The Commie Tea Room

Episode 48: The Blue Wall of Silence Breaks Its Silence w/ Roger

In keeping with the theme of the last episode, join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they discuss with Roger, the former chief of police of the Calgary Police Services, about the preconceptions and misconceptions we have about the police...and which the police have of us.  This episode could not come at a better time, as the Dalia Kafi case comes to a head with the trial of suspended police officer Alex Dunn (for context: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-police-alex-dunn-assault-sentence-1.6084597).  Roger does a deep dive with us, exploring the application and preliminary process of becoming a police officer, whether or not that training adequately prepares officers for their myriad of sensitive community interactions, as well as how the system is structured to disconnect police officers from their humanity as their careers go on.   This is a heavy episode, fellow commies, but we couldn't have hoped for a better note to end on, as The Commie Tearoom, hosted by Pola and Carole, comes to an end.  While the podcast will continue, the format will look quite different-- stay tuned!  Thank you for loving us, always and anyway!

Episode 47: Who Polices the Police? w/ Adam Massiah

Adam Massiah (@ar.maxxiah) is back for another episode because he is simply too awesome to only interview once.  Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they discuss with Adam what working with the Calgary Police Services racial committee is like, what defunding the police really means, a glimpse into the systemic protection given to the CPS in the form of their legislation, their union, and their essential power structure.  Adam also spills the tea on the CPS' response to their officers' conduct in the cases of Dalia Kafi and Kobe Amadi. Also, a brief lesson on legislative change and how our Charter of Rights and Freedoms works in Canada, as a bonus! To learn more about the cases of Dalia Kafi and Kobe Amadi: https://globalnews.ca/news/7991917/calgary-dalia-kafi-dead/ [https://globalnews.ca/news/7991917/calgary-dalia-kafi-dead/]  https://www.660citynews.com/2021/05/31/family-of-wrongfully-arrested-black-boy-says-meeting-with-police-didnt-go-as-hoped/ [https://www.660citynews.com/2021/05/31/family-of-wrongfully-arrested-black-boy-says-meeting-with-police-didnt-go-as-hoped/] Finally, here is a link to the petition for defunding the Calgary Police Services: https://defund.ca/treaty-7-calgary-call/ [https://defund.ca/treaty-7-calgary-call/]

Episode 46: The Fallacy of Believing You've Never Committed a Fallacy

Hosts-only episode!  Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) on their first solo episode in a while, where they dive into the friendliest and non-divisive subject ever-- fallacies! A fallacy is incorrect reasoning typically used to undermine an argument and is present in all forms of human communication.   "The Strawman Fallacy" (where someone oversimplifies your argument to make it easier to attack). "The Ad Hominem Fallacy" (where someone attacks your character instead of addressing your argument).  "The Slippery Slope Fallacy" (where someone makes a claim about a specific event, assuming a chain of events that will result in a disastrous outcome). We're all guilty of having perpetrated a fallacy or two but the important step is to do something about it!  Join us as we break down fallacies and then explore how to do better. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

Episode 44: How Not to Travel Like A Basic Bitch w/ Dr.Kiona

Our clever episode title is actually directly lifted from our guest Dr. Kiona's Instagram platform, @HowNottoTravelLikeABasicBitch, which she started after realizing she kept coming across a certain type of individual while travelling, one who was unknowingly doing more damage to the places they graced with their presence while snapping that perfect filtered image for the 'gram (Spoiler alert: Insisting on speaking English and refusing to speak a word of the local dialect isn't the worst offence from this particular type of individual).     If you feel called out by the title, this episode is for you.  Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they explore travel, racialized travel experiences, food and genetics, and how both tie into race, too.   Happy Asian Heritage Month, fellow commies!   Remember to follow, rate, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

Episode 43: Write Something Bad with/Julia Rose

Julia Rose (@juliarosewrites) is a professional writer, communications consultant, and part-time dancer.  She runs a successful writing coaching program called, "Hello, Writer", and one of the tenets of her program is that we need to be less afraid of creating bad words, bad art-- in fact, we should embrace it.   Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they talk to Julia about how she was able to build her successful program while struggling with the doubts all creatives grapple with-- what gives me the right?  Who wants to experience what I have to offer?  Julia talks to us about the realities of taking the plunge and making money from one's art and also how dealing with our fear of putting out "bad art" can be the most liberating thing we can do for ourselves.   Remember to rate, review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and slide into our DMs on Instagram at @thecommietearoom.