is like already maybe starting to begin. Doesn't feel like it, but I think, as more stories start to come out and people start to see people for who they really are, it can't just be that, oh, they're all just trying to ruin, you know, the black man or they. You know they're always trying to, you know, keep someone down, or they're always trying to expose someone, like it's. It can't Be that. It has to be that these people are really doing the things that they're doing and Whether or not you co-signed it as a person by sticking beside them, that's going to be very telling. Or If you're going to say, well, fuck this, I guess we're done, you know, with the bullshit. So that's it for the show.
Speaker 1:If you would like to give any feedback or insight, feel free to write those letters or responses together them pod at gmailcom or you can send them to me via Gather them pod on X or IG. That's where I'm at. Next week I'm going to talk about episode three and four, but I I'm not sure if I'm going to be as extensive as this, as this was pretty heavy of a topic and I feel like I Don't know, like I feel like it's a lot and I feel like I've said a lot about how I feel about this, but I am interested in talking about some of the thoughts of or things that have happened to Drake Bell his own history of Abusing minors because I feel like that happened as well. Now I feel like I believe it did happen as well, because Someone has said something on social media that reminded me that he was an abuser and I was like, oh yeah, I forgot about that. And then also the dynamic of like why people feel like Josh peck needed to say anything like that was weird to me. Again, it goes back to like the Kate Middleton thing like I think that's weird that y'all you know Said she was like getting a BBL Meantime. She almost died like that's fucking weird, but whatever, anyway, that's it.
Speaker 1:I felt like this was good, you know, to talk about now, because, as a millennial that grew up on these TV shows. This is a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot to talk about, and I also just feel like, as a social worker, being able to kind of sit back and watch people tell their stories is important, and also providing support and resources to people is important as well. So I'm interested to see there might have been a couple things on there about like what Nickelodeon has tried to do for the families or something, but I don't know, like I just feel like it's just not gonna be enough. Like it's not gonna be enough. There needs to be resources now, more resources now for individuals that face child abuse or Gender, racial, sexual biases in the workplace, identity biases in the workplace and all of that, all of that jazz. So that's it for me. I hope everyone has a good weekend and I will talk to everyone next week. I cannot wait to go to bed. But peace out, girl scouts.