Content warning: This post, or pages it links to, contain information about severe depression and/or suicide and may be triggering.
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This week hosts Wagatwe Wanjuki and Irna Landrum reflect on the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain and what they personally mean to them. They also discuss the big question: What does helping someone in need look like?
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If you had all the money in the world…
How would you change the world for the better? Before we dive deep into the heaviness on our hearts, Wagatwe and I answer a question that’s been making the social media rounds: If you had $250 million, and had to give half of it to charity, what would you do?
Tell us in the comments: what would you do with such newfound wealth?
Legacies of legends
Our worlds were rocked by the sudden deaths by suicide of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef/TV personality Anthony Bourdain. Wagatwe and Irna reflect on the massive impact of their work and their lives. In a time when Very Serious Feminism had rejected girliness as a forced gender role, Kate Spade’s work allowed people to reclaim high femme femininity as powerful. Anthony Bourdain defied every ugly American stereotype and used his prestige and platform to be a tremendous ally to women, people of color, migrant workers, and more.
They will truly be missed.
But capitalism is LITERALLY killing us
Kate Spade had been struggling for a while but hesitated to seek help because she didn’t want to scare off her investors. Wagatwe and Irna discuss how the very real threat to our finances and livelihoods is keeping people from getting the help they need.
The Trump administration’s repeated attacks on vulnerable communities are making us all sicker and their attacks on health care are threatening the few options people have to seek real, comprehensive mental health care.
So what does it look like to REALLY help someone through a mental health crisis?
People who live with depression have offered a fair amount of criticism to our pat responses to learning about a tragic death by suicide—offering a suicide prevention hotline number or telling people to reach our to us. The problem is, that puts the onus on a person who is struggling to do all the work to get support.
Wagatwe’s homie Deanna Zandt offers some perspective on why these feel like shitty, inadequate responses and gives some tips to be more proactive.
Pro-tip: Wagatwe learned that you can call the national suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-8255) if you’re worried about a friend and they’ll walk you through some steps you can take.
Suicide is evidence of systemic sickness
The prevalence of mental illness is a direct result of systemic oppression. We need systemic solutions. Period. Wagatwe and Irna discuss this at length and so does Twin Cities-bases therapist, Julie Tilsen. This Twitter thread is A WORD.
Speaking of systemic sickness, there is loads of research pointing to the devastating effects of anti-black racism on Black Americans. Systemic racism makes it that much harder to find access to culturally competent mental health care.
There’s also the fact that the medical industry has shown its whole ass and betrayed the trust of people, particularly Black people, time and time again.
NEW FEATURE ALERT!! The Disrespectability Award goes to…
Wagatwe and Irna celebrate this week’s champions of disrespectability politics—those brave heroes who were told that they need to behave and obey oppressive rules to get ahead and said “Eff that noise!”
This week’s awards go to Lulabel Seitz, brave sexual assault survivor silenced during her valedictorian speech at Petaluma High School; and Mariah Parker, whose swearing in as a county commissioner in Georgia was Black AF.
And that’s our time this week! Thanks for joining us on this ride. If you haven't already, please subscribe on iTunes and leave a comment. See you next week!
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Hosts: Wagatwe Wanjuki, Irna Landrum
Producers: Aaron Rand Freeman, Monique Teal
Graphic design: Mike Matthews
Music: MannMade Music & Visuals