Podcast Advent Day 8: I Weigh

For day 8, we are visiting Jameela Jamil in her podcast I Weigh - a podcast against shame. Jameela started this podcast as a way to challenge a lot of diet culture and expectations to look a certain way. It is called I Weigh as she invites guests and listeners to consider their weight in ways like being a good sister or a good friend rather than the number on the scale. 

This is another podcast where the host (Jameela) very transparently grows alongside it, and with each subject she tackles, learning how to change her mind with humility and apologise for (in her words) being a d***head in the past. It's beautiful to observe and shows us a way to do the same.

But she also takes the forgiveness she has for herself and applies the humility to other groups of people, people who do detestable things, through curiosity, as a way to bridge the gap between 'us' and 'them'. Jameela also taught me a technique she uses with friends who seem to be living from a different playbook - sharing their phones for 10 minutes just to see what's on their algorithm. No expectation of discussion or conversion, just sight.

This is the type of topic that comes up in the episode chosen for today - Disinformation and Conspiracy theories with Danny Wallace. Danny is mostly sharing from his experience of learning and writing a book on the topic and they speak to the short pipeline from one to the other and how easy it is for folks to travel it. 

Danny makes a great guest as a comedian and author of Yes Man, the autographical book which was turned into a movie staring Jim Carrey. Real life Danny is as charming as he is in that movie and brings an honest and down to earth approach to this tricky conversation that's only getting trickier.