YouSaid · the spoken record

Roxane Gay

lines on the record: 72
first: 2024-08-08
most recent: 2024-08-08
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“It out there like in hats. Put it out there. Exactly. If you're listening and you're auditioning anyone new, I'm available.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I kind of am, but I want a permanent birth. I feel like I have interesting things to say. I think I'm too bad with deadlines to make it happen. But that's the one media job that I would very much like and or to be on the view. I think I'd be fun on the view.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, I put it all out there in that column, you know, because it was my last one. I just knew that it was worth it to just say what I needed to say. And I'm very happy with how that column turned out. I'm very proud of that work. So I'm glad that in the end I said it.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But I don't know what their life is like. I don't know what their savings situation is like, etc. And when it comes to advice beyond the workplace fear, I think a lot of times we're just afraid of. Saying the wrong thing. And To our detriment at times, we're so afraid of saying the wrong thing that we actually say nothing or we say things that have no teeth, that have no consequence. And that doesn't help.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I have. I have, or I think it's the Caribbean in me that takes But I feel like oftentimes people are afraid to just say the real thing for a number of reasons. Sometimes there are things that frankly shouldn't be said, but like it's hard to just tell someone, like, yes, quit your job and, et cetera. And struggled to tell people some of that unvarnished truth because I all don't know the circumstances of their lives. You know, it's very easy to sit in my little home office and say, quit your job.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“She did, and she became diminished and they diminished her and her accomplishments and they tried to malign her in her scholarship.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I was shocked. I mean, we were so, and I remain so incredibly proud of her. She's an incredible scholar. She's an incredible leader, and that she was not given a chance, that she was not supported by her institution in the way she deserved to be, that they allowed billionaires to dictate who runs their university. But it was really devastating to see what they did to her. And after a lifetime of working in academia, a lifetime of teaching, and many, many years spent specifically at Harvard, I really didn't think they would do it.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Oh my God, sir. We see you. Terrible, but I think that. I think Kamala Hare is becoming president is going to do a lot of wonderful things I do believe we're still going to deal with some backlash toward DEI. And then we're going to see more improvement again. And then after she's out of office, the pendulum's going to swing back. It's going to go back and forth. I don't know what it's going to take to create permanent change where we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary. But as long as we continue to allow the right to weaponize it and dictate the terms of engagement, we're not going to make any progress.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, we're currently dealing with an ongoing backlash for Obama being president. Oh, right, yes. The pendulum is going to swing back and forth quite a few times as Kamala Harris is still pissed.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We take their language, we take their ideas, and we legitimize them by using them ourselves, instead of pushing back and saying, you know what, no, DEI is actually necessary. Critical race theory is a very small segment of what academia actually studies. It doesn't encompass sort of everything.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, that's a good question. We're seeing pushbacks. And the thing is, change is incremental and these things are cyclical. However, I think that liberal people need to stop allowing conservatives to dictate how we talk about these issues. Corporations were always going to try to roll back DEI initiatives because they cost money. And they require shifting attention, and so they believe from whatever their primary purposes, like tractor supply, deciding, oh, we're done with DEI, like tractor supply. Okay, whatever. I mean, that's frustrating but expected. But what's equally frustrating is like now liberal people like use DEI as a punchline too.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I did, but you know, it's interesting. I still think about it. And, you know, I love doing that gig. It was fun. It was unexpected. But the thing that continues to surprise me is just how many people are unhappy professionally and how many people are trapped in unhappy or frankly unhealthy professional situations because they need health insurance, because they need to support their families and themselves. The things that I find that the more stable my life becomes, the more I guess success I achieve, the more radicalizing it is. Everybody should have access to healthcare. I just can't even believe it's a debate. Everyone should be able to go to work and not deal with harassment and bigotry. It's such a low bar. And yet so few people seem to have really healthy work situations.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“People keep trying to find new places, but guess what? The bad people follow you there. And so with Substack in particular, I just, it's not that I'm okay with some of the content that they allow published on their thing, but there's only so far you can run. And all I can control is what I put on my substack. And that's what I try to focus on. And it's not a popular decision with everyone, but it's my choice.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah. You know, the reality is that everything was compromised. That's pretty time, by the way. Absolutely. Oh, absolutely. You know, and I believe in making stands when and where I can. I think everyone should. But at some point, where do you go? Where do you go? And with Substack, yes, they publish some people that I find odious, the Nazis and of course the transphobes. And it's not okay. But I just don't know of any media ecosystem that does not have terrible people on it. And so.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think it's challenging. However, I have a very good publicist. And so, you know, it's funny that I'm doing a bunch of traditional media to bring attention to this non-traditional media. I think these things work in concert. They don't exist in isolation. And it's important to recognize that you need a little bit of both.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But it does bring attention to things you publish online. And so even with not having that, I find it to be a bit of a struggle to find new readers. It's challenging.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You don't have to. You don't have to necessarily, however, in my experience, it's easier to try independent things when you already have an audience. When you start from nothing and try to build an audience, it is very, very challenging And so I try to balance, like, I still have my, I still write at the times and I still publish my books through traditional publishers. And so I'm trying to balance independence with recognizing that one thing that's steady is like traditional publishers exist for a reason. And I do think we should disrupt and try different things, but it's really, really hard. And one of the key things that we've lost with Twitter being good is like, how do you reach readers? How do you find them? Twitter does not translate into book sales at all.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But I just decided about seven or eight months ago that I was done. Miss it, but I miss a version of Twitter that has not existed in a very long time. And so this was a small way of being able to continue to connect with people. It's not as immediate. It's not as exciting. But I do also have a little blue sky account. And it's not quite the same, but”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And so when I can share opportunities with other writers, that is very gratifying because there are just far too few. And so everything is kind of connected to also just articulating my worldview and my ideas and being able to put them out into the world in different ways. And so with Script, you know, what's great about them is that they handle all of the infrastructure. I edited the essays. I chose the writers, et cetera, but like they are the ones who do all of the mechanics and really help with the kinds of stuff that quite frankly, writers are not good at. And so it's great to be able to have that kind of partner with my newsletter. I miss blogging I miss Google Reader. I left Twitter. And so...”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, it's all a piece. Like, it's primarily, I would like being able to give opportunities to other writers because I have been very lucky. You know, I work my ass off, but the reality is that it takes a lot of luck. And just being in the right place at the right time.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The monks of Skeet is a great book on that. Truly. And then Julia Tershin, who is a chef and cookbook author, wrote an incredible essay about taking up powerlifting and how that really helped her develop a stronger relationship to her body and to appreciate her strength. Gabrielle Ballot wrote about becoming kind of like a psychonaut and experimenting with psychedelics and how that really helped with her mental health and really allowed her to understand her mind in different ways. And then finally, Rhonda Gerard wrote about becoming a parent and her essay is written as a kind of instruction manual and she's a Palestinian American and she wrote about, you know, what it means to raise a Palestinian son as a single mother. And it's just wry and witty and beautiful.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So Elaine Castillo wrote about basically a cultural history of dog training and German shepherds and how she became a dog person by fostering a German shepherd, which is a very unique breed. It is.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So, this is a partnership with Scribb. And I've worked with them before. I wrote an essay a few years ago, and they came back and said we would love for you to curate a series of essays. And what I loved about the partnership is that, you know, because it's a tech company, really, Yes, scribbled. They have more money than a traditional publisher. And so I said, yes, I'm happy to do this, but I want to be able to pay the writers. Good rate, not just the kind of pennies that we're used to accepting. And they were willing to do so. And so it was exciting to be able to approach four writers and just say, if you could write about anything. Anything you want, what would you write about? And that led to these four essays from Julia Tershin, Elaine Castillo, Gabrielle Ballot, and Rhonda Gerard. And the essays are incredibly different.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I would love to see her really step up and say, you do not need an AR 15. And if you do, then perhaps you should seek therapy. And figure out what you're trying to compensate for.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I hope it's not the oxygen of our country. I genuinely hope it isn't, but it does seem like it is. It does, it really does, it just does. When you look at the amount of money that the NRA has put into our political system. It's unbelievable. And I can't remember the exact statistic, but it is in the essay like 30-55% of Americans own guns, which is to say that the majority of Americans don't. So I do believe that we can stem the tide. I do believe that, again, if we exert enough political will, we can actually change this. We can say, oh, and also like ban assault weapons. That should have happened years and years ago.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Anyone else. If we have more guns than people. And I also think like bullet regulation wouldn't be a bad idea A gun is only as useful as the bullet in it. And so I think there are lots of common sense things we could do that would still preserve the spirit of the Second Amendment, which was literally written in the 18th century. Right. And guns were very, very different then.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Are so many different ways What's so disappointing is what most gun control advocates are asking for is easily within our reach, is like low stakes, like low bar, the bar is in hell easy, like background checks, like that we can't pass background checks. Makes no sense. And waiting periods and perhaps, you know, like maybe we should end conceal carry. Like, do we really all need to be walking around or at least let's end open carry? And there's no willingness to have real conversations about what gun control could look like. We're still sort of scraping the bottom of the barrel. Like, let's go for the lowest hanging fruit. And even that is unachievable. So it's frustrating, but I do hope moving forward, especially with...”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I mean, I think that we justify anything we need to get through the day. But I think there are two ways of thinking about it, you know. Lot of feminist rhetoric is based in the idea of empowerment, and I actually think it's a bunch of schlock. There is that sense of taking control, of protecting yourself, of not being passive and waiting for someone to save you when you can save yourself. But because so much of what we value as feminists is trying something different, is rethinking power in our relationship to it. I do think that there is a huge contradiction. And I do struggle with that contradiction. But I don't think feminists are about pacifism all the time because pacifism has not served us. And I don't think violence is the answer either, but I do think that we do need to be more aggressive.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“They did not at all. It's fascinating. There's so much pink merchandise. I mean, everything is pink for women, whether we're talking about toys or dishes or vacuums.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Right. The things they tell us to be afraid of are not the scary things, it's the legislation and the surveillance Of these things that seek to curtail women's freedoms that we should be afraid of, and perhaps gun ownership allows some women to feel like they have a measure of autonomy”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We are looking at a federal abortion ban. We are looking at an end to no fault divorce and many other things that will only continue to harm women. So it's no wonder women feel unsafe. And it's not, you know, oftentimes gun marketing is about like empower yourself, protect yourself from attackers. But the call that's coming from inside the house.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Don't know that they're explicitly connected, but I don't think they're not connected either. I believe that a lot of women, and particularly black women, feel unsafe. And more importantly, feel unprotected. I mean, look what happened to Sonia Massey. Had called the police for help the first thing she told them was don't hurt me and what did they do? They did exactly what she was afraid of. And so there's a reason why we do turn to self-protection if we don't protect ourselves. Oftentimes no one else will. And I also think that a lot of women just generally feel unsafe right now because our rights are being attacked in many states. And if God forbid, the Republicans regain power at the presidential level.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I wouldn't say I'm advocating gun ownership. What I am advocating is making the best decision. And sometimes that decision does mean yes, gun ownership. And I think people should be open to that and sort of truly educate themselves on what it means, how to use a gun, et cetera. It's not mindless. It's not just go by a gun, by any stretch of the imagination. It's a huge responsibility. And you have to be willing to take on that responsibility. I think I'm just advocating for let's think more carefully about guns. And also, you know, one of the main things that I talk about is like, we really do have to eradicate access to certain kinds of weapons. And if that means we all have to give up our guns, I'm 100% on board. Right. I'm fine with giving it a”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, it's a lot of sort of do better. Hear that, and I take it as well as I can. Now, the threat's entirely come from the right or The mentally ill and right. It's hard to even tell where mental illness ends and conservative politics begins.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Absolutely from the right. You know, any threats I've gotten from the left are more about. Like, hold yourself accountable, be better. It's not even threats, it's criticism. There's a huge difference.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Know the threats became more and more specific, detailed like we know where you live, we see what you're doing, blah, blah, blah. And, you know, I saved everything, of course, but it just made me feel so alarmed. And of course, I get threads at public events and at most of my public events, I have security. And it's just, you know, very frustrating that this is the price you pay for having opinions. And quite frankly, my opinions are fairly I've been accused of being a centrist, and I don't think I'm a centrist, but I do get that I am not as far left as people perhaps would like to be. And that's why when I get these threats, it's always like, wow, like what exactly bothers you about something so like women or people?”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And so I realized I have to take this seriously. I'm teaching other people's children in the classroom. And the university did take it very seriously. And I was grateful for that. But they just continue to accelerate. And it's random people. You never know what's going to trigger them. And it's not the one-offs. It's the guy, like there's a guy who emailed me every single day for about two years. And most of the time it was just unhinged verbiage. And when I met my wife, it started to include a lot of anti-Semitism because she's Jewish. And that would freaked me out because it meant that they had Googled her and done research on her.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“God, there are all kinds of things. It started, the real threats started when I was teaching at Purdue. And I blocked this guy on Twitter. And he got so angry that he called my department chair and then my dean, and I think it went all the way up to the university president asking them to force me to unblock him. And so I went online to look him up and he had a picture of an AR-15 as his Twitter banner. And he lived in like, I think Noblesville, which was about 40 minutes away. And so it wasn't just some random guy on the internet, miles, like hundreds of miles away or thousands. This guy was right down the road on I-65.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think people would not expect me necessarily to have one. And it does create a sense of safety, but it also creates a sense of unease and a sense that perhaps we aren't as safe as we would like to be. And I write about this in the essay. The thing that makes me feel most safe is my yappy little dog. Who makes it very well known whenever anyone approaches the house? He is the most vibrant little alarm system. But the gun, you know, there is some precarity there, but I find that it's a more tolerable form of precarity than worrying about all of these random threats that probably are nothing, but you never know. And I just no longer willing to take that”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I do absolutely, you know, I'm six foot three, I'm fat, I have tattoos. There are lots of times where people mistake me for a man even though I don't think I look like a man. It doesn't matter though. It's how you're perceived. And so I do worry about it. Standing my ground in my own house and being mistaken for an intruder in my own home. It's absolutely a concern. And it's something I don't take lightly. And I just hope it never becomes an issue.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“They do. There have been plenty of people, plenty of black people who have tried to stand their ground and the ground really instead was put upon them. Just recently, and I can't remember his name, but there was a young Air Force soldier. Who thought someone was intruding, it was the police, he had a gun, he was standing his ground in his home, as was his legal right. And they killed him. And we have a lot of examples of black people who owned guns legally and who use them to stand their ground. And the legal system worked against them. Right. And so”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And it's important to hear about nonviolence because that is an entirely valid way forward. But there were plenty of black people who were like, you know what, I'm going to arm myself. I'm going to protect myself. And violence is the only language that these people understand. So I'm going to meet them with it. That was interesting, and yeah, that was a political act.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Whether or not I could use it or would use it against another person, I wanted to, I would rather need a gun and have one than need a gun and not have one or some means of self-defense in my own home, not walking out and about, but in my house. And so it started practically, but then I realized almost everything you do as a black person, as a black woman As a queer woman, I mean, these are political acts, and we have as much right to. The rights endowed by the Constitution as anyone else. Like, let's maybe take advantage of it. And as I did research for this and I did research for almost a year, A lot of people during the civil rights movement were using guns. A lot of black people in the South. And we often primarily hear about nonviolence.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And so that really got me thinking about, wow, like who really is owning guns these days? And also, it's complicated by the reality that we talk a lot about Stand Your Ground, but not everyone gets to stand their ground.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And instead, I actually primarily see people of color at the gun range, black people and black women in particular, also Latinos, Asian people, and then a sprinkling of white people. Part of that is because the range is in Inglewood, which is a predominantly black community. But I was just intrigued because so often we're basically told that the Second Amendment is the purview of white masculinity. And here I had so much evidence to the contrary. Even our range instructor was a person of color. I actually don't know his exact ethnicity. Know everyone that we have encountered along this journey has not been the kind of person that you might expect to see.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“It is, you know, I've lived all over the country and I've lived most of my life in rural places and in those places, yes, gun owners are exactly who you expect. You know, Los Angeles is a very big, very diverse city. And one of the impetuses for the essay wasn't merely that I decided to get a gun that's not inherently interesting. What was interesting is that I expected to only see white people at the gun range.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And it was a lot of gun. And so after that, I was like, oh, this is too big. And so I ended up buying something smaller, a six sour. And the six hours both are nine millimeters, but the six hour is a little smaller. It was easier for both my wife and I to handle. And we took shooting lessons. There's a great gun range in Inglewood called LAX Range, and they have really great instructors. And I learned a lot. And it's been fun.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Is much stricter, and it's funny because I think that the laws here are perfectly reasonable. And I wish every state used what California uses as guidelines, but I did some research. My brother gave me some advice on what to buy. He was, of course, ecstatic. And I ended up buying a Beretta.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yes, I decided to buy a gun during COVID, and I live in California At least half the time, and I certainly bought the gun here in California And so I went to a gun store at the time because of COVID, you had to make an appointment. There's a 10 day waiting period in California, which I think is great.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Absolutely. And they wouldn't even know. And so I just, we would never take that chance. But because we don't have children and our dog cannot get into the safe. It was a good decision for us.”
2024-08-08 · On with Kara Swisher · Roxane Gay on Guns, Kamala & Media · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT