My Big Fat Greek Grift

0:02Angie Sullivan:So are we supposed to start the podcast? Ready? One, two, three. Patriots, gay-triots, they-triots, black-triots, brown-triots, all cool people that hate fascists. We love you. All of the fascists can do what, Pumps? Fuck off! All right, Pumps, what have you had it with? Okay, what I've had it with, and I mean, I've had it, and it's been a long time since I've gone off on RFK. So today's my day. I will stand by this statement forever. If you have somebody in charge of health and human services that's not a doctor, and you agree with that, and you're all in, then you go to a lawyer for your next checkup when you need a heart bypass.

0:48Go to a lawyer to do it because that's what you're asking. So what I've had it with is when I pull up my phone and everything from lettuce to blueberries to chicken, everything has high risk associated with like black blueberries. Now they're acting like if you had a blueberry, you'll die. So then I went through a list that which my my font's big, but it's two. I scrolled two pages of the different outbreaks. And then you look over and it's like not inspected, inspection waived, not enough people. Well, you know, it was a just a percentage of what is usually inspected. And I'm like, this is what happens when you elect people that don't know anything about science and how you keep people from getting sick is through regulations to regulate the person that's providing the service.

1:42Look no further than the lettuce from Taco Bell. We know I mean, Taco Bell took better action for the American people than the fucking White House. And so I've had it. I've had it that all these people are incurring all these health expenses, which they can't afford because of health care being so expensive, all because we have a complete fucking moron leading a department that is supposed to be in charge of keeping Americans safe. It's ridiculous.

2:11Angie Sullivan:Well, a lot of this is not only RFK Jr., but a lot of the safety inspections were defunded by Elon Musk and Doge. And I read an article this morning that the weather forecasting in the United States was cut dramatically by Elon Musk and Doge. And a weather forecasting system in Oklahoma, in our home state, was underfunded and understaffed, failed to predict baseball-sized hail in Kansas. and there was no warning to these people. And I think there was a tornado that sprung from it. But more importantly, a lot of this is all a part of Project 2025. And more importantly, all of this is a script that autocrats follow in making the public sick, in decreasing social services, social safety net, safety regulations, et cetera.

3:07And so as unique as this feels to all of us, which it does,

3:13Angie Sullivan:I mean, because we always had, for the most part, a country that tried to keep, you know, disease out of food, et cetera. This is a failed playbook that these Republicans are playing. And I think the messaging here, I always go through, okay, I can diagnose all of the incompetence that these people do, but what is the solution? The solution is for the Democratic Party to hammer all day and all night. MAGA is a death cult. MAGA is a party that does not only help sick people, but wants to make you, your family, and your kids sick. And if you vote for MAGA, you are voting for your child to be sick and or die.

3:55Angie Sullivan:And those are just the facts. Look at the deregulation in the EPA, the deregulation in all of the FDA, the storm that hit all of those little girls down in Texas, weather forecasting. MAGA policies lead to death. They are an anti-family death cult. Period. Full stop. I'm not surprised by any of the shit they do. I just get more and more shocked that the Democratic leadership isn't screaming this shit because it is a layup to message. All of their policies lead to death, illness, destruction. No, I completely agree. And it goes back when this administration started and Elon Musk went in with the Doge.

4:40You know, he started Doge. He was going into everything. That is where I remember thinking, where is the response from the Democrats? I mean, it has been that way since jump. They have just not been equal to the task. All right.

4:56Angie Sullivan:So I'm going to tell you all what I've had it with. Now, I just want to remind everybody, this is our Tuesday, Thursday podcast. I've had it. sometimes we talk about politics a tad we're trying to ease back on that and make this more our funny light-hearted if you want political nuggets um ihip news make sure you're subscribed to it on youtube it's all the same channel and you have 10 to 15 minute little bite-sized ways to chew on the news without wanting to uh end your life because this is pretty heavy stuff as pumps just addressed. All right. Everybody who listens to this podcast knows that I am in trench warfare in my email box every day.

5:35Angie Sullivan:Two instances happened to me recently, which have made me question even having email. Okay. So every morning I get up, I log into my email, I'm checking my email, and I receive more solicitations to buy goods or solicitations for services than I do work-related emails. And I receive a lot of work-related emails, so that should tell you something. So I'm constantly unsubscribing and I'm in a bad mood. Two things happened to me over the weekend in my efforts to unsubscribe in this battle that I'm in. Number one, I clicked unsubscribe to an email that I didn't sign up to get, that I bought a product somewhere at some point and they just, without my consent, started emailing me.

6:28Angie Sullivan:So I click unsubscribe. And in order for me to unsubscribe, I have to take a survey. What? And I've had it with surveys. So it's like, why do you want to unsubscribe? And I was like, I wanted to like skip the survey and just, you know, confirm that I want to unsubscribe. So then I'm like, you know, I didn't sign up for this. And then a new page appears. It was a five page response as to why I want to unsubscribe and the neediness of these people. And then it got me thinking about, you know, this daily grievance that I have about these emails and these data centers that are popping up all over the place, these things are intertwined.

7:12Angie Sullivan:The data centers are to have a digital profile on every single one of us and all of the stuff that we like to buy and all of the stuff that we like to do because these corporations are vampires that want to suck the blood out of every person in America. so that that that was unpleasant i was furious about the survey i still i had to do it it was a forced survey it was it was forced upon me i didn't want to consent to the survey that that i had to do to and i didn't consent to the email so this corporation two times has not honored my consent by number one emailing me without my consent and number two making me take a five-page survey to get out of the email.

7:58Angie Sullivan:So that was, you know, enough. Well, then something else happened. So I bought this photograph online about a year ago, and it's called The Walk of the Gods. And this French photographer took it, and it's a picture of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal in the windows of Wimbledon with their, you know, tennis bags, and they're walking out to go play a match. Or Walk of the Goats, not the Gods, Walk of the Goats. And I love the image. I wanted to buy it for my New York apartment. I love photography. I love tennis. I love Rafa. I love Roger. No brainer that I'm going to buy it, right? So I buy it. I get it.

8:42Angie Sullivan:I hang it. I love it. It makes me happy when I see it. I just really love this photograph. Again, I bought this. I didn't sign up for anything additional. But again, this was a French photographer, so I bought it on a website. So the other day I got an unsolicited email to me all in French. And so I'm Googling, trying to figure out what is unsubscribe in French. So in both of these instances, I had to go through, instead of just immediate click unsubscribe, I want no follow-up email. I don't want to know it's going to take two or three days to take me off the list. I don't want to take a survey.

9:23Angie Sullivan:I want no part of any of it. I want to break up and then it's over. No communication after I click unsubscribe. In both of these instances, I've had to spend 10, 15 minutes just unsubscribing. It's unbelievable how needy and what vampires these corporations are. Now, this French photographer, he's probably, you know, he did this only other email I've ever received. And I think that's who it's from. It could have been from sort of, I don't know, because I don't speak French. But I was like, is this from that website? So I don't think he's an email terrorist nor a corporation wants to suck the life out of people.

10:01Angie Sullivan:And I love the piece that I bought. But that's just the only thing I could think of, the thing that I bought that I would get in French. But I've had it with these emails. Another thing happened recently, too. I went to the gynecologist at pap smear, received an email asking for a survey about my visit to the gynecologist. And I just wanted to put one star, don't enjoy pap smears. Right. You know, like they need to think these things through because that one star, the doctor was great. The clinic was great. Pap smears are just not something you should ever be surveyed on ever. If somebody says five-star love my pap smear, we got a problem.

10:43Right. Nobody thinks of pap smear as five stars. But see, then on that particular instance, I would be tortured on what to answer the survey because I love the doctor. I love the nurse. Everybody was nice. It was efficient. All good. But I hate the procedure. So then you're like, you're in that.

11:02Angie Sullivan:Fill out the survey. I clicked unsubscribe. You just did. You didn't do it. Unsubscribe. And then it was like, are you sure you want to unsubscribe? And I'm like, yes, I want to unsubscribe. I'm sure. Why do you want to unsubscribe? And I'm just unsubscribe. Then I receive an email. Thank you so much for your, you know, we sorry to see you go. It may take two days for this to come into effect. I'm like, bullshit. It's not going to take two days. That's the most amazing thing I've ever heard. The two days. Here's what I was thinking when you were talking about how you had to go through like a five page survey to unsubscribe.

11:33you laser focused fucking going to unsubscribe if I have to burn the house down to do it. I can see me flipping through those pages and just being like, fuck it. I won't finish the survey. And then I'll keep getting the emails just because this is such a hassle. So somebody like me is part of the problem because they don't unsubscribe when they're supposed to because of the survey. I mean, I can see me doing that.

11:59Angie Sullivan:it's it's trench warfare in the email box it is it is and i think about it when every time i hear about those data centers i'm like oh i know what's going on in there yeah emails email storing storing email information yeah because where are all of these emails being stored because i i know that i have to delete them all or i wouldn't have any room in my cloud in my phone in my computer anything because it is it is unbelievable the amount of emails oh and i've also started this follow-up on the, you know, I want to anonymously purchase stuff. Yeah. I started it. I went, I, yeah, I was shopping and they're like, okay, we need your phone number.

12:40Angie Sullivan:And I was like, I would just like to anonymously purchase this. They're like, you don't want a profile. And I go, no, I just like to anonymously purchase it. And I mean, and they're like, they're floored and they're like, okay, well, what about the receipt? Cause if you give us your email, your phone number, then we can text it to you. And then we have it digital. I'm like, I'm going to go old school and take the paper receipt. Yeah. Yeah. So, okay. So when they ask for your, because I've been with you and you've said, no, I don't want to give my email because I don't want to receive, you know, whatever.

13:10Angie Sullivan:So now you're just saying, I'm not giving you my phone. I would like to anonymously purchase this. That's kind of brilliant. I'm just saying, I would just like to anonymously purchase this. And one gal was kind of floored by it. Another person was like, okay, and just completely went out and gave me the paper receipt and it was a nothing burger. But think about the link between the popping up of all of these data centers and how much data they're asking for you when you buy a matcha. Josh went and bought a bunk cake and they wanted his blood type, his STD results, his Zodiac sign, all this shit.

13:45Angie Sullivan:Well, There's a link. There's a link between all this shit. So I want to promote anonymous purchasing as an act of resistance. Do not let these people have information. Yeah, I would like to anonymously purchase this. Let's do it. Start the anonymous purchase. Bring back the paper receipt. Keep a little envelope in your purse or man purse or backpack or whatever. Keep your little receipts. I mean, I think that's the game of the future. Kylie. Hi. Hi. Have you noticed one thing that that just made me think of? I've been walking into a restaurant. We do walk-ins a lot. We don't do reservations. I love that.

14:22They always want your phone number, right? Yeah. Always. And now, restaurants I've never been to, restaurant groups, I haven't been to it, I'll give them my phone number and they'll say, Kylie. Yes. Because they're sharing your information with each other.

14:35Angie Sullivan:Without consent. Mm-hmm. No, I think that that's a new thing, too. I would like to dine here anonymously. Yeah. I'm serious I we all need to do it because think about all of these things popping up and now the data centers are popping up where are they storing all this shit and then they're profiting off of your cell phone number if anybody should profit off of your cell phone number it should be you yeah not you know blow joe blow restaurant I mean I have had it I don't want people knowing my shit I want to be anonymous, which is why I have two podcasts on the internet. And a new book coming out.

15:14Angie Sullivan:And a new book. Yeah. Called Not Today Fascist. Okay. I've got a review for you today. Okay. Five stars. This is my comfort podcast. And Taylor writes, Transtriate here. I've listened to this podcast for over three years. Sorry for just now leaving an Apple review. But I wanted to say that most podcasts change and drift from their original essence. But you guys have held on to the essence of humor through petty grievances, through changes in location and your own lives. Hearing you ladies bash white bigots is always heartwarming since I come from the South and escaped evangelicalism and megachurches.

15:48Also, pumps inspired me to go to law school, and I'm applying this fall. I feel, I mean, that makes me feel really good. It should make you feel good.

15:58Angie Sullivan:That's the first time your legal career has been inspirational. To anyone, ever, including me. I'm usually like, oh, God. No, here's the thing. I totally get it because you are America's greatest legal mind, as has been established on this podcast from the very beginning, from its inception. And I think probably people look at me and go, she can go to law school. I can go to law school.

16:27From guessing.

16:29Angie Sullivan:Okay. All right. I've got some news stories. And these are going to be interesting because Pumps and I have completely diametrically opposing views on this subject. So there's a new trend growing across college campuses in the South. Pop this up. Sorority rush coaches now charge up to$12 ,000. College students and parents are paying$12 ,000 up to and less than that to, to get a coach to guide you through sororities? Okay. You would pay it. Okay. Probably when I was younger, I probably would have paid, but having been on this side of it. Two years ago. No, no, no, no, seriously. Because I know what's going on in the inside.

17:19Like I have, there are people in Oklahoma City that have these rush advisor parties where they teach you how to do all this. And I don't know how much they charge. I haven't asked. I should have asked. That would have been a great question. But anyway, and I always, when people call me and say, do I need to do this? I'm like, no, because they don't look at your resume. Now it's just a form online. And it asks like 10 questions. They don't even send in a picture anymore. And you're limited on the number of characters that you can put in. Now, I mean, scrubbing the social media, I would probably for sure do that.

17:56But knowing that that is a racket, like nobody uses that. They don't read the letters, the recs, they don't read. They just check that you have one. So all of that is a huge grift. And I've been sounding the alarm to my friends with younger girls for like five years when that, well, probably like seven years when it really came out. When I was going through Rush and this was offered, I would have browbeat the fuck out of my mom to do it. but because I kind of know the backstory then then I wouldn't I do know that it's a grift okay let me ask you this okay your daughter let's say she's a uh just starting her senior year in

18:34Angie Sullivan:high school okay and this it's not a grift and let's say that the sorority coach says 100 % I can get your daughter into the sorority that you want her to be in 100 % guarantee it and then I don't know anything about it. Like I, okay. Okay. Would I pay it? Yeah. How fast can I get to the bank? Do you want it cash? Do you want it hundreds, twenties, bail bond, or you want it bonds? Yeah. Excuse me. I gotta go get a second job so I can pay this rush coast. Yes, absolutely. I would. I'm not even going to deny it. Yeah. Yeah. I, um, you know, this, I just, my proximity to you and I love you during all of the various rushing stuff has made me dislike sororities even more.

19:30Angie Sullivan:There's a cruelty to it. There is a real, um, cruelty to these young girls that are taking a risk and being vulnerable and they get just sidelined for just the most insignificant things. And that's my one thing. And then number two, it's like, here's how you have to be. It's not really encouraging individuality. It's like, here's how this sorority committee will observe you best, not be your authentic self, but be who you think they want you to be. So I don't know. I just, I, especially in the South, I think there's just a lot of, where my sons went to school, it's not as bad, but like at University of Oklahoma, there's just a lot of slut shaming.

20:23Angie Sullivan:It's a very anti-woman women's group sororities in the South. Okay, let me tell you this. And, and I say this because I have been on both sides of it. The judgment, okay, so here's what happens. When you go through rush, people are like, oh, you can't do this. You can't do that. You know, slut shaming, hateful, whatever. But that the minute you're in that sorority, your 5 ,000, at least for me, my behavior was so exponentially worse than any person. And that was kind of true. It was like, okay, we put on this, oh, we're these, you know, we're these straight laced, perfect girls, and then you're wild as fuck.

21:03I mean, so the hypocrisy and the duplicity of character is something that my girlfriends and I have talked about years later now, that it was, it was really gross when you look at it back now as a 56 year old woman. So absolutely, I think what your criticism is fair because it's like, well, you can't act this way. We certainly don't want you to be an individual unless your individual self is, you know, something ridiculous. Like you're an astrophysicist that could be on the cover of Vogue magazine kind of thing. And it's just, there's a lot about it looking back that I don't, I'm not proud of, let's say that.

21:49Angie Sullivan:Yeah. I, I'm wondering if, how much longer these are going to exist the way they exist now. I think in the South, the sororities and fraternity culture represents a lot of the political culture, very misogynistic, a lot of internalized misogyny in sororities where there's a lot of judgment about girls' attire, about a girl's intentions, about a girl's sexual past that mirrors a lot of the politics in that area. I had a son that went to school in New York and I have a son that goes to school in LA and they're completely different.

22:37Angie Sullivan:They're not as important in those schools as they are in the South. In the South, it is like a, I don't know, I've seen it a bunch on my Instagram lately, the rushing and all of that. And man, it is just, I think, is this really good for women? Is this like your whole identity becomes this entity versus like, I'm going to school because I want to study to be XYZ. I don't know. There's something inherently for me, and I know I'm a skunk at the garden party, that feels very anti-woman. And the conversations I've overheard about girls and their sexual pasts and the demeaning nature of just kicking them to the curb because they're horny and 17.

23:22Angie Sullivan:I mean, there's not a newsflash. Well, the people cutting them are horny and 17 too, but yeah. Right. And it's just there's a I'm wondering if if sororities in the South are not like just some of the biggest for that age, some of the biggest upholders of misogyny. Because from my experience and conversations I've overheard, it kind of shocked my feminist body back, blew me away at how other women can speak about other women in such the most superficial terms when they're at a stage in their life where they really need support from other women. yeah no I think you're right on that I will say for my age group the internalized misogyny nobody recognized it because we all had it that's just how we grew up now I do know that it it is going very slowly trying to empower women but I do think that the um the way it's set up itself undercuts that and my daughter thinks that by the time she has a child in college that sororities as we know them in the South will cease to exist, that they cannot continue to exist in their current form.

24:44I kind of look at it like there's so much, you know, generations of people in the South that give a shit about it and still put such a premium on it that I think it would be hard to do. As somebody who's been on both sides of it, as somebody who has evolved personally from it, I got a lot of really good things out of it. And that was my group of friends that I still have today. You could have a sorority without all the internalized misogyny like they do on campuses on the East and West Coast that don't have to have that. So what I would like to see is an evolution, but I worry that the structure of how the system is set up will not allow that to happen.