demAWKracy

Dive into our episode all about media, communication, polarization, bias, and more with our guest, Jenna Spinelle. Jenna is a communications expert and also the founder of her own podcast, Democracy Works, which is a collaborative effort with The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. Join our hosts as they engage in an in-depth conversation about the nuances and complexity of media and how its changed over the years, especially since the most contentious election of our time. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @demawkracy and share your thoughts with us. You can also support us on Patreon here: patreon.com/demawkracy. We hope you enjoy this episode!

This week's episode features Kacie Riebman who is currently studying to be a PA at Drexel University. Originally from Pennsylvania, she has recreational experience using guns and we thought she would be a great guest to speak on her perspective on gun violence and legislation in the U.S. Join us for an in-depth conversation about the complex coordination required to handle guns, the responsibility of law makers to improve legislation to curb gun violence, and the ever-increasing importance of mental health and its role in gun deaths across the country. As always, we'd love to hear from you! Interact with us on our social media, @demAWKracy, on all platforms and check out our Patreon at www.patreon.com/demawkracy to show support for our work. Thanks for listening!

Our fourth episode features Valerie Orellana, who is currently working as a 911 dispatcher and is closely related to members of the police force. We invited her on the podcast to talk with us about her perspective of 'blue lives matter' and what it means to her. Enjoy the conversation about what it's like answering 911 calls, receiving backlash on social media, and understanding what it's like to step into someone else's shoes. Engage with us on our social media and be sure to let us know what you think of this episode!

Join us as we have a conversation with Alex Lachance, a master's student in computer science. We discuss how partisan politics in America are not as simple as we might think. In fact, Alex tells us about how he thinks of our society as a vastly complex system which must be understood for all of its interconnected nuances to create an ideal path forward and combat polarization as it stands today. 

Be sure to interact with us on social media (@demawkracy) for a chance to come talk with us on the podcast.

This episode features Edward Pennine, a retired Berkeley firefighter and conservative-leaning baby boomer. Edward has expressed his disdain for cancel culture to Lana during their brief political banter, but we take the conversation to the next level. We talk about cancelling everything from statues, words, to of course, Dr. Seuss. Listen to hear our perspectives of cancel culture and be sure to interact with us on social media for a chance to be featured on the podcast.

For our first episode, we invited Amanda McSally to talk with us about her life experiences that have shaped who she's become over the years. Her seemingly radical Facebook post was the catalyst that led to the creation of demAWKracy. Join us while we discuss growing up in a small town, overcoming individual hardships, and the importance of starting conversations.