<description>&lt;p data-start="272" data-end="762"&gt;In this &lt;strong data-start="280" data-end="324"&gt;holiday edition of &lt;em data-start="301" data-end="322"&gt;Selective Ignorance&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, &lt;strong&gt;Mandii B&lt;/strong&gt; is joined by super producer &lt;strong data-start="363" data-end="373"&gt;A-King&lt;/strong&gt; and journalist &lt;strong data-start="389" data-end="409"&gt;Jayson Rodriguez&lt;/strong&gt; for a layered, reflective conversation unpacking the &lt;strong data-start="463" data-end="534"&gt;cultural, emotional, and commercial realities of the holiday season&lt;/strong&gt;. The episode opens with a warm introduction to the holidays and the shifting energy that comes with this time of year [00:00], setting the tone for a discussion rooted in nostalgia, cultural awareness, and modern-day realities.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="764" data-end="1279"&gt;The hosts reflect on &lt;strong data-start="785" data-end="841"&gt;childhood Christmas memories and past holiday crazes&lt;/strong&gt;, revisiting the toys, traditions, and moments that defined earlier eras [02:47], before examining how Christmas hits differently in adulthood&amp;mdash;especially when navigating &lt;strong data-start="1011" data-end="1061"&gt;single life, expectations, and social pressure&lt;/strong&gt; during the season [06:05]. From there, the conversation expands into &lt;strong data-start="1131" data-end="1206"&gt;cultural perspectives on how Christmas is celebrated across communities&lt;/strong&gt;, highlighting both shared traditions and meaningful differences [08:56].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1281" data-end="1821"&gt;A deeper historical lens is applied as the crew breaks down the &lt;strong data-start="1345" data-end="1383"&gt;origins and evolution of Christmas&lt;/strong&gt;, unpacking how religion, capitalism, and culture have reshaped the holiday over time [12:05]. That history connects directly to a discussion on &lt;strong data-start="1528" data-end="1592"&gt;Christmas crazes, consumer trends, and the role of marketing&lt;/strong&gt;, questioning what gets lost when tradition becomes transactional [14:57]. The symbolism of &lt;strong data-start="1684" data-end="1721"&gt;Santa Claus and cultural identity&lt;/strong&gt; is also explored, challenging how myths are constructed and who they are designed to serve [18:07].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1823" data-end="2319"&gt;As the episode progresses, the conversation turns toward &lt;strong data-start="1880" data-end="1939"&gt;historical revisionism and dominant cultural narratives&lt;/strong&gt;, examining how certain stories are amplified while others are erased [37:37]. This naturally leads into a candid discussion about &lt;strong data-start="2070" data-end="2165"&gt;Black identity, the African American experience, and cultural inclusion during the holidays&lt;/strong&gt; [39:34], followed by a thoughtful breakdown of &lt;strong data-start="2213" data-end="2250"&gt;Kwanzaa as a cultural alternative&lt;/strong&gt; that emphasizes community, heritage, and self-determination [42:58].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2321" data-end="2736"&gt;Lighter moments balance the depth as the hosts touch on &lt;strong data-start="2377" data-end="2417"&gt;sports as part of holiday traditions&lt;/strong&gt; [46:35], before diving into the timeless role of &lt;strong data-start="2467" data-end="2505"&gt;Christmas movies and holiday music&lt;/strong&gt; in shaping seasonal mood and memory [54:41]. The conversation then turns to &lt;strong data-start="2582" data-end="2646"&gt;celebrity commentary and controversies surrounding Christmas&lt;/strong&gt;, highlighting how public figures influence cultural debates during the season [01:00:51].&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2738" data-end="3178"&gt;As the episode winds down, Mandii, A-King, and Jayson discuss the realities of &lt;strong data-start="2817" data-end="2889"&gt;navigating family plans and emotional boundaries during the holidays&lt;/strong&gt; [01:01:19], along with the often-overlooked &lt;strong data-start="2934" data-end="3028"&gt;workplace dynamics, expectations, and burnout that come with end-of-year professional life&lt;/strong&gt; [01:05:36]. The episode closes with reflective energy, positioning the holiday season as both a moment of pause and a bridge into the new year ahead.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2064" data-end="2402"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No Holes Barred: A Dual Manifesto Of Sexual Exploration And Power&amp;rdquo; w/ Tempest X!&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/No-Holes-Barred/Mandii-B/9781668061299"&gt;Sale Link&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2064" data-end="2402"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow the host on Social Media&lt;br&gt;Mandii B Instagram/X&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2064" data-end="2402"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://instagram.com/fullcourtpumps"&gt;&amp;nbsp;@fullcourtpumps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="2064" data-end="2402"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow the show on Social Media&lt;br&gt;Instagram&lt;a href="https://instagram.com/selectiveignorancepod"&gt; @selectiveignorancepod&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;Tiktok&lt;a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@selective.ignorance"&gt; @selective.ignorance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;X/Twitter&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://x.com/selectiveig_pod"&gt;@selectiveig_pod&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;See &lt;a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener"&gt;omnystudio.com/listener&lt;/a&gt; for privacy information.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Decisions, Decisions

The Black Effect and iHeartPodcasts

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

DEC 23, 202573 MIN
Decisions, Decisions

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

DEC 23, 202573 MIN

Description

In this holiday edition of Selective Ignorance, Mandii B is joined by super producer A-King and journalist Jayson Rodriguez for a layered, reflective conversation unpacking the cultural, emotional, and commercial realities of the holiday season. The episode opens with a warm introduction to the holidays and the shifting energy that comes with this time of year [00:00], setting the tone for a discussion rooted in nostalgia, cultural awareness, and modern-day realities. The hosts reflect on childhood Christmas memories and past holiday crazes, revisiting the toys, traditions, and moments that defined earlier eras [02:47], before examining how Christmas hits differently in adulthood—especially when navigating single life, expectations, and social pressure during the season [06:05]. From there, the conversation expands into cultural perspectives on how Christmas is celebrated across communities, highlighting both shared traditions and meaningful differences [08:56]. A deeper historical lens is applied as the crew breaks down the origins and evolution of Christmas, unpacking how religion, capitalism, and culture have reshaped the holiday over time [12:05]. That history connects directly to a discussion on Christmas crazes, consumer trends, and the role of marketing, questioning what gets lost when tradition becomes transactional [14:57]. The symbolism of Santa Claus and cultural identity is also explored, challenging how myths are constructed and who they are designed to serve [18:07]. As the episode progresses, the conversation turns toward historical revisionism and dominant cultural narratives, examining how certain stories are amplified while others are erased [37:37]. This naturally leads into a candid discussion about Black identity, the African American experience, and cultural inclusion during the holidays [39:34], followed by a thoughtful breakdown of Kwanzaa as a cultural alternative that emphasizes community, heritage, and self-determination [42:58]. Lighter moments balance the depth as the hosts touch on sports as part of holiday traditions [46:35], before diving into the timeless role of Christmas movies and holiday music in shaping seasonal mood and memory [54:41]. The conversation then turns to celebrity commentary and controversies surrounding Christmas, highlighting how public figures influence cultural debates during the season [01:00:51]. As the episode winds down, Mandii, A-King, and Jayson discuss the realities of navigating family plans and emotional boundaries during the holidays [01:01:19], along with the often-overlooked workplace dynamics, expectations, and burnout that come with end-of-year professional life [01:05:36]. The episode closes with reflective energy, positioning the holiday season as both a moment of pause and a bridge into the new year ahead.  No Holes Barred: A Dual Manifesto Of Sexual Exploration And Power” w/ Tempest X!Sale Link Follow the host on Social MediaMandii B Instagram/X  @fullcourtpumps Follow the show on Social MediaInstagram @selectiveignorancepodTiktok @selective.ignoranceX/Twitter @selectiveig_podSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.