In this week’s episode of Literally the Worst, Anna and Lauren dive into their most frustrating petty peeves and explore their deconstruction around their beliefs around capitalism. They start by unpacking a shared definition of what capitalism is, how it works, and why it's not necessarily working anymore.

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life planning and support offerings.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

A goofy gameshow clips gets this party started and begs the question, "Is it war?" Lauren brings the receipts on the Iran war - what has been spent, who has been killed, and why calling something “kinetic military action” does not make it less like a real war.

Anna brings clarity and polish to frame what counts as an act of war even when Congress avoids the word. Together, they unpack the gap between political spin and reality, especially when the consequences are already measurable.

There are several things we can do, and a very important one is coming up soon - VOTE in the midterms! Check vote.gov to ensure your registration is good to go (deadline varies by state), get registered, and check your polling location since those have changed for a lot of folks.

Is It War? gameshow clip

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life planning and support offerings.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

A creepy story from Yosemite in September is resurrecting the Man vs Bear question for women. Anna and Lauren explore the nuance of that question. Do you think they'll agree? Also, Lauren gets into starting TMS, we dream about living in a land of Moomin, and we discover yet another layer of nerdy-ness together.

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life planning and support offerings.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

Anna and Lauren dive into what happens when models in magazines are no longer real, what that means for the beauty industrial complex and how it impacts beauty standards.

Threads Post that Kicks Off this Convo

Mentioned in this episode

Scene on Radio Episode 9, Season 7: The Tipping Point

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life support offerings and systems management work.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

• Anna and Lauren kick it off by discussing things they find "the worst" that are just petty - like dirty sinks and construction too close to car washes.
• Then, they discuss a recent episode of Pantsuit Politics that Anna listened to that triggered a memory of study findings that found that women, in general, have less hope for the future of America.
• Anna and Lauren explore why that might be, through the lens of the issues discussed in the Pantsuit episode. Could it be the growing misogyny that women are dealing with in the United States?

Articles discussed and referenced:

• He says most women should be denied the vote (Steve Inskeep)
• Defense Secretary Hegseth intervened to stop promotions of Black and female officers (NPR)
• Sew long, farewell: 43-year creator of Blue Angels flight suits supplanted by new contract (Stars and Stripes)
• What to Know About Trump’s Aide Natalie Harp (TIME)
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is freezing her eggs and sharing the process online (The 19th)
• Prior backing for fertility care reversed in Senate panel’s NDAA (Roll Call)

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life planning and support offerings.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

This week we discuss the history of minstrelry, why it's such a factor in Target's latest racist mess-up, and a concerning Instacart order of spider traps.

NPR: Target Halloween Costume Backlash

PBS on the History of Minstrelry

Viola Davis on Target's Apology

What Can We Do? Reduce Harm

Here are two sources mentioned to reduce harm, along with or instead of boycotting Target, minimizing your shopping trips or dollars spent per trip.

• Equal Justice Initiative
• Southern Poverty Law Center

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life support offerings and systems management work.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.

Laugh and cry your way through a discussion on why private equity is literally, the worst. We talk about what private equity (PE) is, who benefits, and how far the tentacles of PE have spread into our lives. Since we're never able to stay on topic, we also find ourselves discussing whether or not hot dogs are a finger food when they're sans bun and wrap up with the good things in our lives right now.

Notes:

Bowling alleys are being bought by private equity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC8hnkUs3fM

Daddy Dogs
https://www.daddysdogs.com/

Anna's Good Thing: Cone-Cept's blueberry shake
https://www.cone-cept.com/

Lauren's Good Thing: French toast iced latte
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVlaw8lkfqV/

Connect with us at literallytheworstpod.com. Or to buy us a coffee, visit buymeacoffee.com/igjm23pjux.

You can find Lauren at www.laurenmhight.com where you can learn more about her end-of-life support offerings and systems management work.

You can find Anna at www.annaschmunk.com, where you can learn more about spiritual direction and subscribe to her free newsletter, Everything is Connected.