December 20, 2024 • 46 mins
On this episode of The Middle we're asking you: what made you happy in 2024 -- and what have you had it with? We're joined by Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan, hosts of the hit podcast "I've Had It." The Middle's house DJ Tolliver joins as well, plus callers from around the country. #ivehadit #christmas #xmas #newyears #happy #grafetul #overit
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Middle is supported by Journalism Funding Partners, a nonprofit
organization striving to increase the sustainability of local journalism by
building connections between donors and news organizations. More information on
how you can support the Middle at Listen tooth Middle
dot com. Welcome to the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson along
(00:21):
with our house DJ Tolliver and Taliver. You know, the
nice thing about this show this hour is we actually
get to hear what made listeners happy this year, but
we also get to do some good old fashioned griping.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely, you know what, I got some gripes too. The
list is as long as a CBS receipt.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So actually, as you know, we usually take on serious
topics each week, but two things are happening since the election,
which we're noticing. Number One, no one wants to pay
attention to the news anymore, and number two, everyone's afraid
to talk about politics. It has actually been extremely difficult
to book guests for our serious January shows, but we're
going to get there. So it's a relief that this
hour we are not talking about politics. We're asking what
made you happy this year or what you've had it
(01:01):
with and the reason we're doing that. Second part is
that our guests this hour are the amazing hosts of
the hilarious and very popular I've Had It podcast. I've
been a big fan for quite a while, Tolliver. Before
we bring them in and forget to do it, why
don't you tell our listeners how they can reach us.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, you can call us at eight four four four
Middle that's eight four four four six four three three
five three, or you can write to us and listen
to the Middle dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And by the way, you get to pick one, what
made you happy or what you've had it with? Not both,
because one thing our listeners have had it with is
callers that go on for too long. So joining us
from Oklahoma City, the hosts of I've Had It, Jennifer
Welch and Angie Pump's Sullivan, welcome to.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You both, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
We're happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
It's so great to have you. And before we get
to the phones, I know that you both like to
swear like sailors on your show. But the only person,
the only guest who has sworn on this show is
Katie Couric, who was America's sweetheart, so she got away
with it but I don't know if I could, we
can do that for you. Just yeah, but so don't swear.
But why do you think your show has resonated so
(02:02):
much with so many Americans?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I think that it's a time and space, even before
the election or after the election, where everybody's micromanaging one
another on the internet. We're all seeing what everybody's doing
on the Internet, and we're seeing their representative represent them
on the Internet, and it's exhausting, and Thompson, I like
(02:28):
to call them out because we've just had it. There's
so much performative adulting, parenting, family gatherings going on and
it's exhausting. We all know it's BS. Am I allowed
to say, BS.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You can do that. Yeah, you got away with that.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
We all know it's BS. And I think that once
we started kind of calling it out and talking about
our grievances, it kind of resonated.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I have to say, I'm a huge fan of Seinfeld
and Curb your enthusiasm and what you do sort of
reminds me of the way that they kind of find
comedy in all the every day experience as we have,
like double dipping a chip in the dip at a party
or people who abuse the ice cream sampling at ice
cream stores. Do you see a similarity pumps in what
you're doing and those programs from the past.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Well, that's high praise because Curb is like our favorite
in the whole world, and I would say that the
unique experience about everybody has those same experiences. Everybody feels
that experience. But it's also kind of a show about nothing,
So in that way, I see it like Seinfeld, but
(03:36):
it's really been it's fun, and it's kind of it
unifies people because everybody pretty much has the same complaints
about life in general, because we're all supposed to act
a certain way and it's just impossible. Nobody wants to
and we're kind of tired of it, Like Jennifer said,
the micromanaging of each other. Scott to stop.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Jennifer, I've seen you talk about the fact that you
may have a unique perspective on your fellow Americans, in
part because you live in what you describe as a
purple city in Oklahoma City, and you have to sort
of interact with people on both sides of the political aisle.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yes, you know, if you live in a red state
and you are progressive, you are really really progressive. I
mean I always joke around with our friends that live
on the coast in LA or New York, and they
like to talk about the degrees of how left somebody is,
and they like to complain about their democratic governors. And
I'm like, we have a governor that just bought Trump
(04:33):
Bibles and is putting the Ten Commandments up in classrooms.
So I love that you all are having that moment
and you can talk about the nuances of progressive politics,
but we're over here fighting for our lives, and so
you know, it's I think if you're a blue dot
in a red state. For me, it's made me more progressive,
(04:56):
and it's made me more liberal because I live firsthand
and see firsthand how insidious these right wing policies are
and once they're implemented, how dangerous and void of critical
thinking they are, and it's terrifying, and so it's kind
of radicalized me. More. Being around conservatives makes me more liberal.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Are you able though, to talk to your neighbors. I mean,
you've talked about how you live in a pretty mixed
political neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm not so good at that. I have a lot
of very progressive friends that share my political ideology with me.
Trump made my ability to be neighborly a little more
black and white for me. When I have so many
(05:49):
friends that are members of the LGBTQ, plus I have
a lot of friends of color, it's difficult for me
to go kumbay yaw with people whom I see to
vote for hate, and I don't want to allow them
the permission structure to think that's okay.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Now.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
I'm not outwardly rude to their face. They're just not
invited to play tennis or pickleball with metamorph You voted
for dismissed, I dismissed.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I wonder how many of our of our listeners are
going to call in and say that what made them
happy this year was pickleball or maybe the pickleball court
being taken out of their neighborhood pumps. Before we get
started with the calls, why don't you tell us something
that you've had it with.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
So many things. I was thinking about what I've what
I was happy about this year. I got a peppy,
So I'm really happy about my peppy. But I have
had it with potty training. It's it's rough stuff, and
I went into the office the other day, as you know,
Jennifer as an interior designer. Yeah, and I walked in
it and I was like, I have to get any carpet, like,
(06:52):
we have to do it today. It was a bad weekend.
So I've had it with potty training and I know
I'm a terrible person, but I've had it with all
the Christmas music. I'm just I'm over it.
Speaker 7 (07:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah. We had a friend staying with us about a
week ago and was working from our house and put
on Christmas music on the so nos all day and
I was like, Okay, we're I feel like we're early
for this, but I guess we weren't early for but
just guys, it seemed a little bit much. Anyway, let's
go to the phones again. We're at eight four four
four Middle. That's eight four four four six four three
(07:27):
three five three and UB is with us from Aurora, Colorado. UBI,
welcome to the Middle. What made you happy this year
or what have you.
Speaker 8 (07:35):
Had it with?
Speaker 9 (07:36):
Hi, Jeremy, I was happy with having found a child
free community other women who are progressive and don't or
cancer or won't have kids like me. And I've had
it with Cynthia Rivo's long nails.
Speaker 10 (07:54):
Wow Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Talk me about the child free community though, What does
that mean?
Speaker 9 (08:01):
Basically, there's a group in our area that's called Babes
Without Babies, and it's women in their thirties, forties and
fifties who have a sense of humor and who don't
have kids, or can't have kids, or don't want to
have kids, and so we get together and do like
crafting on Sundays at a coffee shop or meet up
(08:21):
at a brewery after work. And it's been really nice
to meet people that way and to I don't know,
bond with other ladies so I don't have to talk about.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Children right before Christmas. Thank you very much for that.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I think was going to catch strange today.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What have you Have you heard of these child free communities?
Either of you?
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I haven't. I think it's the most brilliant thing I've
ever heard in my life, because people with kids, all
I want to talk about is their kids. So I
think that is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
And I also want to say that I love that
women are doing that because we've discovered that there's so
much pressure on women. There was pressure on us too,
when you're going to get married, when you're going to
have kids, and that's just the projected expectation of the
life we're oute that you have to take. And we
both have kids that are young adults, and I just
(09:15):
no longer project that onto my kids. I don't use
leading statements like when you get married or when you
have kids, because I don't want to project that onto them.
I don't want to project what I think they should
do or what society thinks they should do on them.
And I think that these childless communities, I think that's
great because you don't have to have kids. They're expensive,
there are a lot of work. I mean, they've prevented
(09:36):
me from doing a lot of things that I want
to do. I'm just kidding a love right now. They're wonderful,
but you know, it's a lot. It's not for everybody.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Let's go to Bob who's in wake Forest, North Carolina. Bob,
welcome to the middle. Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
Hey, I think in spite of all the stuff that
my wife went through medically, I'm great that she's handling
it well and that she's just happy to be alive
and that she can share time with me and my
our grandkids. You know, I guess I've just been really
you know, through all the stuff that we've been through
(10:14):
that you know, it's we're still doing well and we're uplifted.
I guess, I guess I'm happy about that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Family. Obviously, it was at the heart of a lot
of the calls at Tulliver that we got last year
at this time, and people called in and said they
were happy even that they were able to go to
a funeral of a family member that had that had
been with them for a long time. Bob, thank you
so much for calling. And I want to remind our
listeners you can reach us at eight four four four
(10:43):
Middle That is eight four four four six four three
three five three. You can also go to listen to
the Middle dot com. Tolliver.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You know, I want to bring you in to do
something that that Angie and Jennifer do on their show,
which is that they they read hate mail. So we
actually had Tolliver find hate mail about our show, which
you know, our listeners, I know everybody thinks everybody just
loves everything about that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Not everybody, Tolliver, I had some hate mail myself. Yea,
I have a recall. This one comes to us from
Ray and Tallahassee, Florida. He says, I've had the displeasure
of listening to your show twice at this point. The
first is right after the twenty twenty four President Show
elections and got to hear your panel. Your own promo
states that this is a place to meet in the middle.
But honestly, from the two episodes that I've heard, you're
(11:26):
hardly meeting in the middle. You'd be better off naming
the show the same old craft that NPR usually does.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Thanks Ray, thank you, Happy Holliday.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, that's really nice. Well, A Reminder of the Middle
is available as a podcast in partnership with iHeart Podcasts
on the iHeart app or wherever you listen to podcasts,
and we'll be right back with more of the Middle.
This is the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson. If you're just tuning.
In the Middle is a national call in show. We're
focused on elevating voices from the middle geographically, politically, and philosophically,
or maybe you just want to meet in the middle.
(11:54):
This hour, we're asking you what have you had it
with in twenty twenty four and what made you happy?
Tall What is the number to call in.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
It's eight four four four Middle. That's eight four four
four six four three through five three. You can also
write to us at Listen to the Middle dot com.
I want to take a quick second to shout out
the dog that watches every show with us. M I
d As Midas. Shout out to our studio.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
We're thankful for him. Yes. Also, we're streaming on TikTok
for the first time ever right now, so tune in
there too. I'm joined by Jennifer Welch and Angie Pumps Sullivan,
host of the I've Had It podcast. Before we get
back to the phones, how did the two of you meet?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
She was my I hired her to decorate my house
when I was pregnant with my third child. I just
found out it was pregnant, and she was a fabulous designer.
I'd seen her work in other people's homes and I
absolutely loved it. And she came in and I said,
I've just got terrible taste. She was like, I know
you do, because you have silk flowers on your table
(12:50):
and you have a picture of silk flowers on your wall.
And I fell head over hills in love immediately.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Jennifer, you agree with that entire story. Is that all correct?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
The silence?
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yes, I mean it's it was. It was a disaster.
When I walked in, she was this young darling attorney,
early thirties, and her house looked like an eighty five
year old looked in it. And I was just like,
this is just not going to work like this is
you desperately need me. And I'm very direct like that,
(13:23):
So I'm not for everybody. But she loved it and
I loved her, and then we've been friends ever since.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
That's how you met. How'd you get in her house?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
This was all in my entry way?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
She hired?
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
No, she yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
Now I'd seen her work in other homes and I
let hired me.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, So I went, I went to her house. This
took place in her house, this conversation.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
What have you had it with Jennifer? Or what made
you happy?
Speaker 11 (13:51):
This year?
Speaker 5 (13:53):
God?
Speaker 3 (13:53):
You know this year was so schizophrenic. You know, it
was a really it was fun. We got to go
to the DNC and that was amazing. We interviewed Kamala Harris,
Barack Obama, like five governors, all of this stuff that
we never for two middle aged women from Oklahoma City.
We never thought would be able to do. And then
(14:16):
in October, this wonderful young man that had worked for
me for six years named Hovey, he was shot and
killed and some kids tried to rob him and he
was shot and murdered, and it's just been devastating. It's
(14:37):
just devastating when you have somebody in your life that
you spend that much time with, and then you think
about the larger implications of access to guns. Oh, I'm sorry,
access to guns and gun violence. Oh god, I'm so
sorry listeners, access to guns and gun violence and all
of those things. And how you know, I think there
(14:58):
was just a school shooting a couple of days ago,
and we just couldn't really talk about it anymore. But
I think that I've come to the thesis sentence that
if you live in America long enough, somebody you love
is going to die from gun violence. And that happened
to us in October, and it's just really difficult to
move on from. And then, of course, the election results
(15:19):
were not what we wanted, so won't won't.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Let's go to Jason, who's in Warsaw, Indiana. Jason, welcome
to the middle What made you happy this year?
Speaker 8 (15:34):
Well, but it.
Speaker 12 (15:35):
Made me happy this year was the fact that we
as an agent were able to persevere another cataclysmic election
cycle and go scooch Hood at the end of it.
And here we are.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Yeah, and it sounds like you're driving, You're on the
way somewhere.
Speaker 12 (15:55):
Well, yeah, I just actually leaving my office called in
accidentally as it was snapped. Who thought we were on
a different show.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
But well, thank you for calling in. I appreciate it.
Let me go to Shelley, who's in Antrim, New Hampshire. Shelley,
welcome to the middle What what what made you happier?
What have you had it with this year?
Speaker 13 (16:15):
I think I've basically had it with our absolute stupidity
in using more and more electricity, like with bitcoin, uh
and with AI. It's just it's ridiculous. And the lovely
woman who answered the phone asked me if I'm a conservationist,
(16:36):
if that's why I'm concerned. I said, no, I'm concerned
about survival. I mean it's going to take one good
soula flare and the electricity will go out and Bitcoin
will get lost, and AI will get totally messed up,
and I think people will go berserk.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Interesting that that's a surprise that that that was one
of the dragon ones that came in. I also, I
will say, and I don't mean any negativity to our
tour last caller, but this does happen every I have
had it with people who break the fourth wall and
talk about the call screeners that they've already talked to. Obviously,
we have people to answer the phones. I'm not just
(17:14):
going straight to the live line. By the way, Tolliver,
what have you had it with this year?
Speaker 2 (17:22):
The McDonald's ice cream machine being out, first of all,
a preenial problem, the bus being late, the weather in Chicago.
I can go on and on and on. Taxes, my cats.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I would say that for me, and it is the
fact that they're still using the QR codes at the restaurants,
Like could you just make a menu at this point?
Do I have to still like use my camera and
all of that. Let me ask you, Jennifer, what do
you say to people who unfollow anyone on their social
(17:54):
media who have different views than they do?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Good for you. Here's the thing, Like I I just
think that there are certain moral declarations that have been
made on the right regarding the dehumanization of other human beings.
That is unacceptable to some people. And you know, I
(18:19):
can't follow somebody that posts a bunch of magacrab I
don't want to see that. And I get to follow
whomever I want to, and I feel the same. If
somebody doesn't like what I post, unfollow me. Go live
your life, spread your wings and fly, don't follow me.
The Internet is full of all of these things that
you can follow, and so I think it's I think
(18:39):
the unfollow is it needs to be used more.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Let's go to Seth, who is in Barnard, Vermont. Seth,
Welcome to the.
Speaker 14 (18:48):
Middle Go ahead, Yeah, Hi, good evening to you. Thank
you so much for creating a wonderful platform for vocality.
I just wanted to relate my concerns for the past
year and years prior, and what I recently saw was
a very concerning report where apparently between ten to twenty
(19:11):
percent of those in the human creative world are not
being supported as much as they had been in prior years.
And relating to that specifically, I, especially in the holiday
season that we're in, must suggest that people make an
(19:31):
extra effort to support their local creatives and buy art,
support human intelligence AMEN.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
In the DJ community. That's higher than twenty yeh right exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Tara is in Chicago, Tara, welcome to the middle.
Speaker 11 (19:48):
Go ahead, hello.
Speaker 15 (19:50):
Yes, So twenty twenty four has been a big year
for me. I issued two goals. Them was becoming the
executive director of a nonprofit in Chicago, and the other
was buying a house in Chicago. Both of those are
(20:10):
things that I wasn't ever sure were really going to
happen for me, and fell into place this year.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Congratulations, What do you think made it possible for you
to do those things this year? Was it skill? Was
it luck? What did you do?
Speaker 15 (20:24):
I think it's the perfect combinations of the two. I
think the role that I found for myself professionally happened
to be just this ideal combination of all of the
skills that I'd been acquiring through my career in nonprofit work.
I had been in an organization for fifteen years that
(20:45):
didn't see me as a potential candidate for an executive
director role, so I left. I went to one other organization,
and then I found this opportunity that really was perfect
for me. It blended all my skills, so that was
just really incredible. And then at around the same time,
my family, we've been looking for a home in Chicago,
(21:07):
and we've been living in a very small place with
two children for twelve years, and we've found just the
perfect fixer upper, an old, old home not too far
from where we lived, where our kids could still go
to the same school, and it was just really all
things just kind of aligned this year. So despite all
(21:28):
of the terrible things, there were some really great things
personally that where I'm just very fortunate and grateful for.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
That's great congratulations. Yeah, you know, Pumps. Not everybody can
afford a home these days, especially with these interest rates
the way they are.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Yeah, it's very uplifting to hear about her new position,
moving into a home. And I do think that's one
thing with our young adult children that as you look
to their future, are they going to be able to
find affordable housing for their families. I mean, it's a
huge problem, and unfortunately, I don't know that this administration
(22:06):
will address that appropriately, so it might be kicked down
the road another four years. But I do think that
first time home buyers and the struggle to find appropriate
housing is such a problem for young people, particularly.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Joel is in Monterey California. Joel, Welcome to the middle
What did you what made you happy this year or
what have you had it with?
Speaker 16 (22:29):
Yeah, no, I've had a pretty good year. Thank you.
I actually called to talk about AI, but I guess
there's a mix up on the broadcast.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
But I was.
Speaker 16 (22:39):
I got a new sales job and for an international
company out of Sweden, and it's been very, very good.
The page is great, the benefits are great. I've never
worked for a European company and it's just been a
game changer for me. And yeah, very grateful for the
opportunity and what coming in the future. So, yeah, it's
(23:02):
been a good year.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's great. You know, political thing, a new job, a
new job. You know, it's true that the job can
really make or break a year. I mean, if you
if you lose your job or if you get a
new job, it's a it's a game changer.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Shout out to working at the Middle, right, Jennifer.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Your thoughts, Oh, you know, I think that I'm happy
for the caller that he's working for a European company.
I think that would be fun. I always love to
travel to Europe. Never been to Sweden. I think they
kind of have a lot of things figured out, maybe
more sustainable systems of economy and government that seem to
(23:43):
have a good mixture of the common good. You know,
I worry about America because it always seems so focused
on individualism and not collectivism. And so, I mean, I
don't know, I know, I'm worried. Probably a lot of
your listeners are worried. But I'm happy for that color.
That would be like really fun to work for an
(24:06):
international company like that.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
You know, you both brought up politics a bunch. Let
me ask you, Pumps. I guess I'll start with you.
Why do you think Kamala Harris lost this race after
all of that?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
You know, I've heard so many different theories on it.
Whether it was that Biden didn't drop out sooner, we
didn't have a robust primary, people didn't know where, things
of that nature. My personal belief is that the right
wing media mechanism is so much larger than the democratic
(24:42):
especially with Elon Musk, with Twitter and the algorithms and
the manipulation there. I just think that they have a
first of all, it pains me to say this, but
I think the right has better messaging. They are able
to hit people viscerally in when that nuances of policy
(25:03):
don't strike people. But I do think a lot of
it is the right wing media infrastructure that the Democrats
just don't have.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
But the thing is, you're both You are both communicators.
You've obviously tapped into something among your listeners. Is there
something that you think that, let's say, the Democrats should
be doing to more viscerally connect with people that you
see the right doing but not the left.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Yes, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
I think we need to be more aggressive, more direct.
I think that there has been an appeasement from twenty
sixteen on where we just treat a lot of the
things that Donald Trump and his sycophants do as normal,
and we normalize them. I think that Kamala Harris should
(25:54):
have not trotted around with Liz Cheney. Liz Cheney is
on the record for creating so much of these right
wing conspiracy theories that got us here, and then we
have to parade her around and say, oh, look, we
found a Republican that supports us. This is a woman
that perpetuated the lie that physicians execute babies after they're born.
(26:17):
And it's just she was a part of the problem.
She was a part of the hysteria that feeds into
all of this. And I think the Democrats seem to
go left. They need to have a very Bernie Sanders,
AOC populist agenda. When you pull people in our state,
in a deeply read state, on gun control, on raising
them minimum wage, on abortion, on gay marriage, they're to
(26:39):
the left on all of these issues individually, but they
vote Republican. And I don't think the Democrats do woul
get enough message saying. If you want to look at
what Republican policies look like, look at the states that
are ranked fortieth through fiftieth in the United States of America.
Look at them, and look at the Republican supermajorities that
all of these states have had. These policies are disastered.
(27:00):
And I think they just need to be aggressive. And
I think people good, bad, are indifferent felt like Donald
Trump cut through the BS brownie points for saying BS again.
I think they felt like he cut through the BS
and he fought for them. Whether that's rational or not,
I'm not going to get to I'll leave that up
for the psychiatrist to analyze. But the Democrats people need
(27:24):
to feel like they're fighting for them. And I just
think when they were calling when Kamala Harris and Walls
were calling Republicans weird and seeing they're weirdos, it was working.
She was up in the polls, and then they started to.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Stopped doing that, try it out. They stopped, They trotted
her out.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
And that's when I said to Pumps, what is she
doing running around with Liz Cheney? Why are we acting
like she's a hero because she can say that clearly
Donald Trump is a criminal, which a five year old
could recognize that, you know, just like, why are we
doing this? And that's when I started kind of thinking,
I don't know about this.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Reminder that you can reach us at eight four four
four Middle that is eight four four four six four
three three five three, or you can write to us
at Listen to the Middle dot com and Tolliver. As
we go to our next break, do you have any
more hate mail for us?
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I do you know? Never ends? This one comes courtesy
from Eddie and Hendersonville, Tennessee. He says, I understand that
you want to appeal to everyone, but a lot of
times I think your program should be renamed to the
meek Ouch. The meat is the meekle. It's good to
talk and listen, but occasionally you need to take a position,
call out lies. I think doctor Phil McGraw once said
(28:38):
there are only two things in the middle of the road,
yellow stripes and dead Armadillo's.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Doctor Phil, a famous Oklahoma Our next, doctor Phil, Yeah,
and a reminder. The Middle is available as a podcast
in partnership with iHeart Podcasts on the iHeart app or
wherever you listen to podcasts and wherever you rate podcasts,
and you give us at high rating on this podcast,
We'll be right back with more of the Middle. This
is the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson. This hour we're asking
you what have you had it with in twenty twenty
(29:04):
four or what made you happy? Call us at eight
four four four Middle. That is eight four four four
six four three three five three. You can also reach
out at Listen to the Middle dot com. I'm joined
by the host of the I've Had It podcast, Jennifer
Welch and Angie Pumps Sullivan. And before we go back
to the phones, let me ask you the question. Uh, Jennifer,
I'll ask you the question that everybody always asks me,
(29:26):
and I find it to be very difficult to answer.
But who do you want to interview that you have not?
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Oh, my gosh, Larry David. Right, it's Larry David. I
am obsessed with Curb Your Enthusiasm. I've watched every episode
two or three times. I love how cranky he is.
I love how cynical he is. I laugh at all
of the nuances of it. And I just don't think
Larry's ever going to do it. And I'm thinking that's
(29:53):
who I need. And if not Larry David, then I
would take Roger Federer.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yeah, Okay, Pumps, what about you? Who would you like
to interview?
Speaker 4 (30:03):
I think I'm a huge Dolly Parton fan, Yes, And
I would like to talk to her and just ask
her like how does she do it? How does she
sustain so much success? And her reading is it? What's
it called? Her reading? Where she donates books? Like a
million books have been donated to underprivileged communities. I love that. Yeah,
(30:23):
And I just her story is inspiring and I love
how she says takes a lot of money to look
this cheap? My favorite.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, let's go to Leon, who's in Las Vegas. Leon,
what have you had it with this year?
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Yeah? You know, just over the years, I noticed like
a growing list of people who are of wealth or fame,
you know, like Harvey Weinstein, PDDY. And I'm also gett
kind of concerned that a number of people I'm seeing
on the news who've been doing stuff like this, Like
once Cosey went down, I knew nothing was sacred, you
know what I mean, just that.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Famous people are getting in trouble for bad things that
they're doing.
Speaker 8 (31:02):
Yeah, I'm just it was very disheartening because it's like,
you know, Cosey was America's dad.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know, what did you two think about that?
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I mean, I'm not going to cuss Jeremy, but I
would say this is where you enter the f around,
find out the situation. And even you know, celebrities. The
only person who seems to consistently get away with things
is the president elect of the United States, which is
just dumbfounding, but you know, he seems to be able
to dodge all of those bullets that other people have
(31:37):
been held accountable for.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Let's go to Alana in Tampa, Alana. What have you
had it with this year?
Speaker 11 (31:45):
I have absolutely had it with people who pretend to
be one way on social media and then you either
know them in person and they act a completely different way,
or they come as an insoluence and they come out
with an article and they are a meet a bad person.
They treat all their employees like crap. I'm just over it.
I need people to act like the way they act drag.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Allen, Yeah, pumps, what do you think about that? There
are a lot of people like that. I have friends
even that I think, are they trying to be a
model on social media? But then I don't see them
like this in person.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah. I think that's great, and I think it's so
true when you know people and the things that they
post are just so opposite of their personal behavior. And
one thing we talk a lot about on the show
is these people that we get hate comments, Like your
hate comments are mild compared to our hate comments. I mean,
people come after everything about us. And it's so funny
(32:40):
because when you go to look Jennifer taught me how
to do this, you go look like, what's their bio say?
And it's always peace, love and laughter. Jesus is my key,
and we're just like, what how are you? How are
you being so ugly to people you don't know? Randomly
on the inner, but yet you're, you know, sitting on
(33:02):
top of the Bible acting holier than now. So the
posers on social media, it's just too much. And I
just will say, my kids and I are going on
a vacation over Christmas, and my daughter said to us
at dinner last night, I need everybody to get better
of taking pictures of me for my Instagram while more advocation.
(33:23):
And I was just like so many people in her
age group, which she's twenty two, it's all about the
photos for Instagram. And sometimes I feel like people don't
enjoy what they're actually doing because they're so worried about
getting the perfect picture for Instagram.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, James is in East Texas. James, welcome to the middle.
What made you happy this year?
Speaker 17 (33:47):
I was really pleased with just the expanding amount of
platforms in PR, PBS and a lot of independent graders
online book to hear from actual people.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
It seems like Fox.
Speaker 17 (34:04):
News, DNN, News Max, none of these platforms. I mean,
I'm sure he can ride into Roger Ailes. I'm sure
he can ride into Dana Bash. I don't think they
looked through any of their comments.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Roder Ailes is dead. Just to be clear, Roger Ailes
is dead definitely, so you can't write into him anymore.
Speaker 17 (34:26):
Sorry about that. No, no, no, that works like you
guys in the middle.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Yes, no, I appreciate. I appreciate the comment. I agree
with you that being able to hear from regular people
is really important and and it's it's very rare uh
these days. Uh, let's go to Janics in Chicago. Janis
what made you happy this year? What have you had
it with?
Speaker 17 (34:48):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (34:48):
So mine is actually what I've had it with. I'm
really over people telling other people what to do with
their bodies. It doesn't bother me if someone who's trans
wants to take hormones, someone wants to have an abortion,
someone wants to get vaccinated or doesn't want to. I'm
just so over both the left and the right trying
to tell other people what to do.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
I feel like our guests are going to have a
comment about that. Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
I think that, you know, I agree with the caller,
and I feel about you know, the trans community. You're
talking about less than one percent of the population, So
these people smallest numbers, really really marginalized, very high rates
of suicide. And to sit and criticize gender affirming care
(35:38):
number one at center your business. But number two, I mean,
isn't it like Joe Rogan he's pumping up on steroids
and I'm sure he's popping viagra, And isn't that gender
affirming care?
Speaker 1 (35:49):
You know?
Speaker 3 (35:50):
I mean, come on, It's like if they would put
the science into anything curring cancer that they put into
the erection, we would all be so much healthier. But
it seems like when it comes to women or marginalized groups,
we're all up in the business. But when it comes
to men and they're a regtile dysfunction, it's game on.
(36:10):
We can ship it to you anonymously. You know, there's
no restrictions whatsoever. Hell, let's give it out for free.
And so I've had it with that.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
I'm in the same camp as the caller. If you
don't want to get a vaccine, I think it's crazy
because I believe in science. But that's your business. I
don't care. And we live in a state with more
and more restrictions on what people can do, and it
is very disconcerting to live in a country where banning
books has become the norm. Yet we're not talking about
(36:42):
banning guns, and we're more worried about transgender care than
we are whether somebody has healthcare. You know, it's just
I could go on and on about all the hypocrisy,
but I'm kind of in that mind your own damn business.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Oh sorry, that's okay, mind your own probably twenty twenty four.
What has kept you both in Oklahoma City by the.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Way, children, Yeah, you know, you set up your life
and you have a job, and then in your thirties,
you really it doesn't really matter where you live because
you're living groundhog Day. You're you know, getting kids up,
and you're like, you know, completely beholden in them going
to school. Then you show for them around. And I
have one son left that's a senior in high school
(37:27):
and he'll graduate and then he'll go off to college.
My oldest son is a senior at Syracuse University in
New York, and so I think that when the youngest
one goes off to school, wherever he goes, my only
rule is go out of state. That well, PM smar
thinking about moving to you know, Manhattan for a couple
of years. I mean, why not, you know, we're still
young enough.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
So let's go to Carolyn and Cincinnati.
Speaker 10 (37:53):
Carolyn, what have you had it with I've had it
with legans.
Speaker 17 (37:58):
I am over legan I would.
Speaker 18 (38:00):
Bring back down them.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
You've had it with leggings? Yes, why do you hate everyone?
Speaker 4 (38:09):
But everyone has adopted them.
Speaker 18 (38:11):
I just they're not They're not attractive on everyone.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I'm wearing some right now. Either of you want to
take that one? Do you feel that way about leggings?
Speaker 3 (38:23):
I have to agree with the caller that leggings are
overused and sometimes they don't look that great. And maybe
that's not PC to say, but you know, in Trump's America,
can't we just say how we feel? Does everything have
to be taken away from this? And I just love
how the caller just went straight in with I've had
it with leggings. I mean, I love that. That speaks
(38:46):
to me. It's relatable and I'm gonna let her have that.
And I think she's one hundred percent right. Some people
don't look good in them, and it's unsightly and it's
okay for us to see it. It doesn't mean we're mean,
it doesn't mean we're Trumpers, It just mean we're human.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Wow, bringing back jeans.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Let's go to Gabriella, who's in Fort Lauderdale, Gabriella, What
have you had it with?
Speaker 5 (39:09):
Hi, guys, I've had it with two things. The first
thing I've had it with is people hiding behind their
religion acting like they're really good people when behind the
screen they're hateful, homophobic, racist, but still post on social
media Jesus is King, God is good and I'm like,
I know your true colors. The second thing I've had
it with is inaccurate braw sizes. Kim Kardashian, you are
(39:32):
a billionaire. Get it together, girl, I am a thirty
two f.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Wow, we're covering leggings.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Last second, we get some good ones. Yeah, I got
one of the emails here says I hate it when
people add right at the end of a sentence without
waiting for an answer, So I kind of agree with
You're getting real petty.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Yeah, yeah, right. Let's check out Lisa, who is in Rockford, Illinois. Lisa,
what have you had it with?
Speaker 19 (40:07):
I've had it with our increasing impatience on all kinds
of front traffic waiting in line, but now we're down
to the dialogue. I hate it that I have to
get what I want to say in three sentences or less,
and the default of a feeling where people have to
debate and have an opinion instead of listen and learn.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
Not not enough sort of taking time in communicating, is
what you're saying.
Speaker 19 (40:34):
Yes, the communication we're in too big of a hurry
to even communicate back and forth.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Very interesting?
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Yeah, like six sentences right there?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Well no, but I'm glad she brought that up. Jennifer,
what do you think about that? Do you think we're
communicating too quickly?
Speaker 3 (40:50):
Listen? The caller is one hundred percent right. We do
need to stop and communicate more. But I'm at the
phase in my life where I'm trying to talk to
people less. I'm trying to have a conversation using the
fewest sentences possible and then tuck and roll out of
the situation. I wish I was more like the caller.
I wish I was a better person. But I'm the
(41:12):
host of a podcast called I've Had It, So there
we are.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
OK, let's do an uplifting one. Tara is in Denver, Tara,
what made you happy this year?
Speaker 18 (41:24):
What has made me happy this year is women in music.
It feels like women are finally getting the stage and
the attention that they deserve as musicians from Taylor Swift
to Chapel Roon to Billie Eilish, And it's awesome to
see women being able to write music and and talk
(41:44):
about their sexuality instead of being sexualized. And it's really
incredible to see women want to be part of music
and kids looking up to them and wanting to be
part of music. This year, every woman that is, every
person that's up for Artists of the Year is a
woman year and that is incredible to see. And even
though we maybe didn't take the presidency, we are taking
(42:07):
music by storm. And I mean just Taylor Swift in general.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Great points, great points all around. And you know, always
happy to see Taylor Swift get even more money. No,
I think she's great. Think Brett Brett is into Tonia, Idaho. Brett,
Welcome to the middle. What made you happy this year, Well.
Speaker 7 (42:30):
What made me happy is seeing the Grateful Dead being
being appreciated and celebrated with the Kennedy Center honors. A
band that was so pivotal in our country, just like
the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, that really set and
changed the culture of our country at a time that
it needed that. But they were a band that came
(42:52):
from our country, and it was the band that really
heavily affected my life. That's the thing that I really
appreciated seeing because they were a band that a lot
of people didn't really seem to understand. But they are
a band that now that we look back see that
they should be appreciated and celebrated like that.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
Did you see them this year? I'm sorry, did you
see them in concert this year?
Speaker 8 (43:23):
Well?
Speaker 7 (43:24):
Not this year, they haven't been playing as Grateful Dead truly,
But I saw the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia and
the full regiment of the band for over one hundred
shows and toured with them throughout the country, and they
were a band that I really appreciate. They showed me
my country right with my loving of their music and
(43:49):
the idea that when you went to a show, you
saw a different show from the night before, so that
you could see many shows in a row, and if
you chose to seem many chosen in a row, you've
got to go to de Moine Iswa.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Grateful for the Grateful Dead.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
If Taylor Swift and Grateful Dead going tour together, I'll
be there. Yeah, Okay, I'm seated for that.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Okay, we actually are running out of time amazingly for
this hour. But let me ask you. Let me ask
you both a question which you're both as we've said
in Oklahoma City. What do you think is the thing
that people on the coast in this country don't understand
about people in the middle of the country. I'll start
with you, Pumps.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
I think that what I have found when I go
to the coast is the culture difference with the Evangelical Christianity,
how deeply rooted religion is in every day decisions, whether
it be political, children raising, all kinds of things. So
(44:53):
I think there's kind of a the foothold that religion
has in these deeply red states in the South. I
don't think people on the coast appreciate how what what
a different culture it is here.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Jennifer, I completely agree with her. I kind of had
an interesting upbringing. My parents are total atheists, and so
I grew up in the buckle of the Bible belt
around a bunch of just die hard Evangelical Christians that
were constantly trying to save me and warning me about
the torture that awaits me in Hell with demons and
(45:31):
Satan himself. And I was able to persevere through all
of that and still remain completely secular. And I don't
think politicians in general understand how much religion has set
the psychological soil for people to turn away from critical
(45:52):
thinking and to accept magical thinking, both in their faith
and in politics. And so when you look at what
Trump does with all the magical thinking, their religion brought
them to that.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, that is Jennifer Welch. We've also been speaking with
Angie Pump Sullivan. They are the host of the I've
Had It podcast. Thank you so much to both of
you for joining us on the Middle.
Speaker 4 (46:12):
Thank you for having us Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Happy holidays to you too, And thanks to our satellite
radio listeners, our podcast audience in the more than four
hundred and twenty public radio stations making it possible for
people across the country to listen to the Middle. I'm
Jeremy Hobson, and I will talk to you next week.
The Middle is supported by Journalism Funding Partners, a nonprofit
organization striving to increase the sustainability of local journalism by
building connections between donors and news organizations. More information on
how you can support the Middle at Listen tooth Middle
dot com. Welcome to the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson along
(00:21):
with our house DJ Tolliver and Taliver. You know, the
nice thing about this show this hour is we actually
get to hear what made listeners happy this year, but
we also get to do some good old fashioned griping.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Absolutely, you know what, I got some gripes too. The
list is as long as a CBS receipt.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
So actually, as you know, we usually take on serious
topics each week, but two things are happening since the election,
which we're noticing. Number One, no one wants to pay
attention to the news anymore, and number two, everyone's afraid
to talk about politics. It has actually been extremely difficult
to book guests for our serious January shows, but we're
going to get there. So it's a relief that this
hour we are not talking about politics. We're asking what
made you happy this year or what you've had it
(01:01):
with and the reason we're doing that. Second part is
that our guests this hour are the amazing hosts of
the hilarious and very popular I've Had It podcast. I've
been a big fan for quite a while, Tolliver. Before
we bring them in and forget to do it, why
don't you tell our listeners how they can reach us.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Yeah, you can call us at eight four four four
Middle that's eight four four four six four three three
five three, or you can write to us and listen
to the Middle dot com.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
And by the way, you get to pick one, what
made you happy or what you've had it with? Not both,
because one thing our listeners have had it with is
callers that go on for too long. So joining us
from Oklahoma City, the hosts of I've Had It, Jennifer
Welch and Angie Pump's Sullivan, welcome to.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
You both, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
We're happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
It's so great to have you. And before we get
to the phones, I know that you both like to
swear like sailors on your show. But the only person,
the only guest who has sworn on this show is
Katie Couric, who was America's sweetheart, so she got away
with it but I don't know if I could, we
can do that for you. Just yeah, but so don't swear.
But why do you think your show has resonated so
(02:02):
much with so many Americans?
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I think that it's a time and space, even before
the election or after the election, where everybody's micromanaging one
another on the internet. We're all seeing what everybody's doing
on the Internet, and we're seeing their representative represent them
on the Internet, and it's exhausting, and Thompson, I like
(02:28):
to call them out because we've just had it. There's
so much performative adulting, parenting, family gatherings going on and
it's exhausting. We all know it's BS. Am I allowed
to say, BS.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
You can do that. Yeah, you got away with that.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
We all know it's BS. And I think that once
we started kind of calling it out and talking about
our grievances, it kind of resonated.
Speaker 5 (02:50):
You know.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I have to say, I'm a huge fan of Seinfeld
and Curb your enthusiasm and what you do sort of
reminds me of the way that they kind of find
comedy in all the every day experience as we have,
like double dipping a chip in the dip at a party
or people who abuse the ice cream sampling at ice
cream stores. Do you see a similarity pumps in what
you're doing and those programs from the past.
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Well, that's high praise because Curb is like our favorite
in the whole world, and I would say that the
unique experience about everybody has those same experiences. Everybody feels
that experience. But it's also kind of a show about nothing,
So in that way, I see it like Seinfeld, but
(03:36):
it's really been it's fun, and it's kind of it
unifies people because everybody pretty much has the same complaints
about life in general, because we're all supposed to act
a certain way and it's just impossible. Nobody wants to
and we're kind of tired of it, Like Jennifer said,
the micromanaging of each other. Scott to stop.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Jennifer, I've seen you talk about the fact that you
may have a unique perspective on your fellow Americans, in
part because you live in what you describe as a
purple city in Oklahoma City, and you have to sort
of interact with people on both sides of the political aisle.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Yes, you know, if you live in a red state
and you are progressive, you are really really progressive. I
mean I always joke around with our friends that live
on the coast in LA or New York, and they
like to talk about the degrees of how left somebody is,
and they like to complain about their democratic governors. And
I'm like, we have a governor that just bought Trump
(04:33):
Bibles and is putting the Ten Commandments up in classrooms.
So I love that you all are having that moment
and you can talk about the nuances of progressive politics,
but we're over here fighting for our lives, and so
you know, it's I think if you're a blue dot
in a red state. For me, it's made me more progressive,
(04:56):
and it's made me more liberal because I live firsthand
and see firsthand how insidious these right wing policies are
and once they're implemented, how dangerous and void of critical
thinking they are, and it's terrifying, and so it's kind
of radicalized me. More. Being around conservatives makes me more liberal.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Are you able though, to talk to your neighbors. I mean,
you've talked about how you live in a pretty mixed
political neighborhood.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
I'm not so good at that. I have a lot
of very progressive friends that share my political ideology with me.
Trump made my ability to be neighborly a little more
black and white for me. When I have so many
(05:49):
friends that are members of the LGBTQ, plus I have
a lot of friends of color, it's difficult for me
to go kumbay yaw with people whom I see to
vote for hate, and I don't want to allow them
the permission structure to think that's okay.
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Now.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
I'm not outwardly rude to their face. They're just not
invited to play tennis or pickleball with metamorph You voted
for dismissed, I dismissed.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I wonder how many of our of our listeners are
going to call in and say that what made them
happy this year was pickleball or maybe the pickleball court
being taken out of their neighborhood pumps. Before we get
started with the calls, why don't you tell us something
that you've had it with.
Speaker 4 (06:32):
So many things. I was thinking about what I've what
I was happy about this year. I got a peppy,
So I'm really happy about my peppy. But I have
had it with potty training. It's it's rough stuff, and
I went into the office the other day, as you know,
Jennifer as an interior designer. Yeah, and I walked in
it and I was like, I have to get any carpet, like,
(06:52):
we have to do it today. It was a bad weekend.
So I've had it with potty training and I know
I'm a terrible person, but I've had it with all
the Christmas music. I'm just I'm over it.
Speaker 7 (07:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah. We had a friend staying with us about a
week ago and was working from our house and put
on Christmas music on the so nos all day and
I was like, Okay, we're I feel like we're early
for this, but I guess we weren't early for but
just guys, it seemed a little bit much. Anyway, let's
go to the phones again. We're at eight four four
four Middle. That's eight four four four six four three
(07:27):
three five three and UB is with us from Aurora, Colorado. UBI,
welcome to the Middle. What made you happy this year
or what have you.
Speaker 8 (07:35):
Had it with?
Speaker 9 (07:36):
Hi, Jeremy, I was happy with having found a child
free community other women who are progressive and don't or
cancer or won't have kids like me. And I've had
it with Cynthia Rivo's long nails.
Speaker 10 (07:54):
Wow Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Talk me about the child free community though, What does
that mean?
Speaker 9 (08:01):
Basically, there's a group in our area that's called Babes
Without Babies, and it's women in their thirties, forties and
fifties who have a sense of humor and who don't
have kids, or can't have kids, or don't want to
have kids, and so we get together and do like
crafting on Sundays at a coffee shop or meet up
(08:21):
at a brewery after work. And it's been really nice
to meet people that way and to I don't know,
bond with other ladies so I don't have to talk about.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Children right before Christmas. Thank you very much for that.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I think was going to catch strange today.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What have you Have you heard of these child free communities?
Either of you?
Speaker 4 (08:42):
I haven't. I think it's the most brilliant thing I've
ever heard in my life, because people with kids, all
I want to talk about is their kids. So I
think that is fantastic.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
And I also want to say that I love that
women are doing that because we've discovered that there's so
much pressure on women. There was pressure on us too,
when you're going to get married, when you're going to
have kids, and that's just the projected expectation of the
life we're oute that you have to take. And we
both have kids that are young adults, and I just
(09:15):
no longer project that onto my kids. I don't use
leading statements like when you get married or when you
have kids, because I don't want to project that onto them.
I don't want to project what I think they should
do or what society thinks they should do on them.
And I think that these childless communities, I think that's
great because you don't have to have kids. They're expensive,
there are a lot of work. I mean, they've prevented
(09:36):
me from doing a lot of things that I want
to do. I'm just kidding a love right now. They're wonderful,
but you know, it's a lot. It's not for everybody.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Let's go to Bob who's in wake Forest, North Carolina. Bob,
welcome to the middle. Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
Hey, I think in spite of all the stuff that
my wife went through medically, I'm great that she's handling
it well and that she's just happy to be alive
and that she can share time with me and my
our grandkids. You know, I guess I've just been really
you know, through all the stuff that we've been through
(10:14):
that you know, it's we're still doing well and we're uplifted.
I guess, I guess I'm happy about that. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Family. Obviously, it was at the heart of a lot
of the calls at Tulliver that we got last year
at this time, and people called in and said they
were happy even that they were able to go to
a funeral of a family member that had that had
been with them for a long time. Bob, thank you
so much for calling. And I want to remind our
listeners you can reach us at eight four four four
(10:43):
Middle That is eight four four four six four three
three five three. You can also go to listen to
the Middle dot com. Tolliver.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You know, I want to bring you in to do
something that that Angie and Jennifer do on their show,
which is that they they read hate mail. So we
actually had Tolliver find hate mail about our show, which
you know, our listeners, I know everybody thinks everybody just
loves everything about that.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Not everybody, Tolliver, I had some hate mail myself. Yea,
I have a recall. This one comes to us from
Ray and Tallahassee, Florida. He says, I've had the displeasure
of listening to your show twice at this point. The
first is right after the twenty twenty four President Show
elections and got to hear your panel. Your own promo
states that this is a place to meet in the middle.
But honestly, from the two episodes that I've heard, you're
(11:26):
hardly meeting in the middle. You'd be better off naming
the show the same old craft that NPR usually does.
Speaker 7 (11:31):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Thanks Ray, thank you, Happy Holliday.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Yeah, that's really nice. Well, A Reminder of the Middle
is available as a podcast in partnership with iHeart Podcasts
on the iHeart app or wherever you listen to podcasts,
and we'll be right back with more of the Middle.
This is the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson. If you're just tuning.
In the Middle is a national call in show. We're
focused on elevating voices from the middle geographically, politically, and philosophically,
or maybe you just want to meet in the middle.
(11:54):
This hour, we're asking you what have you had it
with in twenty twenty four and what made you happy?
Tall What is the number to call in.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
It's eight four four four Middle. That's eight four four
four six four three through five three. You can also
write to us at Listen to the Middle dot com.
I want to take a quick second to shout out
the dog that watches every show with us. M I
d As Midas. Shout out to our studio.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
We're thankful for him. Yes. Also, we're streaming on TikTok
for the first time ever right now, so tune in
there too. I'm joined by Jennifer Welch and Angie Pumps Sullivan,
host of the I've Had It podcast. Before we get
back to the phones, how did the two of you meet?
Speaker 4 (12:30):
She was my I hired her to decorate my house
when I was pregnant with my third child. I just
found out it was pregnant, and she was a fabulous designer.
I'd seen her work in other people's homes and I
absolutely loved it. And she came in and I said,
I've just got terrible taste. She was like, I know
you do, because you have silk flowers on your table
(12:50):
and you have a picture of silk flowers on your wall.
And I fell head over hills in love immediately.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Jennifer, you agree with that entire story. Is that all correct?
Speaker 2 (13:00):
The silence?
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yes, I mean it's it was. It was a disaster.
When I walked in, she was this young darling attorney,
early thirties, and her house looked like an eighty five
year old looked in it. And I was just like,
this is just not going to work like this is
you desperately need me. And I'm very direct like that,
(13:23):
So I'm not for everybody. But she loved it and
I loved her, and then we've been friends ever since.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
That's how you met. How'd you get in her house?
Speaker 4 (13:33):
This was all in my entry way?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
She hired?
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
No, she yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:38):
Now I'd seen her work in other homes and I
let hired me.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, So I went, I went to her house. This
took place in her house, this conversation.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
What have you had it with Jennifer? Or what made
you happy?
Speaker 11 (13:51):
This year?
Speaker 5 (13:53):
God?
Speaker 3 (13:53):
You know this year was so schizophrenic. You know, it
was a really it was fun. We got to go
to the DNC and that was amazing. We interviewed Kamala Harris,
Barack Obama, like five governors, all of this stuff that
we never for two middle aged women from Oklahoma City.
We never thought would be able to do. And then
(14:16):
in October, this wonderful young man that had worked for
me for six years named Hovey, he was shot and
killed and some kids tried to rob him and he
was shot and murdered, and it's just been devastating. It's
(14:37):
just devastating when you have somebody in your life that
you spend that much time with, and then you think
about the larger implications of access to guns. Oh, I'm sorry,
access to guns and gun violence. Oh god, I'm so
sorry listeners, access to guns and gun violence and all
of those things. And how you know, I think there
(14:58):
was just a school shooting a couple of days ago,
and we just couldn't really talk about it anymore. But
I think that I've come to the thesis sentence that
if you live in America long enough, somebody you love
is going to die from gun violence. And that happened
to us in October, and it's just really difficult to
move on from. And then, of course, the election results
(15:19):
were not what we wanted, so won't won't.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Let's go to Jason, who's in Warsaw, Indiana. Jason, welcome
to the middle What made you happy this year?
Speaker 8 (15:34):
Well, but it.
Speaker 12 (15:35):
Made me happy this year was the fact that we
as an agent were able to persevere another cataclysmic election
cycle and go scooch Hood at the end of it.
And here we are.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Yeah, and it sounds like you're driving, You're on the
way somewhere.
Speaker 12 (15:55):
Well, yeah, I just actually leaving my office called in
accidentally as it was snapped. Who thought we were on
a different show.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
But well, thank you for calling in. I appreciate it.
Let me go to Shelley, who's in Antrim, New Hampshire. Shelley,
welcome to the middle What what what made you happier?
What have you had it with this year?
Speaker 13 (16:15):
I think I've basically had it with our absolute stupidity
in using more and more electricity, like with bitcoin, uh
and with AI. It's just it's ridiculous. And the lovely
woman who answered the phone asked me if I'm a conservationist,
(16:36):
if that's why I'm concerned. I said, no, I'm concerned
about survival. I mean it's going to take one good
soula flare and the electricity will go out and Bitcoin
will get lost, and AI will get totally messed up,
and I think people will go berserk.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Interesting that that's a surprise that that that was one
of the dragon ones that came in. I also, I
will say, and I don't mean any negativity to our
tour last caller, but this does happen every I have
had it with people who break the fourth wall and
talk about the call screeners that they've already talked to. Obviously,
we have people to answer the phones. I'm not just
(17:14):
going straight to the live line. By the way, Tolliver,
what have you had it with this year?
Speaker 2 (17:22):
The McDonald's ice cream machine being out, first of all,
a preenial problem, the bus being late, the weather in Chicago.
I can go on and on and on. Taxes, my cats.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I would say that for me, and it is the
fact that they're still using the QR codes at the restaurants,
Like could you just make a menu at this point?
Do I have to still like use my camera and
all of that. Let me ask you, Jennifer, what do
you say to people who unfollow anyone on their social
(17:54):
media who have different views than they do?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Good for you. Here's the thing, Like I I just
think that there are certain moral declarations that have been
made on the right regarding the dehumanization of other human beings.
That is unacceptable to some people. And you know, I
(18:19):
can't follow somebody that posts a bunch of magacrab I
don't want to see that. And I get to follow
whomever I want to, and I feel the same. If
somebody doesn't like what I post, unfollow me. Go live
your life, spread your wings and fly, don't follow me.
The Internet is full of all of these things that
you can follow, and so I think it's I think
(18:39):
the unfollow is it needs to be used more.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Let's go to Seth, who is in Barnard, Vermont. Seth,
Welcome to the.
Speaker 14 (18:48):
Middle Go ahead, Yeah, Hi, good evening to you. Thank
you so much for creating a wonderful platform for vocality.
I just wanted to relate my concerns for the past
year and years prior, and what I recently saw was
a very concerning report where apparently between ten to twenty
(19:11):
percent of those in the human creative world are not
being supported as much as they had been in prior years.
And relating to that specifically, I, especially in the holiday
season that we're in, must suggest that people make an
(19:31):
extra effort to support their local creatives and buy art,
support human intelligence AMEN.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
In the DJ community. That's higher than twenty yeh right exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Tara is in Chicago, Tara, welcome to the middle.
Speaker 11 (19:48):
Go ahead, hello.
Speaker 15 (19:50):
Yes, So twenty twenty four has been a big year
for me. I issued two goals. Them was becoming the
executive director of a nonprofit in Chicago, and the other
was buying a house in Chicago. Both of those are
(20:10):
things that I wasn't ever sure were really going to
happen for me, and fell into place this year.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Congratulations, What do you think made it possible for you
to do those things this year? Was it skill? Was
it luck? What did you do?
Speaker 15 (20:24):
I think it's the perfect combinations of the two. I
think the role that I found for myself professionally happened
to be just this ideal combination of all of the
skills that I'd been acquiring through my career in nonprofit work.
I had been in an organization for fifteen years that
(20:45):
didn't see me as a potential candidate for an executive
director role, so I left. I went to one other organization,
and then I found this opportunity that really was perfect
for me. It blended all my skills, so that was
just really incredible. And then at around the same time,
my family, we've been looking for a home in Chicago,
(21:07):
and we've been living in a very small place with
two children for twelve years, and we've found just the
perfect fixer upper, an old, old home not too far
from where we lived, where our kids could still go
to the same school, and it was just really all
things just kind of aligned this year. So despite all
(21:28):
of the terrible things, there were some really great things
personally that where I'm just very fortunate and grateful for.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
That's great congratulations. Yeah, you know, Pumps. Not everybody can
afford a home these days, especially with these interest rates
the way they are.
Speaker 4 (21:43):
Yeah, it's very uplifting to hear about her new position,
moving into a home. And I do think that's one
thing with our young adult children that as you look
to their future, are they going to be able to
find affordable housing for their families. I mean, it's a
huge problem, and unfortunately, I don't know that this administration
(22:06):
will address that appropriately, so it might be kicked down
the road another four years. But I do think that
first time home buyers and the struggle to find appropriate
housing is such a problem for young people, particularly.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Joel is in Monterey California. Joel, Welcome to the middle
What did you what made you happy this year or
what have you had it with?
Speaker 16 (22:29):
Yeah, no, I've had a pretty good year. Thank you.
I actually called to talk about AI, but I guess
there's a mix up on the broadcast.
Speaker 6 (22:38):
But I was.
Speaker 16 (22:39):
I got a new sales job and for an international
company out of Sweden, and it's been very, very good.
The page is great, the benefits are great. I've never
worked for a European company and it's just been a
game changer for me. And yeah, very grateful for the
opportunity and what coming in the future. So, yeah, it's
(23:02):
been a good year.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
That's great. You know, political thing, a new job, a
new job. You know, it's true that the job can
really make or break a year. I mean, if you
if you lose your job or if you get a
new job, it's a it's a game changer.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Shout out to working at the Middle, right, Jennifer.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Your thoughts, Oh, you know, I think that I'm happy
for the caller that he's working for a European company.
I think that would be fun. I always love to
travel to Europe. Never been to Sweden. I think they
kind of have a lot of things figured out, maybe
more sustainable systems of economy and government that seem to
(23:43):
have a good mixture of the common good. You know,
I worry about America because it always seems so focused
on individualism and not collectivism. And so, I mean, I
don't know, I know, I'm worried. Probably a lot of
your listeners are worried. But I'm happy for that color.
That would be like really fun to work for an
(24:06):
international company like that.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
You know, you both brought up politics a bunch. Let
me ask you, Pumps. I guess I'll start with you.
Why do you think Kamala Harris lost this race after
all of that?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
You know, I've heard so many different theories on it.
Whether it was that Biden didn't drop out sooner, we
didn't have a robust primary, people didn't know where, things
of that nature. My personal belief is that the right
wing media mechanism is so much larger than the democratic
(24:42):
especially with Elon Musk, with Twitter and the algorithms and
the manipulation there. I just think that they have a
first of all, it pains me to say this, but
I think the right has better messaging. They are able
to hit people viscerally in when that nuances of policy
(25:03):
don't strike people. But I do think a lot of
it is the right wing media infrastructure that the Democrats
just don't have.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
But the thing is, you're both You are both communicators.
You've obviously tapped into something among your listeners. Is there
something that you think that, let's say, the Democrats should
be doing to more viscerally connect with people that you
see the right doing but not the left.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
Yes, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
I think we need to be more aggressive, more direct.
I think that there has been an appeasement from twenty
sixteen on where we just treat a lot of the
things that Donald Trump and his sycophants do as normal,
and we normalize them. I think that Kamala Harris should
(25:54):
have not trotted around with Liz Cheney. Liz Cheney is
on the record for creating so much of these right
wing conspiracy theories that got us here, and then we
have to parade her around and say, oh, look, we
found a Republican that supports us. This is a woman
that perpetuated the lie that physicians execute babies after they're born.
(26:17):
And it's just she was a part of the problem.
She was a part of the hysteria that feeds into
all of this. And I think the Democrats seem to
go left. They need to have a very Bernie Sanders,
AOC populist agenda. When you pull people in our state,
in a deeply read state, on gun control, on raising
them minimum wage, on abortion, on gay marriage, they're to
(26:39):
the left on all of these issues individually, but they
vote Republican. And I don't think the Democrats do woul
get enough message saying. If you want to look at
what Republican policies look like, look at the states that
are ranked fortieth through fiftieth in the United States of America.
Look at them, and look at the Republican supermajorities that
all of these states have had. These policies are disastered.
(27:00):
And I think they just need to be aggressive. And
I think people good, bad, are indifferent felt like Donald
Trump cut through the BS brownie points for saying BS again.
I think they felt like he cut through the BS
and he fought for them. Whether that's rational or not,
I'm not going to get to I'll leave that up
for the psychiatrist to analyze. But the Democrats people need
(27:24):
to feel like they're fighting for them. And I just
think when they were calling when Kamala Harris and Walls
were calling Republicans weird and seeing they're weirdos, it was working.
She was up in the polls, and then they started to.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Stopped doing that, try it out. They stopped, They trotted
her out.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
And that's when I said to Pumps, what is she
doing running around with Liz Cheney? Why are we acting
like she's a hero because she can say that clearly
Donald Trump is a criminal, which a five year old
could recognize that, you know, just like, why are we
doing this? And that's when I started kind of thinking,
I don't know about this.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Reminder that you can reach us at eight four four
four Middle that is eight four four four six four
three three five three, or you can write to us
at Listen to the Middle dot com and Tolliver. As
we go to our next break, do you have any
more hate mail for us?
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I do you know? Never ends? This one comes courtesy
from Eddie and Hendersonville, Tennessee. He says, I understand that
you want to appeal to everyone, but a lot of
times I think your program should be renamed to the
meek Ouch. The meat is the meekle. It's good to
talk and listen, but occasionally you need to take a position,
call out lies. I think doctor Phil McGraw once said
(28:38):
there are only two things in the middle of the road,
yellow stripes and dead Armadillo's.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Doctor Phil, a famous Oklahoma Our next, doctor Phil, Yeah,
and a reminder. The Middle is available as a podcast
in partnership with iHeart Podcasts on the iHeart app or
wherever you listen to podcasts and wherever you rate podcasts,
and you give us at high rating on this podcast,
We'll be right back with more of the Middle. This
is the Middle. I'm Jeremy Hobson. This hour we're asking
you what have you had it with in twenty twenty
(29:04):
four or what made you happy? Call us at eight
four four four Middle. That is eight four four four
six four three three five three. You can also reach
out at Listen to the Middle dot com. I'm joined
by the host of the I've Had It podcast, Jennifer
Welch and Angie Pumps Sullivan. And before we go back
to the phones, let me ask you the question. Uh, Jennifer,
I'll ask you the question that everybody always asks me,
(29:26):
and I find it to be very difficult to answer.
But who do you want to interview that you have not?
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Oh, my gosh, Larry David. Right, it's Larry David. I
am obsessed with Curb Your Enthusiasm. I've watched every episode
two or three times. I love how cranky he is.
I love how cynical he is. I laugh at all
of the nuances of it. And I just don't think
Larry's ever going to do it. And I'm thinking that's
(29:53):
who I need. And if not Larry David, then I
would take Roger Federer.
Speaker 7 (29:58):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
Yeah, Okay, Pumps, what about you? Who would you like
to interview?
Speaker 4 (30:03):
I think I'm a huge Dolly Parton fan, Yes, And
I would like to talk to her and just ask
her like how does she do it? How does she
sustain so much success? And her reading is it? What's
it called? Her reading? Where she donates books? Like a
million books have been donated to underprivileged communities. I love that. Yeah,
(30:23):
And I just her story is inspiring and I love
how she says takes a lot of money to look
this cheap? My favorite.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
Yeah, let's go to Leon, who's in Las Vegas. Leon,
what have you had it with this year?
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Yeah? You know, just over the years, I noticed like
a growing list of people who are of wealth or fame,
you know, like Harvey Weinstein, PDDY. And I'm also gett
kind of concerned that a number of people I'm seeing
on the news who've been doing stuff like this, Like
once Cosey went down, I knew nothing was sacred, you
know what I mean, just that.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Famous people are getting in trouble for bad things that
they're doing.
Speaker 8 (31:02):
Yeah, I'm just it was very disheartening because it's like,
you know, Cosey was America's dad.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
You know, what did you two think about that?
Speaker 3 (31:13):
I mean, I'm not going to cuss Jeremy, but I
would say this is where you enter the f around,
find out the situation. And even you know, celebrities. The
only person who seems to consistently get away with things
is the president elect of the United States, which is
just dumbfounding, but you know, he seems to be able
to dodge all of those bullets that other people have
(31:37):
been held accountable for.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
Let's go to Alana in Tampa, Alana. What have you
had it with this year?
Speaker 11 (31:45):
I have absolutely had it with people who pretend to
be one way on social media and then you either
know them in person and they act a completely different way,
or they come as an insoluence and they come out
with an article and they are a meet a bad person.
They treat all their employees like crap. I'm just over it.
I need people to act like the way they act drag.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
Allen, Yeah, pumps, what do you think about that? There
are a lot of people like that. I have friends
even that I think, are they trying to be a
model on social media? But then I don't see them
like this in person.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah. I think that's great, and I think it's so
true when you know people and the things that they
post are just so opposite of their personal behavior. And
one thing we talk a lot about on the show
is these people that we get hate comments, Like your
hate comments are mild compared to our hate comments. I mean,
people come after everything about us. And it's so funny
(32:40):
because when you go to look Jennifer taught me how
to do this, you go look like, what's their bio say?
And it's always peace, love and laughter. Jesus is my key,
and we're just like, what how are you? How are
you being so ugly to people you don't know? Randomly
on the inner, but yet you're, you know, sitting on
(33:02):
top of the Bible acting holier than now. So the
posers on social media, it's just too much. And I
just will say, my kids and I are going on
a vacation over Christmas, and my daughter said to us
at dinner last night, I need everybody to get better
of taking pictures of me for my Instagram while more advocation.
(33:23):
And I was just like so many people in her
age group, which she's twenty two, it's all about the
photos for Instagram. And sometimes I feel like people don't
enjoy what they're actually doing because they're so worried about
getting the perfect picture for Instagram.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, James is in East Texas. James, welcome to the middle.
What made you happy this year?
Speaker 17 (33:47):
I was really pleased with just the expanding amount of
platforms in PR, PBS and a lot of independent graders
online book to hear from actual people.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
It seems like Fox.
Speaker 17 (34:04):
News, DNN, News Max, none of these platforms. I mean,
I'm sure he can ride into Roger Ailes. I'm sure
he can ride into Dana Bash. I don't think they
looked through any of their comments.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Roder Ailes is dead. Just to be clear, Roger Ailes
is dead definitely, so you can't write into him anymore.
Speaker 17 (34:26):
Sorry about that. No, no, no, that works like you
guys in the middle.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Yes, no, I appreciate. I appreciate the comment. I agree
with you that being able to hear from regular people
is really important and and it's it's very rare uh
these days. Uh, let's go to Janics in Chicago. Janis
what made you happy this year? What have you had
it with?
Speaker 17 (34:48):
Oh?
Speaker 10 (34:48):
So mine is actually what I've had it with. I'm
really over people telling other people what to do with
their bodies. It doesn't bother me if someone who's trans
wants to take hormones, someone wants to have an abortion,
someone wants to get vaccinated or doesn't want to. I'm
just so over both the left and the right trying
to tell other people what to do.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
I feel like our guests are going to have a
comment about that. Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 3 (35:15):
I think that, you know, I agree with the caller,
and I feel about you know, the trans community. You're
talking about less than one percent of the population, So
these people smallest numbers, really really marginalized, very high rates
of suicide. And to sit and criticize gender affirming care
(35:38):
number one at center your business. But number two, I mean,
isn't it like Joe Rogan he's pumping up on steroids
and I'm sure he's popping viagra, And isn't that gender
affirming care?
Speaker 1 (35:49):
You know?
Speaker 3 (35:50):
I mean, come on, It's like if they would put
the science into anything curring cancer that they put into
the erection, we would all be so much healthier. But
it seems like when it comes to women or marginalized groups,
we're all up in the business. But when it comes
to men and they're a regtile dysfunction, it's game on.
(36:10):
We can ship it to you anonymously. You know, there's
no restrictions whatsoever. Hell, let's give it out for free.
And so I've had it with that.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
I agree.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
I'm in the same camp as the caller. If you
don't want to get a vaccine, I think it's crazy
because I believe in science. But that's your business. I
don't care. And we live in a state with more
and more restrictions on what people can do, and it
is very disconcerting to live in a country where banning
books has become the norm. Yet we're not talking about
(36:42):
banning guns, and we're more worried about transgender care than
we are whether somebody has healthcare. You know, it's just
I could go on and on about all the hypocrisy,
but I'm kind of in that mind your own damn business.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
Oh sorry, that's okay, mind your own probably twenty twenty four.
What has kept you both in Oklahoma City by the.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Way, children, Yeah, you know, you set up your life
and you have a job, and then in your thirties,
you really it doesn't really matter where you live because
you're living groundhog Day. You're you know, getting kids up,
and you're like, you know, completely beholden in them going
to school. Then you show for them around. And I
have one son left that's a senior in high school
(37:27):
and he'll graduate and then he'll go off to college.
My oldest son is a senior at Syracuse University in
New York, and so I think that when the youngest
one goes off to school, wherever he goes, my only
rule is go out of state. That well, PM smar
thinking about moving to you know, Manhattan for a couple
of years. I mean, why not, you know, we're still
young enough.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
So let's go to Carolyn and Cincinnati.
Speaker 10 (37:53):
Carolyn, what have you had it with I've had it
with legans.
Speaker 17 (37:58):
I am over legan I would.
Speaker 18 (38:00):
Bring back down them.
Speaker 1 (38:04):
You've had it with leggings? Yes, why do you hate everyone?
Speaker 4 (38:09):
But everyone has adopted them.
Speaker 18 (38:11):
I just they're not They're not attractive on everyone.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
I'm wearing some right now. Either of you want to
take that one? Do you feel that way about leggings?
Speaker 3 (38:23):
I have to agree with the caller that leggings are
overused and sometimes they don't look that great. And maybe
that's not PC to say, but you know, in Trump's America,
can't we just say how we feel? Does everything have
to be taken away from this? And I just love
how the caller just went straight in with I've had
it with leggings. I mean, I love that. That speaks
(38:46):
to me. It's relatable and I'm gonna let her have that.
And I think she's one hundred percent right. Some people
don't look good in them, and it's unsightly and it's
okay for us to see it. It doesn't mean we're mean,
it doesn't mean we're Trumpers, It just mean we're human.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
Wow, bringing back jeans.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Let's go to Gabriella, who's in Fort Lauderdale, Gabriella, What
have you had it with?
Speaker 5 (39:09):
Hi, guys, I've had it with two things. The first
thing I've had it with is people hiding behind their
religion acting like they're really good people when behind the
screen they're hateful, homophobic, racist, but still post on social
media Jesus is King, God is good and I'm like,
I know your true colors. The second thing I've had
it with is inaccurate braw sizes. Kim Kardashian, you are
(39:32):
a billionaire. Get it together, girl, I am a thirty
two f.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
Wow, we're covering leggings.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Last second, we get some good ones. Yeah, I got
one of the emails here says I hate it when
people add right at the end of a sentence without
waiting for an answer, So I kind of agree with
You're getting real petty.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Yeah, yeah, right. Let's check out Lisa, who is in Rockford, Illinois. Lisa,
what have you had it with?
Speaker 19 (40:07):
I've had it with our increasing impatience on all kinds
of front traffic waiting in line, but now we're down
to the dialogue. I hate it that I have to
get what I want to say in three sentences or less,
and the default of a feeling where people have to
debate and have an opinion instead of listen and learn.
Speaker 1 (40:29):
Not not enough sort of taking time in communicating, is
what you're saying.
Speaker 19 (40:34):
Yes, the communication we're in too big of a hurry
to even communicate back and forth.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
Very interesting?
Speaker 2 (40:41):
Yeah, like six sentences right there?
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Well no, but I'm glad she brought that up. Jennifer,
what do you think about that? Do you think we're
communicating too quickly?
Speaker 3 (40:50):
Listen? The caller is one hundred percent right. We do
need to stop and communicate more. But I'm at the
phase in my life where I'm trying to talk to
people less. I'm trying to have a conversation using the
fewest sentences possible and then tuck and roll out of
the situation. I wish I was more like the caller.
I wish I was a better person. But I'm the
(41:12):
host of a podcast called I've Had It, So there
we are.
Speaker 1 (41:16):
OK, let's do an uplifting one. Tara is in Denver, Tara,
what made you happy this year?
Speaker 18 (41:24):
What has made me happy this year is women in music.
It feels like women are finally getting the stage and
the attention that they deserve as musicians from Taylor Swift
to Chapel Roon to Billie Eilish, And it's awesome to
see women being able to write music and and talk
(41:44):
about their sexuality instead of being sexualized. And it's really
incredible to see women want to be part of music
and kids looking up to them and wanting to be
part of music. This year, every woman that is, every
person that's up for Artists of the Year is a
woman year and that is incredible to see. And even
though we maybe didn't take the presidency, we are taking
(42:07):
music by storm. And I mean just Taylor Swift in general.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
Great points, great points all around. And you know, always
happy to see Taylor Swift get even more money. No,
I think she's great. Think Brett Brett is into Tonia, Idaho. Brett,
Welcome to the middle. What made you happy this year, Well.
Speaker 7 (42:30):
What made me happy is seeing the Grateful Dead being
being appreciated and celebrated with the Kennedy Center honors. A
band that was so pivotal in our country, just like
the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, that really set and
changed the culture of our country at a time that
it needed that. But they were a band that came
(42:52):
from our country, and it was the band that really
heavily affected my life. That's the thing that I really
appreciated seeing because they were a band that a lot
of people didn't really seem to understand. But they are
a band that now that we look back see that
they should be appreciated and celebrated like that.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
Did you see them this year? I'm sorry, did you
see them in concert this year?
Speaker 8 (43:23):
Well?
Speaker 7 (43:24):
Not this year, they haven't been playing as Grateful Dead truly,
But I saw the Grateful Dead with Jerry Garcia and
the full regiment of the band for over one hundred
shows and toured with them throughout the country, and they
were a band that I really appreciate. They showed me
my country right with my loving of their music and
(43:49):
the idea that when you went to a show, you
saw a different show from the night before, so that
you could see many shows in a row, and if
you chose to seem many chosen in a row, you've
got to go to de Moine Iswa.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
Grateful for the Grateful Dead.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
If Taylor Swift and Grateful Dead going tour together, I'll
be there. Yeah, Okay, I'm seated for that.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
Okay, we actually are running out of time amazingly for
this hour. But let me ask you. Let me ask
you both a question which you're both as we've said
in Oklahoma City. What do you think is the thing
that people on the coast in this country don't understand
about people in the middle of the country. I'll start
with you, Pumps.
Speaker 4 (44:32):
I think that what I have found when I go
to the coast is the culture difference with the Evangelical Christianity,
how deeply rooted religion is in every day decisions, whether
it be political, children raising, all kinds of things. So
(44:53):
I think there's kind of a the foothold that religion
has in these deeply red states in the South. I
don't think people on the coast appreciate how what what
a different culture it is here.
Speaker 3 (45:09):
Jennifer, I completely agree with her. I kind of had
an interesting upbringing. My parents are total atheists, and so
I grew up in the buckle of the Bible belt
around a bunch of just die hard Evangelical Christians that
were constantly trying to save me and warning me about
the torture that awaits me in Hell with demons and
(45:31):
Satan himself. And I was able to persevere through all
of that and still remain completely secular. And I don't
think politicians in general understand how much religion has set
the psychological soil for people to turn away from critical
(45:52):
thinking and to accept magical thinking, both in their faith
and in politics. And so when you look at what
Trump does with all the magical thinking, their religion brought
them to that.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, that is Jennifer Welch. We've also been speaking with
Angie Pump Sullivan. They are the host of the I've
Had It podcast. Thank you so much to both of
you for joining us on the Middle.
Speaker 4 (46:12):
Thank you for having us Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Happy holidays to you too, And thanks to our satellite
radio listeners, our podcast audience in the more than four
hundred and twenty public radio stations making it possible for
people across the country to listen to the Middle. I'm
Jeremy Hobson, and I will talk to you next week.
Host
Jeremy Hobson
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