dog whistle

Separatist tensions in Brazil more often than not come from fringe and ridiculed groups, but comments by a prominent right-wing politician have brought this discussion back to the fore, albeit in sensational terms. Show notes.

Mind control, undue influence, brainwashing - that all sounds like some Hollywood fiction fantasy. But cult expert Dr. Steven Hassan says these are real and anybody could fall into the culty traps. He shares his personal story from the 70’s when he found himself dropping out of college, emptying his bank account and being trained to kill. His trap, he says, is that he thought he was too smart to fall for cult stuff. In fact, “cults” are everywhere - some harmful and some aren’t so much, but they all share elements. If you ever thought that yoga “guru”, invasive company, tight social club or even romantic partner has an awful lot of influence...maybe you’re right. In fact, Hassan says we are living in an age of influence and most of it is digital.

If you have questions or guest suggestions, Ali would love to hear from you. Call or text her at (323) 364-6356. Or email go-ask-ali-podcast-at-gmail.com. (No dashes)

**Go Ask Ali has been nominated for a Webby Award for Best Interview/Talk Show Episode! Please vote for her and the whole team at https://bit.ly/415e8uN by April 20, 2023!

Links of Interest:

Hassan Website: Freedom of Mind Resource Center

Hassan Podcast: The Influence Continuum  

Hassan Books

The “Cult” at Sarah Lawrence College (The Cut, 1/23)

Who  George Soros?

“The Family” Book and Documentary

The Rod of Iron Ministries (The Tennessean) (Rolling Stone) (SPLC)

Chinese Communist Brainwashing Techniques (WNYC, Archival Audio)

Credits:

Executive Producers: Sandie Bailey, Alex Alcheh, Lauren Hohman, Tyler Klang & Gabrielle Collins

Producer & Editor: Brooke Peterson-Bell

Associate Producer: Akiya McKnight

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rich and noted columnist, author and analyst Adam Coleman discuss how slanted reporting  ultimately hurts those exercising the bias and those targeted by it. Adam slams fandom and team sport mentality of politics and reporting. The noise blocks policy solutions and drives division. 

Engage the conversation on Substack at The Common Bridge!

Thank you all for the kind comments yesterday! I'm better today and talking about slut-shaming, "selfish" as a dog whistle, and double standards. Also a shoutout to Darynda Jones on the release of BEGUILED!

You can check out BEGUILED here https://darynda.com/books/beguiled​.

And check out CAPTURE THE CROWN by Jennifer Estep here https://www.jenniferestep.com/series/...​

And here is the text of Darynda's blurb for DARK WIZARD:

"With delicious characters and exquisite writing, Jeffe Kennedy is an author you simply can't go wrong with. Dark Wizard is one of my top reads ever. It will always have a place on my favorites shelf. I was drawn deeper and deeper into the story with each succulent twist. Each savory turn. Jeffe writes with stunning beauty and clarity, and I can't even hate her for it. I've tried. Oh, how I've tried. She's just that good. Damn it. You know what? I take it all back. Fuck you, Jeffe Kennedy, if that's even your real name. I hate you so bad. So, so bad. Also, when is the next book coming out? Not that I'm going to read it. You know why? Because I hate you. So bad. But if you could give me a general idea, that'd be great. A+! Highly recommended!"
–NY Times Bestselling Author Darynda Jones

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Contact Jeffe!

Tweet me at @JeffeKennedy
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!

A bit of a rant today on the use of the term "Clean" in reference to books - and sex in general - and how some authors produce two versions of a book, one "clean" and one with sex.

Also a shoutout today to Smart Podcast, Trashy Books (https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast/)! (I said it wrong in the show - sorry!)

First Cup of Coffee is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Contact Jeffe!

Tweet me at @JeffeKennedy
Visit my website https://jeffekennedy.com
Follow me on Amazon or BookBub
Sign up for my Newsletter!
Find me on Instagram and TikTok!

Thanks for listening!

Cassandra thinks it may just be a coincidence that there's a Department of Defense job fair going on in Fitchburg when she's visiting, which would explain the strange car. Until the finds herself running from the CIA.

Theme song: No Way, by Sue and the Namies from their album, Songs From the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, available now on Bandcamp.

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