When the Pitchforks Come for You Surveillance, Mob Mentality, and the Cost of Public Life Pantsuit Politics Feb 13 There’s really nothing that I love more than a live event. I’ll go see any musician, any comedian, any sport. I like being in spaces with other people feeling the aliveness that happens when we all train our attention on a contest or performance. I go because it takes me out of myself. It centers something else, and that’s blissful. It lets me be part of the flow of life. The crowd work at these events has started encroaching on that feeling. Venues seem to believe that we show up to see ourselves as much as athletes or entertainers. While I enjoy a kisscam as much as the next person, I’ve started wondering about what exactly we consent to when we purchase a ticket. What do we consent to when we purchase a ticket? Or ring a doorbell? Or just live our lives in a society where everyone carries a powerful camera and supercomputer? What should we endure when we become a crime victim or run for office or serve in any public role? We wanted to step back from the headlines today to consider these questions because they are having real, tangible impacts on our civic life. Sarah uses the phrase “grist for the mill” in this episode, which means useful for a purpose. And that’s the dynamic we’re trying to name and work our way out of: using people. We see this dynamic in the story of Kristin Cabot, who was doxxed and threatened after a ColdPlay concert, in the horror that Savannah Guthrie’s family is enduring, and in campaigns and public service. After Sarah and I talk about our perspectives, we’re joined by the First Ladies of Utah and Massachusetts. Abby Cox and Joanna Lydgate are married to a Republican governor and Democratic governor respectively and know first-hand the risks of the spotlight. They share their call for a society where we use each other less and respect each other more. Outside of politics, we discuss the fake warmth in a new Alexa update, which sends us in all kinds of directions about affirmation and resilience. TLDR: Life is hard, and we’re up for it. Thank you for listening, as always. We appreciate your time, attention, and participation more than we can say. -Beth Topics Discussed The Glare of the Internet’s Spotlight First Ladies Abby Cox and Joanna Lydgate on Political Violence Moment of Hope: Cecilia Giménez and the Monkey Jesus Fresco Outside of Politics: Alexa Updates Want more Pantsuit Politics? Subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode and get access to our premium shows and community. Episode Resources Pantsuit Politics Resources Join us in Minneapolis in August! Tickets to the Spice Conference are on sale to premium members now and will open to the general public next week. Technology, Surveillance, and the Mob Mentality Poem that Beth mentioned Sarah’s post about Brooklyn Beckham About The Ring commercial The Ritual Shaming of the Woman at the Coldplay Concert (NYT Gift Link) The Dark Reason More Young People Aren’t Running for Office (Slate) First Ladies Abby Cox & Joanna Lydgate State First Ladies: Americans Reject Political Violence | Opinion (Newsweek) First Lady Abby Cox Utah First Lady Abby Cox (@showuputah) (Instagram) JOANNA LYDGATE (States United Democracy Center) Joanna Lydgate (@joannalydgate) (Instagram) Disagree Better - National Governors Association Episode Transcript Coming soon… Show Credits Pantsuit Politics is hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. The show is produced by Studio D Podcast Production. Alise Napp is our Managing Director and Maggie Penton is our Director of Community Engagement. Our theme music was composed by Xander Singh with inspiration from original work by Dante Lima. Our show is listener-supported. The community of paid subscribers here on Substack makes everything we do possible. Special thanks to our Executive Producers, some of whose names you hear at the end of each show. To join our community of supporters, become a paid subscriber here on Substack. To search past episodes of the main show or our premium content, check out our content archive. This podcast and every episode of it are wholly owned by Pantsuit Politics LLC and are protected by US and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. We hope you'll listen to it, love it, and share it with other people, but not with large language models or machines and not for commercial purposes. Thanks for keeping it nuanced with us.