Why is it so hard to care about struggles that aren’t ours?

This episode tackles one of the most frustrating questions of faced by activists: How do we get people to care—really care—about issues and lives that feel far from their own?

From Indigenous rights to climate justice to the daily realities of Palestinian civilians, why do some people tune in with empathy while others scroll on by?

Let's unpack how political leanings shape emotional responses, why conservative and progressive brains seem wired differently when it comes to compassion, and how our so-called "neutral" education systems quietly teach us not to care.

Let’s take a ride in the brain’s weird alleyways—through political bias, emotional blind spots, and the art of giving a damn.

Because caring isn't weakness. It's radical. <3

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Sources:

1. On the different moral foundations between conservatives and progressive, see:

- Graham, J., Haidt, J., & Nosek, B. A. (2009). Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 1029–1046. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015141

- Day, M. V., Fiske, S. T., Downing, E. L., & Trail, T. E. (2014). Shifting liberal and conservative attitudes using moral foundations theory. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(12), 1559–1573. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167214551152

- Smith, I. H., Aquino, K., Koleva, S., & Graham, J. (2014). The moral ties that bind…Even to out-groups: The interactive effect of moral identity and the binding moral foundations. Psychological Science, 25(8), 1554–1562. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614534450

2. On the role of the French Academy in setting back female representation in the language

- Milles, K. (2022). Feminism and Language: Handbook of Pragmatics https://doi.org/10.1075/hop.24.fem1

- Pauwels, A. (2003). Linguistic Sexism and Feminist Linguistic Activism
Book: The Handbook of Language and Gender https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470756942.ch24

How do you become a feminist?

In this very first conversation episode, I’m joined by the brilliant and hilarious Doris to trace our personal journeys into feminism—from clueless kids to opinionated adults who still don’t have it all figured out (but have a lot to say anyway).

This isn’t a lecture—it’s story time. We talk about growing up, unlearning stuff, dealing with stereotypical anti-feminist talks, and where we fit (or don’t fit) in today’s feminist landscape.

We share laughs, cringey memories, a few spicy takes on mainstream critiques, and some honest thoughts about what we’re still trying to understand.

Come hang out with us for an hour of real talk, reflection, and friendship.

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Readings mentioned:

1. Harmange P. 2020. Moi les hommes, je les déteste

This feminist essay combines personal experiences, testimonies, and statistics to expose systemic sexism, criticize virilism, denounce the passive acceptance of sexism, and call for the deconstruction of societal pressures on women—especially the expectation to constantly please men.

2. Cohen C. 2016. Introduction. Femmes de la préhistoire ; Testart A. 2014. L'Amazone et la cuisinière. Anthropologie de la division sexuelle du travail.

Both research challenge gender biases in the interpretation of human history revealing how roles of women e.g in pregistoric societies, in the devision of labour, have been shaped more by cultural constructs than by biological necessity

3. Bajos N. & Le collectif Virage. 2016 (also following year report). Violences et rapports de genre: Enquête sur les violences faites envers les femmes et les hommes. (INED)

Yearly survey study according to which women represent 96% of rape and attempted rape victims in France

4. The Guardian, Chrysalis A. 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/23/gisele-pelicot-rape-trial-france-court

Article about the Mazan case

Let's dive into the quiet storm of searching for the “right” job when studying politics — a field where ideals and reality often clash.

Is it at all possible to align one's work with belief, all while facing a world that feels increasingly unstable.

Maybe the real challenge isn’t choosing wrong, but accepting that there may never be a perfect path — and daring to move anyway.