All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
All About The Joy
From Brawling to Banter: A Journey through Serious Discussions of Race and Lots of Levity
Ever wondered how a brawl, a hat and a chair could evolve into symbols of resistance? Join us as we journey through the heart of the Montgomery Brawl, unearthing its roots and examining the unexpected, yet humorous aftermath. From the key players involved to the potential hazards that lurked within the chaos, this episode promises a thorough analysis filled with candid conversations bordering on the hilarious and the alarming.
Our discourse extends to the thorny issues of racism and inequality, drawing insightful parallels between reactions to the infamous OJ Simpson trial and the Montgomery Brawl. We navigate through these complex landscapes, threading together the legacy of Emmett Till with contemporary instances of racial discrimination. This episode takes an unflinching look at the fear and injustice that people of color encounter with the police, presenting heart-wrenching narratives of their struggle for equity.
But it's not all heavy; we switch gears to dissect the entertainment and technology sector, throwing light on the studios' exploitation of actors and SAG-AFTRA's efforts to combat these practices. We also unravel some vital lessons on driving safety and the dangers of on-road distractions. And as we wrap up, we serve you an amusing discussion on the subtle meanings of trending slang. So buckle up for this roller-coaster ride that guarantees an engaging blend of serious discussions peppered with entertaining banter.
Thank you for stopping by. Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share. You can also support us by shopping at our STORE - We'd appreciate that greatly. Also, if you want to find us anywhere on social media, please check out the link in bio page.
Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
Hi everybody, welcome to All About the Joy. And of course we have our namesake, as I always say, joy is in the house. Hello, joy. Andrea love seeing you. Tony, thankful, so thankful. And of course, rick. I'm so sorry, rick. I just assume you and I were kind of the same. We're in the same place. I don't need to always say these things. You know what I mean. So Maurio was gonna be on the show. Unfortunately he had a slight emergency. We're just gonna give him some love and praise and hope that he's okay. It should be all right. But he might drop by in the chat and if not, we will touch base with him again soon.
Rick:So Maybe next month.
Carmen:Yeah, or who knows, maybe we'll have him on to talk about something else even before then, so, but I'm so glad you're all here. Thank you so much.
Rick:My pleasure.
Carmen:Okay, I have a list of things, but I guess we should just talk about I know Tony wants to talk about the. It was so good. Okay, the Montgomery brawl, which I'm sure no one is aware of. What happened there, Tony?
Tony:No idea what you're talking about I have no idea. No idea, no idea.
Carmen:Tony, do you wanna tell our viewers and our listeners cause this will go on the podcast Melanie. Hey, Melanie.
Tony:Melanie how you doing. I wanted to. I don't know if you all had a clip or not. I think it's only fit everybody out there. You look at that clip and it's a tidy. Stop looking at just a fight. You gotta look at it from the very beginning. The biggest caution I had before I ever wanted to comment on it was what was the conversation between two of them before it started. They got heated and I really didn't see any reason for the security guard to get hit.
Carmen:Okay, let's stop right there. Not a security guard.
Tony:What was he?
Carmen:He's not a security guard. He is the co-captain of the ferry so.
Tony:Yeah, I did see that too.
Carmen:So let me tell the story cause clearly. I got my facts on point, and then we'll get Tony to jump in and lie about all of it. No, just kidding.
Tony:I'll bring the drama Go ahead.
Carmen:Okay, we ready. Everyone kept calling him a security guard. He's not. He's the co-captain of the ferry they had been telling him for a Telling the people in the. Is it called a pontoon?
Joy:Is that how you say?
Rick:a pontoon boat.
Carmen:To move because they needed to dock and that's where that ferry docks all the time. And if you do watch the clip from the beginning and I'm not there listening but he keeps trying to talk to them to tell them to move and it keeps going back and forth, and back and forth and I feel that when I watched one part of it he almost went out of his way to even still try to be kind to them when they were still trying to blow them off.
Tony:But my question is why weren't they moving that pontoon boat? That was gonna be my original question. That's what I don't have any clarity on. I don't have any interest.
Carmen:Okay, whatever it is. Let's say they're like I paid $5 million to park my pontoon boat there. You can't move it. Is that still any reason to punch someone? No, gang, jump on him. There was, I mean, cause that's really what the there is no reason to attack someone. And he did not attack them first. Right, we did not. The worst part for me was that so many people jumped on top of him thinking I honestly, you know, look at, I saw it after. Everybody else was already talking about it. But we all know what would have happened or what could have happened most likely. Yeah.
Rick:I was scared.
Carmen:That could have been another death of another black man. I'm sorry that's not an exaggeration.
Tony:I'll be honest, a lot of people could have got drowned on that incident too. I was looking at that because it was right by the water and it could have thrown people in there. People could have jumped in on top. That part did have me kind of nervous, but and I'll admit it, when I watched it and first he got hit when he threw the hat, I said, yep, here we go, here we go.
Carmen:I'll see that's like the new symbol, like if that's, you see, the hat go up.
Rick:It was like the funniest thing, the funniest thing I saw is the guy goes. Now. I didn't know this was our black signal for this, but he threw the hat. It was black vengeance assemble. Oh my God.
Tony:See, they think of the south when the second dude came. That's not like, okay, all bits are right, wait, wait, let Joy.
Carmen:I'm sorry, joy, what were you saying?
Joy:No, that's actually a symbol in the south. When you throw your hat down because you don't want to get messed up in a fight, it's on.
Carmen:Oh, that is from the south. Okay, so that is a thing.
Tony:Okay, andrea, don't you threw that hat in the air and I will let this. I almost thought it was running. I'm like I'm over with it. Let me stop.
Carmen:I'm over with it and Andrea, Andrea, I'm sorry.
Andrea:No, I mean, I haven't done as much research as you, so I've looked at it. You know just mostly the clips online, but you know, as a general rule, I don't ever want to see anyone fighting. But it was righteous, it was glorious, it was hilarious. What are you going to do, right?
Carmen:You fudged around and you found out I just thought it was Fudged around.
Andrea:Exactly, the chair is now like an international symbol. I mean like Wait, did you guys see?
Carmen:the Latino. I said you guys, the clip of the Latino like that was really funny, like the chair with the Mexican hat on top of it and the mariachi band in the back.
Tony:I don't see that one.
Carmen:I got looked at I see the clip.
Andrea:I said the clip.
Carmen:People were talking about the Lutzen Band. It's only like 30 seconds. It's like a chair.
Tony:it's still a chair and everybody was singing Lutzen. Every time that chair comes up, I've been Chair still a chair.
Rick:I saw like so you know how you can get a phone stand Like here's one. Here I have five below's playing games. They made a phone stand that looks like a folding chair. I was like you did not. You did not. I saw earrings that were folding chairs All of their t-shirts everywhere.
Carmen:It's like it's on. There was the mural of Rosa Parks. They put the chair. You know how her hand is reaching out in the mural. They put the chair there. I mean, it's all so wrong, but so creative.
Andrea:Very proud of people.
Carmen:Very creative.
Andrea:Very creative. I saw a reenactment I don't know if you guys saw that the next day. It was like a bunch of friends who reenacted it in the pool.
Tony:I'm sorry, I'll do it.
Carmen:I know I look at it, but I mean all the memes and everything was really funny, but I really do think that there is a change of foot. People are tired. People are tired of racism, people are really tired of bad behavior, bad behavior.
Tony:I want to jump on the racist aspect of it. That's why I told people watch it entirely and look clearly. They want to say it was a race issue, but I think they missed it was a part in the very beginning. There was a white guy to try to stop it and them saying people pushed him out the way. People missed that. So this is more of an ignorance issue.
Carmen:This is more of a I'm going to disagree with you 100%, but go on.
Tony:Yeah, but honestly there's a part. In the very beginning, when it was about to jump on him, one dude came and tried to break it up. They pushed him out the way.
Carmen:Yeah, but that doesn't make it not a racist issue. That just makes the guy try to.
Tony:I see a little aspect of racism that they made a little light white force to jump on black force, and that was it. That was why people were trying to stop them and they weren't listening. So it became an ignorance issue. It became a violence issue. This whole thing wasn't just white on black because some white people nobody white would try to stop it.
Carmen:OK, Tony, what are you talking about?
Tony:I used to live there. I'm trying to tell you.
Carmen:I'm telling you, just because a couple of people tried to stop something doesn't mean it wasn't a race issue. I absolutely believe that white people in that situation thought they could get away.
Rick:Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, With just hanging up on one black man.
Carmen:That's what they thought, and look if they were probably drunk out of there. I don't know what was wrong with them.
Tony:Somebody said they were drunk. I don't have confidence.
Carmen:I don't know why they thought that was an OK thing to try to do, but it was all of them against one person.
Tony:There was a group of four women in the year. They wanted to try to break up. They pushed them out the way and everybody else came in.
Carmen:All right, you're holding on to that one person. Anyway, he didn't do a good job so it didn't work. But, Joy, what were you going to say? Because you know I'm going to keep fighting with Tony and none of you are going to be able to talk, so go ahead.
Joy:No, because now this is something I'm curious about I wonder how much alcohol was involved, because when you have alcohol and somebody wanting to go to a spot, or it doesn't necessarily even have to be about that specific situation, but when you have alcohol and a bunch of people and I'll be honest with you, now it happens everywhere, but I mean in the South you can have a bunch of rednecks, and redneck is different than a hillbilly. Yeah See, tony knows, tony knows, and you know it can be a good one.
Carmen:Andrea is raising her hand. Andrea is raising her hand, boy, and with clarification, I assume.
Andrea:Andrea, do you have any good definitions? Just so that I am culturally aware of it.
Tony:Go ahead, joy. I can't with this, ok.
Joy:OK, this is my definition. Ok, a hillbilly is somebody like from the South, who is just a good person, who is just very country, very southern, but a redneck. Now, granted, a hillbilly can turn into a redneck, just like that, honey, but a redneck is a hillbilly with a really bad attitude.
Carmen:He's really angry at the world.
Joy:I mean, they can just like you know, and yeah, so you know that's in its Alabama. Come on people, it's.
Tony:Alabama. Don't get me started. Don't get me started.
Carmen:I read that book Hillbilly Elegy. How do you say it? Hello, I was all the yeah, and then I got mad at the guy who wrote it, so, but I felt like I learned a lot about White people. That's almost In a different way that I would have never known before, you know, because it came from his point of view.
Tony:So I Just saw an argument between two guys that I thought were both country Rednecks and I go ahead and select that until one called the other one in hillbilly and he got mad he was about to fight. I said, oh, they really use a difference. I kind of stood back wait, wait.
Carmen:So he got upset for being called to hillbilly. Wouldn't it be the other way around? You would?
Tony:This is a redneck in a hillbilly. There's a difference and they will. It'll come out.
Andrea:But redneck is okay and hillbilly is not see.
Tony:That's the thing it was ready to fight and I would like this. I need to take notes because I didn't notice.
Joy:Joy go ahead. I'm sorry because in the south hillbilly is Quote-unquote a slang term for someone who is ignorant, most often poor, raised without manners. But when you really look at it that's not at all what a hillbilly is. But that's the perfection of what a hillbilly is.
Rick:Probably because of that TV show that we just got mentioned about Beverly Hillbilly's.
Carmen:So confused, go ahead.
Andrea:Oh sorry, I took a soft track.
Joy:You were saying no, this is not part of it.
Carmen:No, no, no, go ahead. Joy you were talking about. I'm Fascinated. That is Distinction. I think, we will, because I'm learning something. I have no problem with that, but, um, so it's Okay. Which one are we not supposed to call somebody like? Which one is gonna get someone upset? Like I say the n-word, what would be the word? You don't want to call someone? What?
Joy:Okay, now see, this is where it can get a little tricky, because but some people, some people get really offended if you do call me hillbilly, because it's most often thought as God, you're stupid, you're just a dumb. Hillbilly is like a major term.
Carmen:Okay, but I'm raising my hand because I thought redneck was that it can be, but a redneck is worse than it. That's what I got. Okay, so both of these are bad. We shouldn't be calling.
Rick:Bingo. Okay. I'm always taken as hillbilly, probably poor, definitely in the south. Maybe he's not super educated, not saying that you know, hey, ash, but they can be cool, nice people. But a redneck automatically has a connotation of your jerk. You're hateful, you're probably racist right. That's why I.
Joy:And the funny thing is redneck. The term redneck actually comes from Scotland. Oh oh, so it's. It's got a long. I would have never thought that. No, it comes actually from the Scottish immigrants that came over and it's like right now, the that whole history, just like, has left my mind.
Carmen:But there is a history behind the term redneck, hmm, yeah so Melanie just said this is starting to sound like the pronoun controversy. We are not going down that road, we're not we gonna bring it back. We gonna bring it back because now I'm half Scottish and I'm not a redneck.
Tony:I would have never thought it would have came from.
Carmen:Scotland. Um, it did. Yeah, that is so hilarious. Well, okay, so the white people which is what I will keep calling them who fudged around and found out I personally, from my experience, from just growing up in the neighborhoods, I did I found it Interesting that so many people were upset, that that people of color were, and you know all, you know, even a lot of white people were applauding, laughing, making jokes, happy about it. And it reminded me of the OJ Simpson trial. When the OJ Simpson trial, when the verdict came out and People of color were so excited and happy that he got Found not guilty, um, and people really got upset. It's not that anyone, any, I know for myself I did. I know he is guilty, no, but, um, but it was more about it was kind of finally seeing it's. It's not revenge, it's some sort of justice, if that makes any sense, right, it's, it's about a form of justice. So, yes, go ahead.
Joy:Go ahead and give you my spin on this, because up until earlier today I've heard about this is the brawl I've, because I can't see it. Most y'all know I'm blind, so I can't see what was going on, so all I was hearing was a lot of the description. However, I Did not know until earlier today the Co-captain was a black man Did not know that really did not know that out of all the stories and everything.
Tony:As you heard, nobody made the emphasis.
Joy:Yeah, because, quite frankly, I've been so busy here lately, I've been catching like little bits and pieces of news so I didn't know, you know, if all the people on the on the pontoon or the majority of them was white or black right had no idea, had no idea who the gentleman the co-captain was, had no idea. Now, for me, not knowing that, mm-hmm, I'm thinking what was the interaction in the words, that conversation, before that first punch was thrown?
Tony:That's what I said to begin I.
Carmen:Know, but here's the problem. I mean, enjoy, I'm gonna let you finish, but I understand that we don't live in that world. I wish nobody could see my skin color. That is not like a factual thing. That's happening on the planet. We don't live in La La Land where everyone's gonna treat everybody equally.
Carmen:So I don't know what the words were that happened, but we could see what happened very easily and we could see the gestures that were going back and forth and we could see the co-captain making every. I mean, he was going back and forth and trying to explain and you could see it Happening. And the other thing I'll say too, is you could see the white people turn around and jump on this man Like there. I understand and I'm, I'm, I'm gonna let you finish, but I'm just not gonna walk down this Lily pad perfect world scenario without jumping in. I just can't do it.
Carmen:And before joy, before you go on, I'm just gonna say Melanie, we're not gonna talk about if OJ was white and blah, blah. That was not the point. The point was just to because your, your comment is valid. She said if OJ were white, would those same people be just as happy if he were found innocent? The point was is it wasn't about whether or not he was guilty or Innocent. Most people know he was guilty. It was that the justice system that is always about rich people and always about white people. It always goes that way.
Carmen:Finally, in this one moment the OJ Simpson trial we felt a justice. That's all that was about. I, I hate him, I know he murdered them, I live in the neighborhood where he did it, I mean, but that's not what that was about. It was kind of the same thing that happened here with this whole Drama with the, with the boat and the ferry. It's the same concept is we're happy, not because a fight happened and people got there but whooped, it's because we finally felt a sense of you're not gonna kill another black man Again over something stupid. That's what this was about. I'm sorry, joy, go ahead.
Joy:No, I would just like to know the conversation Prior. That's all I'm saying now. Granted, yeah, no, I'm in Memphis right now. So, and the big topic you know that happened earlier was the Tyree case. Okay, yes, all of, and I won't go into a lot of detail. No, but, um, those officers were black. This is a black young man. This was okay, let's just get real. This was a skinny guy. Okay, he was tall. He weighed about my weight, like 150 pounds. He was a tall, skinny guy Compared to these cops who were. One of them was a big man. Okay, well, with guns, right, yes, but what it's coming down to and this will come out, and it has come out it all comes down to a woman. Now, it has nothing to do with this other case, don't be right. But what I'm just trying to say is If, if I Lost my train, car, no, no, it's like Words Are power.
Andrea:Mm-hmm.
Joy:And when you throw alcohol into it, absolutely can make it a lot worse. It's just like adding fuel to the fire. And I'm not saying this is a race matter because I don't know.
Carmen:I Honestly don't know what, wait, wait. What are we talking about now?
Joy:again that, that going back to the, to the, to the fairies, the fairy and the in the pontoon barge, I'm gonna tell you mama's grave.
Carmen:It was a race issue. I'm just gonna tell you right now it was well, I'm not. Don't think white people who don't think it's a race issue are part of the problem. I'm so sorry. Okay, this is okay.
Joy:I'm gonna say I'm sorry, I never, it's like up until earlier today, I didn't know who was white and who was black, I know, but that's because you can't see joy, I understand that. But if I would have watched the news and had caught all of the story I would have known. But just saying that, I would still like to know that conversation. I please you know what I would like to know?
Carmen:I would like to know the conversation between so many of the black men who have died at the hands of white people. I would love to know all the same conversation. But here's the problem We've heard those conversations. We've watched them on camera. You know it's it. Look it I'm. This is not what I wanted to talk about, but that's okay because we're here. You know, we go back to Rodney King back in the day, where you know that was the first time, I guess, people saw a black man get taken out of a truck and beaten up by cops. I don't know if any of you remember that from back in the day. It was like the early 90s or something you know and that whole thing that happened. We watched that as a society. We watched that and you know what's happened since then. Nothing more. Black people keep getting killed. We have a race issue in this country and to keep pretending that we don't is pissing me off right now Pissing me off.
Joy:Please understand that I'm not saying that it wasn't a race issue. I'm not saying that at all Because it very well you know, when it comes down there's gonna be people charged and when everything comes out we'll know. But I'm not by any means saying that it wasn't a race issue, because I don't know.
Carmen:Let me back up. This isn't about a law issue, about race. See, this is what people don't understand. The racism that I'm talking about is ingrained in us. So I'm not saying all of those guys or the people on the pontoon whoever they were, the family, I forget their names they were turning around, they were drinking, they were having a great time. I'm not saying they were like, hey, let's go beat up a black guy. I don't think they intentionally meant to go do what they did. But when we have racism ingrained in us, when we think we are entitled to behave a certain way around people because we have been given the opportunities and the privilege and the ability to do what we want and never have any ramifications, that's what we're talking about when we're talking about institutional racism. So I'm not saying that white people are constantly walking around being racist human beings. I'm saying we need to stop pretending that you don't have an entitlement issue in this country. Do you think I would ever?
Carmen:There is a snapshot of a white woman touching a cop during that whole thing. She's touching him and trying to move him or do something, and it was a snapshot and all I kept thinking in my head was I would never in a million years touch a cop, never. That is the fear that I have grown up with in my life. That is a fear that has been realized over and over again in my life. And all you people and I'm gonna say you, all of you, I'm not talking about white people, everyone, especially boomers all of a sudden are like oh, we have cameras now. Oh, did that? Oh, that's what you're talking about. So now you have it visually in front of you.
Tony:So you're not correct about that. You are correct about that, yes.
Carmen:I'm correct about a lot of what I'm saying, but here's what I'm, but thank you but here's what.
Carmen:I'm gonna say this is what we've grown up with in our entire lives. Watching people of color being hurt, being treated maliciously, being maligned, being talked down to being called a boy, watching black men being hurt, it just riles me. And until white people stop this conversation of like oh well, I don't know, did it really happen? You know, maybe that's not gonna help us. We need to start really embracing the idea that something is wrong. I can't fix racism. I have tried. Black people keep trying to fix it. White people need to stop this La La Land conversation that the world is so perfect and if we just all talked and got along, it'll be fine. I'm sorry, I'm angry because I can't stand it anymore. I'm so. I need especially white people that I know. I need you to stand up and, andrea, you know I have been screaming about this with all my white friends for how long.
Andrea:Forever. I mean, rodney King happened before we met, but that, like you said, nothing has changed. You know, it feels like it's even worse because we see more of it, but that's all just because there's cameras everywhere. But I think, for me, exactly what you just said. I think that's in many ways, what sort of captured the imagination of this is that these white folks thought that they were getting away with this right. They thought this was okay. They were all beating on this black man and they thought that it was gonna be okay and who knows where it could have gone or whatever. They didn't know that there was essentially like the Avengers, like coming at them, there was an army that was gonna unite and fricking take them down.
Carmen:Can we talk about Jamaico Phelps? Yeah.
Rick:Hashtag black people can't swim man.
Carmen:Jamaico. I love that they called him all these days, but that one tripped me out Jamaico Phelps.
Andrea:Well, I had a card. Lugo Gooding Jr was the one that got me, but Schoolboy goodies.
Tony:I got a other one.
Andrea:Wow.
Rick:Aquamanian I mean, that's.
Andrea:that is right there. What you explained to that's the issue is that they were all out there together, just them and one black man, and they felt totally empowered and entitled to do whatever, because they were drunk, because they're racist. All of you know what I mean. Whatever it may have been, they didn't realize what was just about to come at them, and that's what's the sort of when I said earlier, it was righteous, right, it's like oh okay, how many other people have you guys done this to? We don't know. You know how many other situations there's been Gajillion's are probably of situations like that that were not on camera and someone you know there wasn't an army coming to, like, take them down.
Tony:When you say Gajillion, I dare say that's an understatement.
Andrea:Yeah.
Tony:The fact that the people showed up is where we will get an upliftment, and I was trying to be nice and calm. I'm gonna go ahead and say it. It was about damn time we did it. I'm gonna go ahead and tell everybody because, like they say, you don't even realize how much this has happened. If you don't believe me, you need to go back to some of these history stories, go back to some of these civil rights stories, go back to a bunch of things that happened against black folks. I actually did a broadcast on the last year Rick I think he was there when I did it when I showed how they used to use on black babies for alligator bait. How much stuff they done against black people. What happened with Emmett Till? And she lived till her death and they still didn't prosecute her, as, even though she lied on a 14 year old boy, he got killed and they beat him up and nobody did nothing about it.
Joy:And she even admitted that.
Tony:Yes, she admitted it. Yes, she admitted it. That's the way it was.
Carmen:You know what would have been beautiful. Enjoy. I just want to apologize. I'm starting to cry and I don't want to. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off on you. I was just going off on the whole thing. You know what I mean? Because I'm just tired of it. Like the thing that would have been really beautiful if the white people within the group started beating on the other white people to tell them to stop. Like that's the thing, like how can it not be racism when somebody's not really when was any one thing?
Andrea:That's not cool. Fucking knock it, sorry, knock it off you know what I mean.
Carmen:Don't use an alligator because of Rick.
Joy:No, it's fine, I'll get you one thing she tend to slip once on the blue.
Tony:I can't mind a one or two.
Carmen:I'm sorry.
Rick:I know that was so funny. To me, though, was like when you see black man skipping towards you. You know you messed up. You know you messed up.
Carmen:It's so true. It's so true, I know.
Joy:Carmen, I want you to please, please, please, please understand. I am not disagreeing with you at all. Okay, I do agree with you. I have black friends who Don't ever say that again.
Carmen:Don't ever say black friends, you have black friends. Please don't Well.
Joy:I was being sad. Well, you have friends. You have friends. I've got friends who happen to be black, and one is a pastor, and because he was black, he got pulled over one night and had to spend the night in jail, and he did absolutely nothing wrong. I know this is our normal life, though, so please, please know I am not disagreeing with you at all. Okay, I am not. I just want you to know that?
Carmen:No, I know, I know. And the reason why I don't want you to say that you have black friends is because people have to stop saying that as well, you have friends and you can explain that that he is black, but it's just a. You know, it's the cliche line that gets everyone in trouble, right, like I have two.
Joy:The funny part about it is finance gets me in trouble. The funny part about it is I always say that, and I don't know why it just came out that way no, no no, all right.
Carmen:So I'm just giving you a heads up, like I'm calling people out now, especially people who are my friends, and Dre is like, oh God, I got her, but I've never changed. I'm the same way. I don't have people in my life that can't handle it either, you know, because I break down and cry. Here's the thing, and I don't know if Tony will agree with this, and I don't know Rick. I think Rick tends to side with people of color more often than not. But I get really upset, I cry, it ruins my day, it hurts me painfully when I hear of another black man getting hurt or killed or maimed or shot at or like. It is emotional. I don't know any of these people and it breaks me every time and I think it's because it continues to happen and it feels like nobody cares, and when I say nobody, I mean it feels like white people haven't figured it out yet.
Tony:We're not going anywhere. They keep telling us we need to control ourselves, we need to learn how to behave, we need to go to counseling, we need to follow the law. We could have done all of that.
Joy:We've done that and we will still be persecuted.
Tony:That's where she's coming from and she's correct. We can see it better. Play every aspect of the game that everybody wants us to be a part of, and they will still find something to hell wrong with. That's what pisses us off from Black man, and I will tell you that the system isn't necessarily designed for us, because it wasn't even written for us.
Tony:Looking to your history books, who wrote it? What was the status of Black people when it was written? All of these aspects. People got to take all of this into control. Things may have improved where you all aren't as punishing, but that doesn't make us as equal still to this day. Oh no, we're not equal, and I dare a bunch of people to challenge that. This is nothing against anybody out there who knows where I'm coming from. This is for the people who sit back and be like why don't you do this? Why don't you do that? Look on the news. Well, black men commit some murder. They're ready to convict them, but if it's a white kid, they claim mental illness. Think about it. If it's somebody from another country, that's where they're a terrorist.
Carmen:Well, not if they're from Mexico, because you know that's a whole other topic.
Tony:I'm just saying.
Rick:I think before the internet, and I'll go ahead Joy.
Joy:Go ahead. Well, I'll just say this really quick In DeSoto County, right out in Mississippi, it's just right across the line they had an election yesterday. They got a black sheriff, they voted him in. That has happened since 1850. That's just my idea. Yeah, you know.
Carmen:so it's like I'm just kind of I don't know. I you know, this is a thing that I thought. You know, I'm in my 50s now and for me, I can't believe we're still here and it's so. Then something like this happens, where people of color take control of the situation and save a man. Save a situation Because, make no mistake, if that man had been murdered which is not an extreme thought, by the way, right, no, it's not All of those white people would have been in jail for the rest of their lives, or maybe not. I don't know, maybe not.
Carmen:But my point is it would have changed people's lives.
Rick:Yeah, I was going to say, before the internet and cell phones, a lot of white people just like ugh, you're exaggerating, we're equal. You don't want to tell them? No, y'all don't. You're lying about the whole, scared to get pulled over by a cop who's going to get killed. They don't believe it and I'm like, I've seen it myself. I told the story all the time. We were going to Six Flags and one of my best friends he was black and he was in the car. He wasn't driving, he was in the back seat and a cop pulled him over, looked straight at him in the back seat, keeping his hands back and seeing him what.
Carmen:Why? Yeah, this is normal. I'm not trying to be rude, rick. It's not stunning. I've been stopped by cops in my own neighborhood. Andrea, I don't know if I told you what happened when, brentwood, I had gone to Whole Foods too early. So Whole Foods is the grossest. I don't know if everybody knows that, but and it was too early, so I turned my car around and thought I would wait at the school and the school was closed. It was like a early Friday morning, it was a holiday or a Monday, something like that. It was a Friday, but the school was closed. Oh yeah, because it was like seven in the morning, that's what it was. So I thought I would sit there and wait and I was just going through my phone or whatever, and a cop came up behind me and I was like and I get, I just have to tell you I get really terrified. I don't know how to explain it. It's the scariest thing to me and I've been afraid about a lot of things in my life, but when a cop pulls up behind, me.
Tony:I could explain it for you.
Carmen:It's scary, I know, you know.
Tony:I can explain it for you. The reason why it terrifies is because they don't advertise that we can get off as easily as other people. Well, it's not even that.
Carmen:I'm more worried about dying, but here let me just finish this. They came up behind me. A woman got out of the car. Not that I thought that would be a safe space, but I was at least like okay, maybe you know what I mean. She came up and she was like what are you doing here? Can I have your license and registration, whatever? And I was like I live in the neighborhood. And then I realized, oh, don't talk back, just get over what she wants. Here's the worst part Cop cars came.
Carmen:Another cop car came in front. We're talking like three years ago in my neighborhood. Oh, four years ago, because I was living in another apartment. Remember, did I tell you about that, andrea? I don't remember. It's like four years ago and it was the cop car that came in front of me that scared me. That means the guy in the back called for backup. What am I gonna do? Do you know what it feels like for people to think that I'm going to do something to hurt somebody, a cop, somebody, like I don't know? It's a weird. I mean I'm laughing, but I'm so sad.
Andrea:I don't know how to explain it.
Carmen:Hey, sweetheart, how you doing.
Rick:Hey Jason.
Tony:Like I'm a good son, he can't hear you. You're going to turn the wave.
Carmen:Oh, okay, because we can hear him.
Tony:I saw. I'll try to meet my mic. My apologies.
Carmen:Anyways, I'm sorry, I just. I mean, rick, I know what you're talking about. It's just like. This is what I mean. Like white people need to stop being so surprised. This is what happens our entire lives, and I have had nothing compared to black men, nothing compared to dark skin women, cause, by the way, I'm considered, you know, I'm one of the good haired ones and I have light skin. You know what I mean. So I get away with a lot more and, it's true, I have much more privilege in the black community than black people do that are very, very dark skin it's. And so when I'm telling you that I'm in this much pain, imagine what people like Tony or I don't know I don't want to speak for you, tony, but people who are dark skin, especially men in this country.
Tony:The kicker is what we've all said about the recordings and everything. These are the same people that demand proof of a situation cause they don't believe that black folks will go through it, and then, when they had the proof, they're making an excuse about it. That's some BS. You have the evidence right in front of your face and you still think we're full of it. That's why we're mad, that's why we're angry, that's why we celebrated what happened down there.
Tony:We're tired of trying to prove it. We're tired of trying to seek the justice. God forbid. We had to take it in our own hands. You're not going to be happy or be grateful or like what we're going to do. And they showed no holds barred. They jumped in the boat after the family, they jumped straight in the boat. Some of the people weren't there. Okay, who else you with? We're going to go out to them too. And I saw it. I went mm-hmm. I already know what this is.
Carmen:There was another clip where the man who hit the woman in the head with the chair we need to go fund me for him.
Carmen:No, no, no. But here's the thing, the thing that people don't realize. And in the clip I sent you, in the email I sent you well, there's a, you can go, click on it A white man is talking about. It's funny how everyone's upset about the black man who hit her over the head with the chair. Nobody talks about what happened before, what she was doing, but, more importantly, nobody notices the black woman afterwards who's trying to protect her, right? So that's why I sent you that clip, because that's exactly what's happening, like she's actually trying to help her and it's kind of that whole thing Like people are upset with him hitting her with the chair and he was trying to stop her from doing what she had been doing the whole time, which was hurting other people. And someone also said she didn't die.
Rick:I saw that, but did she die? I saw that.
Carmen:Did, she die.
Rick:Yeah.
Tony:Did she?
Rick:die.
Tony:I'm gonna tell you, I heard this phrase at the first time of the drives me and that's when people say that but did she die? I'm like, all right, y'all keep playing.
Carmen:No, no, no, but it was just kind of funny because that was kind of like, you know, she okay, right, she got a bang up the head, but she fine, you know.
Rick:That's not like she didn't hit nobody either.
Carmen:Hmm, Anyways.
Joy:Well, it is because, in like I said, I you know I saw little bits and pieces of all of this, but is the captain of the ship the fairy? Is he okay?
Tony:He's fine, from what I saw, because he didn't go down necessarily. They took him down but he also got back up and he was ready for more. I think he's good. The captain of the boat was actually trying to tell everybody to stop. I saw a clip of the whole thing all the way through. It's about seven or eight minutes. I wanna say I can't get it to where I could just play, because, I'm not gonna lie, I saw it on TikTok. You know everybody got their commentaries and they got a superimposed with whatever they're doing there. I was watching it all the way through.
Tony:Jaleh, she said the black one was trying to help the white one. When she was down trying to get people to stop. There was a lot of people that was trying it just got. It got crazy. It did get out of control. It did. We're not gonna lie. When the cops came down, you should have seen it. They were standing around. They didn't know who to try to stop. First they did not. I think they were going after the original people in the first place, but then they had to back this person off, back this person off. There were more people than there were police.
Carmen:So it could have became a real, a real situation, yeah, but then the police and the black men were all walking together.
Tony:I mean, it was kind of obvious at that point where yes, because I'm pretty sure everybody told them what happened on the way down there.
Carmen:But I also think, though. I do think the other people were drunk, I do think they like. It's only obvious to see them. Being so enamored, whatever the word. Not enamored, what am I thinking of? That's not the right word.
Tony:I'm not sure.
Carmen:Hammered. I think hammered that works. That works Because I think the enamored is like your love's body. I'll give it to you.
Rick:But it's just moving a boat, such a big deal. Why couldn't they just move the?
Tony:flip and move. That's my point. Yeah, that's my really point. Why would they move the boat? And then, why did they hit him? It was a wrap after you hit him.
Carmen:Because it's entitlement. It goes back to what we were saying I got that part.
Tony:It's not entitlement, it was so easy. You know what's so funny.
Carmen:I would never in a million years fight somebody like that I'm not saying the actual one, they got on top of him. I mean, if somebody said, man, you got to move your boat because the ferry is coming, I wouldn't even, it wouldn't even dawn on me to be like, yeah, no, I'm leaving my boat there, I'm going to leave my boat there. You know what I mean? Yeah, I don't know.
Tony:As Paul's, I can't say that I'm loving your comment. What did she?
Carmen:say I don't do anything drunk, that I don't believe in sober.
Tony:I can't say that.
Carmen:Oh, really, wait, what do you mean? So you do things.
Tony:I kind of change when I drink. You just control them. What?
Carmen:kind of drunk are you? That's interesting who.
Tony:Me. Honestly, when I drink dark liquor, I'm taking it easy. That's why a lot of times I'm live streaming with everybody. I'll drink dark liquor when I drink clear liquor. Oh, that's the body guard. That's the other one, that's the one that would have been down there on the riverfront with the rest of them by my third long island. I want to know who wants what. Just telling the truth. Tell me yes, ma'am.
Joy:Let me ask you this, because I've heard other people talk about this and I don't drink it, so I don't know. So why is that?
Tony:Body chemistry.
Joy:True for it.
Tony:A lot of people when you drink clear liquor. When you drink clear liquor, two parties to make a song. Jim Mick, you sing. I know a lot of women that swim when they drink clear liquor. It makes them more sexual.
Carmen:Andrea, you know, you and I will be drinking the same thing right.
Joy:Right If you don't.
Tony:A lot of people drink dark liquor to mellow out.
Carmen:So I'm going to tell you what me and Andrea are thinking about right now.
Tony:Go for it.
Carmen:I'm going to tell you exactly what we're thinking about right now. Liquor is liquor. Baby, you've been told to laugh, it's all the same thing, liquor is liquor, clear liquor and dark liquor.
Tony:There's a difference, carmen. No, ma'am.
Carmen:But you drink more of it or you drink less of it, but liquor is liquor. This whole thing like, ooh, don't mix beer and alcohol. Yeah, it's a lot. Here's why we know. Why do we know, Andrea?
Andrea:I'm like, oh, Just, you know lots of readings.
Tony:Yeah, lots of readings.
Carmen:That's all I see over there, speaking with scientists and people who study the art of alcohol Research papers, research papers.
Rick:Chat GPT Research papers.
Tony:I already ran a research papers.
Carmen:Chat GPT. I'm going to try that next time I'm drunk. See how that works. Now I'm doing it.
Andrea:Let's see Butter prompts with dark liquor.
Carmen:Oh my god, Now let me say that if someone's car is blocking traffic on the street, it gets towed. Can boats get towed?
Tony:I think they get. They do get ticketed. I think they could be moved.
Carmen:I mean, when you look at it you can see that the ferry is waiting to dock.
Rick:It's right there, I heard 40 minutes.
Carmen:This is the other part of it. It took so long because they were trying to get them to move Like, ok, if the captain had jumped off the boat and it was a five minute thing, I would have been like, ok, that's just wrong. 40 minutes of him trying to get them, yeah, but can we talk about a 16 year old who jumps from the boat? Yeah into the water To defend.
Tony:Michael Phil's Ricky smiley Kilton. When you talk about that, you all have to see that clip too.
Carmen:Which is really Aaron, right, aaron sure it's Aaron, but it's like spelled a E Roan or something like that it's Aaron, something they still do what it's spelled differently.
Carmen:It's not a, a ro when it's like a E-R-O-N, something like that, you know. But he's, his family, put out a statement saying you know, we're very grateful, and blah, blah, blah, whatever. But I think they had to stop the the donations because they kept giving him money. And he said Something like something to the extent of I just did what I was taught to do it. I was like, oh my god, those parents must be so proud.
Tony:I Apparently they were fellow coworkers.
Andrea:Yeah.
Rick:I saw a comedian say did you see how he swam? Though he didn't swim regularly, he was punching the water he was ready to fight.
Carmen:Oh, I know what happened. He took off his boots, that's what it was. So they started trying to raise money from the buy boots and, like now, I think he's college education, I.
Tony:But what a, what a brilliant be able to afford Harvard after all those donations.
Carmen:I mean, I, I, I would think, as a parent, that would be an incredible moment. I don't know. I'm not a parent, so I don't know you all are, I'm not to Melanie.
Tony:I will tell you the clearest video I saw of it in its entirety and I was a innocent tidy, not clips Now people with their edits. The clearest one I saw was on TikTok. I will try to find a better one and I will try to send it to you. I think everybody need to see it in its entirety, I'm think, to fully understand and fully get a grasp on what it was, instead of just a snippet stay was everybody just showed the highlights.
Carmen:Yeah, but you can just Google it.
Tony:It's not that long, tony, don't make it sound like no, I couldn't find it on YouTube couple days ago.
Carmen:I could not find it on Google, alabama brawl or whatever, and you'll find it.
Tony:Montgomery. Montgomery Riverfront brawl. Montgomery Riverfront brawl. Youtube did not have any videos. I was looking about two three days ago.
Carmen:No, no, I'm saying she can do Google and then go to a news source of her choice, because they were all covering it and a lot of them. That's how I looked at it it was. I mean I did see it. I saw it on TikTok first, but then I went because you know me do my research, but I went and, yeah, I mean you can find it and you can, you can look at it, you can look at the clips and you can figure it out. I don't think I'm not. I'm not trying to be rude, but it's really not a diff. I'm just gonna say like it's not a hard thing to figure out when you watch it. It's not hard. You know what I mean. There's no AI, there's no editing happening.
Tony:Who did see the video? My man that was up top in the blue shirt when he was standing over real, he stopped and looked and then he ran down there. I said, yeah, he come. The rest of the fleet. He was pretty much one of my heroes in there. He brought everybody else on board.
Carmen:Yeah, I just think it's an unfortunate. I wish we could talk about this without race. I really do. I would love, I hope, that in my lifetime I will be able to look at a situation and not consider race. I really do. I would love that moment to happen in my lifetime. I swear I know a lot of people can live like that. I don't. I see, I see things and my first thought is what did I do wrong you?
Rick:know it's funny that we watch a lot of old Star Trek the original one, and today they show the one where it's the race where Half the face is white and half the face is black, but then there's the other people that I reverse. So if you're white and this side blacks decide, then you're one thing, but if it's reversed, they hate you and it's like we look at like that. So stupid, exactly.
Carmen:That's like a what was it? Also, the Twilight Zone had a similar Show like that, you know. I mean all these things talk about race all the time and still doesn't help. People don't get it. What my favorite part is is so many people that are into sci-fi and into all of these shows, and they are the most racist people I've ever met. That is the thing that boggles my mind. How can you watch Star Trek or any of these shows and be a racist piece of shit is beyond me.
Tony:I'm sorry because the ones who are doing the space traveling are the ones who the most elite and the ones with the most money.
Carmen:What are you talking about now? What?
Tony:a lot of the ones through the traveling to the different cultures, to the different planets. One they can afford it or they're a part of their culture. When you go to these different planets you realize some of them don't have any type of space technology. They also have people who don't.
Carmen:Okay, I'm not trying to geek out on, not tonight. Not tonight because I'm here's the thing like, if you're just looking at the Enterprise crew, how can you even be racist like it? Just Work with them. I'm not about going into other cultures, is just.
Andrea:I agree in.
Carmen:Roddenberry's whole point was about us. We are all more alike than unelect. That was his whole point, and that's a quote by Maya Angelou, by the way, I don't want to take that from her. It's because they're dumb exactly.
Andrea:Thank you, Ash of course, of course.
Carmen:That's what it is. Um, okay, before we end this, I'm all here. I just want to talk about sag after strike today, because I actually went and I Andrea's gonna fall off her chair. I actually went and did my strike today. I have on my shirt. You walked around.
Andrea:I know, you know me.
Carmen:I never do protests, I've never do nothing, but there any celebrities? I'm sorry. So were there any celebrities? And that Benning was there, um, and she is extraordinarily lovely. I was at the Culver City one, which is at Fox Studios, and this is this was my first time at the strike. Joy, I don't know if you know about the strike that's going on with sag after it. Oh, you do. Okay, sorry, and Tony, you know right, um, and I'm part of sag after. So I went today and I'm gonna try to go twice a week. I was only there for an hour and a half, but it was Amazing. There were a lot of people there, a lot of celebrities and, um, I don't have to a lot of select there. I mean, annette Benning was the the biggest one I saw, but there had been before I got there and after I left, um, and they're always there. Um, they won't. They want more celebrities because it brings More note. You know what I mean. What do you call it like?
Rick:No right.
Carmen:No, right, yeah, whatever attention, thank you. So it was great. I just want to say this I met a lot of people at the strike, a lot of just regular working people. I met a man in his 70s. There were a lot of older people there who have been actors and you know, and you're walking, so you're holding your pickets on, you just start talking to people and it's heart wrenching to hear older people who've been in this business 40, 50 years and Haven't been able to make enough money to have health insurance.
Carmen:So the threshold to be an actor every year to get health insurance through the union which, by the way, I don't get because I don't work as an actor Okay, um, even though I am an actor, um, it's twenty six thousand dollars a year. So you have to make twenty six thousand dollars a year as an actor in order to be able To get the insurance through sag after. That's the minimum threshold. Okay, the reason why I bring this up is not because there I don't have some issues with that. Like, everyone should be able to get health care. That's a whole other conversation. But I want people to understand that 98% of the actors Do not have this ability to get health insurance and don't even make twenty six thousand dollars a year. So they all have second jobs. You know what I mean. So I just want to.
Rick:What? Or three, or four, I mean.
Carmen:So I just want to give a shout out to sag. After we also had writers, guilds are also in the strike with us, so that was kind of cool. I mean it's not, but it was cool. Okay, here's the fun part. We're walking at the gate and, of course, all the people going into Fox studios In their cars and my sign was like sag after a honk, please. And they can't honk. They can't because they work for the studios, so, but it was really kind of fun. And other people honking, like all of the big truckers that were going by, all the like plumbers who are going by all the big trucks. So it was really cool and and and I hope people can understand that we're fighting for something Way bigger. It's not just about actors, and I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for actors. We're fighting for all of us to make sure that we're not taken over by artificial intelligence. What did you want to ask?
Tony:was a Factor in some of the strike number one. Number two Did you see Leslie Jones's video on tick tock? I thought she did. I'll stand up with her stance on the strike.
Carmen:She's amazing. Yeah, so the issue with art look at, I love artificial intelligence. I sent you all a link to my blog post. I am not. I see it as a tool, right? So I'm not against. Look it's here. It's technology. I'm excited for it. I love technology. It's, it's my, it's why I know all of you now well, andrea, I've known forever in person, but I mean I would have never met any of you. You know what I mean. So the problem is, is that artificial intelligence? I'll give you a great example.
Carmen:I asked AI to create a Version of a picture from Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001 a space Odyssey for my blog post. It's on that. So AI on Bing, it's a Bing is like the easiest one for me to use. You know what I mean. I'm not using open AI or whatever chat GBT, okay, because Bing has integrated it into it. So I asked it to do it and it did it. It pulled and it gave me all these different ones and I posted it. Here's the problem the creator of the poster for 2001 a space Odyssey, this iconic poster they're not getting paid for that. Hmm, it was just pulled from. So, and that's what's like my book. If you ask AI about my book. It will pull chapters from it. I'm not getting any money for that.
Tony:This is the thing with AI and I want to cut you off. I apologize. It already knows what you've done on the internet for Google already knows that too, that's my point.
Tony:All of it is linked. One of the biggest problems with AI is going to tell any and everything You've ever done in the internet. A lot of people are in trouble With any question that's asked the same way through Google a series, or as jeans or acts, alexa all of them you can ask any random question about anybody and it's going to give you an answer, whether you wanted to get that answer or not. It's going to give an answer based on what you've done, what you said or how you acted in public in probably afraid of Tony, what you do, what you do Come on, tell us, ai gonna tell us anyway.
Tony:I ain't the problem.
Carmen:I ain't the problem look it if you are embarrassed not you, but if anyone. If you don't want something on the interwebs, you should have thought of that a long-ass time ago, because that's that's not what I'm talking about. That stuff is already out there, people. It's not going anywhere. What did I say when I met you, tony?
Tony:Internet is for ever and, trust me, ai is about the proof hook, correct? They need to cut you a check.
Carmen:No, I love AI because I look at I my blog post like, if you know, you know, I wrote, you know what was it that I wrote? Rick, it's a tee, earl gray hot, yeah, right, that's, patrick.
Carmen:Stewart, you know Jean-Luc Picard ordering his tee all the time on Star Trek, on the holodeck or in his office. I want to get there. I want to get to that place. This is how it happens, but there are bumps along the way and we can't lose creativity and honoring people's work and honoring what people do Just because of technology. And that's part of what sag is fighting for. Tony, you asked what they were fighting for. The studios want to take a scan of me, right, they want to take one scan of me, full-body scan, back, front sides, whatever. Pay me for one day of work so as a sag actor that might be, I don't know like three or four hundred bucks, right. And then use my image and my likeness in anything they want in the background and make it move with motion graphics or whatever.
Tony:I was thinking that. I was thinking that already. Yeah, I want to do thank you. I was thinking that already.
Rick:Yes, they can make a whole movie, carmen be the star of the show, and she won't get no money.
Carmen:Exactly or have a say in how I come across like I.
Andrea:You don't get to say no, I don't actually want to be a part of that, you know yeah so that's one of the things that they're fighting for and that's for all of us.
Carmen:That's not, you know, I mean I I used a.
Andrea:I had to write an outline to write something, and I asked it to write an outline for me, which was great, right, getting started is the hardest part. So I was like, all right, you know, I take, you know I didn't have it right for me, but like, though, that's the kind of tool I can use, that's good. But some of this other crap I mean especially the stuff the studios are trying to pull with the writers and the actors is just, you know, it's unacceptable. It's unacceptable.
Tony:I think another key point that Carmen made was this isn't just about the actress, people behind the scenes as well, the writers reduces the Industries as well. Yes.
Carmen:Yeah, right, well, and.
Andrea:I mean you know sort of Hollywood or whatever the industry specific those of you know the actors are the face of it, but certainly in LA LA is a big Union town, it's a big company town. There are people, hair people, makeup people, caterers, set dressers, all you know the lighting, people, the effects there's. It's just this ripple effect across the entire region. Really, you know, I mean it's other places as well, but you know, here kind of more specifically, because there's so much but people, those are the people who are also potentially losing their homes. And I saw a story.
Tony:What the actor said, billy Porter. It might have been Billy Porter. He was about to lose his home or whatever.
Carmen:He's selling his house because he, which is kind of sad when you think Billy Porter is one of the most magnificent talents of our time.
Carmen:He works all the time. He is playing James ball, james Baldwin, in an upcoming movie and that's been Pushed aside. So he's now selling his home and he's not saying it to be Like, oh, what was me? He's saying this affects us all because even though he makes money and works all the time, he also lives paycheck to paycheck. Now I want to talk to him about maybe his lifestyle choices at the moment. Maybe he's to bring it down and not.
Carmen:Maybe he's not like spend you know, three thousand dollars on a shirt, I have no idea. But he's a fashion icon, we love him. But you know, I mean he was making a great film. We love him. But you know, I mean he was making a great point and it's kind of weird to hear somebody like Billy Porter Am I saying his name right? It's not sound report that's yeah.
Carmen:Um In this predicament, but I'm so glad he shared his story. You know, because that's what we need is more stars Telling the truth of the situation they're in. Because you know you have to behave as if in this town, whether you got money or not, you got to pretend like you got so much. You know that's what the facade is.
Andrea:They have to be out there, like they've already made it when they haven't, so that they can then get.
Carmen:Yeah, yeah, I mean. One of the reasons why I don't work in this town it's cuz it's so hard if you don't have a network or if you're not willing to. You know Bling bling with the all of them or whatever it's hard to get your foot in the door. And then, even when you do get your foot in the door, when I had this one big movie I did, I was so excited and I hate that it's on, it's on my IMDb and my scene got cut. Okay, I gotta find my earring afterwards, but my scene got cut, which was devastating and heartbreaking.
Carmen:But then that also doesn't give you the propelling Kind of information to move on to the next thing. You know what I mean. So if somebody sees you on the big screen, even if you just have a little short, short scene, you can use that as part of your demo or business card to say, hey, look it, I was in this movie with all these big stars and here's my little clip. Can I do this next movie with you? And you really have to be a go-getter and really want to hustle and a lot of these actors do and I was like I need to be able to put food on the table and rent.
Carmen:So that's why I don't always work and when I do I try to do theater, because then it's just for my joy. But you don't think I want to work as an actor every day. Of course I would just like everyone else in this town, you know. But it's a hard living out here. People are confusing the celebrity Situation because y'all think about Hayley Berry or Jennifer Lopez or whoever you know, all the big stars or whatever. You're not thinking about all the people you see in the movie whose names you don't know, you know, or in the TV shows, and the coffee shops are walking by in the background or whatever. Those are the actors that without them would not you'd not be able to film a movie because it would just be stagnant.
Carmen:Yeah you know, yeah, so give some love to SAG after, if you can support them, even with just talking to your friends and family, so they get a better understanding of what this fights about. I would really appreciate that. I love my union, I love this town so much and Ray knows I do, I love it and yeah, I Was gonna put a ticker up but I felt that might be too much to make you all like spend money and buy a t-shirt. But I won't, that's too much. They're not part of the industry. But just you know, if you can just share that with other people, that it's not about the 2%, 1% or Other actors who are making tons of money. It's about real hard-working people who do what they do because they love it and think about this too.
Rick:If we don't get a resolution soon, we're gonna only have reruns to watch, and you know old stuff. They're coming out new.
Carmen:Well, so here's what's the scary part. That may not be true. If you know who. What's the guy's name? Iger from Disney, bob Iger from Disney, who I loved for a minute when we're talking about Florida. But now I have an issue. You know he turned around and he had said before the sag actors started striking the day before, he said we're just gonna wait them out until they all lose their homes. Wow, and you know.
Carmen:Yeah, yeah so there and here's the thing, there are people who are non-union actors and influencers on tiktok who are being approached by the studios and they're they're scabbing, which means they're walking through the line and they're taking jobs because the studios you know what I mean Like so maybe you won't, but you won't get the quality actors that it takes to be a. It takes a lot to become a sag after actor. You know so. I hope people don't scab, but they're already doing it. You know so. I don't know, people gotta do what they gotta do, but if you do, scab the union and you do work for these people and you're a non-union actor, saga has promised you will never work in this town again as a sag. Yeah, he will never be able to join the actors. Guilt.
Tony:I got a question for you. This may be controversial.
Carmen:Tony.
Tony:I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say like this for real, because what you all have going on I want to see what's going on in California isn't new, because there's always some type of controversy. Do you think any of this has anything to do with shutting down studios in California specifically itself?
Carmen:What are you talking about? Shutting down studios?
Tony:Do you think you're trying to? You mean like?
Andrea:moving out like moving to Georgia or Vancouver or whatever.
Tony:Yes, I'm, we're talking about studios.
Carmen:We're not talking about real estate.
Tony:We're talking about entities, so Like there's Fox trying to stop production in California and take it somewhere else.
Carmen:This is just about California. This strike is happening everywhere.
Tony:That's what I'm asking. That's what I'm asking.
Carmen:No, no, no so but when we're talking about okay. So there's two different things. And I'm not trying to be rude, I just was trying to understand. No, you're fine, right?
Tony:so.
Carmen:So when we're talking about Disney, we're not talking about Disney in California, we're talking about Disney as a corporation. We film everywhere. Actually, it took a lot for Gavin Newsom, the governor, to get people to start filming back in California, because everybody was filming outside of California and going to Canada. But the studios make money, no matter where you film. They don't care. You know what I mean. Now, if you think, or if what you're actually saying is, do you think we're trying to change that the conglomerate of you know corporate studios Shouldn't be as powerful as they are, as the independent studios are? I Don't think that's our fight right now. That's not our fight. Our fight is treat creative people, writers and actors who create this stuff With dignity you know what I mean and and pay them a decent wage. What is this in his background? You snooze, you lose, don't drive drowsy. Oh, I thought I saw that before, but I don't think I ever read the whole thing. I.
Tony:Put that up there and, if you don't mind, I can break it down to you. I put that up there because, 2009, I was driving home I so driving Alabama from here going to drill I fell asleep and flip my truck. Oh, it was February 2009, about six in the morning when it happened.
Carmen:You're going in and out sound wise sorry, I have worked full week.
Tony:Previous weekends I had traveled every week, I think.
Carmen:Am I the only one not hearing him?
Rick:it's muffled. It was better before I know it changed.
Carmen:Yeah, maybe you're holding it the wrong way or something. I don't know like I.
Rick:I.
Tony:Um, I will work and go out of town and I went like four weekend straight. I think it caught up with that one. One night, when I was driving, I literally somebody woke me up. It was like 100 degrees or more.
Carmen:Yep, no, you're still not old. Am I gonna be horrible for me to edit?
Tony:I am so sorry.
Carmen:Now, you're fine, I'm trying not to be loud because he's laying down.
Tony:I'm sorry.
Carmen:Oh, I was driving.
Tony:I fell asleep. It was like 20 degrees in the morning in February. 20 minutes later somebody woke me up after the accident. On the wrong road, wrong circumstances, I probably would have died. Oh man, because it was free. Like I said, it's below freezing. You sit out there long enough, you're done. So I always tell people I've driven on a lot of crazy conditions. But as far as driving tired, I don't do that anymore. I will take a nap. I demand taking that before any Road trip. For the most part, especially if you're on a country road, when I drive I'm only on the highway. I got scenery, I got action. You know you even die between you folks trying to keep yourself awake. If you're on the back road with nothing, you'll probably pass out. Yeah, I realize it. So that's why I got that up there from what I went through.
Carmen:No, no, I, I didn't know that I'm. I'm glad you made it through, though.
Tony:Appreciate it.
Carmen:Yeah, and I'm glad you're changing the way in which you Drive and teach you, I stop pushing myself.
Tony:I really start pushing myself because I was like I can make it. I can make it. Get a cup of coffee. You know, don't worry about it, you're doing. Drink so much coffee before your body crashes. Yeah just being honest.
Carmen:And I think driving takes a lot of coordination. Tonight I'm always shocked that, like I always get away from people when I can tell they're on their cell phone, Um don't get me started on that.
Tony:I've been doing that for 20 years.
Carmen:I'm just, I don't. Well, I mean, if you're worried about you should be careful about that too.
Tony:I'm you gotta be careful and you know a lot of people do it anyway when you use GPS on their phone, so it's not always text messaging.
Carmen:But, GPS is different because you can just watch it and listen. I'm watching people, you know yes, On the highway.
Tony:I've done it relentlessly. It's nothing for me to text and drive while I'm on the highway. It's a straight shot. I got a distance. I don't have to worry about too much the back roads in the city. I agree with you.
Carmen:Yeah, I'd be away from you. I would see you do that.
Tony:I would drive you nuts. I would drive you nuts seriously.
Carmen:I get away from you, I would drive you nuts, you people all about the joy.
Rick:Does not recommend texting and driving.
Carmen:And and and I also think it's just weird like that people Uh take it for granted that like I just saw somebody walking across the street and I'm in the car and there's a car in front of them and they're just texting what casual like when I'm crossing the street walking, I'm hustling, I go quickly. You know what I mean. So I'm always shocked that people like they're trusting that a car is going to stop for them.
Tony:I'm like um, Josh, I did see that Hi.
Carmen:Josh Teslas are now.
Tony:Auto, not autonomous, autonomous driver. Okay, yeah, they drive themselves. I was seeing that.
Carmen:Yeah, I don't trust that yet.
Tony:I love AI, but I'm not ready for that.
Carmen:We have cars here who are their driver lists and they have all the stuff on them. They're google cars. Actually, they're not tesla and jenna do you guys have those? Where you are, have you gotten? The google cars, those things make me out no.
Rick:I've heard some people are doing pranks and putting the road cone things on top of the camera on the roof so that the car gets see. That's not why would you do? That. Why would you do that? No, it's not funny, like why would you do such a stupid thing?
Carmen:because I think you can't see and it's not getting the radar thing, it's gonna kill somebody so stupid?
Tony:people are nuts.
Carmen:I don't even know if that's okay. Whatever, I'm tired, you guys.
Tony:We should throw a topic.
Carmen:Let me ask you.
Tony:What's your third topic? No, well, I.
Carmen:I wanted to give a shout out to people in hawaii. Last I heard 53 people had died in the fires there. I know, and you know, it's so weird in california we have so many fires and stuff and it's not that we're used to it, but we kind of are, but we never talk about hawaii. You know what I mean. So I'm just yeah, and it's on maui island and uh, 53 last time I got the update.
Tony:So send us about two hours ago. I agree with you, yes.
Carmen:Yeah, and if anybody wants to send money or send any donations, please go to the website first. Um to the maui county dot gov site. Um, just to check out the legitimate, because here's the other thing that's happening. There are crooks who always take advantage of situations, who are trying to say that they're raising money. Please don't trust those people. Go to the site maui county gov and they have legitimate sources there that are Helping people there. Melanie said I saw one of those driverless cars at a date for you. We see them all the time here. It's very freaky and the reason why you know they are it's because they have all that weird stuff all over the place. So, and then there's no one in the front seat. I guess that's the big clue. But, um, let me see I was gonna mention I should have brought this up during the redneck hillbilly conversation. I was gonna say one of my new favorite words that I guess I'm just learning is people saying the caucasity of things. Have you guys heard?
Tony:That's new to you. That's new to you.
Carmen:You guys have heard that.
Tony:I think I've heard it once. I've heard of the few times over the past 10 years I've heard Joy, have you heard that?
Carmen:I have not. I lost my mind. Okay, you haven't heard it either. The caucasity, like they're talking like I just think it's funny. So that was like my new favorite word of the week. I thought it was interesting. Um, yeah, that's it. I talked about everything Like I was a little bit too hyped and upset and I'm I'm I'm apologizing because you guys are my friends and you're seeing a part of me that you never see. So I'm very sorry, but the race thing, yeah, so I apologize again. I just got to say it one more time. Well, thank you so much for coming by. I appreciate it. Oh, melanie, heard I hear a caucasity a lot.
Carmen:That's why I heard it. Um, I'm, you know I'm, I'm learning all these new verbiagey things you know like, oh, I love that for you. It's like a diss without actually being a diss.
Carmen:I love that for you but the other one is I love that for us, you know, I mean like I love that for us, which is another one. And and then I'm thinking, I, I, I forgot what the other one was. Rick, what was it? We talked about it last time. Um, I Forget what it was, but there's like, so I'm trying to learn all these new words because it's, you know, keeping me with Up with the children.
Tony:Right now it's keeping up with the times, because even grown folks who are children, we're just doing our local children. There are grown folks who are children right now. You're just keeping up with the times.
Carmen:All right, all right, all right, well, everyone, oh, bless your heart. No, no, no, but it's something like that, it's not like you're first, you're at the classic, that's everyone.
Tony:Get enjoy, get, enjoy, get them.
Joy:Bless your heart and the tone you say it in. Yeah can mean sympathy, can mean compassion, or it can do that. I mean you're stupid.
Tony:You're stupid, it's like I mean bless your heart, okay, the other one that is like bless your heart is Joy.
Carmen:Have the day you deserve.
Rick:Oh yeah.
Carmen:Joy, seriously, have the day you deserve. I love that one. Yeah, those are my new friends. That's like bless your heart. Sweet, sweet smile on your face. Tony, have the day you deserve.
Tony:God.
Carmen:Oh my god, Andrea, you missed when he was all last week. Oh, whenever it was. It was about last month, I think oh my see, it felt like just last week.
Tony:You took me out when you were showing the clips, Andrea. He was saying I was bougie.
Carmen:I just want you as one of my best friends in my bougie.
Tony:Take your time, andrea, yeah girl you are?
Andrea:what are you? Thank you? Are we arguing that you're not, because I take it as.
Carmen:No, no, no, I take it as a compliment. Okay yeah, Okay yeah, he thought he was dissing me.
Tony:She's now. I wasn't dissing the rest of the way I embraced being bougie. I was laughing, I watched the replay and I was. I was cracking up too.
Carmen:Okay, but the reason why they say I'm bougie is because they asked okay, andrea, let me, let me ask you the question, andrea.
Rick:Let me just ask.
Carmen:Andrea. Andrea's from California. Let's ask Andrea the question. Let's see what she says. Andrea, tony and who was it? Tony and Brian. I want to come out to Santa Monica. They want to stay in Santa Monica, where I live. Would you suggest some hotels? And when you suggest the hotels, can you tell them how much they would cost where you would stay?
Andrea:Just let it go, I would probably want to stay at the Fairmont.
Carmen:No, I'm telling you it's the Fairmont for one night. Just let it go.
Andrea:Just let it go Off the top of my head, I would say it's probably 800 bucks a night, I don't know.
Tony:Thank you, why you announce it like you will. Um, chris is right. One of the leaders on the back side. How much is this? How much is that?
Andrea:Come on now. I mean, I didn't want to stay there, but that's where I would want to stay.
Carmen:But Andrea, even Oceanside, which is right here around the corner, you know we've walked by my house, even that is like 600 and I was giving you guys the bargain, she's giving you 800. I told you that this one's five fifth. I wrote a list for them and like five, fifty to six fifty a night.
Tony:I promise you, I have got to find that clip. And they were calling me and they and we found a hotel that was about five ten minutes where I think it was, and you was like, no, it's going to be too far away with traffic. And we like, okay, cool, she recommended something Oceanside. We was like I found a problem. She said four hundred and nine. I was like what? Air BNB?
Joy:Yeah, I'm like no Air BNB is going to cost at least that much.
Andrea:This is the neighborhood. It's the neighborhood, yeah, but I've been.
Carmen:I've been tagged as being bougie and they think it's a diss and I'm like, thank you, we was cracking.
Tony:We just like things the way she likes them.
Andrea:That's right. Yes, all right. This is the third time I'm trying to get off this damn thing with you people.
Carmen:I'm tired. Some people work all day. Okay, nobody on this call.
Tony:I was supposed to be at work tonight, but I couldn't make it, because I had to get Jason for the next few days, so I was actually home tonight, so this is a perfect time. Well, thank you, I appreciate you coming on.
Carmen:Actually I do and I appreciate you supporting us so much. I'm so sorry. I thought I included you in the link thing, so I'm glad you reached out to me. No, I want you here always. No, she doesn't just cry at me. She did that to me all the time and it gets me.
Tony:Joey is so wrong. Yeah, I actually got tears for Tony that day. She did like Jason States mom. And what was that? I was in Shaw when she was still crying. He always started tearing up. She was like I got you, oh my.
Carmen:God, I already felt bad because I was screaming, because you were talking about something and I, you know, went off and I was like Joey is the nice, I wasn't disagreeing with you, I know, but I get very passionate and I know like my whole flavorfuls from the street comes out, but that was holding back, still was holding back, but it's still not the way you guys know me.
Tony:She was holding back because people don't know, after five to 10 minutes she will actually leave wherever she's at and cut the whole thing off.
Carmen:You know what? That's not true. What are you talking about?
Tony:Don't play with me. Don't play with me. I got to go. I cannot Goodbye.
Carmen:Okay, but that's not when I, when I'm not in control of the show.
Tony:This is not show.
Rick:That's what she's like when I'm on other people's show.
Carmen:I'm not going to disrespect them, Just going to get out because I don't want to put up with that crap you know what I mean.
Tony:Like that's a different thing. She coming like Mariah Carey. I will shut all this down.
Carmen:Oh my God, oh my God. Tony, you are a lot of work, but it's so much fun to have.
Tony:I am good energy. When are you going to learn?
Carmen:I know you're good energy, oh God, all right. Okay, fifth time's the charm. Fifth time's the charm. Everyone, thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you'll visit with us next week.
Tony:Joy, good seeing you. Rick, good seeing you Andrew, good seeing you again for the first time.
Carmen:Why are you talking over me while I'm trying to speak to the people?
Rick:And do not like share and subscribe.
Carmen:We don't even. You know what's so funny. Let me give a shout out to LinkedIn again. We almost at 300 people on LinkedIn. The thing is that's weird. Look at. The thing that's weird about LinkedIn is that these are not people who are connected to me in any way. I just find them fascinating and wonderful. Okay, thank you everyone. Have a good one. We'll see you next week. Thanks for stopping by. All about the joy Be better and stay beautiful folks. Have a sweet day.