Selective Ignorance: Ep.43 | Christmas: Capitalism, Christianity & The Claus

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Selective Ignorance: Ep.43 | Christmas: Capitalism, Christianity & The Claus"

Podcast: Decisions, Decisions (The Black Effect and iHeartPodcasts)
Date: December 23, 2025
Hosts: Mandy B., Jason Rodriguez (Super Producer), Aaron A. King Howard (Super Producer)

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Overview

This Christmas special episode of "Selective Ignorance" (a sub-series of "Decisions, Decisions") dives into the complicated, commercialized, and culturally loaded season of Christmas. Hosts Mandy B., Jason Rodriguez, and Aaron A. King Howard dissect Christmas traditions, capitalism, the origins of Santa Claus, family dynamics around the holidays, and how the festive season intersects (and collides) with Christianity, race, and American culture—all with playful irreverence and honesty.

The trio shares personal holiday stories, delivers spicy critiques of capitalism, and highlights both nostalgia and unease about Christmas. Through humor and candid conversation, they unpick how holiday myths are created, perpetuated, and sometimes, upended.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Reality Check: Christmas Stress vs. Cheer

[03:15] Mandy B.:

• Welcomes listeners to the "holiday edition" by playfully acknowledging both the joys and the stress of the season.
• Shouts out the “givers” (hosts, cooks, gift-buyers) and those who may be struggling or alone during the holidays (03:34).
• Quote: “Let’s keep it a buck. It’s a season to be stressed, broke and mildly depressed.” (03:36)

2. Personal Holiday Traditions and Family Scenarios

[07:14–14:42] Mandy B., Jason, Aaron

• Mandy shares her experience as a single, child-free woman, seeing Christmas as a personal time to recharge and reflect.
• The group discusses differing childhood holiday experiences, especially around gathering and customary meals.
• Mandy highlights how her family’s work schedules and diaspora meant fewer traditional family holidays.
• Jason describes ethnic Christmases with mixed Puerto Rican–Persian traditions (16:24–18:13), while Aaron recalls spending the time simply hanging with family, karaoke, and good food.

Interesting Segments:

• Prefix Holiday Menus in NYC: Mandy rants about expensive fixed menus at restaurants on holidays.
  Quote: “Why the fuck are you charging me $87 for meatloaf?” (09:18)
• Pets & Christmas Decor: Hilarity ensues discussing cats who destroy holiday decorations; Mandy declares her cat a "trans dog" for its dog-like behavior (11:03–12:10).

3. Religion, Relationships, and Christmas

[12:40–14:42]

• The complexities of religion and romance: Mandy’s past relationship with a Muslim partner and how that shaped her holiday traditions.
• Funny anecdote: Her Muslim boyfriend could tell she ate pork over the holidays via, as she says, “he tasted that bacon in my pussy" (13:15).
• Candidly admits she wouldn’t date a Muslim again, unless a billionaire (14:00).

4. History of Christmas, Santa Claus, and Sex Work

[28:06–32:41]

• Mandy brings a deep-dive into the “real” Santa Claus: Saint Nicholas and his connection to sex workers.
• Jason shares: Saint Nicholas gave dowries to save girls from prostitution, dropping gold down chimneys. (31:02)
• Discussion: How myths and customs evolved through translation, commercialization, and "telephone"-style retelling.
• Memorable quote: “Santa Claus was pro sex work.” (28:13)

5. Capitalism and the Commercialization of Christmas

[33:10–36:13]

• How the modern image of Santa Claus was popularized by Coca-Cola ads in the 1930s (33:28–33:52).
• Random Fact: Elon Musk is now worth more than Coca-Cola as a brand (34:13), surprising the hosts.

6. Christianity, Cultural Appropriation, and Black Identity

[45:01–48:03]

• A critical look at why Black Americans have embraced Christianity and Christmas that originally excluded or oppressed them.
• Aaron underlines the importance of learning, unlearning, and oral family histories.
• Discussion about the importance of Kwanzaa and how it centers principles rather than capitalism or material gifts (48:10–48:44).

Quote:
Aaron: “It’s our responsibility too, to learn and unlearn and relearn this whole shit.” (47:11)

7. Family Heritage, Tradition, and Cultural Maintenance

[49:31–51:48]

• The hosts reflect on passing down meaningful traditions, food, and heritage to the next generations.
• Jason expresses worries about losing touch with cultural roots, especially as a parent raising multicultural kids.

8. Christmas Crazes & Gift Nostalgia

[36:39–41:19]

• The trio reminisces about their most-coveted childhood Christmas gifts, including Easy Bake Ovens, Furbies, Giga Pets, Chia Pets, razor scooters, Omnibot robots, bikes, and cash gifts.
• Aaron jokes about “growing up privileged” for getting a robot as a kid (40:28).

9. The Santa Claus & Representation Question

[43:21–44:39]

• Debate over Santa’s racial origin and the infamous Fox News “Santa is white” controversy.
• Jason points out that the original St. Nick would’ve been a “little tan” (44:38); Mandy critiques the whitewashing of holiday imagery.

10. Capitalism vs. Tradition in Modern Holidays

[50:41–52:34]

• The dilution of holiday meaning into pure consumerism; frustration at perfunctory “traditions” and the erasure of cultural specificity.

11. Sports & Christmas: NBA vs. NFL

[56:44–64:02]

• Changing sports traditions: NFL encroaching on NBA’s Christmas visibility.
• Classic basketball memories and the increased commercialization of holiday games and performances.
• Reflections on Jay-Z’s career moves between NBA and NFL, and the global appeal of basketball (61:05–61:44).
  • Quote (Mandy): “Basketball is global... the NBA is global. The NFL is trying, but it’s gonna take longer.” (61:21)

12. Holiday Movies & Music

[64:56–69:00]

• Mandy shouts out "Unexpected Christmas," a new Black indie holiday film.
• Favorite Christmas albums: Jackson 5, Caribbean calypso classics, and B2K's Christmas album (67:06–68:01).
  • Mandy humorously defends her love of the B2K album: “If you’re rolling your eyes at me, suck my dick from the back, go listen to B2K's Christmas album.” (68:43)

13. “Selective Ignorance” Holiday Dilemmas: Relationship & Work Scenarios

[71:28–78:13]

• Debates over holiday family visit schedules: Is it selfish not to switch plans for in-laws? (73:00)
• Is it “ignorant” for a single person to take premium holiday vacation time at work? (77:08)
  • Mandy: “I don’t give a fuck what you got planned with your family. I’m concerned about me and my plans.” (77:10)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Christmas Commercialization:
  “We done turned Christmas from whatever they said it was at church to pretty much a place of seeing who can get the most gifts under the tree and fit it in the living room.”
  – Mandy B. (04:25)

• On Santa Claus’s Origin:
  “Santa Claus was pro sex work.”
  – Mandy B. (28:13)
  “In one of the most famous stories, he saved three sisters from being forced into prostitution by providing them with a dowry… with gifts of gold tossed down their chimney.”
  – Mandy B. (31:02)

• On Black Christianity:
  “A lot of the stories in the Bible, a lot of the depictions, depict them as white people. …I don’t understand knowing that, how we as African Americans and… Caribbeans adopted Christianity.”
  – Mandy B. (45:39)

• On Willful Cultural Ignorance:
  “It’s willful ignorance though. If you know what you’re doing in not showing your children certain things, it’s not going to become a tradition.”
  – Mandy B. (50:45)

• On Family Holiday Drama:
  “If you really want to go that bad, this is my holiday. …Fuck all them other households.”
  – Mandy B. (74:23)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:15] – Holiday stress and “keeping it a buck”
• [07:14–14:42] – Personal holiday traditions, singlehood, and family dynamics
• [13:15] – Mandy’s Muslim ex and “bacon in the greens” bathtub story
• [28:06–32:41] – Santa Claus, sex work, and Christmas lore
• [33:10–36:13] – Coke, capitalism, and Christmas branding
• [36:39–41:19] – Christmas present crazes and nostalgia
• [43:21–44:39] – Is Santa white, Black, or Puerto Rican?
• [45:01–48:03] – Black Christianity debate and cultural memory
• [50:41–52:34] – Willful ignorance, tradition, and passing down culture
• [56:44–64:02] – NBA vs. NFL at Christmas, Jay-Z's league switch
• [64:56–69:00] – Holiday movies & music
• [71:28–78:13] – Selective Ignorance dilemmas: splitting holidays with in-laws, single folks booking holiday time off
• [68:43] – Mandy’s B2K Christmas album defense

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Tone & Style

The hosts remain candid, raw, and authentically conversational, balancing jokes and sarcasm with social critique and personal openness. They aren’t afraid to touch taboo or uncomfortable truths—about race, religion, sex, and family politics—while keeping listeners laughing and thinking.

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Conclusion

This lively episode untangles the intersections of Christmas, capitalism, religion, family, and Black/American identity through personal anecdotes, cultural critique, and mischievous humor. Whether you love Christmas or loathe its pressures, you’ll walk away with new perspective—and maybe a new holiday playlist.

Transcript

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[Mandy B.]

Hey guys. Welcome to another episode of Selective Ignorance. However, before we get to this week's episode, I want to remind you guys to purchase my book, no Holds Barred, a dual manifesto of sexual exploration and power. So feel free to go to your local bookstores, preferably queer owned, black owned or woman owned, to support them, but also just click the button on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, or wherever you read your books. Again, that is note holds barred, a dual manifesto of sexual exploration in power, written by yours truly and my co host of the Decisions Decisions podcast, Wheezy. Make sure y' all get that. Now let's get to this week's episode. This is Mandy B. Welcome to Selective Ignorance, a production of the Black Effect podcast network and iHeartRadio. Ho ho ho. Shout out to the host. Well, I gotta start that way. I gotta start off that way. It's your girl, Mandy B. And this is another episode of Selective Ignorance, Christmas edition. Or I have to say, Holiday edition. Now, I guess we'll get into that. Now listen, it is officially Christmas season, so tis the season to be jolly. But also, let's keep it a buck. It's a season to be stressed, broke and mildly depressed. So we gonna start off with some shout outs. If you're listening to this episode as a giver, buying gifts, cooking, hosting, letting folks stay at your house rent free till January, we thank you, we see you, we appreciate you. And your cash app probably needs some thoughts and prayers. If you're listening to this and you're depressed, maybe you're alone this year. Maybe family's a lot, maybe life is lifing. I'm really hoping that we can cheer you up with this episode because y' all know what I like to do is make people laugh. And so today's episode in our Christmas special, we doing it big with all the things in our this is America segment, we're talking favorite Christmas moments. So the stuff that made us feel all warm and fuzzy, but we're also getting nostalgic with Christmas crazes that we grew up with. And y' all know my super producers is a little old, so we taking it way back. We're gonna talk about the toys we begged for, the commercials that lived in our heads rent free, and the super that all the things that we want wanted going back. We're also wrapping back the wrapping paper and getting a little spicy with Christmas versus capitalism. Now we all know that we done turned Christmas from whatever they said it was at church to pretty much a place of seeing who can get the most gifts under the tree and fit it in the living room. What, are you gonna cry now? So we're talking about how America Americad with that. And then in celebrities say the darnest things. We got Trump allegedly happy that we no longer actually say Christmas.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Now everybody's saying Merry Christmas again.

[Mandy B.]

People have been yelling Merry Christmas like it's a personality trait. But we're getting into all of the fake culture wars. Why politicians act like the real problem is America is the seasonal greetings and not everything else. By the way, we're also doing lists. I did not tell my super producers one of my favorite Christmas albums. We are talking Christmas albums, Christmas movies.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Ready for it?

[Mandy B.]

We are getting into it. So turn the lights on in the tree, grab your hot chocolate, make sure you pull a little Bailey's in that thing. And we getting a little selectively ignorant as always. I am joined by my super producer journalism, Jason, what's going on? And a king. What it do?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

What up?

[Mandy B.]

Last minute research is crazy because that one off the top of his head. You know what's crazy?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

What's up?

[Mandy B.]

I ain't even gonna go there with you. I need to go over there with you. Because it's the holiday season. We gotta be nice. You know what I mean? We gotta be nice and calm. But Christmas. Christmas is one of those holidays that, like, I'm not depressed. I'm also not a giver. I just.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I don't know where this goes.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I think that's a. I think you are a giver. I think you super nigga.

[Mandy B.]

I ain't shot nothing out my coochie.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, you mean like that?

[Mandy B.]

Okay, I ain't no mother, so I don't get gifts. Like, that's kind of like my excuse. Like the holiday season for me. And when I say the holiday season and it's you know, that's pretty much Q4, right? So I'm leaning. I'm leaning specifically into Christmas because I love. Like, I enjoy Halloween, I enjoy Thanksgiving. Now that I could eat a little bit more. There was a few years I didn't like it, you know, got that gastric sleeve and bitches had to smell food and get food. That shit sucked. I could eat a little bit more. Now I know how to make my plate to where I get all the taste. But Christmas for me especially, maybe I say post December 15th. It's my alone time now. I say post December 15th. Cause, bitch, I am at every holiday party. So I like the holiday parties, but Christmas specifically, as someone who's not a mom, as someone who doesn't really go back home, and I don't go back home because my mom loves time and a half, so she's somebody that loves to work on holidays. And then my sister. My sister for school so many years was in other countries serving this goddamn godforsaken country we live in. And so I never was. Like, there was no reason for us to all get together around the holidays. And again, a lot of my friends now, the older I got, the more that they had to be home for their kids. And so Christmas for me is normally just a time I get to sit back, relax, recoup, and prepare myself for the New Year's. It's. It's always just something where I wake up. It's nothing different. I think New York Christmas was tough for me because I'm a single person. This is gonna be also very first world problems, y'. All. I can't stand.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Oh, man.

[Mandy B.]

The goddamn, like, menus where you only get whatever they like on holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you go to restaurants, prefix. These bitches do. Prefix menus with a price that to me never add up. Like, why the fuck are you charging me $87 for meatloaf? Like, and it be shit that I don't want.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Meatloaf is crazy.

[Mandy B.]

I mean. You know what I mean? But all of the restaurants, because I'm not really cooking a meal, do this prefixed bullshit. Can you cook? Can I cook?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I just actually. Strike that. We'll talk about that.

[Mandy B.]

Thanksgiving. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was about to say I talked about it on Thanksgiving. I cook, but I cook. I enjoy cooking for a lot of people. And so, again, I ain't got no kids. My boyfriends live in other states, and I don't have holiday plans with them. So, you know, I just get to sleep in.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah, that's it refresh.

[Jason Rodriguez]

A lot of people want that.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. Like, how I celebrate the holidays is reflection. I. No, I buy pine candles and gingerbread candles. I mean, I make my house smell like the holidays, right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

And that's about it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You gonna decorate?

[Mandy B.]

No. I have a cat.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Are you a. I have a cat.

[Mandy B.]

So I don't. I don't get a tree. I got a little baby mini tree one year, and every time I fucking came home, that shit was knocked over.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And your cat is a fighter, bro.

[Mandy B.]

He is.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

He'll tear that shit up.

[Mandy B.]

My cat is so. You know what's crazy? He's more bad with other people. Like, he loved me down. And I literally wish other people could see how much he's a lover boy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

They don't see that.

[Mandy B.]

They don't see that I be having to lock him in the room. And, like, it's embarrassing. Like, I. He's like a dog. I have a trans dog, so.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

What?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Never heard that in my life. Wow.

[Mandy B.]

Or I guess he's a trans cat. No, he's a trans dog.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I think you just said trans.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Every. Whoever's listening, please don't fake outrage. We just having fun. Like, relax.

[Mandy B.]

No, they fake outrage. I don't know if these. Basically, my cat acts like a dog.

[Jason Rodriguez]

If I answer that, then I get looped into it, so I'm gonna not answer it.

[Mandy B.]

Listen, my cat. When someone is at the door, the nigga goes to the door and sits there. And when anyone enters the door, everyone has to put their hand down so he can sniff it. And then when I'm sitting on the couch, he likes to play fetch. So me and him play fetch from time to time. And he humps things like a dog. And whenever there's a sound, he. He put his little head up like he about to do something. I literally be like, now, Bodhi, what the fuck you about to do? Nothing.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

The name.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So it's a trans dog.

[Mandy B.]

Bodhi, it's a trans dog. I know. I know what I was saying. I got a trans dog.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I had to take it in.

[Mandy B.]

And so me and my cat, we just one of my cats, you know what I mean? We just lounge around the house and that's it. I do think that Christmas is one of those holidays that when you're single, it's just like. It's just another day. And you honestly don't get promoted.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's if you don't. If you stay where you're at, if you don't go back to your family.

[Mandy B.]

If you don't yeah, like, you know, if you're just a transplant, if one.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Of your boyfriends asked you to come spend the holidays with them, would you?

[Mandy B.]

Well, luckily, no. I like, luckily, like, the one doesn't celebrate holidays and then the other one. He got kids.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Good question.

[Mandy B.]

So I'm sure he'll be with kids.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I don't think she would date a Muslim.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Is he Muslim? How come he's.

[Mandy B.]

I've already done that. I'm not doing a Muslim.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You did that, did you kidding me? You prayed five times a day.

[Mandy B.]

Y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All.

[Mandy B.]

Y' all don't even know. I did a. I did a Muslim.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You did Ramadan.

[Mandy B.]

I did a. Hold on, hold on. This is all. What. He was one man you met, did you not never meet him. He was a Muslim. Freemason, flat earther.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, man, Boomer. That's a whole other episode, bro.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He's not any of those things. He's something else.

[Mandy B.]

She did.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah, he's from Harlem.

[Mandy B.]

He was all those things.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He's from Brooklyn, right?

[Mandy B.]

No, from Harlem.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Ah, there you go. There you go. That too.

[Mandy B.]

That too.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Temple 7 had a multicultural.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Like he was Dr. Umar Jakes.

[Mandy B.]

You don't even know. I talked about it. Like I had to. I remember one Christmas, I went home, came back, I surprised him, went home, nah. And my mama put bacon in the greens. He tasted that bacon in my pussy. Swear to God. He said, you ate pork. He knew I ate pork from eating the greens. I come down to you, he knew I ate pork. And I was like, God damn him.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Personal question. You follow through.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's weird.

[Mandy B.]

I know he still ate it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Okay, he still ate it.

[Mandy B.]

But.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But he did say, personal question after.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

She said, I know, but.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, n. I ain't gonna hold you. Shade, but no shade. I don't know. I don't care how you take this. I don't think I would ever date a Muslim man again. Unless he was like that billionaire that Rihanna dated. I would. I would. I might even convert for a billionaire.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Inshah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I was gonna say mashallah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Mashallah.

[Mandy B.]

You know, Mahashalah Ali.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Don't do it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Don'. Go do it.

[Mandy B.]

Nah. But I would never date a Muslim again. But it was interesting. Cause when we did date, like, he took me down to see the tree. Cause he knew I was up here solo. But he didn't celebrate Christmas.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

He's flexible, though.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. I mean, you know, but I didn't give a fuck. I didn't need to see no big ass goddamn tree. And it was too many People out there, I said, okay, I saw it. Time to go. And. Yeah, but for me, Christmas is just. To me, it's the reset before the reset. Yes, it's me. Get em ready to be drunk as fuck on New Year's.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Let's go.

[Mandy B.]

And then I normally take a trip that first week of January because it's the cheapest. Cause y' all niggas gotta get back to work. I don't. So that first week in January when niggas gotta get back to work. School start.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Like, right after the fourth.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yep.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, my God. Everything is cheap. So I take advantage of that. And then I get back to work normally the second week of January, but. Yeah, so. So that's the plans this year as well. And so last five years, it's been St. Croix and Aruba that I go to.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So St. Croix is good.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Love it.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Are you a New Year, New Me type person? Nah, there's a pause there. You know, you don't like to say it, but you are.

[Mandy B.]

Well, I like to start that in February, because in January, niggas in the gym taking up goddamn space. So I don't be trying to. I don't be trying to go into the gym.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, yeah. I gonna drop off February 1st. Everything gonna be the same.

[Mandy B.]

Hey, go in February. And then it's like, in January, I'm still putting the previous year when I got to put dates and shit, like, I'm not there yet.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Gotta adjust that adjustment.

[Mandy B.]

It takes me till February to be like, whew. Okay, it's New Year. What's going on? I actually start my New Year's goals, like, November, December.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You know, they say you're supposed to do that. You're supposed to do it. Rolling into the year, I be doing.

[Mandy B.]

What a bitch supposed to do.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Cause you'll stick to it more if you do it that way. Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

And I do what a bitch supposed to do. You feel me?

[Jason Rodriguez]

And did, right?

[Mandy B.]

And do.

[Jason Rodriguez]

There you go.

[Mandy B.]

What about holidays for y'?

[Jason Rodriguez]

All?

[Mandy B.]

I guess I want to go the polar opposite. You a whole. You a whole married man with children, matching jams.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I do that.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, you do the matchup of jams. The cards.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Do the cards.

[Mandy B.]

I better get one.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. You know, it's funny. If I get an address from somebody, they're like, oh, yeah. If I'm doing, like, a play date with my daughter, they gave me an address. I'm like, boom, into the dock.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, Everybody get the gift, the little holiday card. Okay. And then who do y' all do the Meal. Cause you Puerto Rican. You do the perni.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, no, we do. So I definitely. I. Usually around Thanksgiving is when I get my stock. I'll get my pasteles, and I'll get my coquitoquito. I'll have those on stock. I give my neighbor. He's Haitian. You make it. I give him. No, I buy. I'm a connect. Okay, okay. So I buy it. I'll give my neighbor a wine. He gives me Haitian rum in return.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Ooh, Baba ko.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, okay, okay, okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Cremas.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Exactly.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, so you do no cooking. You just sit there and watch football. Right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

My wife.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, no, Chris, wait. Christmas is basketball.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Well, now it's changing. Yeah, we can get into that later. Yeah, I'll do it, too. Exactly.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I. I think ethnic Christmases are better because then you. It's not like you get your.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, he coming for the Americans, y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All. Y' all get your.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, wait, I forgot. You American, you Puerto Rican.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I mean, yeah, but. But. But you get your flourishes where it's like, you know, you'll get like. I'll get my Puerto Rican plate. My wife is Persian, so I'll get that and we mix it together.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, no, no. You got a real ethnic Christmas. Cause do they celebrate Christmas in Persia?

[Jason Rodriguez]

In Persia? In Iran. In Iran. But, you know, they're Americans.

[Mandy B.]

Wait, Persia, not a plate.

[Jason Rodriguez]

They're Muslim. They're Muslim.

[Mandy B.]

Persia is still a place.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Persia is like a cartoon place.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It's the region.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, but it's Iranian people, so don't.

[Mandy B.]

Come at me like, I was wrong. I don't like.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I don't know if it's a Persian.

[Mandy B.]

I don't like what you say.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It's like when you ask Queens, where you from? They say, but you could be from Laurelton, Rosedale.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I don't think there's a. I don't know.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Persia is the.

[Mandy B.]

Yes, Persia is a place. Thank you. It says both the historical region and the former name of the country now known as Iran.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Okay, Iran.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But. Right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So I gotta represent. That's half my family.

[Mandy B.]

Iran.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But Persia is the. Right. It's a historical name that is not forgotten. You still refer to the area as Persia?

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, so?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Nigga, don't fucking correct me, but it's Iran. I don't know. That's my white side of the family. But Iran, Persian, no.

[Mandy B.]

You can stick up a motherfucking Puerto Rico.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, I'll stick up for that, too. It's part of my. When you married, you gotta do.

[Mandy B.]

It's both okay. And y'. All.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's not. Or it's ands.

[Mandy B.]

Y' all were also both Christian?

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, my wife's Muslim.

[Mandy B.]

So you make her celebrate Christmas?

[Jason Rodriguez]

She. She likes to celebrate Christmas. It's like Jewish people who celebrate Christmas, you know? Cause it's an American thing. It's become.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You think he's J.D. vance.

[Mandy B.]

Listen. I'm listening to this. It's getting a little tricky over here. Like. Okay, was that a conversation before y' all got married?

[Jason Rodriguez]

No.

[Mandy B.]

Like how y' all would have kids, celebrate the holidays.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No. You know, that's interesting. And that ends up being like another episode. I think when you get married and you end up, like, sitting at the table together, like the dinner table, you start realizing, like, your cultural stuff starts coming up and you're like, well, what type of food are we gonna eat? What kind? Like, you don't realize that until you get in. And so that's why you have to.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Be like, how does Ramadan look for you?

[Jason Rodriguez]

So she's not really practicing. So it's not that. Like, we celebrate.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

She holds the faith, but she doesn't do.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. Like, we celebrate Persian New Year.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Okay.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But there's not a lot.

[Mandy B.]

What's Persian New Year?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Because every country has their own New Year, but it's usually a calendar thing. So it's like, for them, the new year starts with the spring, not January 1st. So Persian New Year's in March.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah. Makes sense.

[Mandy B.]

You just added another holiday.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But that's a lot.

[Mandy B.]

But that's celebrate. But even like New Year's, ev.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Has those traditions and things where it's like, it's calendar versus, like, Canada has.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Their own Thanksgiving, which is like a whole different.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Cuz they don't have a Thanksgiving.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We celebrate New Year's though.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But. No, they do. They have a Thanksgiving.

[Mandy B.]

Canada has a Thanksgiving.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Canada. Yeah, I think they have their own. Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, but they're. But it's not Thanksgiving.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But it's not. Yeah, it's not our.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We'll do that now. There's other reasons.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, Yeah. I want. I want to go. Yeah, yeah. You gonna have edits now.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I know.

[Mandy B.]

God damn it. Okay. And then you. What is.

[Jason Rodriguez]

What is your.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Same with the fam. Depending on what they might want to do. The whole get up. Shit with the pants, you know, you.

[Mandy B.]

Better bring me a plate.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And the food. Thanks. You know, similar. Kind of similar to similar food.

[Mandy B.]

Right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You do a tree at the crib.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Not. No. Well, it's hit and miss sometimes. No. Sometimes, yes. You know, it's more so I like to take that time to just hang out with family. That's just another excuse for us to be together again after two, three weeks prior Thanksgiving.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. Part one and part two.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Whatever happens is whatever we can eat like fucking savages. Just as long as we around each other. The games, the karaoke in the crib. Just spending quality time with fam and friends.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Y' all do karaoke for Christmas?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Sometimes. See, my family is weird.

[Jason Rodriguez]

They like to do black Christmas is dope.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

The women in my family, they.

[Mandy B.]

The family that I'm with for Thanksgiving, they normally do, like, talent shows and stuff like that. On cricket Christmas.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. If you just white and you don't have, like, other. If you just like a white.

[Mandy B.]

No, they have casserole.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, that's what I'm saying.

[Mandy B.]

Like, white people, they don't have casserole.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's like.

[Mandy B.]

That is their. That is their own shit on flavor.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, but you know who I think is the. The. The. The. The. The most tragic of the whites?

[Mandy B.]

What? If I may, who's the most tragic of the whites?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I think the American Italian.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Talk to me.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Are you feeling it a little bit?

[Mandy B.]

Are you feeling a bit?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Cuz, like, think about it, right? Like. Like, if you're. If, like, I have family in Puerto Rico, right? I go back to Puerto Rico, like, every few years. I go see my family. I. Italian people that I know, they don't go to Italy. They have no family there. They don't. Their food that they eat is American Italian food. They have.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no, no. I'll be honest with you. They. You talking about, like, the Americans that did the 23andMe and found out they were Italian. No, just American or the Italian. Because, nigga, you go to Long island, that's Italian food.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But that ends up being, like, American Italian culture. It's like change. And it's not like. And again, ask that person in Long island or Staten island, the last time they've been to Italy or if they even. Where's their grandmother live or their great grandmother, if you ain't going back. You know what I'm saying? Like, you. You have to tap back in. You have to have your own motherland.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Like, sometimes I think the Italian whites don't have that.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, it's crazy because I have.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I would be. I would be an Irish white.

[Mandy B.]

I have a white mom, and she. We had an. We. I grew up with an ethnic Christmas. Like, Christmas is when we got oxtail, but it was because it was expensive.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's the shit.

[Mandy B.]

But we did oxtail for our meal.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I think Christmas is the shit.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. We didn't do the turkey and the ham. We didn't really like that shit. That turkey be dry. Like, I don't know why we break it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

They fry it now they be frying.

[Mandy B.]

That shit first off. They do everything. Listen, they gonna start braiding it with like. Y' all saw how they was braiding the salmon. They gonna start braiding turkey.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I hated that.

[Mandy B.]

The only way I like turkey is smothered turkey wings. That's it. You don't need the whole body. Like it's a dead body. Throw that shit away. And then the fact that you be putting the organs back in it with some goddamn breadcrumbs. That shit is nasty.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

When I was growing up, we used to take the turkey leftovers and make sandwiches out of them.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, you have to.

[Mandy B.]

You're not special, nigga. What else you gonna do with em? You gotta slap the goddamn cranberry sauce on it. To even make it to where I should.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah. You know how long it took me to eat cranberry sauce? I was a whole adult. I just didn't like it. Like how it just. It's like, what the fuck is that? Why is this. But then after I was like, oh, shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Slaps.

[Mandy B.]

Cranberry sauce. That's the problem. It's a sauce. You had to, like, eat it with a spoonful of something else.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yes. You can't do it usually. I usually have it with potato salad and collard greens.

[Mandy B.]

That ain't an ignorant take.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

If you're not.

[Mandy B.]

If you ain't done it yet. Shut the fuck up. This ain't my half white.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Talk to him.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Talking.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, cranberry sauce.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We gotta get a can and read it.

[Mandy B.]

Listen.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You know, like when you get. You become an adult and like, you look at Asian.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, read the labels.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We was doing shit that we was doing it wrong the whole way. It's like the Hawaiian buns. You're not supposed to just eat it out the bag. You're supposed to heat them up right. But people cut them straight out the back. I wonder if cranberry sauce. If we were like, it says something on the can that we don't know and we just been doing it wrong.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no. I'm reading you now.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I'm reading cranberry sauce. Eat that with other shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It has to. You gotta cut the product with it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's what I do.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. No, and that's what.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's the baking soda food.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I Got a homeboy, he puts all his leftovers on a hero bread. Cranberry sauce, potato salad.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, no, they sell it like that now. If you go to like certain delis, they have Thanksgiving day sandwiches. And it's that, it's stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, sometimes some collard greens, depending on where you go. Stuffing, no stuffing.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I think it's unnecessary.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, but y', all, I do think it's unnecessary.

[Mandy B.]

Here, the thing, cranberry sauce. Just put a little bit of that thing on a spoon with anything else and then it makes sense. Like, don't just think, you gotta eat it. You like holding your nose. It's just not good. It's just not good.

[Big Loom]

What's up, y'?

[Jason Rodriguez]

All?

[Big Loom]

This is Big Loom from It's Up There podcast. In this powerful episode, we're breaking down the danger of silence and how way too many of us are taught to protect the vibe instead of protecting ourselves. We spend more time researching calls, microphones, sneakers, then we will researching on how to protect our bodies and our partners. If you have an honest conversation, one uncomfortable minute can save you a lifetime of regret. The CDC says nearly one in five people carry an STI and most don't even know it. Real intimate isn't built in the dark, it's built in the disclosure. Condoms testing transparency. Those aren't passion killers. They're peace builders. It's too much risk in our silence. Speak up. You can listen to this special episode of It's Up There podcast with Lone, brought to you by Healthy Sexual from Gilead sciences on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Whoa, what a vibe we've got, y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All.

[Big Loom]

As always, it's classic HBCU energy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Non stop action.

[Big Loom]

The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chants echoing, drums beating, everybody showing that school pride. Moments like this, yeah, they call for an ice cold Coca Cola. Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Mmm.

[Big Loom]

Yeah, that taste always hit the right note. Just like the band at halftime. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere, and an ice cold Coca Cola that's a winning combo. No matter the place, no matter the moment, everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[Podcast Advertiser]

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[Jason Rodriguez]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service.

[Mandy B.]

Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means the half day.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Of $45 for a three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow 135 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra.

[Jason Rodriguez]

See mintmobile.com get into the spirit with.

[Mandy B.]

Vizio's MyHub, a new simpler way to find everything you love on Vizio tv.

[Jason Rodriguez]

This holiday season, my hub is your destination to discover new movies and shows tailored to you, find exclusive deals and discounts and keep your favorites organized in one convenient place.

[Mandy B.]

Plus, Vizio TVs have all your favorite apps built in like iHeartRadio so you.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Can stream that festive music playlist.

[Mandy B.]

MyHub makes it simpler to find what.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You want when you want it.

[Mandy B.]

Visit vizio.com iheart and experience entertainment made easy today. Now, before we get started in talking about all the things Christmas season in this culture, we're not gonna do a double down or take it back, but I wanted to get into the history of Christmas. Now this is the history that I found that is hidden deep down into the archives of the deep dark web. But I wanted to share it with you if you came to the live show last year at Sony hall for the rebrand announcement of decisions Decisions. I brought this out on stage and I wanted to bring it here because I thought like y' all need to be informed and I need y' all to know that Santa Claus was pro sex work. And we just wanted to bring that here to selective ignorance. So Jason, I did make you do a little bit of the research and so can you share a bit of the story and then we can dissect it a king. Did you know this story? Did you look up this story?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Are you aware the Santa one?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Nope.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, let's get into Old St. Nick for the hoes.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So the legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named Saint Nicholas who was born in Turkey. And Saint Nicholas, he gave away all his inherited wealth, Right. And he traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, he was like a backpacker.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And so a lot of it was, like, the children and sailors, and sailors are prostitute adjacent. So that's why people say he was a patron saint of prostitutes. But that's sort of where it came from. And then through all the different language translations from, like, Turkey to Italy to country. See, look. So by the time it came to.

[Mandy B.]

Us, you ain't found the boring story. You hadn't even found the story. By the time it came to the.

[Jason Rodriguez]

US it was Santa Claus.

[Mandy B.]

So he was also a pimp.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, I still didn't get that part.

[Mandy B.]

So you didn't get the part. You didn't get the pimp part.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The pimp part was that he was protecting sailors and sailors. Like, protecting.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no, no, no. You didn't see the part about his daughters.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, no, no. What's that part of.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, shit. See, I knew you found something else.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Now, was Santa Claus. Did Santa Claus mean other shit in different areas in Europe? Because I know a story was about Zoart Piet.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, okay, here we go. Y' all ready?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Who was St. Nicholas?

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, here's the St. Nicholas.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Sorry, Sinta Claus.

[Mandy B.]

What is Santa Claus?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Zoit Piet. What are you asking the Dutch Santa Claus, Their folklore about.

[Mandy B.]

Are you doing an accent? Right?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And he was.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But. But that's. But it got translated to different languages, and then they put their own twist.

[Mandy B.]

Well, no, this one.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Talk about them in America. It got worse.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Worse?

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no. This one. This one is the legend, which. That's why I don't know which one you found. So this one, according to the legend.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, the pimp one. And the daughters. Was he pimping his daughters?

[Mandy B.]

Listen, so the connection between Christmas and prostitution stems from legends about old St. Nick. Basically, Santa Claus, in one of the most famous stories, he saved three sisters from being forced into prostitution by providing them with a dowry through gifts of gold tossed down their chimney, which then landed in their stockings. So he saved them from having to be prostitutes by going ahead and just dropping them.

[Jason Rodriguez]

A dowry's like a bag.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, he dropped a bag. And then I think he did end up showing up and having. You know, he fucked all of them because he said, baby. He said, that was me. I paid for that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He said that me.

[Mandy B.]

He said that was me. It says another connection is found in the biblical story of Rahab, where a prostitute who is included in the genealogy of Jesus made her a part of the Christmas story itself. But basically the Gospel of Matthew genealogy of Jesus includes Rahab, a prostitute from Jericho who helped the Israelites spies escape the city. And so yeah, prostitutes was out here helping these niggas. And it's just, it's the oldest.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But he set them free. No, no.

[Mandy B.]

I added to the story that he wouldn't got that pussy. He wasn't just like they was.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He ain't do it for nothing.

[Mandy B.]

He ain't do it for. Men don't just get money for nothing. They don't even take even way back in 280. Hey, hey, ladies. If you get a gift from a man this holiday season, he wants something. If you ain't give him nothing yet, he want it. You gonna owe him before the year end. Okay, but no, but yeah, that's the connection that I saw. And I was like, oh, damn, that's kind of crazy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But it's. It's kind of ill the way like as the. It got passed down from country to country and person to person, it all changed. And eventually. But regardless, like telephone.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But then the Santa Claus, even the concept of it. And then you have the other narrative from the Bible. It's like, how does.

[Mandy B.]

What's the narrative from the Bible? Santa Claus is not in the Bible.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, no, no. I'm saying you have that thing happening with Santa Claus, then you have the Jesus birthday, right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Even that part.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Allegedly, allegedly.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It isn't alleged.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And then the purpose of it, right.

[Mandy B.]

The three kings, none of it makes sense because Jesus wasn't born in no cold.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It was like April, did your Mason boyfriend tell you that you said what? No, nevermind.

[Mandy B.]

We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna do that. So wait, where did Santa Claus come from? In the States.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So in the States that Toys R Us?

[Mandy B.]

Nope. It say from Coca Cola, bitch.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So I got a cartoonist. A cartoonist. So again, it kept getting dragged from country to country chains. And then a cartoonist did a drawing with like the red suit and the beard and everything. And that's how you got that image.

[Mandy B.]

And then he became popular early as 1931, but through commercials. Specifically Coca Cola.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Shut up. Damn.

[Mandy B.]

That's crazy. That's really crazy also. What else is crazy? Random fact. I was last month I was on Isaac Hayes podcast talking about fan base and things like that. Did you know that Elon Musk is valued at has more money than Coca Cola?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

The brand Elon Musk has more Money.

[Mandy B.]

Than did y' all know that he is?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I didn't know. But that doesn't sound surprising.

[Mandy B.]

Hold on, like, look up, look up the value of Coca Cola real quick. Yeah, let's see here.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

400 trillion gazillion. And then he got 500 gazillion trillion.

[Mandy B.]

Oh no. It's like almost double.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So value of Coca Cola is approximately as of early 2025 is 46.3 billion.

[Mandy B.]

You ready?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

What's Elon?

[Mandy B.]

470 billion. Jesus.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We has multiple businesses too, bruh. Bruh.

[Mandy B.]

No man should have than Coca Cola. That shit been out since the 1800s.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Facts.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

And then they got all the flavors they do. They got vanilla, cherry, orange.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

The Mexican Coke diet. Not the high fructose.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, that's the one that come in the glass, right? Yeah. Like a man making mold in Coca Cola is crazy. It's crazy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You know, I find interesting about the whole Christmas thing too. Is that it? So like for Christians, Easter was the big holiday. And so it's true.

[Mandy B.]

They gave.

[Jason Rodriguez]

If he gave Easter. Cause Easter was, you know, Jesus death.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And so Christmas is supposed to be his birth.

[Mandy B.]

His birth, yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

This is gonna sound weird, but it reminds me of like with Biggie, right. We celebrate Biggie's death for a few years. They tried to move it to his birth and try to make the celebration there, but it just didn't take off.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's true.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You know what I mean?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And so it's like in like the whole history of things to give Jesus like his birthday and that ain't even his birthday. I know, but for them to manage that and do that, that's kind of impressive.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. He had good pr.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, well, people want to make some money. Want to make some money.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Definitely want to make some money.

[Mandy B.]

His branding, they had to look at the holiday calendar, you know what I mean?

[Jason Rodriguez]

But at December 5, it was just randomly picked date.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So we just picking parts of these folklore and just building some shit to make money off of it. Cause even the concept of the Santa Claus giving the sex workers, that's money down the chimney in that concept. We are the sex workers. We giving gifts. Yeah, we are receiving gifts. But technically, because Jesus was born on.

[Mandy B.]

Technically the children are sex workers. But we're not gonna get into.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Damn.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We all know.

[Mandy B.]

No, we not diddying this topic out.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We the hoes.

[Mandy B.]

We the ho ho hoes. Literally. There's a reason why you even say that. Ho ho hoes. Anyway, let's just go ahead and get into this is America While we're here.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Don't got you slipping though.

[Mandy B.]

Where do we want to start? Producer. Producer.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Go ahead. I was gonna say we got into all the history. I was saying you want to get into like, the crazes.

[Mandy B.]

I love it. Yeah. Who should we start with? Y' all old as hell. So you. Y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All.

[Mandy B.]

Was y' all the Christmas crazes of the 70s? Is that. Where are we starting?

[Jason Rodriguez]

With the first Christmas craze you remember? Mine was, I think, like Transformers.

[Mandy B.]

Mine was.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Ooh, Taco Mi Elmo.

[Mandy B.]

No, actually, really for Christmas, the crazes. I could name down a list. So the Easy Bake Oven was huge. Furbies.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yep.

[Mandy B.]

Furby's were really big. Bratz dolls were big in my era, which is crazy. They came back and I have an Ice Spice one, but Chia Pets.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Oh, Chia Pets.

[Mandy B.]

Chia Pets.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

And they had all. Yeah, Chia Pets were big. Oh, and then the nanos. The Nano babies, where you had the little doll. You had a little animal that you had to keep alive. And they used to shit. Giga pets.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, yeah, the Giga pets.

[Mandy B.]

And if they shat too much, I don't know, like, they died. Like, it was crazy to like, literally I'm in school just making sure I clean up shit all day. That was the goddamn game on a gigapet, like, and they would stack like little Hershey's Kisses.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's crazy. I feel like that's like setting people up to be like blue collar workers.

[Mandy B.]

Literally. I gotta pick up shit all day for my Giga Pet or he dies.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's like they're training you to be a janitor and you gotta feed him.

[Mandy B.]

You got. You gotta feed him. And then he shit on a schedule. And then you gotta. Yeah, or. Or he dies. I guess it helped you train to keep a pet alive. Yeah, but the Giga Pet was a big thing. And I think that's. That's really what I remember. Now. Let's get into y'.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

All.

[Mandy B.]

Etch A Sketch.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Etch A Sketch.

[Mandy B.]

No, that was my era too. I would say Etch A Sketch. And also what's the other one? Where you put the lights in and it creates something.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Shit. What was that called? Light Bright.

[Mandy B.]

Light Bright. And then the. The razors.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

The razor scooters were huge.

[Mandy B.]

And then the. The things they used to shoot.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I actually just found my razor scooter in my parents garage.

[Mandy B.]

That's ridiculous.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, it's like a month ago, I was visiting my pants.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. I don't know. Well, I Guess you could bring it back. They brought scooters back.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Overall, what about y'? All? Yeah, I don't know. What was it? Was it the 80s or 70s?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I was. I was. I was simple with it. I just wanted the newest video game because I knew throughout the year, miles impossible. They working hard. So I knew the end of the year was the law of probability was on my side that I'll get that shit. So I wanted to get whatever the flyest video game console that was out and money. I would get cards. I would get cards.

[Mandy B.]

You were asking for money?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, I didn't ask. I would get it. And then that became a thing. Like, I know I'm gonna get some money. I'm gonna get a little $200 collectively.

[Mandy B.]

They gave you money on Christmas? Wealthy.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's not. I grew up in the projects.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You got to stay with that denomination was. He was getting 20s.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I mean, if I got $200 was like a thousand dollars. It was like, oh, collectively.

[Big Loom]

Collectively.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Not.

[Mandy B.]

I know. It was like, you got money and.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I could go buy some shit with the two. You know, that was cool. But I definitely wanted to.

[Mandy B.]

You were getting that in the 80s. Even when I got money from an adult, a $20 bill was.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I had to make that thing straight early 90s, but. And then my brother, he was in the military. I remember one Christmas, he sent me this shit called the Omnibot. And I don't think I still have it. But it was a robot that would serve you.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. Robots would always be there.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So you could.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The Radio Shack robots. You would. There's all kinds of things.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You hear this, you getting robots. Omnibot. Anybody know what that is?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I can't find. I was on one of those too.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So basically, you had a remote. I could send Omnibot to the kitchen. My mom could put my drink in his hands, like in the holder, and then bring that shit right back to me in my room.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I used to get this show on here.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yep. Yeah, it was like that. It was like that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. And they only 50. 50. Oh, this one pre owned. Look at that. 500.

[Mandy B.]

That's what I'm saying.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Not Robey.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yo, if anybody got an Omnibot for sale, holla at me, man. I want that shit.

[Mandy B.]

Wait a second. A king. I didn't know you grew up privileged.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's not privileged.

[Mandy B.]

Well, but at this point, it would.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Be like the end of the year. So it's like the whole save of. It's a one time. It'll Be better than your birthday.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah. I used to be into technology and like quirky shit, but I wasn't extra. I didn't want all this extra clothes and sneakers. I just wanted the video game shit and just fun dope shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Mine was a rotate.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But when I got old, now that I got into my later teens, I would take money and I would go to record stores buying music. Now, now, like, oh, shit, yeah, that was teens.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I don't think I got shit when I turned teens. It was like, you on your own.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, it definitely got lesser. Like, oh, no, no, no, no.

[Mandy B.]

It got less.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

They was like, yeah, you could work now. It got, yeah, summer job. You got that summer job. You ain't saved no money.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, it was, it was like shoes. Electronics became a big thing when I got older. So like DVD players, right? You wanted to CD players, stuff like.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That for electronics because you're watching and listening to things independently.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I remember bikes. Bikes were huge.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Bikes.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I used to have my. My. My taste buds changed so much. My grandma used to every Christmas get me chocolate covered cherries. And those are the most disgusting things to me now, but I used to love like the goop comes out of it and there's literally a cherry inside. Chocolate covered cherries were my thing. Like, that's the thing. I ain't grow up very like, you know, so we got. I got basic shit like candy. I got. I think I share one Christmas. I literally got the coldest winter ever book and he got game dvd. That was my Christmas and I got it not wrapped up. My mom stuffed up again, a food lion bag. We, yeah, that was a rough Christmas.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But yeah, I mean, look, they was doing the best they could with what they had, you know, I mean, still made sure that, you know, there was something there.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, I remember that morning. We ain't even wake up and then we ain't even made that whole cookies that night. We was like, we know. It's like nothing's happening.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

What age did you find out that it was farce?

[Mandy B.]

What age did I find out that Santa Claus was fake?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It was bullshit. Sorry for those who listen and think it's still things.

[Mandy B.]

Nobody better be listening thinking that Santa Claus is fake. This is an older audience. They're a little bit matured. These are all Santa Clauses listening to the goddamn.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I guess that shit goes younger now, right? Because like social media, like, people see, oh, they know.

[Mandy B.]

They know it's their parents. They know it's their parents.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So we still.

[Mandy B.]

It was early for Me, it was early, like, probably elementary school.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. My daughter's 8 and she still believes it, so I don't know what the timeline is, where it does.

[Mandy B.]

She's eight and believes it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's not like she on social media for it to get, like, spoiled. You know what I'm saying?

[Mandy B.]

I have a picture, but it's cool.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

There's a picture of me sitting on a.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Not a lot of assholes at the school.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I'm getting. My music teacher used to dress up with Santa Claus, and there's a picture of me on his lap. Pause. I think maybe I should when we post this stuff.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But, I mean, I did the photos of Santa.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It's cool. It's like. It's theater of mind with kids, you know, Kids you like. All right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm not knocking it. I'm just.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Now let me ask both of you. Here's the problematic question. We know the history, but, you know, niggas just drew a picture.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Is Santa Claus Puerto Rican? Is he black? Is he white? Like, do y' all remember that clip of what's like. Like, do you even. You let your kids take photos with white Santa?

[Jason Rodriguez]

My kid doesn't do the photo thing.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

My kid thinks everybody's, like, Indian. It's like. It's like everything's always that colorbatic.

[Mandy B.]

Wait, wait, wait.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I think it's just, like, from India. No, I think my, like, my daughter clearly knows that, like, her skin is different than white kids, but she's, like. Hasn't formed her. Like, she hasn't wrapped it around. Around it. So it's like when book fair comes or book, like, she always grabs Indian stuff.

[Mandy B.]

Native American stuff.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, like.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, Indian, like, Indian, like.

[Mandy B.]

Wait, wait. Like.

[Podcast Advertiser]

No, you had it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You just wanted to do it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You got to do this.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, but there was that clip of that newscaster when she was like, santa is white. She was, like, on Fox News and she kept on, like, debating people. She was like, santa is white. And she kept doing her hand like that. White, white. And she was just fighting, like, China. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's weird imagery, right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, imagery. But Santa's Turkish, so then he definitely.

[Mandy B.]

Would have had a little tan.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Definitely.

[Mandy B.]

He definitely would have had a little tan. I mean, it's just like the way.

[Jason Rodriguez]

In the Bible we make something about, like, a hair texture and skin. Like, your skin is olive and your hair is, like, wool.

[Mandy B.]

You know, the mic is in front of you, right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Your skin is olive and your hair is, like, wool. And white people just, like, selectively like, choose to ignore that part.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no. They don't selectively choose to ignore it. They rewrite it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's that part.

[Mandy B.]

They rewrite it. They sit here and again, I've talked about. They're removing critical race theory for a reason. Trump is going into these museums. Like, yeah, I don't think history happened that way. And take this shit up out of here. Like, niggas is like.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But that's the history of history.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But those power.

[Mandy B.]

Rewriting, selectively ignoring nothing. They are rewriting it and choosing to push the narrative that something didn't exist.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yes, I agree with that. But I mean specifically, like when they're reading Bible passages, because that hasn't changed. It's like they don't connect it to. And to like olive skin. They just think it's like, oh, smooth.

[Mandy B.]

You know, that's been my big. My biggest thing. And okay, call me ignorant if you want. Don't care. Brought this up on another podcast a couple months ago. It's why. And maybe you can answer this.

[Jason Rodriguez]

She's pointing to the black.

[Mandy B.]

I don't understand knowing that how we as African Americans and even, I mean, my Caribbean culture too. Jamaicans. I don't know how black people adopted Christianity when a lot of the slave masters were Christians. A lot of the stories in the Bible, a lot of the depictions depict them as white people.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

We continued. We are part of the problem too, because we had the opportunity to repair by independence. We have all the information. Right. Even the construct of African American should be challenged.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Explain.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Cause that term wasn't introduced until Jesse Jackson introduced it in 1989.

[Mandy B.]

Well, it replaced color, though. Right?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But now we talked about removing people from their true status in this country as indigenous Americans. Cause a lot of us can't trace nothing back to anywhere else. Now, there are some that. But I haven't seen it. And I'm not talking about the social media. We're not gonna do the. We're not gonna. Please. We're not gonna do the. Whoever. Listen, stop. Talk to your grandmamas and your granddaddies and your great greats, and you'll get the oral history there and then you start there. But all of these constructs contribute to the problem. But I feel like. And I don't want to blame our elders. Cause they did the best they could with what they had. But I think it's our responsibility too, to learn and unlearn and relearn this whole shit.

[Mandy B.]

I just don't understand in the era.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Of, like, you can't tell me a.

[Mandy B.]

Santa Claus education wise, you know what I mean?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Knowledge after colonization. And we know about this Thanksgiving, you know, even if we take that from that level, Santa, of course, is gonna come in the hood in fucking Augusta, Georgia and be like, ho, ho, ho, with all this gun law, a white.

[Mandy B.]

Man coming down the chimney to give a whole bunch of kids. But that's what I'm saying. The fact is, and I know it.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Sound crazy, but think about in modern times, I lived in the projects. Well, he gotta go. Pissy elevator. He's gotta go through the stairwell. Like, before he gets there. It's gonna be, hey, yo. Hey, what up? What you doing? Right? It's so many different things that don't make sense.

[Mandy B.]

I don't understand.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

We participated and we don't stop.

[Mandy B.]

But I don't understand.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It feels good.

[Mandy B.]

How.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Well, it's also easy. It's also easy.

[Mandy B.]

Now, what about Kwanzaa?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You know what?

[Mandy B.]

Like, we can get into that.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Cause you said you celebrate Kwanzanza even.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Like Puerto Rican Christmas time is way different.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Well, even Kwanzaa, we have our own. It is a construct. All of this shit is right. And there's nothing bad about it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It was intentionally done in the 60s and it was focusing on principles. Right. Each day there's a particular principle that reflects on community and responsibility and all the different things. And there's no gift giving. You know, they do the gift giving in form of, you know, you put like fruits and stuff like that. You could do little gifts, but it's intentional things. It's not like material things.

[Mandy B.]

So is Kwanzaa, essentially, then African Americans removing ideology.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Or not really removing. It's just an alternate. Okay, Right. Because some people don't believe the stories that we tell, which is what I'm saying.

[Mandy B.]

I just think.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Or it doesn't resonate with them.

[Mandy B.]

Should have happened with Christianity.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And I mean, respectfully for those.

[Mandy B.]

Respectfully, you know, not really.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Santa Claus has nothing to do with Christianity. Right, right. As we know this because we talked about, like, it has nothing to do with Santa Claus is Santa Claus. Yeah, right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He talked about it. Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That has nothing to do with. But people don't celebrate Christmas even in the construct of Jesus birthday. We don't do that because nowhere it said that Jesus was, you know.

[Mandy B.]

Well, no, the wise men brought the gifts. That's where essentially the gift giving also comes from.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But the gift was a lot of the US Shit element of it too. Like, there was so a lot of it from when I looked up research, it's like, it had to do with like year end stuff, right? And so like the Christmas dinner, it was really like people with farms being like, yo, I'm not gonna feed and house these cattle over the wintertime, so fuck it. We just gonna kill them all and eat it. Oh. So it was much more just like convenience and happenstance. And then when it came from Europe to the U.S. it kind of changes to stuff. To me it's like even what you're starting to get into and kind of like what you're finishing. The way that information passes down from family to family, I do worry about that a lot. Especially now with the kids worrying how it passes over. Like, I don't like the worst thing. My biggest fear is like, I don't want my kid to just be like a New Jersey girl, you know what I'm saying? I want her to feel like she's Persian and Puerto Rican. And the things that got passed down to me continue to pass down. And for her, she's gonna have an and because too. But like, sometimes I feel like we don't pass things down enough in like legitimate ways. And then I don't know where to. I don't know if it's like, like you said, like you're not trying to blame elders. So it's like, I don't know if it's elders, I don't know if it's us, like, but I think it's a.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I mean it's not, it's not one thing. It's multi layer.

[Jason Rodriguez]

A link in the chain gets both.

[Mandy B.]

I mean, a part of me.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

What's our responsibility?

[Mandy B.]

It's willful ignorance though.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Boom.

[Mandy B.]

It's more of the willful ignorance. If you know what you're doing in not showing your children certain things. It's not going to become a tradition.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Like, listen, tell them we going to do this.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Hey, they have fun. But you have to keep it alive.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

This is not realistic.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And I'm joking a little bit with like the American Italian, but it's there. It's like they know there's not like the real like connection back, right? And it's like I got homies who are like Jamaican. And I'm like, when's the last time you like been back? And I got. And it's like, this shit ain't dumb.

[Mandy B.]

Well, to be fair too, from an economic standpoint, a lot, like it does cost a lot as well.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But I'm not saying to go for vacation. I'm talking about like go back like once every 10 years.

[Mandy B.]

Go back.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's your roots, you know, I mean, like, and the things that you experience, like, it comes from somewhere. You know what I mean? Like, I eat this food and it comes from this way, from this place. And so it's like to just never be there. Never tie down to it or to your point, to just remove yourselves and just partake in. Now, it sounds like it'll sound like Bernie Sanders shit, but it's like to just participate in a capitalistic exercise and be removed from the culture element of it. It does sound.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's why when you go to certain regions of states and then they have something that reminds you of where you're from in your city, food wise, it's like, oh, shit, I gotta check it out. Cause it's reminiscent Portland if they have a chopped cheese somewhere. You're like, oh, for the Bronx.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no, I'm not gonna hold you. I'm not eating a chopped cheese anymore.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And I will not. I love my atlas. I love y'.

[Mandy B.]

All.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But that's a no, no.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But you wouldn't want to do that if I go to Atlanta. That's not what I'm trying.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right?

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, I don't.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's insane. But I get it though. Because I get it though.

[Mandy B.]

You're not eating no chopped cheese over off the belt line.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Hell no. I would make it in my house.

[Mandy B.]

If that was belt line already gentrified. You about to have a chopped cheese. They brought a New York style deli down there.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I see New York style pizza. That's up, bro.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. No, no.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, they got a whole place called Chicago Pizza, but it turned into a club on the weekend. Yeah, I did want to talk about. Even though this is not a spot.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I do like the sales though. I do like the sales toward the end of the year. Take advantage.

[Mandy B.]

We're not doing that. They actually said we should be boycotting that because of the government shutdown this year.

[Big Loom]

What's up, y'?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

All?

[Big Loom]

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[Aaron A. King Howard]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance echo drum beat. Everybody showing that. So school pride game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No what matter.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No matter the sport, no matter the yard, Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[Podcast Advertiser]

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[Jason Rodriguez]

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[Mandy B.]

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[Jason Rodriguez]

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[Mandy B.]

Plus, Vizio TVs have all your favorite apps built in like iHeartRadio so you.

[Jason Rodriguez]

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[Mandy B.]

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[Jason Rodriguez]

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[Mandy B.]

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[Aaron A. King Howard]

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[Mandy B.]

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[Aaron A. King Howard]

Ask your dermatologist about Cosentyx.

[Mandy B.]

Anyways, let's get into a little bit of sports, a little bit of entertainment, a little bit of the things that come around the holiday season. And yet.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Can I set up the sports one, please? So, you know, in Thanksgiving we talked.

[Mandy B.]

About that, he said, bitch, you don't know sports.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No. Cause I wouldn't. You know, on Thanksgiving we had talked about football. And so for Christmas time, it was the NBA basketball. You watch basketball. It's like it's five games. They would always say like the NBA season starts on Christmas Day.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yep.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But since I actually think it starts.

[Mandy B.]

After All Star Weekend. But I'll give Christmas Day.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But since last year that's been challenged with like the Beyonce bowl and the NFL is like, they eating. They trying to eat the NBA's lunch.

[Mandy B.]

Well, also, they now also added a tournament for the NBA and that's kind.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Of in response to the NFL and so funny. So I used to work on 7pm in Brooklyn with Carmelo and Merrow and we asked Melo about this.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, let's hear what Melo had to say.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Hall of Fame Melo, we asked him about the NFL trying to eat into NBA's lunch on Christmas.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Please care that the NFL is going to play games on Christmas time.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Out of here.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, this is our moment. Y' all got Thanksgiving.

[Mandy B.]

Y' all got that day.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

To me, Christmas is every day, y'.

[Jason Rodriguez]

All.

[Big Loom]

On Sunday, it's church.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And y' all okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

On Sunday, Come on. And y' all got Thursday night and y' all got Monday night. They got Saturday night, too.

[Mandy B.]

Saturday.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Come on Saturday for college Christmas Monday.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's all.

[Mandy B.]

They bogus for that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. And I want to point out that's him getting mad. Melo never talks like that.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So when that came up, I was like, yo, he really don't like this shit. But. But yeah, Netflix is eating into it's.

[Mandy B.]

Crazy though too, because it depends what game, it depends how good of a team that you're on as well. I, I knew a lot of players that hated that they'd never spend Christmas with their families, like, because they always had a game or were traveling or were away. So for the ones that I talked to, they.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But last year, what did you watch last year? Did you watch basketball games or did you watch the Netflix football games?

[Mandy B.]

That was the one where Mariah Carey sang.

[Jason Rodriguez]

This was the Beyonce halftime performance. And it was the Netflix. It was the Texans and the Ravens. Oh, that was last year. Was the first one. Shabuzzi, I think did the. Yeah, yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Well, no, they all came out, right? Yeah, I watched it. I watched it. But again, it's Christmas, so I went to my homegirl house and also watched Next Friday. Like I. Whatever was on.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Did you, did you, did you watch it though? Did you? This is, this is.

[Mandy B.]

I did. Because she had that denim outfit next to that white man who was, who.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Was the white man Christmas game. This ain't the Super Bowl. This is just a Christmas game.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, I watched this.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It was even that great of a game. And Netflix threw money to this.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, I'm not, I'm, I'm not, I'm not mad at it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It is nuts.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I think we.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The way the NFL, we'll figure out.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

A way to watch it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I will say, but the ratings last year.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I know.

[Mandy B.]

I will say it sucks because Jay Z could have done this for the NBA.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Interesting. Go on.

[Mandy B.]

That Jay Z left the NBA. To be fair, he did only.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Where you're going.

[Mandy B.]

He did only own like less than a percent of the Brooklyn Nets.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right. But he helped Usher in, He helped.

[Mandy B.]

Usher in going into Brooklyn. Right. So what we're seeing him do in terms of the super bowl halftime performances, seeing what he's now doing. Cuz he has more. Which is also crazy because allegedly he had to sell his stake of the New Jersey Nets or, sorry, the Brooklyn Nets. He had to sell his stakes because he became an agent.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, Roc Nation Sports.

[Mandy B.]

Roc Nation Sports. So I'm not sure how it's different with the rules and whatever he's doing over with the NFL, but the NFL.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Stuff is now through the sports agency.

[Mandy B.]

But had he stayed with, stayed with the NBA, I think we would have seen a lot of things like this.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Like I have NBA Christmas. That's interesting.

[Mandy B.]

I'm with you on that. But it's also interesting for me too, because for him to leave a league that is predominantly black, a lot of the Performances at All Star Weekend are black.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Mikey Cake.

[Mandy B.]

You know, it was really interesting that he felt the need to go over to a league that didn't want black players to kneel.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So much more money in the NFL.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You know what I mean?

[Mandy B.]

There is more money, but also with. With what the NBA is doing currently right now, which the NFL is kind of trying to do, but it's going to take them a little bit longer because it's such an American sport, bro. The NBA is global.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

The NBA now has preseason. They're moving it from. They were just doing it in Abu Dhabi. They're now moving it to Macau, Seoul, Korea, Abu Dhabi. I think they're bringing something in South America and London. As of right now, the NFL is trying it. They're doing it in London and Brazil.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But it's gonna take longer, though.

[Mandy B.]

It's gonna take a lot longer because NFL football is not respected globally because it's an American straight up American sport. Basketball is not. And so I just feel like as a capitalist, because that's what he is. He's a fucking billionaire for a reason. I think Jay Z could have put more efforts and made the NBA just as great as what he's doing with the NFL.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And I still think there's an opportunity for. And the NBA to do the same thing. Doesn't need Jay Z to do that. The amount of millionaires valid, you can't tell me. And this is. No. I love these guys like Carmelo D. Wade. Even LeBron. The Collective, a group. They bid for teams and other sports. Right?

[Mandy B.]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Go to Commissioner. Like, look, man, we trying to.

[Mandy B.]

I'm not doing that though.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's what I'm saying.

[Mandy B.]

Because Tracy. Wait, I know. Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter are now part owners of the Bills. Yeah, you have. I mean, J. Cole has. J. Cole has a stake in the.

[Jason Rodriguez]

In the Hornets.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Usher has a stake in the Falcons. I thought the Memphis Grizzlies.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, it's the Grizzlies. Yeah, the Grizzlies. Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So I mean.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Even before you even touch those guys, there's so many. You could take five randoms that got. They got the capital say, yo, Commissioner, we want to impact change in the. In the. In the halftime or even in the holiday portion of.

[Mandy B.]

Well, because what we've been seeing, which is crazy and that may happen too, is I think they should from a capitalistic standpoint.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right. 2.2%.

[Big Loom]

I don't even want to.

[Mandy B.]

NFL now adding the performance on halftime. It's interesting because what's been the conversation for the last three years around All Star is that nobody's watching it anymore. The attendance is down. It's not the same.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Except the irony is the NFL wants to do a halftime show. A weekend All Star. Like a weekend like that.

[Mandy B.]

Really?

[Jason Rodriguez]

NFL is just laughing.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Well, you know what's happened? I think what happened too. They probably want to implement like a Pro bowl style situation because. Yeah, but I think what's killing the NBA All Star game is a slam dunk contest. That's fine.

[Jason Rodriguez]

How so? Cause it's wax. It's not exciting because they make it wax.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And there's certain people that haven't participated that probably could have moved the needle a little bit to where we are as we enter 2026.

[Mandy B.]

And let me tell you right now, the athletes ain't gotta be scared of breaking nothing no more. I don't know what medicine they doing, but have y' all seen Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, they're walking around.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, baby.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's crazy, right?

[Mandy B.]

Dunk eating.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

They're like, yo, when I hear like.

[Mandy B.]

Like ACL tear, like to know that both of them are supposed to be playing by January, by next month, they might both be on the court. Aaron Rodgers. What the fuck?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I was like, now when they titty, I'd be like, oh, he coming back. He be all right, bro. It's not even now, like, he be all right.

[Mandy B.]

There's something like the medicine right now. Whatever they got them boys is healing.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I heard a coach say one time, he was like, yo, you want to tear your ACL early in the game, this shit gonna be way better afterwards because of this technology. They have to heal him.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, well, I wouldn't say. I wouldn't go machine say. That was just saying crazy.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

If you watch it, like, oh, he's going to see the decline early. Yo, that dude is a maniac. It's like he never broke his shit.

[Mandy B.]

You just. You just got to. You just got to.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's why I want the Knicks to win the championship. This. Because when Tatum come back, he's going to.

[Mandy B.]

Can you stop hitting this table?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Sorry, my bad.

[Mandy B.]

That does not look enjoyable.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

My bad.

[Mandy B.]

Goddamn listening experience.

[Jason Rodriguez]

When.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

When Tatum come back, he's going to be. He's going to go dumb.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, yeah, they're winning.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But we were talking about NFL and NBA at Christmas. Cause that's a tradition. So to pivot.

[Mandy B.]

But also what we're not gonna do is turn this into. Oh, my God, I want the Knicks to win.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Oh, yeah. I Was trying to pivot. I was trying to pivot into traditions.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I want the Knicks to win. I want the Mets to win.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Movies and music, come on.

[Mandy B.]

While we're on entertainment.

[Jason Rodriguez]

We got these hats on. We had these hats on.

[Mandy B.]

While we're on entertainment. Classic movies again for me, I think. Is it next Friday or Friday after next? That's when I watch. I do wanna shout out a Christmas movie that just released this year. It released last month on November 7th. Shout out to Lil Rel, Tabitha Brown. There's a few other actors in it as well. Phil, the director. It's called Unexpected Christmas. It is new ip, and it is done so well. It's an independent black movie, black film, black studio that it came out with. I think Three Diamonds is the production company. But shout out. Because I went to a screening and saw it last month, and it was great. So if you haven't seen it yet, y' all check out Unexpected Christmas for me. I'm not big on Christmas movies.

[Jason Rodriguez]

No.

[Mandy B.]

Not even go home.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I like Christmas movies.

[Mandy B.]

They be cheesy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

That's why I shouted out one that actually wasn't cheesy. They be. They'd be too cheesy for me. And I feel like, you know, waste my. My money, I can make more. Waste my time, I can't get it back.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

And so Christmas movies just haven't ever really captured me. Not gonna hold you. I do like Grinch and all the things around Grinch, but that's about it. I don't know. Y' all want to talk about y' all favorite goddamn Christmas?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I like. I was gonna say, I like how the streamers make it like the new Christmas. Like the classic movie. I like the classic ones, but they're so white. And the streamers make it so you have, like, on Netflix's Mad, like, South African Christmas joints.

[Mandy B.]

Wait, what?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, they're the illest.

[Mandy B.]

Like, are you sure? South Africa.

[Jason Rodriguez]

South Africa.

[Mandy B.]

They're white in South Africa.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But this is. This. This is the coloreds in South Africa. Okay, okay, okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I mean, what.

[Mandy B.]

This is. This is what Tyler told us. They still call. They say colors down there.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, they do over there. I was very specifically saying that I.

[Mandy B.]

Don'T like the whole like.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Or even, like, you know. You know Rodney. You know Rodney Rakai, of course.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

He's in a Christmas movie. Yes.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yes.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Dope. It's like a 2B joint, but it's. It's dope.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Shout out to Rodney.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Okay. Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Hello, Gemini.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So, yeah, you get. You get to see those I wanted to ask y'. All. I like holiday music better than the movie.

[Mandy B.]

Let's get. So let's see how.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Game time.

[Mandy B.]

What is your favorite Christmas album?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm about to be mad old, but Jackson 5 Christmas album.

[Mandy B.]

Okay. Favorite song from that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Michael Jackson. The vocals.

[Mandy B.]

Okay. Yeah. Cause I'm not here for the. Everyone doing the fucking Jingle Bell, Jingle bell. Like, I want some original Christmas music. A king. Give me your favorite Christmas album, and then I'm gonna give y' all mine.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I'm gonna be honest. I don't have a favorite Christmas album. But. But. But my. On my Caribbean side, there we go. There was a lot of Caribbean. There's a lot of old school reggae. Old school. Old school calypso vibes.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The calypso. The calypso Christmas vibes.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Like, immaculate.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I have a playlist that my homegirl put together. Illis Ellis.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah. Share that with me. Yeah, yeah. So, like, when you. That was. That's what I remember. You know what I mean? What. I hold on to that. Those. So I don't have a particular.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Song. Anything.

[Mandy B.]

Okay. I'm gonna give the most millennial answer here.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Go for it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's gonna be.

[Mandy B.]

And I don't care. Close. B2K.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Okay.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah. B2K has a Christmas album, and it's like love song music, but also like breakup music around the holidays. Like, it's so good. So they have this one. Why'd you leave me. Why'd you leave me on this Christmas? Why'd you have to go? Go and listen. It's cute. It's cute. Had to get you the. It's like he yells all these gifts that are now aged. Like the DKNY purse. Who is asking for a DKNY right now? But dkny when I was in motherfucking middle school, that was the shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, you got a little dkny.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You had to have status, too, to do Christmas albums. Now everybody just does it because it's the money grab. You had to have status. Like, to think B2K was that big.

[Mandy B.]

No, they were them to do a Christmas album, and they all had. They was in the present on the album cover like it was. They did that one. They did that big one. If you haven't listened yet. And if you're rolling your eyes at me, suck my dick from the back, go listen to B2K's Christmas album. I believe it hit me in my DMs. And then be like, bitch, you was right. Thank you. Thank you for that. I'm putting you on for the holiday season. LaFace, if you don't know you.

[Jason Rodriguez]

LaFace did a Christmas album.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

He did.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Cause Players Ball, the Outkast song, it was a Christmas music video about pimps. It was pimps celebrating.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Maybe they knew the story.

[Mandy B.]

Maybe they knew the story. All right, well, let's go ahead and get into and. Celebrities say the darnest things, y'. All. We're just gonna. You know, Trump is president, but he's a celebrity and all that shit. I do want to know your thoughts on this, because it is interesting.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The Trump thing, this was before he ran, too. This was part of the stuff. He was.

[Mandy B.]

Trump has come out on record and said, I love Christmas. You go to stores now and it doesn't say Christmas. It says Happy Holidays all over. And I say, where's Christmas? I tell my wife, don't go to those stores. I want to see Christmas. Other people can have their holidays, but Christmas is Christmas. I want to see Merry Christmas. Remember the expression, Merry Christmas? You don't see it, you're going to see it if I'm elected. Now, I believe this ties deep into him leaning into his Christianity values and beliefs, because a lot of things and what I saw growing up was them removing it and just putting Xmas because.

[Jason Rodriguez]

They felt like Christ taking Christ out.

[Mandy B.]

You're taking Christ out of it. And so growing up, a lot of them put Xmas before it got into this Happy Holidays bullshit.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

It's a way to include everybody who may not be.

[Mandy B.]

Who may not be Christian, which I think is valid. It's also interesting. It's not even a Christian.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's a commercial holiday. Yeah, but that's why I think it's so whack.

[Mandy B.]

But by 2025, this nigga's like, heaven. I ain't going there. I'mma go to hell. He ain't say the gasoline draws part, but he led in his literal election and his campaigning into him being this Christian man. And now he out here like, yeah, y' all know I ain't even going to heaven. It's crazy. It's diabolical. It's nonsense. For me, I'm sure Mariah Carey's still number one. We not ever gonna get Mariah Carey to sing like how she used to sing again.

[Jason Rodriguez]

But she ignorance.

[Mandy B.]

Well, let's just get into some ignorance.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I got some good ones.

[Mandy B.]

Cause I know people ain't at work. They with their family, they with their children. You know, podcast views dip around this time of Year any goddamn way. So, yeah, let's go ahead and get into that and then get up out of here so I can go back to sleep.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Some good ones here that I feel we should do a couple of them. I wanna get your takes on a couple.

[Mandy B.]

That's two. I just said let's try to get out of it.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Got you. Okay, so this one.

[Mandy B.]

Hungry.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Am I ignorant for not changing holiday plans so my wife can see her family?

[Mandy B.]

This is already. Yes.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And telling her to travel. So my wife and I have been married for 10 years and have two kids. Six. Three. We moved to a new city for my wife's job before we have kids, so we're no longer close to our families.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

My parents also moved after they retired, so now we would have to fly to go see our family. So we came up with a plan to rotate holidays every other.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Of course, the last couple years, we've not seen either of them.

[Mandy B.]

So two years ago, it was a pandemic and shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It was supposed to be my family's year, but we didn't travel for Christmas because we didn't want to travel with our youngest. Last year, it's supposed to be my wife's, but we didn't travel for, you know, pandemic reasons.

[Mandy B.]

So it's supposed to be his family.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So this year, excited to see my family, we booked our flights. I've really been looking forward to it. My wife was on board until a few weeks ago. She was talking to her mom one day and the mother in law mentioned that all of his wife's siblings were coming to be in one place. And they're scattered all across the U.S. it's rare that they're together in one place. So when she found that out, she felt left out and asked if they could switch the plans to see the family instead. Even though he's saying plans have been established together. So he told her no. She said he's being a jerk about it. He should be more understanding of the desire to see family. And he told her, not gonna change plans, but you can travel alone to go see your family.

[Mandy B.]

You know what's crazy?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Is he the ignorant one?

[Mandy B.]

You know what's crazy?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

The question in the subject line. No, the question in the subject line. I would say you ignorant, because I believe ignorance is when you know something is wrong, but you do it anyways. Right?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Right.

[Mandy B.]

For this, I'm not gonna hold you. I'm actually on his side because you want me to travel for all the wives of you, your siblings like the plans Would change to go to be around them. Just to see all the girlfriends and wives. I guess that's who's traveling. All gonna be in the same place, right?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Well, it's her family. She's also. She's just being like they're all spread out. I think she's trying to use the. Like they're all spread out and this never happens.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

So this is the one time.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Fuck these plans. This the one time.

[Mandy B.]

No. Nah, See, no, no, no, no, no.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm not agreeing. I'm just saying I think that's her.

[Mandy B.]

I don't think he's ignorant then. Like, I'm not mad if you really want to go and you want to go that bad. This is my holiday. Like, here's how I'm comparing it, right? Co parenting, like when people make plans to be with their kids on certain days and things like that, bro, there's excitement around it, there's emotions around it, there's plans around it. And now because they just letting us know this, now we gotta change our holiday plans. This is my year. This is what we've agreed to in this household. Fuck all them other households.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's a good point.

[Mandy B.]

I'm not even mad at him, honestly. And if you really wanna go that bad, maybe you wanna go more than you wanna see my family. But I've already made the commitment to my family. I'm excited to see them. It would be dead ass wrong for me to pull out, pull out last minute because that's impacting my side of the family to change plans. So. No, actually I'm glad you continue going.

[Jason Rodriguez]

On because, you know, this is the question.

[Mandy B.]

No, you not ignorant for that at all.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But those are things that comes up in those relationships, right? The compromise part, you know, you get those scenarios where you decide, okay, I could lean over here, I could compromise. I'm standing on my business and that's it. You know what I mean? But I think, you know, yeah, in that scenario, it's probably difficult to change plans, but you should consider pander. Pander. And then be like, all right.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, don't pander.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Well, he said you go. He said you go.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But still, yeah, you go pander. But then, but she probably don't want him to. She probably don't want to go by.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Herself, but she don't go. But everybody's gonna ask her where the kids.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

She's gonna be moping around, they're gonna.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Say, where the kids?

[Mandy B.]

You hit this table one more goddamn time.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Or he had a point. He had a point to make.

[Mandy B.]

He did. While we sitting here with no kids, not having a.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's a Caribbean song.

[Mandy B.]

Don't worry about that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

So I got another one.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, one more, one more.

[Jason Rodriguez]

This one's no kids. Ready? So am I ignorant if I take a vacation week during the holidays, even though I'm just a single guy? So here's the scenario. So at my work, we're coming up on picking vacation times. There's about 60 people on the shift, and only four of them can be off due to a vacation day on any particular day.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, that.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And because of that, there's a variety of tasks that has to leave the room and calls off and people have to be there. So to determine who gets off, they use a lottery system.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

You get one slip of paper for each year you've worked there.

[Mandy B.]

Okay, so seniority.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Exactly. And it goes into a giant rotating bucket. And then they pick and draw. So it's a new thing that they didn't normally do. But, you know, it used to be just straight seniority.

[Mandy B.]

That makes it fair. Okay.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It used to just be if you have seniority, you got it. Now they do this system, but seniority gets a lot more positive. So he says. I normally don't care for the holidays that much. As my family's small, we don't celebrate that much. But my close childhood friend told me about a trip that they have in the works. It'd be a big reunion for a whole group, and I decided I wanted to go. So that would be over the holidays. So I'd be taking off right after Christmas through New Year's, the same timeline that you said. So the problem is senior employees are extremely pissed because he won and he's booking it. And they feel as if their seniority is not being respected. And this comes after all kinds of fuck shit at the company with raises and not raises. So they started taking it out on him. He says by guilt tripping him that people with families need that week of Christmas off. So the question is, is he the ignorant one if he takes a vacation during the holidays?

[Mandy B.]

Nope. The co workers aren't.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Co workers aren't the single guy.

[Mandy B.]

But this is coming from an individualist bitch. I don't give a fuck what you got planned with your motherfucking family. I'm concerned about me and what plans I got. I think they're all fucked up for.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Guilt tripping him because they leaned on him hard.

[Mandy B.]

If y' all leaned into this lottery system, you had to know that the odds were that you would get it or you wouldn't. Like there's only two options here. Not everyone's going to get it. And so you should have. And when I say you, I'm talking about now. The coworkers should have mentally prepared for. Okay, if I don't get it, I'm gonna celebrate the week before. Or I'll find another time to celebrate for you to guilt trip a nigga cause he's single and chose to live the smart way of life. Like does it make sense for why they're mad?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Agreed.

[Mandy B.]

Like why are you mad?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Because you can't get into the clothes. Trust and agree in the system or don't.

[Mandy B.]

That's it. But when it doesn't work in your favor, you can't now blame somebody for you not getting what you want when you literally went into the system knowing what the chances were.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I think what you do at home is what you do at home. Whether you have kids or smoke crack. It's the thing you want to do on your leisure.

[Mandy B.]

Wait, what?

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm just saying, it's the thing you want to do on your leisure, so.

[Mandy B.]

Well, no. Y' all saw that video of the white girl who said she was smoking crack while she was a dental assistant?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah. You know, so funny. She's ill on Tik Tok.

[Mandy B.]

That's crazy.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That story was wild.

[Mandy B.]

She said she was going into the goddamn dentist office, smoking, cracking and working in people mouth while she was high.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's insane, bro.

[Mandy B.]

White people get away with anything.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yo, that was the crazy part. She said she never got caught.

[Mandy B.]

No, no, no. But even though you admitted it now, bitch, if I knew. I went to that doctor's office that you worked at. I'm filing the lawsuit.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

But was she a good dentist?

[Mandy B.]

It doesn't matter.

[Jason Rodriguez]

She's an assistant.

[Mandy B.]

It doesn't matter.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, she's assistant. But she was allowed to play on people's mouth though.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah, she was a full blown crackhead. I don't think she does that anymore.

[Mandy B.]

I don't care if you didn't.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

She didn't do that in the car, in the parking lot or somewhere?

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, she would. She would go in the parking lot.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Oh, she would?

[Mandy B.]

No, no. And she said in the bathroom and in the bathroom. But apparently people in the comments like crack got a smell. Now I ain't been too.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I was about to.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Bad smell.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

I never smell crack.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Nasty smell.

[Mandy B.]

But maybe they just. She was white. Maybe they just thought she wasn't washing her legs.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's bad cuz.

[Mandy B.]

You know them, they don't wash all parts of their body. Maybe they smell.

[Jason Rodriguez]

It's like burnt plastic.

[Mandy B.]

You know what I mean?

[Jason Rodriguez]

Nasty smell.

[Mandy B.]

And look, burnt plastic smell like when you get braids in your hair and burn the ends. That's burnt plastic, too. It don't smell like that. I can't stand the smell of burnt, burnt yaki hair. Oh, right in here.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

All right.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

No, I get it. I get it.

[Mandy B.]

Okay.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Okay. I just didn't know that. I didn't know they burned the.

[Mandy B.]

They burned the ends.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Yeah.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

That's crazy.

[Mandy B.]

Like, instead of putting rubber bands at it, they burn the ends. The more, you know, culture. You know, culture, ethnic.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Next time you get a dentist appointment.

[Mandy B.]

You know, all in all, y', all, I do hope for you guys to have a very, very, very happy holidays. Merry Christmas, Merry Kwanzaa. What's the other one with the dreidel?

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Rosh Hashanah?

[Jason Rodriguez]

No, it's Yom Kippur. No, not Yom Kippur.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Damn. I'm sorry.

[Jason Rodriguez]

To the Hanukkah. Hanukkah.

[Mandy B.]

I say it with a little dreidel.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Got Boxing Day or something like that. A Boxing Day shout out to.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Look at you. Look at you. Being inclusive.

[Mandy B.]

All of that. All of that.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

All inclusive.

[Mandy B.]

Hope y' all enjoy. Of course, next week at the top of the year, like most podcasters, y' all will get our 2025 favorite episode recap. We had a lot of really good guests, a lot of really good moments. So I'm really excited for y' all to hear that leaning into 2026, where maybe we gonna have a new studio.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Facts.

[Mandy B.]

The studio glow up.

[Jason Rodriguez]

The glow up.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

And we did a whole year.

[Mandy B.]

We did a whole year. Well, our very first episode actually aired February 11th. I looked at our calendar.

[Jason Rodriguez]

That's a new year compared to.

[Mandy B.]

But we did start recording.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Some podcasts don't make it out of 30. Some podcasts don't make it out of 30 days.

[Mandy B.]

Listen, they. 10 episodes, 10 episode seasons. Don't make it past two seasons. Bitch. We here.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm very. I'm quiet.

[Mandy B.]

Yeah, you should be. You should be, because I'm over here just talking about shit.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Feels underhanded.

[Mandy B.]

No, no. Backhanded. Front handed, Top handed.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You know, she used to be a pitcher in college.

[Mandy B.]

I. No, that was actually one sport I never played.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

You never played?

[Mandy B.]

I was goalie. I did soccer. I did track and field. I did volleyball and basketball. Interesting.

[Jason Rodriguez]

And then, you know, field hockey.

[Mandy B.]

No, first off, I'm from Florida.

[Jason Rodriguez]

I'm gonna say you're White. I don't.

[Mandy B.]

I went to public schools. The funding didn't allow for that. Okay. We didn't have swimming pools. There was a lot of sports that my public school could not afford. So, no, we didn't do any of that. Anyways, y', all, I want to wish y' all a happy new year. And we are excited to pull more of y' all's Selective ignorance out in 2026. Super producers, have fun with your, your family, your kids.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Do yourself a favor and get no holds barred.

[Mandy B.]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Rodriguez]

For all y'. All.

[Mandy B.]

Hopefully. Hopefully some of y' all are opening gifts and getting my New York Times bestseller, no Holds Barred, a dual manifesto of sexual exploration and power.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Let's go.

[Mandy B.]

And yeah, if you want to gift me anything, do it by heading over to our Patreon. That's patreon.com selectiveignorance and yeah, thank you guys so very much. Again, make sure you drop reviews, follow the Instagram page, and stay locked in. It's your girl, Mandy B. This is the last, almost last. Yeah, I think last episode of selective ignorance of 2025 for Curiosity Lives, controversy thrives, and conversations matter.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Yeah.

[Mandy B.]

See you next year. Selective Ignorance, a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Thanks for tuning in to Selective Ignorance of Mandy B. Selective Ignorance is executive produced by Mandy B. And it's a full Court Media center studio production with lead producers Jason Rodriguez, that's me. And Aaron A. King Howard. Now do us a favor and rate, subscribe, comment and share wherever you get your favorite podcast. And be sure to follow Selective Ignorance on Instagram at Selective underscore ignorant. And of course, if you're not following our host, Mandy B. Make sure you're following her at Fullcourt Pumps. Now, if you want the full video experience of Selective Ignorance, make sure you subscribe to the patreon patreon. It's patreon.com backslash selectiveignorance.

[Mandy B.]

It's your girl, Mandy B. And you just checked out my new podcast, Selective Ignorance. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you head on over and hit that subscribe button and check out Selective Ignorance every Tuesday and every Friday wherever you listen to your favorite podcast at cvs.

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[Mandy B.]

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[Aaron A. King Howard]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on.

[Mandy B.]

Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings I've got my game day ritual.

[Jason Rodriguez]

Coffee, Lucky socks, and now new Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches.

[Mandy B.]

It's all about that 12 gram protein boost with the new Uncrustables Bright Eyed.

[Big Loom]

Berry or Up and Apple flavors.

[Mandy B.]

Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver energy up an apple.

[Big Loom]

Your classic Do it all tight end.

[Mandy B.]

Soft, pillowy, packed with protein and easy enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer.

[Big Loom]

Whether you're on the couch, driving to.

[Mandy B.]

The tailgate or heading to the locker room, New Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches are the MVP of snacks.

[Aaron A. King Howard]

Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here.

[Jason Rodriguez]

With New Morning Uncrustable sandwiches packed with.

[Mandy B.]

12 grams of protein.

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