If you've ever wondered how we got to a place where grandmothers defend ICE killing protesters, business leaders stay silent on human rights violations, and empathy itself is called a "weakness"—this episode is your group therapy session.

Chris opens with justified rage at the "Necessary Conversation" podcast, where a MAGA mom twists herself into pretzels defending the ICE killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Desiree provides the historical context this moment demands: from lynchings as family entertainment to Indian boarding schools to the Nazi playbook built on American Jim Crow.

But this isn't just about pointing fingers. We break down the two groups who've lost empathy (the sheltered and the angry), why "economic system justification" makes people defend systems that hurt them, and what actually works when trying to reach people trapped in propaganda.

You'll learn:
- Why the right wing explicitly attacks empathy as "weakness"
- How caste systems train us to dehumanize
- The difference between people who can't see beyond their bubble vs those weaponizing their rage
- Deep canvassing techniques that don't make you want to scream
- How to welcome people changing their minds (SNL got it right)

Resources mentioned:
- Dan Ariely's "Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things"
- Isabel Wilkerson's "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents"
- Beth Macy's "Paper Girl: The Ruined American Dream and the Hunt for Financial Salvation"
- Tish Jones' "The Children Are Watching" (performed at Timberwolves MLK Day)

This is group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. You're not crazy for feeling exhausted by this—the system is.

====================

Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast

====================

🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod

📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9

====================

Sponsored by Bearing 287 https://www.bearing287.com/

====================

If you've ever watched mainstream media soften authoritarian language and wondered if you're the only one noticing: You're not. This week we unpack "sanewashing": the practice of making insane statements and authoritarian behavior sound normal and reasonable. From Trump's cognitive decline to media ownership by billionaires who need chaos to stay profitable, we break down why the news feels like gaslighting.

You'll learn:
- Why "bonkers" and "goons" are sanewashing words
- How billionaire ownership changed journalism fundamentally
- Why CNN made $1 billion from Trump coverage (and needs him)
- What Walter Cronkite-era journalism looked like vs. today
- Specific independent journalists to follow instead

Plus: The independent journalists actually telling the truth (and how to support them instead of feeding the machine). (ProPublica, More Perfect Union, The Guardian, Joshua Doss, and more)
https://www.instagram.com/doss.discourse/

https://www.instagram.com/nowthisimpact/

https://www.instagram.com/underthedesknews/

https://www.instagram.com/perfectunion/

https://www.instagram.com/thehumanityarchive/

This is group therapy disguised as media criticism. You're not supposed to be here today—but here we are.
====================

Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast

====================

🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod

📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9

====================

Sponsored by Bearing 287

====================

If you've ever wondered whether you're being paranoid or whether your survival instincts are finally kicking in—this episode is for you.

Desiree predicted it at Thanksgiving 2024: "We're going to experience things we never thought we would." Now, with ICE raids in Minneapolis, transgender family members making escape plans, and the Handmaid's Tale's "Little America" feeling less like fiction and more like foreshadowing, we're processing the fear that Americans aren't supposed to feel.

We dive into:
- The violence we thought only happened on other soil
- Why Desiree watches documentaries about World War II to cope
- The "Little America" scene that broke her
- Epigenetics and inherited trauma
- Why men have no concept of the fear women carry
- The 2009 Tea Party moment that predicted all of this
- Robert Reich's call for business, religious, and institutional leaders to speak up
- Why Chris has no hope those leaders will

This is the rawest we've been. It's also the most necessary. For people who feel like they're taking crazy pills and need to know they're not alone.

Content Warning: Discussions of potential violence, ICE raids, family estrangement, and realistic fear about American democracy.

Resources mentioned:
- Robert Reich's Substack: "The Emergency Is Now"
- Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from an American

====================

Subscribe, watch and listen to I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Podcast

====================

🖥️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeHerePod

📱 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/im-not-even-supposed-to-be-here-today/id1867373928

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3bypMpSmcoIjt4bHk0nvzz?si=18eab826d1394fd9

====================

Sponsored by Bearing 287

====================

Why did the media treat Ryan Coogler's box office hit "Sinners" with skepticism while breathlessly hyping Josh Safdie's "Marty Supreme"—which made a fraction of the money?

We trace the disparate coverage back to one source: Penske Media Corporation, which owns Variety, The Golden Globes, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. Turns out when one company controls entertainment journalism, narratives get... controlled.

This week we explore:
→ The return of #OscarsSoWhite energy (and why it never really left)
→ How media consolidation shapes what films get celebrated
→ Teyana Taylor's uncomfortable truth about Black women's hypersexualization
→ The pattern of promised progress → quiet reversals
→ Speaking with your dollars when you have zero control over Hollywood

Content note: Discussion of racism, sexualization of Black women, and systemic media manipulation.

Resources mentioned:
- Penske Media holdings breakdown
- National Museum of African American History & Culture
- UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report
- Dartmouth research on Hollywood representation

Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today: Group therapy disguised as cultural commentary. We're talking WITH you, not AT you.
https://www.bearing287.com/

If you've ever thought "I can't just sit here scrolling anymore" but had no idea where to start - same. This episode is for every exhausted professional who wants to DO something but doesn't know what. Chris and Des explore citizenship beyond voting: local politics, organizing, legal aid, documentation, and finding your role in the fight. Recorded hours after the Minneapolis Ice shooting, this is group therapy for people who are done just talking and ready to show up - but need a roadmap. You'll learn: → How to figure out if local politics is your path (spoiler: it might be) → The roles activists need that you've never heard of → Why "politics" is just showing up for a place → How photography can be activism → What "find the helpers" actually means in 2026 Content warning: Discusses Ice shooting, police violence, political activism Resources mentioned: Run for Something, local school boards, city councils, mutual aid networks Got questions or want to get involved? DM us or leave a comment.

If you've ever wondered why your family relationships feel like they have higher stakes than ever, this episode explains why.

We're not talking about the therapy discourse around "toxic families" or whether Oprah and Mel Robbins are right about going "no contact." We're talking about the thing almost nobody is discussing: 26 states have filial responsibility laws that can make you legally liable for your parents' nursing home bills - which average $127,750 per year.

The timing isn't coincidental. The government just enacted $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, and suddenly the cultural conversation shifted from "protect your mental health" to "life is too short to fight with family."

Chris (Gen X) and Des (Elder Millennial) break down the economic, political, and ideological forces making the holidays more complicated than ever - plus what you actually need to do to protect yourself.

This isn't about choosing sides. It's about understanding the game.

---

Episode Highlights:

- The filial responsibility law most people don't know exists

- Why the "no contact" backlash exploded in late 2025

- What the Heritage Foundation has been planning since 1988

- The Pennsylvania case that held a son liable for $92,943

- Chris's experience as a caregiver for his dad

- Actionable steps to take right now

Resources: Standalone.org, state-by-state filial law guide, Medicaid cuts timeline

---

I'm Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today is a conversational, culturally savvy podcast for people navigating information chaos, cultural absurdity, and democratic crisis through humor and historical context.

Subscribe for weekly episodes.

https://www.bearing287.com/

Click here to watch a video of this episode.
Click here to view the episode transcript.