Millennial: Pretend Adulting, Real Talk

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real THREADS talk! But first, Laura gives a 30 second blitz update about our fucked up student loan situation. Last week, Meta launched its Twitter competitor, Threads, and we were among the early adopters. #influencers We provide a full review of Threads: the good, the bad, the missing features. Will Threads steal our hearts, or can we just not quit Twitter? Personal threads wishlists: following tab (for n00ds), hashtags (for n00ds), and close friends list (for n00ds). With a number of recent and upcoming adaptations of popular toys and brands, we take a trip down memory lane to the 90s and give some recommendations we believe would KILL with millennial audiences. Dark Side of Barney: "I always say I love you, but you never say it back so now I'm on Lexapro." With Furby making a comeback, could we see attempts for a Furby movie? It might sound like a stretch, but don't forget they made an Angry Birds movie. Tfw you realize popular 90s board games could be adapted into horror films. :eyes: We've got a bone to pick with major brands ditching their rewards and birthday perks programs! Don't y'all have enough money? Stop taking my free birthday coffee away! Pam breaks some bad news to Laura about Sephora's birthday gift. :'( Do brands really think eliminating these loyalty perks will save them substantial money? How can they evolve to meet shoppers' preference for online purchasing habits? This week's recommendations are FUN and FUNDAMENTAL: Read about the Biden administrations proposed SAVE income-based repayment plan (Laura), 'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' on Netflix (Pam), and 'The Diplomat' on Netflix (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to Patrons and Apple Podcast subscribers: Every high school as an "incident," and we spill the tea on each of our high schools' most remembered mishaps and events. Pam tells a story with a twist that you WON'T see coming - we're clutching our pearls. "Yeah, totally no problem that the gym coach has a window looking directly in the girls' locker room. This is fine!" Would we go to a high school reunion for revenge? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real ONLYFANS talk! OF Creator Tiara joins us today to share her experience as a content creator on OF, and to help aspiring creators know what to keep in mind as they pursue success in the OF space. Also, we're debunking a lot of commonly held beliefs about OnlyFans: first, not all creators cater to pornography or nudity. Many do, but Tiara explains the popular fetish niche her work fits into. Tiara sets the record straight: content creation is never easy, and monetizing fetish content is not as easy as taking a few casual pictures of your feet and profiting. Why does OnlyFans work better for some creators than Patreon? We learn what kinds of fetish content clients request, and why a 10 minute video is usually the maximum length that video will run. ???? We learn how creators deal with things like taxes, customer complaints, and the stigma that can be associated with OF. Check Tiara out and support her on her various platforms! This week's recommendations are a total grab bag: 'Devour' on Steam (Laura), 'Outlander' on Starz (Pam), Demi Lovato's 'Cool for the Summer' (Andrew), and Tiara's favorite tights brands: H&M, Snag, Charming Lady, and Wolfords. And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Tiara stays on to share that *spicy* content we know y'all were looking for. You knew we'd only expose the goods in AD! What is foot worship, and how can we monetize it? The tale of the $150 pair of panties! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and REAL ocean talk! And it's REAL ocean talk because this week we're joined by Mckenzie Margarethe, a marine scientist and naturalist focusing on realistic conservation and ocean education. We have to spend some time talking about the Titan submersible, where they went wrong, why the internet was so quick to jump to comedic takes, and learn more about Mckenzie's experience watching this story unfold as an expert in her field. Misinformation and armchair researchers abounded during this crisis, making Mckenzie and others in her field do a big :facepalm:. The Titan story provides a great reminder of the need for proper deep sea exploration, and considerations for how we protect our oceans along the way. We have to ask... are the orcas coming to kill us all? Mckenzie has a few resources she recommends if you want to get involved in the conversation of ocean conservation: check out Pique Action's list of Climate Creators to watch in 2023 and picking a sea creature you're passionate about and educating yourself on it. Check Mckenzie out on Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter! Since we're on the topic, let's chat about other types of extreme tourism billionaires like to blow money on, risking their lives in the process: Mt. Everest, The Mariana Trench, going to space, and others. Which of these things would we do if we had the money? (Real talk, we're idiots but we're not THAT stupid.) Tragedy tourism can have some overlap here as well - what attracts people to tragic, historic sites? What is the difference between a tragic event that evokes solemnity vs comedy? We've got some recommendations that will hold your attention this week! 'Titanic's Final Mystery' on Paramount+ (Laura), ‘Funny You Should Ask’ by Elissa Sussman (Pam), and Hulu's 'The Bear' (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and for Apple Podcast subscribers: Y'all know we can't top off the last couple of weeks of submersible coverage without gossiping about some Titanic conspiracy theories. JP MORGAN SANK THE TITANIC ON PURPOSE IN AN INSURANCE FRAUD SCHEME/TO KILL OPPONENTS OF FORMING THE FEDERAL RESERVE. jk jk. With its close pop culture connection to Titanic, it was impossible that there wouldn't be conspiracy theories about the doomed submersible. Who thinks these billionaires faked their deaths and are now living the rest of their days on a private island? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real submersible talk! We're certainly hoping for good news for the five aboard the Titan submersible, but we can't help but marvel at the hubris and lack of regulations that got us here. UPDATE: Bud Light is no longer the number 1 selling beer in the US: it has been replaced by Modelo Especial. Andrew strikes back: after being triggered last week by Laura's character assassination of Corona Light, Andy stands in defense of his beloved pilsner style lager. Illinois is banning... book bans! They're the first state to do this in response to local and national increases in book banning attempts in the last year. Can the Biden admin really tout their latest achievement re: Ticketmaster as a crackdown on junk fees? Sure, consumers can expect to start seeing these upfront now, but it doesn't (yet) prevent ticket companies from charging these fees. Reddit, aka "the front page of the internet" is under fire due to another douchey tech CEO doing douchey tech CEO things. Reddit announced that they will begin charging developers for API calls to Reddit servers, resulting in a potential yearly cost of $20 million for developers who maintain third party Reddit apps. The rub? These third party apps are widely regarded to be better than Reddit's official one! To top the drama off, CEO Steve Huffman has been mishandling communications on the subject and threatening Reddit's community of unpaid moderators. In response, thousands of subreddits have gone dark, and many others have begun posting explicit content in protest. And because life isn't crazy enough, a global cyber attack successfully breached several government agencies and private companies last week, including the US Department of Energy, Shell Oil, and University of Georgia, among others. While we're on the topic of security, let's talk credit card security! We share our tips and tricks for keeping your credit cards secure, and make some recommendations around our favorite credit cards. Andrew's a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card This week's recommendations are all over the place: Keep an eye on SCOTUS decisions to be released Thursday for potential student loan updates (Laura), NerdWallet (Pam), and 'The Other Two' for the best depictions (and predictions) of Hollywood (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: There's nothing more cringe than a workplace icebreaker, and we're inspired to discuss them and childhood cringe by this tweet. We each bring a never before shared childhood cringe story - some of these revelations are SHOCKING! We each bring our own ice breaker question to the table, and pose them to each other. The answers we give are... enlightening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we record on arraignment eve, the crew brings some news for your consideration from the last week. Don't miss our Breaking News coverage of the indictment being unsealed -- activate a free Patreon trial today! Did Sarah Stusek bring a GoodReads review bombing and lost publishing deal on herself after she called a reviewer a bitch? Does current social media culture putting reviews front and center for creators inspire this kind of bad behavior? Tbh, we don't think a 4 star rating is something to lose your shit over. The eastern US received a lesson in how to live with wildfire smoke blanketing the region, and Californians gave a collective side-eye. It's a whole new world for Laura, who'd never had to contend with toxic wildfire smoke. Pam and Andrew give their tips for monitoring the AQI (air quality index) and taking safety precautions. Epic fail y'all: Netflix is reporting record signups in the wake of its crackdown on password sharing, meaning many of us didn't cancel our subscriptions. The data they're reporting on is questionable though... watch this space. This week's recommendations will make you feel smarter: 'Happy-Go-Lucky' by David Sedaris (Laura), 'Burn It Down' by Maureen Ryan (Pam), and 'Jury Duty' on Amazon Prime / Freevee (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: It's another MuggleSuck - this time, Andrew reflects on an interaction with appreciation, but Pam and Laura are still giving bombastic side-eye. Laura brings an example of promises made, promised back pedaled. And a listener from the early days accuses one of us of taking a bong rip on air. We launch a formal indictment and investigation to identify the perpetrator. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! The GOP was of course messy while we were off air, and unlike Marie Condo, we do not love mess. Happy(?) Pride. On top of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping the nation, brands are really fucking up just in time for pride month. Tbh, Bud Light deserves their current sales losses on the basis of their beer sucking ass, but they've managed to piss off a large cross-section of the country with their reaction to backlash over their ad featuring a trans woman. Are people actually outraged by things like this, or are they looking for new ways to be relevant? Asking for Kid Rock's music career. Target is also fucking up - out of concern for their employees, they've pulled and diminished elements of their Pride displays in stores. Never thought we'd see the day where Bud Light and Target were in the dog house for caving to queerphobia, but here we are! RIP disposable income: as part of debt ceiling negotiations, federal student loan repayments will officially be restarting this fall. We poll the #Millennial Facebook group to see how listeners are feeling about resuming student loan payments and hear what others are doing to prepare. Everyone agrees: interest is the real killer here. If interest were taken out of the equation, we'd all have a much easier time repaying our principal balances. Critics and audiences seem to be split over HBO's newest buzz series, 'The Idol.' At what point does violence and nudity become gratuitous and unwatchable for us? Is there ever a place for it? Movie ratings are a joke, and the MPAA's ratings system is not applied consistently. This week, we're recommending 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (Laura), 'Variety Actors on Actors: Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo (Pam), and Spindrift Spiked (Andrew). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Family vloggers - are they going too far? Nikki Phillippi and her husband canceled plans to adopt from Thailand after learning they would be legally barred from showing or talking about their child for one year. Is there a lesson to be learned from the early 2000's slew of family reality TV shows? Children who grew up in these situations are now speaking out and alleging emotional, financial, and sometimes physical abuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're off this week, but we're sharing a preview of what's available on our Patreon! In this recent installment of After Dark, we pop bottles (or boxes) of wine and review "The 36 Questions That Lead To Love" and pose our favorites to one another. Will we fall further in love with one another, or will we realize this has all been one big mistake? Listen to find out! New installments of After Dark are released weekly! And we're excited to share that our Patreon now offers FREE TRIALS! Visit Patreon.com/millennial to grab a free, 7-day trial and see everything we have to offer. We can't do this show without the support of listeners like you. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BREAKING NEWS: Andrew joins Bumble BFF! How is matching with new friends online similar to dating? Is it worse to be ghosted by a potential date or friend? As summer approaches, we look at other countries' travel advisories for visiting the United States. Unsurprisingly, they warn of increased risks of gun violence and terrorism. While staying safe is most important during your travels to the US, we have some general tips for visiting that will make your trip easier. We recommend avoiding Florida (she can't sit with us), remembering to tip, watching out for our massive portion sizes, and paying attention to parking signage to avoid tickets! Pam provides our latest social media update: we begin with Montana, which has just signed a new bill that would ban TikTok in the state beginning in 2024. How would this be accomplished? Montana's political leaders clearly don't understand the internets. Instagram's Twitter alternative could be up and running as soon as the end of June! You heard it here first folks - Andrew proposes it be dubbed "Textagram." Speaking of the birthday boy, Andrew is one of the lucky(?) few to have received an invite to join Blue Sky. Does this scratch the Twitter itch? This week's recommendations are a grab bag: Bumble BFF (Andrew), 'Prehistoric Planet' on Apple TV+, and Vinyl record sleeves (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: ABC recently announced its "strike proof" fall TV lineup in light of the ongoing WGA strike. That is to say, we hope everyone is buckling up for a lot more unscripted television. On that note, we spend today's After Dark talking reality TV horror stories: often, contestants come out after the fact speaking to unhealthy living conditions, emotional abuse, and other unsavory elements. Pam and Laura are big 'Love is Blind' watchers, and cover a recent expose where former cast members speak to living in squalled conditions and being forced to work 20 hour days to the brink of exhaustion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Clusterfuck 2023 rages on with CNN platforming Orange Julius, Florida being a total Florida man, and George Santos living up to his "who the fuck is this guy?" reputation. Was there a public benefit to CNN's Trump Town Hall, or was it a complete ratings whore move? Shortly after the town hall, Trump posted this deep fake of CNN's Anderson Cooper, harkening back to our warnings a few weeks ago about the part AI will play in future election seasons. On the topic of AI, Chat GPT delivered an original Disney tune about Mickey's impending destruction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. We all agree overuse of cell phones at concerts is annoying - but how far are we willing to go to curb this annoying habit among concert goers? Bono and Garth Brooks are using Yondr cases, to create phone-free environments during their respective Broadway and Las Vegas residency shows. Guests will need to place their phone in a Yondr case, and can only unlock it upon exiting the venue. Not only do we see major health and safety risks to using something like this, it also takes away from the experience of concert-goers who want to share their own experiences at shows. From "I can't even" to "I don't have the emotional capacity for this right now": how the internet has developed its own take on therapy speech, and why it's annoying AF. Just like online discourse, we're all susceptible to adopting certain ways of speaking based on the environments we spend the most time in. Being influenced by celebrities, or even our professional lives can do this! This week's recommendations have no throughline: Pestie (Andrew), dog toys for mental enrichment (Laura), Chappell Roan (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Why do millennials and younger care much less about passing down family heirlooms than prior generations? JK, we know why: we can't afford houses big enough to take all your shit grandpa. Are there any items we have been offered, or know we will be in the future? Do we want them, and should we feel guilty if we don't? The family drama really kicks up when someone kicks the bucket - why are we fighting about who gets what things? We're all gonna die anyway. Andrew's last beer with his grandma. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real money talk! This week's episode is all about money, honey! With continued concerns about inflation and the potential of a looming national default, what should American workers have in mind? NerdWallet has some recommendations for how you can best protect yourself in the event the US defaults on its debts. Laura has a financial boner for high-yield savings accounts, and the panel discusses how this is a great first step for anyone looking to build their wealth. Andrew is disappointed with his current portfolio given stock market losses - will he sign up for Apple's high-yield savings account?! Inspired by this tweet, we discuss things we've bought that were a value add to our lives, and those things that were... not. We've got some themes to recommend: invest in items that make you feel good, like ergonomic chairs or massage guns! Patrons recommend good skincare, TSA pre-check, quality mattresses, and more! Our recommendations this week are money savers, educational, and organizational! Nintendo Switch Game Voucher (Andrew), 'The Inflation Blame Game' episode of 'The Problem with Jon Stewart' on Apple TV+ (Laura), and Zebra Midliner pens (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to Patreon and Apple Podcast subscribers: Is moving to be closer to friends a good idea? Or should you temper your expectations? We've got some tea to spill on the topic of people moving for the wrong reasons! Is a member of the #Millennial team planning to move...? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew and Pam hung out over the weekend and bankrupted the show on coffee expenses. #rip As predicted, the Hollywood Writers Strike HAS BEGUN! Is it just us, or does it seem like neighbor paranoia is increasing? Recently, multiple cases have occurred where people opened fire on others for innocent mistakes or even delivering groceries. What's to blame for peoples' increased paranoia of security in their neighborhoods? Is having a home security system a slippery slope for some? We share cases of our own paranoid neighbors and whether we think there is merit to their concerns. Last week the Texas State Senate passed a bill that would require every public school classroom in the state to prominently display the Ten Commandments. We wonder how educators will explain things like "adultery" to kindergarteners. #Millennial provides podcast-approved messaging for Texas educators to explain the 10 commandments to their grade-school aged students, and a special guest joins us ~from above~ for the task. Is doxxing ever justified? Pam clues us into a story originating on TikTok, where a creator's video featuring two women making fun of her went viral, resulting in the doxxing of the video's bullies. If you get caught being a dick, do you deserve to have your family harassed, be fired from your job, or have your reputation tanked online? This week's recommendations will secure your tech AND your skin! Google Authenticator (Andrew), Super Goop is available for FSA purchase (Laura), and Jack Black intense therapy lip balm (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to all Patrons this week: #Millennial's Life Pro Tips! Laura was recently inspired to bring this to the table after she pushed back on an expensive medical bill that should have been covered by insurance. What a time to be alive: slow closing toilet seats and voice assistants really do come in clutch and deserve more credit. Andrew's life hack for getting off an annoying phone call guilt-free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our friends Eric and Micah join us from MuggleCast for a discussion all about reboots, inspired by the recent news of a Harry Potter TV series and a Twilight reboot in the works. But first: TUCKER. IS. OUT! LEMON. IS. OUT! Why did FOX and CNN fire two of their most popular on-air personalities on the same day? Andrew is wet. Dark Brandon also officially announced he'll be running for re-election in 2024. Get ready for the campaign sequel no one asked for! Is the premise of a Harry Potter TV reboot exciting? Yes. Could they fuck it up? Also yes. Because there are no new ideas: Lionsgate is reportedly working on a Twilight TV show. Is there enough content to justify a multi-season show? How soon is too soon for a reboot or reimagining of a beloved series? Despite the opportunity for a Harry Potter series to expand on the wizarding world and deliver a fresh interpretation of the series, the failed Fantastic Beasts series and JKR's shitty transphobic views loom heavy. We discuss how we balance the major JKR issues with continuing to podcast about Harry Potter, and the feedback we receive from listeners who aren't happy with our stances. This week's recs will keep you entertained, informed, and coffee-stain free! Folex Carpet Cleaner (Andrew), 'Tetris' on Apple TV+ (Laura), 'MUNA' album (Pam), 'Stardew Valley' (Eric), and NPR's 'Up First' (Micah). Check out Eric's podcast, Thank You For Spieling (which also includes episodes of The Last of Us) And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: We continue the main show's discussion and focus on the importance diversity will play in casting for all the TV reboots that are inevitably coming. Will the Harry Potter show stick with 'Cursed Child' canon and cast a black Hermione? How could a Twilight TV show right a very cringy wrong with the casting of its Quileute tribe? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Andrew uncanceled this week? Only time will tell. It's protest week here at the show! What kinds of resistance are we seeing across the country and across industries? One of Andrew's faves, Orville Peck, recently announced that he would not be canceling shows in Tennessee due to current legislation restricting gender affirming care and drag shows. "You are not sticking it to these governments by not showing up, you are only hurting the communities.” Orville Peck isn't the only artist to be confronted with sociopolitical conflicts of interest: KORN, My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Green Day, and The Killers have canceled shows in Russia over the last year in protest of Putin’s war. Should artists take a firm stance and NOT perform in states pushing anti-LGBTQ agendas? Republicans are finding themselves painted into an electoral corner after recent moves from a federal judge to retract FDA approval for the abortion pill, mifepristone. In the meantime, what can people who live in states with restricted access to abortion do? Does protesting make a difference in America? What does the act of protesting do for the cause and for the individual? People in affected states can consider community support opportunities, supporting organizations expanding access to contraceptives, consider employment opportunities with companies that have pledged to help their employees circumvent anti-abortion laws in their states, pursue obtaining a vasectomy, or if all else fails, look into moving. The resistance doesn't end there, y'all! The Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike this week, and the effects in the coming weeks and months could heavily impact our entertainment options. If such concerns as minimum pay, better residuals, and contributions to health and pension plans aren't addressed satisfactorily by May 1st, the writers strike will officially kick off. We reminisce about the last writers strike in 2007, when it felt like reality TV was the only TV. There's a reason for that! If the strike happens, viewers will feel the first impacts on late night talk shows, but scripted television will also suffer once it runs out of scripted content to shoot. This week's recommendations will keep you entertained and looking fly: Greta Van Fleet (Andrew), Resident Evil 4 Remake (Laura), and Wet N Wild breakup proof liner (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Trigger Warnings. After Cornell University recently vetoed efforts from the student body to require trigger warnings on course syllabi, we discuss the pros and cons of trigger warnings, and whether we think they are useful. Do trigger warnings infantilize students in an academic context? How can college professors exercise better sensitivity in the classroom? Are we now the olds that the kids talk about being out of touch? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We're Andrew-less this week, but it's ok, Pam and Laura canceled him temporarily. We chat about the new Barbie trailer that took the world by storm, and use this as a jumping off point to talk childhood nostalgia and what it means to see it represented on the big screen. But first, some men are triggered by the viral marketing highlighting all the Barbies' high-profile jobs and noting that all the Kens are "just Ken." Cry about it! How did we play with Barbies as kids? Confessions of orchestrating Barbie sexy time. Everyone had a jank Barbie they colored on and gave haircuts to, right? In light of our girls' episode this week, we host an AMA for our Patreon supporters, and answer questions about best and worst dating experiences, favorite makeup and clothing brands, and how we feel about aging (spoiler: we're leaning into it). How have Pam and Laura handled workplace misogyny? We're also hype about the crew announcement for the upcoming Artemis II mission - the first woman and black man will be making a trip around the moon in 2024! This inspires us to chat about our first childhood dream jobs. This week's recommendations will keep you fresh! Lume Deodorant (Laura) and Raw Sugar's multi-miracle leave-in conditioner & heat protectant (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark: Spoiler warning! Love is Blind season 4 finale predictions and reactions to the current season's cast. (Mostly trash.) And we've got some questions from our AMA we saved to cover because they're a little ~spicy~ for primetime. If Andrew were straight, would we date him?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Uncork the champagne: we have a Trump indictment just in time for this week's show! Time to CONFESS! Listeners write in for this week's episode using our anonymous Confessional to detail their deep, dark, dirty secrets! Is there a nuanced interpretation to the ongoing debate about the national security risks Tiktok presents? It's ok to not love everything about Joe Biden - we don't believe in turning politicians into our entire personality. How do the hosts approach diet and fitness from a sustainable, healthy perspective? Is it normal for our sex drive to reduce as we get older? Managing expectations with family can be hard, especially when coming out. Should people feel guilty about taking advantage of working from home to sneak in a quick nap? We receive an update about a previous Confessional submission! This week's recommendations are practical with a side of entertainment: 'Did you know' that alarm clocks only snooze for 9 minutes because original clocks mechanically couldn't snooze for 10? (Andrew), don't forget your sunscreen! (Laura), and Showtime's 'Yellowjackets' (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: A new poll conducted by real estate advice website Home Bay inspires us to talk about our respective cities, and why people may (or may not) want to live there. It's "Atlanna" not "Atlanta." Dallas being in the top list of cities people want to move to seems wild. Why don't people want to move to Pam's home city of San Francisco?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real cybersecurity talk! On this week's episode, we are joined by cybersecurity professional Voldimmoral! If you're looking for tips to remove your personal information from the internet, check out her Medium article! Your digital footprint can be left even if you're not intentionally disclosing information. Voldimmoral details how in her line of work, digital footprints have enabled her to help solve crimes! Even the most security conscious among us can be vulnerable to personal information getting out online: this is why it's particularly important to help the less web savvy in your life be protected online. On a related note, 2-factor authentication has been in the news a lot lately, with Twitter announcing they would no longer support SMS (text message) 2-factor. What are some more secure 2-factor authentication options? We recommend Google Authenticator or using a Yubikey. Voldimmoral also chats with us about the pros and cons of password manager apps - and the upcoming Passkeys authentication method. This week's recommendations are a real grab bag! Cut resistant gloves (Andrew), Making a donation to Everytown for gun safety (Laura), and Lazarus Naturals (Voldimmoral). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: Voldimmoral hangs out with us to talk cybersecurity fails! We love our parents, but the boomer really does show sometimes... How to dupe Nextdoor into sending hundreds of invitations to an ever expanding radius of neighbors. How to spot a phishing or social engineering scheme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are the rumors of an impending Trump arrest fake news? Either way, we're ready to pop open the champagne! Here's some AI artwork of Trump being dragged away, in case you can't wait to see the real thing. Are Americans prepared for a potential national ban on TikTok? And could this actually happen?! Since Pam and Laura swipe so many of their hours away on TikTok, where will they turn if it's no longer available? Shameless plugs for our TikToks while they still exist: @AndrewInTheAir, @PamelaG, @BasilyBoy, and of course @MillennialPod! Are most of us fatalistic about our online privacy at this point? Is it valid to not care that the Chinese and U.S. governments are spying on us? Following the enormous success of HBO's 'Last of Us' video game to show adaptation, we explore other game titles and the opportunities for studios to cash in on more GOOD content. Accessibility in gaming is still an area where there is a ton of room for growth, and we argue that good adaptations make these stories more accessible for everyone. Gatekeeping ain't it though y'all: stop the game fan/show fan wars! If your social media has been taken over by videos of AI President voices, you're not alone. These are a riot to listen to, but some of the AI voices are so spot on there is potential for fake scandals during elections. A special guest joins #Millennial to give us his endorsement. Get it together and listen to #Millennial! This week's recommendations will keep you organized and calm: Dot Card for networking (Andrew), remember to get your fur kids in for their annual wellness checks (Laura), and Legacy Box for digitizing your old home movies and photos (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and for Apple Podcast subscribers: MuggleSuck is back: this time we confront our moody email alter-egos from the early 2k's. Why did we use email as a primary form of communication? Were other teens doing this, or were we just weird? WE HAD SO MANY FIGHTS OVER EMAIL OMG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We unexpectedly had to take off from providing you with a full episode this week, so instead we're sharing this installment of After Dark! We discuss the popularity around the Stanley Quencher water bottle -- that thing is so big and ugly, yet people can't help but buy it. We use it's popularity to discuss brand loyalty, and the brands that we are hot and heavy for. Reminder: Stay hydrated! But maybe use a less ugly water bottle. Patrons and Apple Podcast subscribers have access to a new After Dark installment this week where Andrew and Pam answer questions from listeners about podcast drama. Visit Patreon.com/millennial to receive instant access to that and many more After Dark installments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! In some airline news, the Justice Department is suing to stop the planned Jet Blue/Spirit Airlines merger, and multiple airlines are ditching fees charged for families trying to sit together. Seemingly inspired by Elon Musk's moves at Twitter, Meta will soon be offering "Meta Verified:" aka paying $15 a month for the coveted Blue Check. Why is the Blue Check so desirable for some? Are there any cases where wanting one is warranted? If everyone can pay a monthly fee to be verified, does being verified lose its meaning? It's time for some unpopular opinions: we're inspired by a (now deleted) tweet, which asserts that most nonfiction books are unreadable. We have some hot takes of our own: your phone should be silent most of the time, being an "empath" isn't a thing, and airlines should get rid of the reclining functionality on all economy seats. In light (lol) of Daylight Savings Time returning in a few short days, Laura delivers her yearly gripe about how stupid changing the clocks 2x a year is. Will attempts at a permanent DST bill die in the House again this year? Probably. Though some of us would love a little more sunlight in the evenings, experts warn that a permanent switch to Standard time would likely be better for our health. This week's recommendations are mostly practical, with a little entertainment sprinkled in: Digital temperature readers (Andrew), 'Bass Reeves: No Master But Duty’ (Laura), and AHC Natural Perfection Sunscreen Stick (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: What tragic event were we all obsessed with as kids? Titanic is the obvious answer for many millennials, but we have a treasure trove of morbid interests. The history, politics, and horrific assassination of the Romanov family, and subsequent mystery of Anastasia. How an interest in the Oregon Trail led Pam to an obsession with the Donner Party. Andrew has always been obsessed with water: the Johnstown Flood of 1889. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! We are joined this week by Christine Riccio and Natasha Polis from Those Forking Fangirls to discuss the significant uptick in interest (and sales) of literary romance and YA novels. Today's conversation was inspired by this NPR article:From meet-cutes to happy endings, romance readers feel the love as sales heat up. Christine and Natasha help us dig in on the pipeline from Young Adult to Romance, how the genres somewhat overlap, and how the culture has shifted to make open enjoyment of the Romance genre more socially accepted. Might some of the shifts in cover art portrayals have made the genre more comfortable and accessible to readers? Are there any cases where the cute, cartoony covers fail to communicate the spicy, smutty passages between the covers? Fan Fiction seems to have played a major role in these developments, with more people participating in online fan spaces to create new content. There are even recent examples of very successful fan fic authors going on to become published, like Christina Lauren, EL James, Alice Clayton, and Ali Hazelwood. Is there any direct correlation between the rise in interest for romance novels as a genre and the uptick in romance-based reality TV shows? What sort of escapism do they provide? What recommendations do Christine and Natasha have for current romance readers, or those hoping to get started? "From Blood and Ash" by Jennifer L Aremntrout, "Spoiler Alert" by Olivia Dade, "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J Maas, "Part of Your World" by Abby Jimenez, "Verity" by Colleen Hoover, "Anna & the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins, "The Soulmate Equation" by Christina Lauren, "The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne, "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas. And of COURSE - "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. This week's recommendations are all over the map: Andrew's shameless plug to use his Visible by Verizon referral code to get $20 off your first month, "Sons of the Forest" (Laura), 'Daisy Jones & The Six' on Prime Video (Pam), "Ninth House" (Christine), and "Sanditon" on Masterpiece airing 3/19/23 (Natasha). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Last week we revealed all the bad things we did as kids and teens, but this week we're revealing the much more scandalous escapades our parents thought we were into. Weed orgies, illicit drug use on a church playground, underage sex, and all sorts of really interesting things none of us were actually cool enough to be doing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! After a few years of explosive growth, the podcast world seems to be cooling off. What does this mean for indie podcasters? As big corporations come to grips with the reality that podcasting isn't just an easy way to print money, layoffs, budget cuts, and canceled projects are making headlines. What do we look for in the podcasts we listen to as podcasters ourselves? If there's passion behind the project, it shows. Lucky Girl Syndrome is the new manifesting. Who knew when boomers were simping over 'The Secret' that the youths would revive the concept. Is there some validity to the idea of manifesting positivity? How has Andrew done this to keep himself from assuming the worst possible thing will happen? The Confessional makes its triumphant return this week with a listener who is playing hooky from work to get some much-needed self-care time. The hosts and listeners share some great tips for helping to carve out some time to prioritize yourself during your regular day-to-day: give yourself an easy "out" for certain social situations, stop saying yes to everything, and pad time in your calendar around busy events to give yourself some breathing room! Don't forget to check out our Facebook group for more great conversations like this. This week's recommendations will make life easier, more fun, and enriching! The Plates by Splitwise app, and the parent Splitwise app (Listener Beth and Andrew), Golf With Friends (Laura), and "Sorrow and Bliss" by Meg Mason (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: The Hill reports that parents pay at least one monthly bill for 40% of millennials, prompting us to explore how our parents helped us in early adulthood. How all three of the hosts got booted off their parents' car insurance - should people be worried about us on the road? Andrew recalls his "Most Expensive Date Ever" We also revisit some cringe moments from our adolescent years. Awkward! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Happy Valentine's Day! The wine will be flowing this week! Just in time to prepare for your romantic activities around Love day, we're talking etiquette rules that we believe will help you avoid annoying friends and prospective romantic partners. See this article from The Cut for our inspiration to discuss etiquette rules. STFU and give your friends or partners a chance to talk, don't make splitting the bill so damn complicated, and strip the bed linens after staying at someone else's house! "You'll float too:" Forget Tiktok, surveillance balloons are all the rage for international spy activities! Why didn't the US military shoot down the balloon sooner? Cause it weighed over 2,000 pounds and was taller than the Statue of Liberty. Has anyone told Congressional Republicans this wasn't a Party City balloon? BUT ALSO: The U.S. shot down three additional unidentified flying objects, but assures us they definitely weren't aliens. Suuuuuure Jan. Netflix and AMC are trying to redefine experiences their brands helped build: just in time for Valentine's Day, love is no longer sharing a password. And going to the movies is equivalent to going to a concert or other event! Will people accept Netflix up-charging for sharing an account or AMC trying to rebrand the theater-going experience? Naaaaah. Apathy will probably kick in though. This week's recommendations are all over the map: Americans, find out how much you will get in Social Security payments in retirement by going to SSA.gov (Andrew), Rare Beauty's Illuminating Primer (Laura), and StoryGraph (Pam). This week's show is sponsored by Hello Fresh (link here). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon and Apple Podcasts: We're going on a three-way polygamous date to find out if these 36 questions can help us fall in love (even more) with each other. Why is Andrew asking so many questions about death on a first date? Seems sus. Things get pretty vulnerable and deep. We're gonna take this to second base later. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode opens with discussion of a rising trend: More people are turning to dollar stores to shop for food because of the guaranteed low prices and accessibility. To help us discuss this movement, we're joined by Rebecca of @DollarTreeDinners on TikTok, who's gained nearly 700k followers in under a year thanks to her videos in which she shares how to make great meals using ingredients from Dollar Tree! We ask Rebecca what the common misconceptions are about dollar store shopping, how she plans her meal ideas, if keeping ingredients and meals healthy is possible at a low-cost store like Dollar Tree, and what items to avoid at the dollar chains. How has Rebecca gotten so popular, so quick? She shares what resonates with her audience to help any other aspiring TikTokers. Over in TV land, Netflix is in hot water after the taping of their Squid Game reality show got a little too, uh, close to the fictional Squid Game. Shouldn't contestants have known what they were getting into?! Mr. Beast also got in trouble when he tried to create his own Squid Game. It leads us into a discussion of how creators like him can't win. The Grammy's aired Sunday, and as always there's lots to talk about. Pam explains why Harry's House shouldn't have won the top honor, and Andrew shares strategies for making it through the longggggg award ceremony. Recommendations: Andrew's recently started using Jicama Wraps as a low-calorie tortilla alternative (Which Pam isn't happy about, only because the popularity of jicama has seemingly driven up prices), and Pam wants you to check out Bad Bunny's album Un Verano Sin Ti. This week in After Dark, available on Patreon: The M&Ms Spokecandies have allegedly been replaced by Maya Rudolph. The commercials haven't landed with Andrew -- is this all leading to a Super Bowl ad where the Spokescandies murder Maya Rudolph and take back the throne? The internet is paying tribute to the M&M's by discussing the hottest brand cartoon characters. We discuss if we would sleep with iconic characters like Jolly Green Giant, Wendy, Kool Aid Man, Mr. Pringle, and more. Disney Dads appear to be getting hotter. Do the animators have daddy issues? FMK: The Mascots. Andrew and Pam present each other with scenarios. "Ohhhhh Yeahhhhhh!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laura has an announcement: she has joined the ranks of Joe Biden, Mike Pence, and Donald Trump for having classified documents in her home. Who's next? Chat GPT, the new AI chatbot that has taken the internet by storm, is the subject of this week's show. Listen carefully -- some of what we say may be written by The Bots. Chat GPT can write letters, papers, and podcast dialogue when given specific requests. It can also answer everyday questions, convey emotion, write content, and even write code. Big tech has taken notice and some are reportedly shaking in their boots and in some cases even vying to use Chat GPT. Artists and creators alike are sounding the alarm over AI bots and their potential to steal from artists in order to generate content. There may still be a ways to go though: CNET was using AI to write articles until they realized there were some errors in the bot's reporting. Should people be worried about the machines taking their jobs? For today's episode, we prepared ad copy, existential diary entries, and even a conversation with Albus Dumbledore using AI bots! This week's recommendations are fun and functional enough to get you to stop worrying about the rise of Skynet: GoldenEye on Nintendo Switch (Andrew), The Quarry on PS/XBOX/PC (Laura), and Mighty Patch (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Inspired by this NYTimes article, we ask: what present-day things will we cringe about in the future? Did we swipe away our life partners too easily? How many kids are going to grow up and despise their parents for documenting their entire childhood on social media? Will we navigate more towards plant based diets? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Should we have anxiety about the current egg shortage? "Classic" digital cameras are big with Gen Z - are we feeling old yet? Something about that classic, grainy, blurry look is appealing to the kids these days, UFO reports have skyrocketed since 2021 - are they legitimate? While we're hoping to have an expert on in the coming months to discuss aliens, we want to share our decidedly un-expert opinions: are aliens real, have they been to Earth, would the government even tell us, and would humanity band together against an extraterrestrial threat? (no). Throw back time: Pam gives us a mini-hype roundup of the latest pop culture stories. Should Alec Baldwin be found guilty for the accidental shooting of Halyna Hutchins? Actor Sebastian Croft recently faced backlash for voicing a character in the upcoming "Hogwarts Legacy" - why aren't any other actors being attacked online for doing the same? Cringiest cringe of the week: US Senators quoting Taylor Swift lyrics. This week's recommendations will keep you fresh, fed, and prepared! Just Egg (Andrew), Eva NYC's Freshen Up Invisible Dry Shampoo (Laura), and Instax mini link 2 smart phone printer (Pam). This week's episode is sponsored by Honeylove (https://www.honeylove.com promo code MILL for 20% off!). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Oh, the places you will go! Our most and least favorite pop culture and historical sites. The owner of the "Breaking Bad" house still has a temper about people showing up and trying to throw pizza on her roof. Andrew and Pam have made visits to a number of iconic pop culture sites, but you might be a little disappointed to see how some of them stack up to their on-screen counterparts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real FIRE talk! Stoves are apparently a hot button (lol) issue, and President Biden continues coming under scrutiny for his classified documents faux pas. Do we believe everything we read in memoirs? Some details in Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" have been determined to be inaccurate. Since human memory is subject to flaws when recalling events, how much stock can we put in any memoir's ability to represent reality? Time to get nerdy: Pam and Laura cover an ongoing story in the Dungeons & Dragons community. Once again, corporations are getting greedy and attempting to screw over their fan base. Swift backlash from the DnD community led to Wizards of the Coast backtracking its new proposed Open Gaming License (OGL), but fans are still wary of what is to come. The Missouri State House of Representatives has adopted stricter dress code guidelines for its female members. Apparently bare arms and shoulders are too scandalous for Missouri. The United States House of Representatives relaxed its own archaic rules around dress code for women in 2017 - c'mon Missouri, even Paul Ryan thought this was stupid. We reminisce about our own run ins with being dress code violators and check in on our old high schools' current dress code requirements. This week we have a group recommendation: Watch 'The Last of Us' on HBOMax. Just do it. Do it now. (We also have a bonus recommendation for the inevitable zombie apocalypse: PB2 powdered peanut butter!) And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: MuggleSuck, The AIM Files (part III). Between being homeschooled and lacking IRL friends, Andrew and Laura really had nothing better to do than be riled up by fansite drama. How did we talk about and perceive being gay in the early 2000s? How does it differ from 2023 standards? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New year same us! Welcome to #Millennial the home of pretend adulting and real talk. Get ready for some new laws y'all: decriminalization of jaywalking and cannabis cafés potentially coming near you soon! During the holiday break House Republicans proved the 15th time is a charm, Brasil had its own January 6th, and Biden had his own classified documents snafu. 2023 is just *glowing* NEW ON PATREON! Executive Producer tier, which includes all other Patreon benefits in addition to joining us for episode planning meetings, a personalized thank-you video, and a dedicated space to pitch your ideas to the show. Southwest Airlines capped off a year rife with airline drama with the crowning jewel of clusterfucks: mass cancellations that left tens of thousands of Americans stranded at the height of winter holidays. US airlines received around $50 billion in taxpayer funded bailouts during the pandemic to avoid layoffs and furloughs. If the bailout was meant to keep airline workers employed, why did the airlines offer buyouts and early retirement packages to so many of their employees? 🤔 Can Southwest bounce back from this? More than likely with the right response and PR. But will the government enact repercussions? Are consumers expecting unreasonably low airfares? And what can be done about the general lack of comfortable seating? What is the future of football following the tragic accident that nearly claimed Damar Hamlin's life? How can American society reconcile the inherent dangers of football with the cultural significance it holds? Why do sports in general carry so much significance socially, culturally, and politically? This week's recommendations all relate to our episode! Ticket to Ride (Andrew), The Department of Transportation's Airline Customer Service Dashboard (Laura), and 'Colin in Black and White' on Netflix (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: The Stanley Quencher water bottle may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but it'll keep you hydrated. In a conversation about brand influencing, Andrew and Pam give Laura fomo about products she doesn't have and will now be buying. We share the products we are sluts for, and surprise surprise, we were most likely influenced into our loyalty. Why is hydration so trendy now? No one walked around with a water bottle in the 90s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special release! #Millennial will return January 11th with new episodes, but for now we're releasing the latest installment of After Dark to everyone! In this installment -- which also features Mark and Pat -- we look at the types of porn each generation and state were watching in 2022 via PornHub's Year in Review. Their report on the year in porn viewing was breathtakingly detailed, so we try to discern why different types of people watched what they did. For a new installment of After Dark every week, pledge to our Patreon today at Patreon.com/millennial! We can't do this show without listener support, so thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real holiday gift exchanges! Chloé, Marc, and Pat join us to make the gift giving experience more chaotic. Cookie flavored lube, onesies, and marijuana paraphernalia are among the gifts given this year... Our top themes that define 2022: Midterm Elections, Queen Elizabeth II's passing, social media shifts, Ash finally becoming the best like no one ever was, Try Guys drama, and the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial. We recap our 2022 predictions from last year: who was wrong, who was right, and who killed The Queen? And don't worry, we're sure some of our 2023 predictions are wrong: SCOTUS to rule student loan forgiveness program legal, 'Speak Now' TV coming in spring or summer, Bob Barker will die, Nintendo to announce an updated Switch model, Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson will date, and Trump won't be allowed to run. Final words for 2022? Ehhhh And in this week's installment of After Dark, which is available now to Patreon / Apple Podcasts subscribers but will be available to everyone next week: Time to tell the story of the REAL America... via Pornhub's 2022 Year in Review! Which US states need therapy based on their top search terms? Are Boomers ok? Y'all's search preferences are so vanilla. Remember, there is a porn for EVERYTHING. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Who else forgot that 'Avatar' was the biggest box office earner in history? Oops. Will we see the 3+ hour sequel? There may already be some Oscar buzz about movies coming out this holiday season, but we've got some old favorites we revisit every year. Having last minute gift shopping trouble? Look no further - we've got you covered with some tips and tricks to help your holiday shopping along. Why are dads so hard to buy for? Seriously, why is that such a common trope? How do we feel about being asked for Christmas lists as adults? Brittney Griner came home last week after nearly 10 months in a Russian penal colony for possession of THC cartridges. Why are Americans so split on the Biden Administration deal to get Griner home? If you're interested in learning more about the history of prisoner swaps between the US and Russia, we recommend checking out the following resources: Here are some prisoner swaps that have freed Americans, Trevor Reed Prisoner Swap History, Trump Admin negotiates for the release of 5,000 Taliban fighters, Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap, The World; Free to Spy Another Day?, Cold War not affected by exchange of prisoners. Kyrsten Sinema sucks. That's all. This week's episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods (https://www.uncommongoods.com/MILL for 15% off). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Andrew has us play a guessing game about the top Google search trends of 2022. Pam and Laura blank out on the first half of the year, completely forgetting major events pre-August. Pam's memory never ceases to blow us away. Has anyone ever had a favorite spot ruined because of overcrowding due to social media? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of fake adulting and real talk! Polls closed for the Georgia Senate runoff shortly before we began this recording, and Raphael Warnock was declared the winner after we wrapped. However, you can still experience Laura's stress and anxiety throughout the recording! #fun Should Kanye's music be removed from streaming services like Spotify in light of his continued hatred towards Jewish people? It's a very sticky situation. Spotify's 2022 Wrapped is here with a new feature: your music personality. Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionary have chosen appropriate words of the year for 2022: "Gaslighting" and "Goblin Mode." Who among us hasn't activated goblin mode after being gaslit the last three years? NEW: #Millennial's word of the year is... PEOPLE. Plus, Andrew takes us through dozens more of #Millennial's most-used words, and the words he thinks we should've used more often in 2022. As we get deeper into the holiday season, we ask ourselves and our listeners how to deal with annoying people during the most wonderful time of the year? Is just getting up and leaving effective? Is it too awkward? Between edibles, giving yourself a buffer, and setting boundaries, our listeners have lots of ideas about how to stay sane this holiday season! "I hope you have the holiday you deserve." This week's recommendations are all over the place: 12ft.io to be a filthy thief and bypass paywalls (Andrew), Netflix's 'Wednesday' (Pam), and Laura begs Supermassive Games to please patch 'The Devil in Me.' This week's episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods (https://www.uncommongoods.com/MILL for 15% off) and Dock a Tot (https://www.dockatot.com and enter code MILL for 15% off). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Pam reveals more tea about how she'll be handling awkward interactions this holiday season. Andrew and Laura provide another dramatic reading of an AIM transcript from their days working at MuggleNet. This week's edition: mass firing of volunteer fan fiction moderators. What is it with grown ass adults picking on children? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk! Of course Elon couldn't resist amping up Twitter drama during the Thanksgiving holiday, and we reminisce about the Twitter apocalypse that wasn't. On this week's episode we're doing a deep dive on Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Antitrust laws, and the Biden Justice Department working to address the issue of monopolies. First, all due credit to Taylor Swift, whose Ticketmaster debacle inspired this conversation. We don't know for sure if Biden and Garland are Swifties, but we do know the Department of Justice had already launched an antitrust inquiry into Live Nation Entertainment before Ticketmaster shit the bed on presale tickets for Swift's tour. The Justice Department allowed the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2010, despite cries from the music world and consumers that a monopoly would result. And they were right. Artists like Ed Sheeran and Garth Brooks have tried to fight back against price gouging and scalping, but with the broad control Live Nation Entertainment has over the live music entertainment market, it will take so much more to truly address these issues. The Biden Justice Department has had surprising success preventing the recent attempted merger of publishing houses Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. Interested in reading more about monopolies and antitrust law? Check out these resources: AT&T Antitrust cases, American Tobacco Company, and more reading on PRH+S&S. The Biden Administration also announced that they're looking to fight 'junk fees' to help fight inflation, beginning with new guidance making it illegal for banks to charge overdraft fees when bank or ATM statements show sufficient balances at the time of a transaction. What junk fees do we want to see the administration take on next? This week's episode is sponsored by Expedition Roasters (https://www.expeditionroasters.com and use code COFFEEGEEKS for 15% off your order). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Since millennials know how to lose their online social media presence, let's explore the social media alternatives to Twitter. We look at popular alternatives Mastodon and Hive. Their platforms may be promising, but will their audiences keep growing? Our gripe: how are we supposed to find our friends and other connections on these new platforms? Pam shows Andrew a Tiktok hack that reveals something surprising! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and (maybe) good inflation news? We look towards what we can expect from Democratic Senate and Republican House controlled chambers following last week's midterm elections. What does the Georgia Senate runoff mean for a Senate majority? Orange Julius announced his 2024 Presidential run during this recording, and we are gagging. Will Gen Z save American democracy? We're in their corner! What is "queerbaiting," and how are certain celebs and media using it to attract audiences? How can we tell if someone is queerbaiting? And when does it do more harm than good to call it out? Kit Connor of 'Heartstopper' fame was forced out of the closet due to excessive accusations of queerbaiting. Should there be limits on straight artists using queer themes in their work? Andrew (aka resident conservationist daddy) provides an update on the mega drought out West, and what those states are doing to become less dependent on the Colorado river. In addition to the phenomenal water recycling efforts in Las Vegas, California has reduced its water usage by 10%, and has committed to reducing its dependence on the Colorado river by 400,000 acre feet per year starting in 2023. The Federal government is throwing its weight around by telling states like Arizona and California that if they don't come to an agreement to cut usage, big daddy fed will be stepping in. Andrew's 2023 water prediction: we're gonna get WET baby! This week's recommendations will keep you entertained and moisturized as the weather gets chillier! Guillermo del Toro's 'Cabinet of Curiosities' on Netflix (Laura), 'Tunic,' an RPG tribute to 90s Zelda games (Andrew), and O'Keefe's working hands lotion (Pam). This week's episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods (https://www.uncommongoods.com/mill for 15% off). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: What nostalgic media from our childhood holds up well? What DOESN'T? A macabre discovery: does Santa die when he retires in 'The Santa Clause'? We are shook to revisit fan favorites from the early 2000's that look like dog shit now. Is it possible to enjoy 1990's VFX through a 2022 lens? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real election talk! An unpleasant reality seems to be setting in for Republicans: while they will likely take control of the House, it seems to be a much smaller majority than expected. We cover our home states of California, Georgia, and Nevada: the heartbreak, the victories, and everything in between. Why does Laura have a freedom boner over ranked choice voting?? The economy and abortion were top areas of concern this cycle - what do these results tell us about public opinion? Is Trump being rejected at the ballot box? His endorsed midterm candidates are seeing mixed results. Gen Z saves the day: the newest voting-age generation turned out overwhelmingly for Democrats, and Maxwell Frost was the first Gen Zer elected to Congress! While the balance of Congressional control is still in question, Republicans ultimately underperformed. How will they react in 2024? Are we ready for the inevitable DeSantis/Trump boxing match? This week's recommendations should give you a break from election fatigue: 'The Midnight Club' on Netflix (Laura), 'All There Is' with Anderson Cooper (Pam), and Backblaze (Andrew). This week's episode is sponsored by Uncommon Goods (https://www.uncommongoods.com/mill for 15% off) and Expedition Roasters (https://www.expeditionroasters.com and enter COFFEEGEEKS for 15% off your order). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: MuggleSuck returns in the form of some cringy AIM transcripts Andrew dug up from the vault. 2006 Andrew is talking about a gay guy but not in the way he would now. *cringe* "My parents are such dorks!" Laura treated the prospect of guest hosts probably *too* seriously. A story of a creepy older staffer is revisited. Away messages were the best features ever. SOMEONE BRING THEM BACK! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real Tiktok class action lawsuits. After months of speculation, Elon Musk has officially purchased Twitter for $44 billion (which is way more than Twitter is worth). See what Nilay Patel, aka Andrew's new Leo Laporte, had to say on Elon's head scratching purchase of the social media platform. We share our concerns about the future of Twitter as small creators ourselves, and speculate over how likely major changes to Twitter's rules are to be. A big sticking point for Elon's imagined "town square" version of Twitter will be advertisers. No one's gonna want to advertise Christmas M&Ms next to the latest unregulated antisemitic Kanye meltdown. Will we leave Twitter? We share our red lines. Taylor Swift has also seen some backlash over her "Anti-Hero" music video, which featured some of the singer's "nightmare scenarios." The nightmare scenario that has caught everyone's attention? Taylor's scale weighing her as "fat." Although Swift has spoken about her struggles with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, many are calling out that an objectively skinny woman talking about being "fat" as a nightmare is lacking some self-awareness at best. Does there need to be more nuance in this conversation? Yes. Does Taylor need to sit with this and learn to do better? Also yes. Interestingly, there's been no discernible criticism of the incest portrayed in 'House of the Dragon' - in fact, there is a significant thirst happening online for uncle/niece romantic duo Daemon and Rhaenyra. Though this is not the first time incest has been represented in Westeros, it is the most prominent example for the tv shows. Are viewers turned on by the actors' chemistry or the taboo nature of this relationship? We share final thoughts on season 1 of 'House of the Dragon' - will we tune in for season 2? This week we give a group recommendation: if you are eligible to vote in the United States... VOTE! Please. For the love of avocados. Next week's episode will provide election coverage. And in this week's installment of After Dark: With nostalgia in mind, we ask ourselves: what sucked as a kid, but is cool as an adult? Weird how corporal punishment becomes a sex kink. Thanks parents! Are all the things we hated as kids but like as adults good for our mental health? Have we all become a lot more domestic than we thought we would? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real shit talking phone scammers. Andrew provides a SPECIAL UPDATE on his recent COVID scare. Also, if you see a picture of his butt floating around online, please email [email protected]. Adidas has officially dropped Kanye West over his repeated vitriol towards the Jewish community - took 'em long enough! While we were on vacation a lot happened in the news! Liz Truss was outlasted by a head of lettuce, the UK gained a new Prime Minister, Trump was officially subpoenaed by the J6 Commission, and the student loan forgiveness application opened up. But because no good deed goes unpunished, a federal appeals court has put a pause on any forgiveness being issued because some salty Republican governors challenged Biden's loan forgiveness program. Instagram is supposedly working on a new feature that would allow users to add song to their profiles - 2005 called, MySpace Tom wants his business model back! We take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about our MySpace profile songs, who was in our Top 8, and how glad we are that MySpace didn't show whose profiles we were creeping on. Things go off the rails when Andrew reveals he has ALL of his old AIM chat history from back in the day. Queue major millennial cringe moment. This week's episode is sponsored by Expedition Roasters (https://www.expeditionroasters.com and use code COFFEEGEEKS for 15% off your order). Believe us, your nerdy caffeine souls will thank you for this one! Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! Need something new to do? This week's recommendations should help! Where the Water Goes by David Owen (Andrew), Phasmophobia (Laura), and 'The Loneliest Time' by Carly Rae Jepsen (Pam). And in this week's After Dark: Inspired by this tweet, we ask ourselves, 'what is something that is objectively terrible but I still like anyway?' Why can't we quit the crappy food of our youth? We watch trash TV so we can judge and feel better about ourselves #sorrynotsorry. Is doom scrolling bad for our mental health? Yes. Do we still do it all the time? Also yes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a new sponsor who merge our two loves: Coffee and Pop Culture! Check out Expedition Roasters for delicious, pop culture-themed brews inspired by Harry Potter, Disney theme parks, Star Wars, and many more! Use code COFFEEGEEKS for 15% off! Don't forget that the #Millennial Adulting Planner is available for a limited time! Pledge to our Patreon at the BAE level by Thursday, October 20th to receive yours! BAE Patrons, make sure you fill out the form by October 20th! COVID gets close to Andrew and he enters a quarantine mode to stay safe. Will he successfully avoid the 'vid? Find out the exciting conclusion in two weeks! Meanwhile, Laura and Pam have their own COVID-related updates... #PrickMeDaddy Paramore has brought back their massively popular song "Misery Business" after they canceled any and all live performances two years ago. Was it right to bring it back... or cancel it in the first place? What songs truly haven't aged well? Andrew and Pam have thoughts on songs with "Fire" in the words by Andrew's husband. And what on Chromatica was Gaga thinking by teaming up with R. Kelly less than a decade ago!? The makers of UNO have reminded everyone about an alleged rule, which has sent players into a tailspin. The panel get into a discussion about their own House Rules with board games and drop some new recommendations! Dank Brandon rises. We run through how he aims to decriminalize marijuana and discuss why the hell it's classified as a Schedule I drug. Recommendations: Spot It card games (Andrew), Vampire Survivors game (Laura), Derry Girls season 3 (Pam) And this week in After Dark, available on Patreon: Our social media manager Chloé joins us to discuss the Millennial Pause. What is it? Does anyone we work with have it? And is The Pause actually a problem, or are people just looking for more things to complain about when it comes to millennials? GIFs, Bitmojis, and not understanding social media apps: Are these all problems for millennials? Can Andrew no longer use his precious Bitmojis?! (He LOVES his fall outfit tho!) Chloé drops a couple of updates concerning what's in and out for Gen Z. (Heads up: Cheugy is still out) What is the BuzzFeed Accent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and real talk. Andrew does his best impression of Westeros to start the show off, commemorating the ridiculously dark lighting present in the latest episode of House of the Dragon. Don't forget to pledge at the $10 BAE level over on our Patreon by 10/20/22 to receive this year's #Millennial Adulting Planner! In light of Grammy Award winning West Coast rapper Coolio's death last week, we visit his legacy, learn more about how 'Gangsta's Paradise' earned its spot in the cultural zeitgeist, and reflect on rap's crucial influences on our culture. Speaking of 90's nostalgia, Andrew is getting bummed out with more and more dark details about our favorite kids shows coming to light. "I love you... you hate me...." did anyone else have threats of violence and ruthless rumors on their Barney bingo card? No matter your take on 90s nostalgia, we can all agree the sun baby from Teletubbies was and remains nightmare fuel. We're joined this week by listener Nicki, who is a fellow with the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health. She joins us this week to talk about a common anxiety: the importance of oral health and going to the dentist. She reminds us it doesn't need to be scary! Periodontal disease (aka gum disease) is extremely preventable, treatable, and curable with proper testing and treatment. Oral health is important for your teeth, but don't forget that the mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. Establishing an oral health routine can help prevent other illnesses down the line! What about the over the counter toothpastes, flosses, and mouth washes most of us are using? Nicki recommends Spry, Bite, and StellaLife instead. You can find Nicki on Instagram and see her business Redwood Designs. It's a mixed bag of recommendations this week: the gay rom-com BROS (Andrew), Slutty Vegan (Laura), Netflix's 'Hip Hop Evolution' (Pam), and Trixie Motel on Discovery+ (Nicki). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available to all Patrons: We did 90s nostalgia in the main show, now it's time for our own 90s cringe stories. How to dump a girl in 3 days, a Girl Scouts assignment gone amiss, and telling your crush that no, you DEFINITELY don't have a crush on them anymore. You thought finding out Santa wasn't real was bad? Just wait until Andrew shares his trauma around Carmen Sandiego. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We kick off the show this week with some TRY GUYS DRAMA. Pam is shook, Andrew is cackling, and Laura is clueless. We officially unveiled our 2022 Physical Gift for BAE level Patrons: The #Millennial Adulting Planner! It's here to keep you on track, getting in those hot girl walks, and staying up to date on the show! If you'd like to receive this gift, subscribe at the BAE level over at https://www.patreon.com/millennial by October 20th! What are the ethics involved with creating and consuming true crime media? With a recent Netflix release centered on infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, victims' families have been vocal about the damage of being forced to relive their trauma through the cultural zeitgeist. Do we need to keep rehashing the same traumatic stories again and again? As we inch closer to midterms, Laura has an important PSA: Think globally, act locally. Stories of US Governors transporting asylum seekers to other states, the Iranian government's violent crackdown on protests, and Italy's new far-right Prime Minister don't exist in a vacuum. Andrew's Tech Corner gets he and Chloé feuding about Instagram reels, has us cheering for an improvement to Amazon's ebook return policy, and sending thoughts and prayers to the Instagram employees inevitably training the new Ai that will block unsolicited nude photos. This week's recommendations are for your face: Apostrophe (Andrew), the Weilisi Ring Light (Laura), and Trader Joe's daily facial sunscreen (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Inspired by this Reddit thread, we're talking about the adult luxuries we never saw ourselves being obsessed with. King beds are game changers for those of us in relationships. Or, you know, just people with dogs. What types of things have we splurged on that have improved our lives? Laura only recently discovered the benefits of a good vacuum! Her floor is now SO! CLEAN! Better quality also leads to having to buying certain types of products less. It's a win-win! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend marinated chicken recipes and real NyQuil usages. WTF? Is it time to get your new (and improved!) COVID booster? This CDC quiz can help you find out! Then, Laura comes clean about her last booster. Adnan Syed, whose story made international headlines thanks to Serial and Undisclosed Podcast, has been freed. Should we be concerned that cursive is being taught less and less in public schools? Does the panel write in cursive? (Do they write by hand at all?) What did we learn in school that isn't helping us today? What didn't we learn that we wish we had? A Confessional about Sexual Fluidity has us asking ourselves and our Patrons... have you ever been attracted to someone outside of your typical sexual orientation? Introducing 'Dark Brandon Watch': a new segment where we run through the latest coming out of the Biden Administration. Chloé looooves this week's tangible recommendations: 'The Patient' on FX (Andrew), Apple Cider Vinegar (Laura), and Sally Hanson dry & go drops (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: It's a WTF News edition! If an avalanche of sex toys spills onto the highway, is it stealing to take one? Speaking of sex toys, who knew anal beads could be the secret in a successful chess match? Central Florida loves celebrating its "cooters," and a Southwest airlines pilot is over all y'all's dick pics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and ROYAL talk! UK-born, Canada-based BAE Patron and Conservation Biologist Megan joins us this episode to keep the stupid Americans on track when talking about Royal traditions and UK politics. Follow Megan over on Instagram @Write2Ride. What were our initial reactions to news of the Queen's death? To enhance today's discussion, we're replacing our regular swear word vocabulary with Shakespearean insults. Laura is very upset at the prospect of the Queen's Corgis going to bawdy, flap-mouthed pedo Prince Andrew. Honoring a long-held tradition, the royal beekeeper alerted Queen Elizabeth's bee colony of her passing. Pam gives us the rundown of what to expect over the next couple of weeks before Queen Elizabeth is finally laid to rest, and we wonder if the UK public still finds the opulence and cost of the Royal family relevant. Megan gives us some insight into how the UK and various Commonwealth countries approach the bank holidays observed in light of the Monarch's passing. Unfortunately, some localities aren't recognizing the days off work, and some people may not even receive holiday pay for working. Megan clues us into the ongoing energy crisis in the UK, and why the pomp and circumstance of the Monarchy may not be landing well with the public. Shortly before the Queen's passing, Liz Truss became Prime Minister following Boris Johnson's resignation. Who is she, what ideologies is she leading with, and how can the US foresee domestic political trends based on what is happening now in the UK? To everyone shushing the various commonwealth communities for not mourning this death: SHUT UP. We dig in on Britain's history of colonialism, the privilege carried by those of us who benefit from imperialist attitudes, and how the British Empire left scars around the world that must be answered to. How do UK residents feel about the Monarchy compared to commonwealth countries? We'll give you one guess... There's no common thread in this week's recommendations: BBC World News (Andrew), Ben & Jerry's Doggie ice cream (Laura), Netflix's 'The Crown' (Pam), and take some time to go outside and connect with nature (Megan). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: You've heard of MuggleSuck, but have you heard of Hypa-suck? Andrew and Pam get real about their nine years working at another website. In this first installment, we share three juicy stories of betrayal, honest mistakes, and challenging relationships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and unprepared talk. Andrew's a coffee elite and wants YOU to try black coffee for a week. We're all enjoying Marvel's 'She-Hulk,' but the character design is leaving something to be desired. A listener asks Pam and Laura what they think of the posthumously released Selena album 'Moonchild Mixes'? Can we see ourselves enjoying posthumous releases, or even hologram performances of musicians who have passed? Some stars are getting ahead of the game by holograming themselves and producing biopics while they're still alive. While we're still alive, we talk about who we'd cast to play our fellow #Millennial hosts, and everyone understands the assignment somewhat differently... WaPo reported on the most regretted college majors, and as millennials, we feel (kinda) attacked (but they're not totally wrong). Do we think the heavy emphasis on STEM fields might create an overcorrection in the long-term? When considering a field of study, earning potential is a large piece of the puzzle to consider. But is it the only piece? Our Patrons sound off about whether or not they regret their fields of study. This week's recommendations are all about coffee and focus: Drink black coffee for a week (Andrew), Loop Earplugs (Laura), and Torani pumpkin pie syrup (Pam). This week's episode is sponsored by Feals (https://www.feals.com/MILL to become a member and get 50% off your first month). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Wizarding World Inc announced an official fan event happening next year in the U.S., and convention goers have opinions. What are the pros and cons of official and unofficial fan events? Speaking of conventions, it's time to reminisce... this time 17 years ago, Andrew had a life experience so juicy it lives behind the paywall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and CORN talk! Corn kid is precious and must be protected at all costs. We're pleasantly surprised by how much the Biden-Harris student debt relief plan includes, and how many people are seeing significant or complete loan cancellation. Also, we have GREAT news about interest! Listeners sound off about what they'll be able to do when their student debt is canceled, and we celebrate the newly unveiled IDR plan effectively canceling interest. PSA: You'll still need to apply for the debt relief by 12/31. Don't worry, we'll issue lots of reminders! The White House Twitter account sees a sudden tone shift, endearing the account to tens of thousands of users. As midterms loom, so too does "Dark Brandon." What is Quiet Quitting? How do we establish a balance between work life and LIFE? This new trend can refer to scaling back to the bare minimum work required, not centering our lives around work, or letting go of doing additional work without additional pay. It's an entertainment themed recommendation week for #Millennial! Check out 'The Princess' on HBO Max (Andrew), season 2 of 'Only Murders in the Building' (Laura), and the *Nterviews series on the Lance Bass Show podcast (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Pam takes the reins for some pop culture updates! Streaming beats cable, NBC considers cutting an hour of primetime, and MoviePass is back. Britney is in her healing era, and we're here for it! Jack Antonoff gets too involved with hot artists and Pam ruins Lorde's "Green Light" for Andrew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of PRETEND adulting and real talk. Are we still on the Be Real train? Instagram is clearly getting on board. Amid news that Biden will be (finally) announcing his student loan forgiveness solution, the panel has thoughts... BREAKING NEWS: Andrew is committing to the highly anticipated 'Game of Thrones' and 'Lord of the Rings' spinoff series. #iconic Is this the make or break moment for major fandom spinoff series? Related to 'Game of Thrones', a listener asks 'AITA if I don't go to my friend's GoT themed wedding?' Andrew surprises Laura and Pam by asking them to read in High Valyrian on air in honor of our 'Thrones' conversation. Demi Lovato's latest single '29' has gone viral, prompting more conversations about the cultural shift in perceptions around large age gaps in relationships. As active members of fandom, we speak about the large age gaps in some of our own friendships "back in the day," and whether we think we would approach them differently now. Our listeners weigh in with their stories about being in a romantic relationship with a large age gap. Republicans are fear mongering over the $80 billion earmarked in the Inflation Reduction Act for hiring 87,000 new IRS agents. Andrew gets vulnerable about being audited by the IRS, but also points out that an agent didn't take him out with an "AK-15." Take note, Senator Grassley. This week's recommendations will help you stay feeling cozy ahead of fall: purchase audit protection when filing taxes (Andrew), OUAI leave-in conditioner (Laura), and Rare Beauty's Lip Soufflé (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Inspired by our Demi Lovato discussion in the main show, we get into more specifics about the issues that can present in friendships and romantic relationships with a large age gap. Each member of the panel has a story about something they've seen or experienced that can make these relationships complicated, but there is nuance so long as consenting adults are involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined by #Millennial’s social media manager, Chloé, and friend of the show Christine Riccio for a big discussion on social media! Christine is a published author (check out her books Again, But Better and Better Together!)-- but she’s also been creating content on YouTube, Instagram, and more for years. This week’s show is dedicated to unpacking Instagram’s plight to compete with TikTok’s growing popularity. If you’ve found yourself frustrated by the changes being made over on Instagram, you aren't alone! Following a slew of backlash, the platform is promising to walk back some of the changes they’ve made to mimic TikTok. Andrew and Pam's minds are blown when they learn that you can actually hide all suggested posts on Instagram. Andrew and Pam lament over how frustrating it is to see so many suggested posts on their feeds. Meanwhile, Christine and Chloé walk us through how these new changes end up hurting small creators. We discuss the pressure creators feel to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of social media. Additionally, we ruminate over whether or not keeping up with the algorithm is sustainable longterm. Christine opens up about the growing pressure authors are facing from publishers to self-promote their books across multiple platforms. This week’s recommendations: Cancelling a trial as soon as you start it so you don’t forget to cancel it later (Andrew); ‘A League of their Own’ on Amazon Prime Video (Pam); Palomino by Miranda Lambert (Chloé); ‘The Resort’ on Peacock (Christine). And on this week’s installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Celebrities— including Taylor Swift— are getting slammed for their private jet carbon emissions. Have we, as a society, reached a point where we're tired of seeing celebs flex their wealth? We discuss the correlation between how it’s cool to be environmentally conscious in 2022, and the downtrend in wealth flexing. Celebrities face backlash for misstepping on social media all the time— but they’re not the only ones. We all share examples of times we’ve gotten called out for the things we've posted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and FUN talk! We're joined this week by Yvonne Gonzales (aka @OldMythos on TikTok) who is a PhD candidate at USC. They join us to share how fan fiction can and should be studied as literature, and also dive in on the latest drama between Netflix and The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical. Where did songwriting partners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear cross a line with their musical? Likely when they started monetizing it. Should other fan creators worry about copyright lawsuits? Andrew asks some questions "for a friend" who happens to run a popular literary themed podcast. In some good news, we have a tasty meal in store for this week's Clusterfuck YEAH 2022 updates. Alex Jones and the tale of incompetent legal representation, Donald Trump and the FBI raid of his "big, beautiful home", and Kansas' surprisingly high voter turnout in a primary to block further abortion restrictions. Will anything come of this FBI raid and release of Trump's taxes? Be patient, these things take a while. Andrew pays tribute to The Onion's late fashion contributor. This week's recommendations range from abstract to entertainment: GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR (Andrew), Knock Knock Pads (Laura), and Pod Meets World (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Pam went to Outside Lands, and Laura is extremely jealous she got to see Green Day. Andrew questions whether Bruce Springsteen's blue collar audience will be able to afford tickets to his upcoming tour due to the price gouging Ticketmaster platinum ticket pricing feature. What is the maximum amount we'd pay to see our favorite artists in concert? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Millennial, the home of fake adulting and real breaking your soul! Despite the latest news about Lizzo opting to remove an ableist slur from her latest album, Queen Bey find herself in a similar position with her new album. Updated booster shots coming to an Apple store near you! (Jk, please don't spread misinfo.) Andrew v Laura: who will hold out longest in the battle of the covid super dodgers? WTF Internet News is here to unearth why an op-ed would posit that 'The Office' is a work setting we should aspire to, the infamous TikTok 'pink sauce,' and how a Polish Institute decided that domesticated cats are an invasive alien species. Hulu and Disney were in hot water recently over Hulu's refusal to air political ads about controversial topics like gun reform and abortion access. Disney has certainly had no problem taking political sides in the past... until it become brand damaging for them to do so. While Disney and Hulu have changed course, we wonder how politicians can meaningfully hope to meet young voters where they are. McConnell out-McConnelled: a tale of Republicans being shitty and getting it rubbed in their faces for once. This week's episode is sponsored by Feals (https://www.feals.com/MILL to become a member and get 50% off your first month). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! Our recommendations this week come with your comfort, entertainment, and caffeine addictions in mind: Autonomous ErgoChair Pro (Andrew), Stray on PS and Steam (Laura), and Mr. Coffee Electric Grinder with multi-settings (Pam). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Could 'ghosting' now be seen as an emotional offense? Based on this, we come up with our own proposals for laws to address annoying things in life: excessive dog barking, rent increases, and parking too damn close to someone's car for them to reasonably access their own car. What offensive custom honking sounds should Andrew record for his car? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to #Millennial, the home of pretend adulting and BeReal talk. Friend of the show and fellow podcaster Eric joins us this week! Do we actually want our friends to know what mundane things we're up to? A new report from Rolling Stone claims that bots, and perhaps even Zach Snyder himself, may have played a role in the social media push for the release of The Snyder Cut of 'Justice League.' Do we worry about bots when participating in social media movements? On a related note, the vast majority of teens do not trust news coming from TikTok. Huzzah! On the other hand, there is a ton of misleading information coming out of TikTok. How did teens learn to be skeptical of their social platform but Boomers still treat Facebook articles like the gospel?! While Biden and Trump are the obvious frontrunners for 2024 (for now), both are lagging in the polls among their own supporters. Should Joe Biden run in 2024? The panel has some split opinions. Would implementing an upper age limit as a qualifier for President be ageist? One major issue behind Biden's lagging approval ratings: Democrats are harder on him than Republicans were on Trump at the same stage of presidency. Laura's plea: get in line in 2024. For the love of god. This week's recommendations will feed your body and soul: Find a Choco Taco if you can (RIP) (Andrew), Nest Thermostat (Laura), See's candies chocolate coffee beans (Pam), and Yellowstone National Park (Eric). Find Eric on his podcast Thank You For Spieling and of course MuggleCast! And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: It's all about fan conventions baby! First we provide a brief overview of this year's SDCC announcements. In the era of covid, how safe can meet and greets even be? Eric shares a tale of plexiglass, photo ops, and a celeb still getting covid anyway. As someone who has done quite a few meet and greets with celebrities, Eric shares his experiences and tips for having a successful meet and greet. Does going to a convention right now feel responsible? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because 9% inflation isn't enough, BMW has announced subscription services for heated seats. We may never be able to afford a BMW, but we're here to share some money saving tips and tricks that might help you save some money right now. Don't sleep on Amazon's used section, Honey, open box policies, or floor models y'all! We also recommend checking Progressive Shopper if you're interested in where brands' political donations go, as well as opting for generic brands when possible. Patrons also sound off with their money-saving hacks: eating less meat, price matching, and checking for rebates with your utility companies are all quick and easy ways to save some cash. After last week's discussion about these amazing deep space photos NASA released, listener Aimee joins us for further discussion. She is a PhD student in Astrophysics, and is here to help Andrew get excited about space! Aimee dispels a few common misconceptions: black holes don't suck things in like a vacuum cleaner, and the tax cost for scientific research amounts to only pennies per person each year. We also learn that there is a movement among astronomers to rename the JWST telescope in light of its namesake actually having been a HUGE homophobe. #Millennial will henceforth follow Aimee's lead and call it the Jelescope Welescope Space Telescope until it is renamed. We also get an in-depth analysis from Aimee about what we're actually seeing in these newly released photos, and whether or not aliens will be discovered in our lifetimes. Down here on Earth things are still a disaster: the final (for now) January 6th Committee Hearing will be hosted this Thursday July 21st at 8PM ET. We'll be hosting a watch party in the #Millennial For All Discord - please join us! You do not need to be a Patreon subscriber to take part in the fun. It's a grab bag of recommendations this week: @Wario64 for availability and pricing on all of your electronic/gaming needs (Andrew), Wet and Forget shower cleaner (Laura), Scrivener (Pam), and Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod Weinstein (Aimee). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: The new ‘Baymax!’ series at Disney+ is the latest to come under fire by some parents for depicting period products, and we're reminded of the stigmas we faced around puberty as kids and teens. Pam and Laura recall the stigmas around periods and how confusing and distressing the experience is for young people going through this change. Parents are setting their kids up for failure by not exposing them to education about what their bodies are going through. Is it any wonder so many people don't think about the importance of consent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you seen these amazing pictures from deep space? You don't even need to be a stoner to appreciate them! How the #gentleminions meme inspired teenagers to put on their best suits to attend screenings of 'Minions: The Rise of Gru.' Thanks to teens, the new 'Minions' movie raked in $164 domestically on opening weekend. Theaters may not love the #gentleminions trend, but Universal sure does. The #Millennial panel is split on Minions - are they cute or demonic? Nextdoor Karens returns to the show, with some dramatic readings of Nextdoor posts in our areas. Andrew shames a neighbor into deleting a 'Karen' post, and Pam plans some recon. BAE Patron Becky joins us to discuss her career as a librarian! With the increase in book bans, librarians are increasingly coming under fire. How can library patrons best support their local librarians? We learn about the Library Bill of Rights, and that many libraries have detailed processes in place in the event that someone challenges a book. What books and genres are especially popular now? Andrew wants to know so we can start a podcast. Becky also runs a Disney blog, https://www.disneyinyourday.com. She shares the joys and challenges of working on a blog while also holding down her full-time gig. Becky also gives Andrew some sage advice about planning his next trip to Disney. This week's episode is sponsored by Feals (https://www.feals.com/MILL to become a member and get 50% off your first order). Support #Millennial by supporting our sponsors! And of course, we've got some amazing recommendations for y'all this week: Apple users should look out for a picture-in-picture update coming soon from Youtube (Andrew), Hey Bear Sensory (Laura), Trader Joe's coconut cold brew concentrate (Pam), and 'Four Thousand Weeks' by Oliver Burkeman (Becky). And in this week's installment of After Dark, available on Patreon: Becky hangs around to share some library tea. Some libraries seem to be doing away with the concept of late fees - does it work? Customer service is always a rough job, even in a library. Stories are shared about disturbing Patrons. Also, how can Porn Viewing be handled? Andrew volunteers to dress up in a dog suit. (No, really!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices