Not Your Cup Of Chai

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal about activism, politics, and culture, from an international, progressive, socialist and no-BS perspective. Please share if you like this podcast. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters get bonuses: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== **UK ELECTION IS 8 JUNE** Visit https://MyNearestMarginal.com to find your nearest marginal, canvassing sessions, carpool & meet other activists. Ways of voting (UK): https://www.gov.uk/voting-in-the-uk   In Episode 20, I speak with Steve, a disabled political activist from the UK. We discuss the upcoming General Election in Britain, and the differences between the currently ruling Tories under Theresa May, and the increasingly popular Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn. Steve speaks as someone who is directly affected by the domestic policies of austerity, healthcare cuts, and disability cuts and housing shortages that the Tories have brought in during th

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal about activism, politics, and culture, from an international, progressive, socialist and no-BS perspective. Please share if you like this podcast. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters get bonuses: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 19, I introduce the Mini Episodes (minipods) that I will be posting twice a week, along with the longer discussion/interview based episodes. This minipod is all about women's bodies and the policing of women's bodies and women's sexualities, all over the world. Show notes: ~ The news story about the high school student Summer who was suspended from Hickory Ridge High School in North Carolina: http://heavy.com/news/2017/05/michelle-cline-hickory-ridge-high-school-principal-summer-dress-code ~ My thread on Twitter about my personal history with body policing and especially of the supposed 'leftist' clique of antisex patriarchal tools: https://twitter

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal about activism, politics, and culture, from an international, progressive, socialist and no-BS perspective. Please share if you like this podcast. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters get bonuses: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 18, I talk about the Cuba trip I am off to, the reasons I've been away for the last few weeks and the exciting changes that are coming up on Not Your Cup of Chai.   And, here is my cat Chloe hanging out in my DIY sound box.   Sweet Jasmine Tea Thoughts <3 -Kiran     ====================================== Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cup Of Chai: https://twitter.com/@NYCOChai Kiran Opal: https://twitter.com/@KiranOpal .......................................................................... ❤️ Support This Podcast Via Patreon! ❤️ www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai  

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal about activism, politics, and culture, from an international, progressive, socialist and no-BS perspective. Please share if you like this podcast. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters receive rewards: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 17, Wendi Muse and I continue in part 2 of our discussion from the previous episode. Here we talk about about how people could possibly change in terms of political outlooks, and what are some ways to communicate concepts like neoliberalism, capitalism, socialism, etc. in more accessible, relatable ways, as well as considering non-Western ways of living communally that predated and inspired leftist Western thinkers like Marx and Engels and others.   Show notes: ~ Also check out Part 1 of this conversation here Ep 16: Why Not To Tweet Drunk with Wendi Musehttp://notyourcupofchai.libsyn.com/ep-16-why-not-to-tweet-drunk-with-wendi-muse-not-your-

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal about politics, culture, news stories, and activism, all from an international, progressive, socialist and no-nonsense lens. Please share if you like this podcast. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters receive rewards: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 16, Wendi Muse and I discuss what is going on with identity politics on the new far right, aka alt right movement. We talk a little bit about the phenomenon of Milo Yiannopoulos, and how the Trump regime is targeting immigrants. We also touch upon why it's a bad idea to tweet while drunk... This is part 1 of a 2 part discussion. Join us next week for our talk about how people could possibly change in terms of political outlooks.   Show notes: ~ Also check out Ep 11: Racial Politics from King to Trump - with Wendi Muse ~ Why the Left-wing Needs a Gun Culture https://diversityoftactics.org/2017/01/21/why-the-left-wing-needs-a-g

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal, featuring commentary and rants, discussions, and interviews with various friends and guests. We usually cover topics in politics, culture, news stories, and activism, all from an international, progressive, socialist and no-nonsense lens. If you like what you hear, please support this podcast with a small monthly pledge on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters of Not Your Cup Of Chai receive bonus episodes and other rewards: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 15, I speak with Conner Habib again (check out our previous discussion too), who is an educator and sex workers' rights advocate. Conner is one of those rare people who sees things from multiple, unique and colourful perspectives, and relentlessly asks us to think hard about "What If We Win?!" We have a nice long conversation about what it means to have a creative vision of what we want as activists in the wor

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal, featuring commentary and rants, discussions, and interviews with various friends and guests. We usually cover topics in politics, culture, news stories, and activism, all from an international, progressive, socialist and no-nonsense lens. If you like what you hear, please support this podcast with a small monthly pledge on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters of Not Your Cup Of Chai receive bonus episodes and other rewards: www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 14, I speak with Trevor Hill whose video from a CNN townhall where he questioned Nancy Pelosi's views on capitalism went viral recently. Trevor and I discuss the value of reading primary texts on Marxist thought, instead of relying only on mainstream sources that are often distinctly or discreetly anti-socialist, and the growing realization, especially among younger Americans, of the value of Marxist thought and cr

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal, featuring commentary and rants, discussions, and interviews with various friends and guests. We usually cover topics in politics, culture, news stories, and activism, all from an international, progressive, socialist and no-nonsense lens. If you like what you hear, please support this podcast with a small monthly pledge on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters of Not Your Cup Of Chai receive bonus episodes and other rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 13, I speak with Anoa Changa again (check out our previous discussion too), who is Editor At Large for Progressive Army. We discuss the Women's March, the Muslim Ban, and how grassroots movements, local electoral politics, and local organizing while networking nationally are important. Anoa shared a bit about her experience going to the Women's March and to an airport rally to protest the Muslim Ban. This was a nic

Not Your Cup of Chai is a podcast by Kiran Opal, featuring commentary and rants, discussions, and interviews with various friends and guests. We usually cover topics in politics, culture, news stories, and activism, all from an international, progressive, socialist and no-nonsense lens. If you like what you hear, please support this podcast with a small monthly pledge on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Supporters of Not Your Cup Of Chai receive bonus episodes and other rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ====================================== In Episode 12, I (Kiran) speak with Michael Graham, senior writer and editor at Progressive Army. Michael & I chat about what Progressive Army is and what is coming in this progressive indie media world. We discuss whether a person can work in an industry or company like the military, defense contracting, or banking, and still be a progressive activist. How do you balance doing what you have to do pay the bills, and helpi

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ Episode 11 is a special episode to mark an historic week in US history - a week that starts with Martin Luther King day, and ends with the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In this episode, I (Kiran) speak with Wendi Muse, a scholar in the field of racialized politics, authoritarian regimes, and leftist movements, about the history of racial politics, civil rights, and the intersections of those movements with anti-imperialist movements. We also discuss how race - and other identity categories - have been deployed lately in service of the imperialist wars of neoliberal capitalism.

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 10, we talk about some changes coming up on our podcast, as Bisha takes her comedy show on the road all the way to Edinburgh Fringe festival! We then get into a deep, nuanced discussion about White Feminism (sometimes also called Neoliberal Feminism), a particular brand of feminism that is often misunderstood. We talk about what White Feminism means and what it does not mean. We also consider whether "people of colour" can be White Feminists. We then explore how "Muslim" has become a racialized identity, and how "Islam is not a race" is used as an excuse for instrumentalizing Mus

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 9, I (Kiran) interview Hala Abdullah, a Saudi poet and the co-founder of the Riyadh Writing Club. We discuss the experiences of being a writer and a woman in Saudi Arabia, and the art and literary scene in other Gulf countries as well. Hala also shares one of her poems during the interview as a treat for me and you!   Show notes: ~Hala Abdullah's blog. ~Hala's book "Strip" ~Hala's TED Talk (*TED Poem) ~Riyadh Writing Club blog ~Contact info for the Club: inquiries@riyadhwritingclub.com or 7allo@riyadhwritingclub.com Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha ....................

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 8, we say our final goodbyes to what has been a very bad year all around. We try and point out some of the GOOD things that happened in 2016 as well. We also talk about the conspiracy theory of "White Genocide" that is perpetuated by white nationalists. We also list off some things we hope to see in 2017. NYCOChai wishes you a very happy and fulfilling new year!

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 7, we discuss our experiences of being immigrants in multiple places, and over multiple generations. We ponder whether one ever really stops being an immigrant, and what it means to have an immigrant identity, which is often dehumanized and otherized by people who don't personally know many people who have migrated; what it takes to give up everything you've known and why people migrate in the first place. We also discuss the way that UK and US imperialism have shaped the countries and places from which we migrated, and what today's ongoing imperialistic rhetoric and acts are lik

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 6, I (Kiran) interview Conner Habib, who is an author, teacher, and sex workers' rights advocate. Conner talks about the importance of building a positive politics on the left, that stands for something instead of just against something. We discuss making room for humor, sexuality, and spirituality in our political frameworks, and staying grounded during tumultuous times. Show notes: ~Check out Conner's upcoming (Dec 18) online class: Good Sex, Better World: 8 Ways Your View on Sex Can Improve the World+ Q&A! Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha ...............................

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 5, we talk about the politics around Brexit, what is going on at Buckingham Palace, and how to help boost, amplify and support voices of immigrants, people of colour, and others who are being marginalized by far right movements. We also launch our *new* Patreon and would love to have your support! Show notes: ~Article Kiran mentioned on cost of British Royals on Canadians. Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha .......................................................................... Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cup Of Chai: https://twitter.com/@NYCOChai Kiran Opal: https://twit

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 4, we catch each other up with our hectic week, talk about Fidel Castro's recent death, and the ways that he and the Cuban Revolution are viewed inside and outside the U.S., chat about self-defense and what it means, and ponder whether humans are inherently good or inherently bad. Show notes: ~Youtube: Nick Drossos (self defense videos) ~Book: Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jethá Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha .......................................................................... Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cu

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 3, I (Kiran) host Special Guest Anoa Changa, herself host of The Way With Anoa, and Editor-at-large at Progressive Army. We discuss the progressive gathering at the RootsCamp "unconference" Anoa is at, the way that fear cloud's one's judgment in these post-election days of the impending Presidency of Donald Trump, and the importance of remembering to uplift ourselves, our families and communities, especially in the toughest times. Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha .......................................................................... Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cup Of Chai

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In Episode 2, we discuss the aftermath of the US elections, what are some complexities around identity politics, and how we on the left can begin to move forward from where we are. Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha .......................................................................... Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cup Of Chai: https://twitter.com/@NYCOChai Kiran Opal: https://twitter.com/@KiranOpal Bisha K. Ali: https://twitter.com/@bishakali .......................................................................... Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupof

Welcome to Not Your Cup of Chai, a podcast hosted by Kiran Opal and Bisha K. Ali where we discuss feminism, politics, war, and social and cultural news, from an intersectional, no-BS lens. Please support our work by pledging for us on Patreon. Your support and love are greatly appreciated! ☕️❤️☕️ Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai   ______________________________________________ In this episode, we talk about our history and how we met, and share some thoughts, and some laughs, on the US elections. Happy listening! -Kiran & Bisha .......................................................................... Follow us on Twitter Not Your Cup Of Chai: https://twitter.com/@NYCOChai Kiran Opal: https://twitter.com/@KiranOpal Bisha K. Ali: https://twitter.com/@bishakali .......................................................................... Check out bonus episodes & rewards! www.patreon.com/notyourcupofchai ❤️ Please Support Our Work Via Patreon! ❤️   &nbs