Unsupervised with Syd & TP

Episode: Inanimate Objects, Real Feelings
Date: November 13, 2025
Host: Dear Media

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, Syd Colson and Theresa "TP" Plaisance riff about everything from holiday meal traditions and cranberry sauce passion to the struggles facing Americans around food insecurity, jobs, and absurd mortgage proposals. The conversation meanders with hilarious detours—phone addiction, giving feelings to inanimate objects, Beanie Babies in bed, Toy Story trauma, and a sassy response to critics. Both hosts bring signature warmth, humor, and unfiltered honesty, staying deeply "off topic" while delivering real talk about community, empathy, and the modern world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Warm-Up: Holiday Vibes, Cranberry Sauce, and Family Dinners

Timestamps: 02:55–13:13

• Cranberry Sauce Evangelist: Syd shares a story from volunteering at an annual “Season of Giving” dinner hosted by Aaron Neesmith, serving cranberry sauce with near-maniacal commitment.
  • “I was making sure I got rid of my plate of cranberry sauce… a lady even commented, ‘that is the most cranberry sauce I’ve seen taken off that plate since 1974.’” (Sid, 04:11)
• Defending the Side Dish: Despite sideways looks from attendees, Syd stands by cranberry sauce as “the difference in your meal” (06:09), advocating for the combination of cold cranberry with hot dressing and turkey.
• TP’s Holiday Spread: TP reminisces about her family’s Louisiana-tinged Thanksgiving: gumbo, jambalaya, “dirty rays” [rice], and Buddha balls, noting there are always a few questionable dishes at any potluck.
  • “Out of fifty, if there’s like one or two bad dishes, it’s bound to happen. Somebody has to bring the bad so you can be grateful for the good.” (TP, 09:55)
• Unspoken Rules: Both agree—don’t experiment with signature dishes if it isn’t your “ministry;” otherwise, family will politely but firmly tell you not to bring it back.

2. Real Talk: Food Insecurity, SNAP Benefits, and Systemic Inequality

Timestamps: 13:13–26:32

• Food Should Be a Right: The conversation turns serious as the hosts express frustration and sadness at widespread US food insecurity—particularly during the holidays—framed by recent SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) freezes.
  • “We have so many people that go hungry day in and day out... Food should just be a necessity, like a right for everybody to have.” (Sid, 13:13)
  • “Food shouldn’t be weaponized. Everybody deserves food. If you’re a human being, you deserve food. Doesn’t matter how much money you make.” (TP, 14:03)
• Misconceptions About Welfare: Syd and TP break down racist and classist tropes about who receives SNAP, emphasizing that many people impacted by cuts are white and rural, not just urban minorities.
  • “Hate can convince people to believe literally when it’s against their own self-interest. Like, it’s very, very scary.” (Sid, 17:07)
• State Stats: Hard numbers are cited: 1 in 11 in Indiana, 1 in 10 in Texas, and 1 in 5 in Louisiana depend on SNAP benefits (Sid & TP, 18:20–18:42).
• Economic Context: They highlight spikes in job losses—1.1 million announced cuts from January–October 2025 (19:31)—and the age of first-time homebuyers rising steeply in recent years.

3. Absurdity of 50-Year Mortgages

Timestamps: 20:33–24:27

• Math Exposé: TP details the financial trap of 50-year mortgages, illustrating that lower monthly payments end up costing buyers hundreds of thousands more over time. The real beneficiary? Bankers and lenders.
  • “At the end of a 50-year mortgage, you will have paid $1,466,400 on a $400,000 house… It’s like paying for two-and-a-half houses to own just one.” (TP, 22:33)
• Systemic Inequities: Both express frustration over policies benefiting the wealthy and powerful while ordinary people struggle to get by.

4. Are We Too Distracted to Revolt?

Timestamps: 24:30–26:39

• Both hosts muse whether people’s lack of outrage is because “phones will be the death of us.”
  • “When people aren’t in community, you don’t realize what’s happening to you because we’re so in our phones… Doom scrolling.” (Sid, 25:30)

5. Phone Addiction, Presence, and Finding New Hobbies

Timestamps: 26:50–37:01

• Phone Addiction Hits Home: Syd describes realizing her own screen time habits—“riding in bed, not texting people back, or leaving your house is not normal” (27:12)—and how phone addiction undermines real-life connections.
  • “I took a screenshot, sent it to you… proceeded to continue scrolling. A few minutes later, I was like, ‘oh my god, I’m doing what it said I would do.’” (Sid, 28:41)
• Present vs. Connected: TP shares she’s “very present” (29:15), not great at texting back or finding her DMs, but values being “in the moment.”
• Counteracting Addiction: Sid suggests substituting digital time with actual hobbies or more meaningful connection—phone calls over likes or automatic “praying hands” reactions on social media when people need support.
• Brainstorming Hobbies: TP mentions wanting to spend more time outside and with her dogs, reminisces about playing sports, and even therapeutic video games (prescribed for eye tracking after an injury). Sid aspires to learn a new language and, whimsically, play the harmonica (37:00).

6. Inanimate Objects & Toy Story Syndrome

Timestamps: 38:30–45:59

• Banana String Epiphany: Syd recounts feeling emotional detaching the string from a banana, equating it to cutting an umbilical cord. Both hosts share stories of giving feelings to objects—apologizing to couches, throwing away bottle caps with their bottles “so they’re not lonely.”
• Psychology of Attachment: They discuss anthropomorphism (“Toy Story Syndrome”)—the tendency to ascribe human feelings to objects and toys.
  • “I would sleep uncomfortably just so [my stuffed animals] could sleep comfortably.” (TP, 40:49)
• Toy Story Tangent: They review the characters, clarify Andy’s not the bully (“The bully in Toy Story’s name was also Sid. How does that make you feel?” 45:20), and joke about their own childhood habits.
• Memorable Quip:
  • “Infinity and beyond. That’s a Toy Story reference.” (TP, 45:59)

7. Criticism & Clapping Back

Timestamps: 48:33–50:38

• To the Haters: The hosts address a listener (“Beatrice”) who complained about “politics talk.”
  • “Beatrice, wanted to let you know, we see you, girl. We lost you with our politics talk. We do not care... You do not have to listen to another episode.... You’re not stopping us from doing a damn thing. Please go on about your business.” (Sid & TP, 49:15–50:20)
• Reaffirmation: The show’s for the love of “yapping”—unfiltered, unapologetic, and community-driven.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Saying no to cranberry sauce is one thing. Saying no to me is another.” (Sid, 10:12)
• “Food should be a necessity. Like a right for everybody.” (Sid, 13:13)
• “Somebody has to bring the bad so you can be grateful for the good.” (TP, 10:07)
• “It’s like paying for two and a half houses to own just one.” (TP, 22:33)
• “Phones will be the death of us in a way. Or, I mean, like, they already have been.” (Sid, 26:33)
• “Addition by subtraction.” (Sid, 31:52)
• “Anthropomorphism, otherwise known as Toy Story Syndrome.” (TP, 43:35)
• “They don’t just give anybody a podcast, Sid.”
  “No, they do. Literally, anyone can start one.” (TP & Sid, 32:01–32:04)
• “We do this podcast for the love of yapping. Okay? We like to run our mouths.” (Sid, 49:33)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cranberry Sauce & Holiday Dinner Stories: 02:55–13:13
• Food Insecurity & SNAP Benefits: 13:13–18:42
• 50-Year Mortgages & Economic Satire: 20:33–24:27
• Phone Addiction & Hobbies: 26:50–37:01
• Inanimate Objects & Toy Story Syndrome: 38:30–45:59
• Clapback to Critics: 48:33–50:38

Tone & Energy

The episode delivers its serious moments—food inequality, broken systems, isolation—with genuine empathy, but always loops back to the duo’s signature warmth, goofiness, and chemistry. Disarmingly frank (“We do not care”), joyfully off-the-wall (“Did I just cut the banana’s umbilical cord?”), and compassionate, Syd and TP treat the mic like a group chat with real stakes and a bit of improv energy.

For Listeners

Anyone looking for an unfiltered, hilarious, but sincere look at modern life—especially through the lens of women’s friendship, sports backgrounds, and social consciousness—will find something to love. Even the tangents (and there are many) add depth and humor. And if you’re a hater… you’ve just been served.