Podcast Summary
Stay informed and engaged with content: Sign up for Amanda Seales' newsletter, follow her on social media, attend her shows, and support her Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes. Learn about prison feminism from Richie Reseda's inspiring journey.
No matter what form of media you prefer, whether it's audiobooks or podcasts, continuing to engage with content that resonates with you is important. Amanda Seales, the podcast host, encourages her audience to stay informed and educated, especially regarding upcoming elections. She is currently touring and invites listeners to join her shows in various cities. To stay updated, sign up for her newsletter or follow her on social media. Additionally, Seales mentioned her upcoming Patreon-exclusive bonus episodes for her Small Business Podcast. She also shared an inspiring story about Richie Reseda, who introduced the concept of prison feminism through a documentary. Reseda's work emphasizes the importance of recognizing feminism as a concept that goes beyond white women and encompasses all individuals. Seales invited Reseda to share her journey and the vision that led her to this perspective on the podcast.
Longer sentences due to excessive charges and plea deals: The criminal justice system in highly incarcerated areas can result in lengthy sentences due to each individual person in a crime being counted as a separate offense and the use of plea deals to avoid lengthy trials, leading to defendants accepting longer sentences than they might have received otherwise.
The criminal justice system, particularly in highly incarcerated areas like Los Angeles County, can result in lengthy sentences due to excessive charges and plea deals. Richie Reseda, a social entrepreneur and abolitionist, shared his personal experience of serving 7 years in prison for armed robbery, which could have resulted in a 150-year sentence. He emphasized that the system counts each individual person in a robbery as a separate offense, leading to increased charges and longer sentences. Additionally, plea deals are often used to avoid lengthy trials, resulting in defendants accepting longer sentences than they might have received otherwise. Reseda also highlighted the importance of community support and advocacy in fighting for fairer sentencing and changing unjust laws.
Toxic masculinity and patriarchy's impact on crime and incarceration: Recognizing humanity and addressing root causes can transform individuals and communities, instead of relying on punishment and domination.
Toxic masculinity and the belief in power through domination, driven by patriarchy, contribute significantly to the cycle of crime and incarceration. Speakers shared their experiences of growing up in systems that didn't support their individuality and instead enforced a culture of domination. They also discussed how they found inspiration and transformation through community organizing and learning about alternative ways to view power and connection. Ultimately, the speakers emphasized the importance of recognizing the humanity in individuals and addressing the root causes of harm rather than relying on punishment and domination.
Finding connection and building community in unexpected places: Even in challenging environments, personal growth and community building are possible through open dialogue and learning from one another. Representation and empowerment in media also play a crucial role.
Even in challenging environments like prison, it's possible to find connection and build community. The speaker shares how she discovered her role as an organizer and advocate for change, starting with small conversations and eventually leading to larger discussions about gender and respect. She also emphasizes the importance of representation and empowerment in media, using NPR's "Black Stories, Black Truths" as an example. Despite coming from a place of ignorance, the speaker encourages the value of open dialogue and learning from one another. Overall, this conversation highlights the power of personal growth and community building, even in the most unexpected places.
Referring to incarcerated individuals as 'inmates' is harmful, use 'incarcerated person' instead.: To respectfully refer to incarcerated individuals, use 'incarcerated person' instead of 'inmate'. Effective self-help groups can help incarcerated persons build understanding and improve themselves, but creating a group addressing patriarchy required a more relatable and vulnerable approach.
The use of the term "inmate" to refer to incarcerated individuals can be harmful and dehumanizing. Instead, using the term "incarcerated person" is a more respectful and accurate way to refer to those who are imprisoned. The self-help culture within prisons has been a crucial tool for incarcerated individuals to build understanding and improve themselves, leading to their eventual release. However, there was a lack of self-help groups addressing patriarchy, which made it challenging for individuals like Richie to start such a group. Richie's approach was not inviting, and he was met with resistance. A more effective approach would have been to model vulnerability and connect with others by sharing personal experiences rather than lecturing or pointing fingers.
The power of genuine connection in rehabilitation: Connection is crucial for rehabilitation, even when progress seems slow or impossible. Overcoming biases and discomfort is necessary for both facilitators and participants to foster meaningful change.
The transformative power of connection cannot be underestimated, especially in contexts where redemption and rehabilitation are often overlooked or dismissed. This was evident in the response of participants in a program aimed at challenging patriarchy within the prison system. Initially, attempts at education through workshops did not yield positive results due to resistance from facilitators. However, the approach shifted towards genuine connection, and the resulting change was profound. This shift took years to achieve, as both facilitators and participants had to overcome their own biases and discomfort. Despite her own busy life, the program's founder continued to persevere, recognizing the importance of her work and the impact it could have on individuals who had been written off by society. The process of undoing the damaging effects of prison culture, which emphasizes productivity and excellence, is ongoing and challenging, but essential for those seeking to heal and reclaim their lives.
Exploring EMDR therapy and feminism's impact on personal growth and societal change: EMDR therapy offers a practical, active approach to healing from trauma, while feminism challenges patriarchal structures and culture to promote personal and societal growth.
EMDR therapy is a practical, active approach to therapy that goes beyond talk therapy for those who have hit a wall in their healing process. EMDR uses eye movement to help retrain the brain's response to traumatic memories, making it an effective tool for managing toxicity and undoing deeply ingrained responses. Meanwhile, feminism is the active dismantling of patriarchal structures and culture, including the institution of marriage, which was invented as a means of women's enslavement. This history of marriage as a tool for controlling women has shaped various societal structures and continues to impact us today. Understanding these concepts can lead to new insights and approaches for personal growth and societal change.
Highlighting unique black experiences: Centering black voices in storytelling is crucial for authentic and inclusive representation, fostering community and accountability can lead to positive change.
NPR's "Black Stories, Black Truths" collection highlights the unique and nuanced experiences of the black community, providing a platform for voices that have historically been underrepresented. The importance of centering these perspectives in storytelling is crucial, as it allows for a more authentic and inclusive representation of America's diverse population. Additionally, the power of community and accountability was emphasized in the discussion, with the example given of holding space and fostering connections in a prison setting leading to a tangible shift in behavior and mindset. Ultimately, these concepts challenge us to question the origins and impact of the ideas and systems that shape our lives, and to consider the role we play in using them for elevation or oppression.
The prison system's impact on individuals: The prison system's supposedly rehabilitative stance is often a myth, leaving individuals with lasting negative effects upon release, while societal stigma makes it easy for civilians to ignore the realities of the system.
The prison system can leave a lasting impact on individuals, making them feel less than and leading to complicated relationships and financial struggles upon release. The system's supposedly rehabilitative stance is often a myth, with those in authority using it for their own political gain, sometimes even threatening the safety and freedom of those they're supposed to help. The societal stigma surrounding prison creates a chasm, making it easy for civilians to ignore the realities of the system. The underlying issues of power, control, and institution remain, whether it's through law enforcement or within prison walls.
A vision for true rehabilitation: Shift mindset towards compassion, invest in addressing root causes of harm instead of punishing individuals
The current prison system is dysfunctional and a vision for true rehabilitation involves treating those who have caused harm with love and care within their communities, rather than punishment and isolation. This approach has been used effectively in families and indigenous communities for thousands of years before the concept of prisons emerged just over a hundred years ago. Society's acceptance of the prison system and its emphasis on punishment and dominance is a relatively new concept, and it's important to remember that there are countless ways people have existed without prisons throughout history. To move towards a more compassionate and effective approach to dealing with harm, we must shift our mindset and invest in transforming the conditions and behaviors that lead to violence, rather than discarding individuals as unvaluable once they have caused harm.
The importance of feminist spaces, especially in prisons: Amplifying marginalized voices and building stronger communities can help prevent harm and create a more equitable society, as shown in the NPR collection 'Black Stories, Black Truths'.
The need for feminist spaces, including those within prisons, arises from deep-rooted societal issues, such as patriarchy and systemic racism. These issues make it difficult for individuals to envision and work towards a society free from harm and violence. As society becomes more individualized and focused on personal needs, harm and conflict become more prevalent. To counteract this, building stronger community ties and empowering marginalized voices is crucial for preventing harm and creating a more equitable society. The recent NPR collection, "Black Stories, Black Truths," is an example of centering and amplifying black voices, which have historically been underrepresented in mainstream narratives. By uplifting and empowering these voices, we can create a more inclusive and accurate representation of the American story. Ultimately, the conversation about prison feminisms highlights the importance of addressing societal issues and creating safe spaces for marginalized communities, both within and outside of prison walls.
Challenging patriarchy within our circles: Recognize and challenge harmful behaviors, listen to understand and believe, and validate each other's experiences to dismantle patriarchy and create a more inclusive community.
Challenging and addressing patriarchy requires active effort and awareness, even within our own circles of friends. Compartmentalization, which is often seen as beneficial, can actually lead to harm. It's essential to recognize and challenge harmful behaviors, even if they're not directly aimed at us. Listening to understand and believe is a crucial skill in creating a more feminist society, as opposed to the dominant culture of listening to respond or be objective. We each have our unique stories, and it's important to acknowledge and validate each other's experiences rather than trying to prove whose story is right. By actively working on these skills, we can contribute to dismantling patriarchy and creating a more inclusive and equitable community.
Listen and empathize for healing and growth: Genuine listening and empathy can lead to transformative learning and understanding, but acknowledging past harm can be painful. Humanity invites both harm and hope, and working towards liberation may bring freedom's pain but ultimately leads to growth.
Genuine listening and empathy are essential for healing and building collective stories. Listening to another person's experiences without interrupting with our own stories can lead to transformative learning and understanding. However, it can be painful to acknowledge the harm we may have caused others, especially when we have good intentions. The existence of being human invites both harm and hope, and as we work towards undoing the control mechanisms of systems like patriarchy, we may experience the pain of freedom, but ultimately, it leads to growth and liberation.
Choosing not to be a part of harmful systems: Individuals can challenge harmful systems by making conscious choices and expressing intense feelings in oppressive spaces, leading to growth and learning.
Individuals have the power to choose not to be a part of systems that harm people, including the patriarchy. This requires conscious effort and going against the norm, much like George Costanza doing the opposite of what he normally would do. It's important to acknowledge the existence of these harmful systems and not beat oneself up for being a part of them, but rather focus on making a change. The podcast conversation highlighted the importance of sharing and expressing intense feelings, which can be a challenge in oppressive spaces, but necessary for growth and learning. To continue the conversation and learn more about the work, follow Prism Feminism on all platforms.
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