#12 - Emma Nelson, Hazel Aden, and Post-9/11 Politics on Early ‘Degrassi’

Leftist Teen Drama

GMOs and anti-Muslim bigotry, it *must* be the George Bush era. Maria and her guests, childhood friends Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Rosalie Murray, go back in time to the first two seasons of DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (2001-2015) to discuss political storylines headed by resident activist girl Emma Nelson and resident Early-2000s-Black-Woman-Who-Deserved-Better Hazel Aden. From Emma telling off teasing boys when she gets her period to Hazel’s journey accepting her Somalian identity publicly in a post-9/11 world to Emma’s GMO protest turned free speech protest, we run the gamut of early 2000s politics in our first (but certainly not our last) DEGRASSI episode.

For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION Seasons 1-2, especially episodes 1x05 “Parents Day,” 1x09 “Coming of Age,” 2x11 “Don’t Believe the Hype,” and 2x19 “Fight For Your Right,” all streaming on HBO Max.

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead

DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him, recurring guest) is a Jersey-born, Jamaican-raised TV writer whose work often employs satire to examine the cultural crossroads of his identity. He splits his time in Los Angeles with a day job in environmental public policy, freelance writing gigs, and crafting original pilots. Ultimately, Dondré dreams of sustaining a highly collaborative career telling Black stories to help expand imaginations. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta

ROSALIE MURRAY (she/her, guest) is an elementary school social worker/human living in Queens, NY. Besides spending time with her cat, Louise, she loves to cook tasty ass vegan food with friends, karaoke-ing or starting another unfinished crochet project. She also loves to watch endless youtube videos, reality television and, of course, Degrassi.

CHARLES O’LEARY (they/them; art) is, of course, a Brooklyn-based designer, artist, and dilettante. A survivor of the 2012-2016 Tumblr wars, media criticism is all they know. You can find their work at charles-oleary.com, and their silly little life on Instagram at @c.s.0.l.

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.

intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats

All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.

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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE:

• December 9, 2021, WYPR, Baltimore's squeegee kids: debating how the community should respond
• Disney Channel 9/11 PSAs: here’s one, and here’s another. And this video has a lot of them too.
• July 6, 2015, The Washington Post: Why we’re so scared of GMOs, according to someone who has studied them since the start by Roberto A. Ferdman
• June 25, 2003, IATP.org, Hundreds Demonstrate Against Genetically Modified Food | IATP by Oscar Duron
• May 22, 2012, The Guardian, GM crops: protesters go back to the battlefields by Leo Hickman
• September 20, 2020, BBC News, GM crops: The Greenpeace activists who risked jail to destroy a field of maize - BBC News by Orla Moore and Zoe Applegate
• March 26, 2000, CNN Money, Protest erupts at BIO meet by Martha Slud