Ashamed to Admit
Are you ashamed to admit you're not across the big issues and events affecting Jews in Australia, Israel and around the Jewish world?
In this new podcast from online publication The Jewish Independent, Your Third Cousin Tami Sussman and TJI's Dashiel Lawrence tackle the week's 'Chewiest and Jewiest' topics.
Ashamed to Admit
Summer Shames - A secret penchant for Sex and the City
We all had a straight male friend who secretly loved Sex and the City in the noughties. Was Dash ‘that guy?’ And more importantly, is he a Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte or Miranda? Tami investigates.
If you like this episode, you might like:
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/miscarriage-menopause-gender-transition-mikvah-reinvented
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/books-family-angst-a-synagogue-murder-and-learning-to-be-alone
https://thejewishindependent.com.au/meet-pray-love-why-everyone-is-idolising-the-hot-rabbi
Email your feedback and voice memos here: ashamed@thejewishindependent.com.au
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It's Summer Shames, it's Summer Shames, it's Summer Shames.
Speaker 2:Hmm, he says he's not ashamed.
Speaker 1:I'm ashamed, you're ashamed, they should be ashamed. We call that repressed shame.
Speaker 2:Well, she needs to tame the shame and move on.
Speaker 1:Is it a Jewish thing, maybe?
Speaker 2:You tell me.
Speaker 1:I'm Tammy Sussman and in this special series of A Shame to Admit, I'm going to squeeze some of the chewiest shames out of TJI's Executive Director, dr Dachshund Lawrence.
Speaker 2:While your third cousin overshares her chewiest faux pas.
Speaker 1:Welcome to your weekly dose of Summer Shames. Hey Dash, did you watch Sex and the City growing up?
Speaker 2:I'm ashamed to admit that I did. Yeah, I'd sneak in the occasional episode.
Speaker 1:Okay, because in episode 26, with Nomi Kaltman about female reproductive rights, I shared a story about my almost abortion. That never happened. And what I didn't share is a conversation that I had with my sister many years later when I was traveling and I had an incident with a broken condom and I called her from China actually, where you know isn't really easy to get a plan B pill or whatever and my sister and I used to watch Sex and the City together growing up. It used to be on like 9.30 on Channel 9 on a Monday night.
Speaker 2:Yep, I remember it well.
Speaker 1:And my sister and I had this conversation and my sister literally said to me don't worry, tammy, even Carrie Bradshaw only had one abortion and Samantha had two, and they've had a lot more sex than you, so the likelihood of you needing an abortion is pretty small. It got me thinking about sex in the city and I took a sex in the city quiz to tell me which character I was, and I was hoping that you might do the same, so I'm going to send you a link.
Speaker 2:Please do go for it.
Speaker 1:And we can do it together.
Speaker 2:One of my best friends he is yeah, he's into like sport and he's very like mask presenting, loved, loved Sex and the City so much, and I don't think he was that ashamed to admit it either. And then I came around his house one day and this was, like you know, after Sex and the City wasn't on television anymore. So there was no real excuse for this behavior, what I'm about to describe. But he had just purchased through eBay season seven, eight and nine on DVD and it had just arrived. And I asked him about, I confronted him about this purchase and, yeah, I got a bit of a sense that it was not a dirty secret but like, yeah, like something that he was he probably wouldn't have offered up. There was a little bit of embarrassment but ultimately he didn't back down.
Speaker 1:I have an almost identical story with one of my male friends who was also really into Sex and the City.
Speaker 2:Wow. So all of a sudden it appears that more and more men actually were secretly watching Sex and the City on the down low.
Speaker 1:More and more geriatric millennial men. Yeah, so he was like forthcoming with it with the female friends, but I highly doubt that he was out of the Sex and the City closet with his male friends.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's do this. So pick one of Carrie's love interests Mr Big, Aiden Shaw, Jack Berger or Alexandra Petrovsky. Okay, this is a very easy question.
Speaker 1:Why? Who did you pick?
Speaker 2:Well, the first two, Mr Big and Aiden Shaw, are like classic. They're like the main love interests that run all the way through the show. So I'm going to go with.
Speaker 1:So who did you pick, aidan or Mr Big?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to go with Aidan.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's the city of your dreams? Paris, london, venice, dubai, tokyo, mumbai, amsterdam, new York City or Berlin? As soon as I saw Tokyo, I'm like this is the city of my dreams. I'm going to go with Tokyo, okay.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go with Amsterdam, but before the pogroms.
Speaker 2:Didn't have any broken condom experiences there.
Speaker 1:I've never been.
Speaker 2:To Amsterdam.
Speaker 1:No, never. But I think that's why it's the city of my dreams, because I only have like projected visions of how cool it would be.
Speaker 2:I've been there many times. It's not that cool. Oh, really it's pretty and it's Dutch and the Van Gogh Museum is very cool, but yeah, I don't know that I would put it in like my top 10.
Speaker 1:All right, well, I've picked it anyway, because I've got big Anne Frank energy.
Speaker 2:Your city of the dream. Yeah yeah, anne Frank, energy Go for it. Okay, okay, pick one of Miranda's love interests Steve Brady, dr Robert Leeds, weight Watchers guy, or Skipper Chonston Well, I think Miranda ends up having a char with Steve, so I'm going to say Steve Brady.
Speaker 1:I've picked Dr Robert Leeds. He was my favourite. I don't remember Weight Watchers guy or Skipper Johnston.
Speaker 2:What's your style like? Classic, boho, preppy, romantic, goth, mod, vintage, all black, everything or whatever? Our listeners aren't going to be able to see this, so you're going to have to do a bit of a description, but look at what I'm wearing today, Tammy.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'll describe what you're wearing. You're wearing a white. Oh, there's a bit of a oh my God.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 1:You're wearing Chino shorts. Yeah, cute Beige Chino shorts and a white linen button-up shirt.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and some smart black leather sandals smart black leather sandals. Bless you I'm in sydney, as you know, this morning tammy and I don't think I would look out of place in the eastern suburbs, but I'm on the other side of town right now. I'm in the inner west and getting a few looks this morning and not you know, the kind of hey, where are you going? Sort of looks, More of the what the are you doing walking around here dressed up?
Speaker 1:like that A bit too preppy for the inner west of Sydney.
Speaker 2:A bit too preppy. I would like to think I'm classic, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Can you describe for our listeners what I'm wearing today?
Speaker 2:Okay. So Tammy is wearing her hat which says shame on it. Light blue hat, her usual trademark. Frames round circular orange lens. Frames A bit of jewellery slash looks like something that the kids may have made at childcare. Which says hot Jew, it's like childcare.
Speaker 1:It's plastic beads.
Speaker 2:Craft material Plastic beads. Thank you, colourful plastic beads. I'm not judging the style, I'm just simply saying it does literally look like something that Solly has made at childcare. And then the T-shirt it's Jewish Girl Summer. Let's be neurotic on the beach and be blamed by the world.
Speaker 1:It's a Marcus Pork T-shirt. A little bit of a contrast here, Okay. So how would you describe my style?
Speaker 2:You're pretty eclectic, I would probably say whatever. Okay, I think you could do vintage, but I see less of that and I wouldn't call it boho. Yeah, you sort of having been down the golden mile if that's what you want to call it of Bronte to Bondi this morning, I would say that your style is very much like a kind of an FU to the active wear golden mile. I don't think I've seen you in a shred of active wear this year.
Speaker 1:No, I don't wear active wear. Okay, back to the quiz. Pick one of Charlotte's love interests.
Speaker 2:To the quiz pick one of Charlotte's love interests Okay, trey McDougall, Harry Goldenblatt, stefan the Chef and Ned.
Speaker 1:Well, it's Harry, right? Obviously it's Harry, and not just because this is a Jewish podcast. It's always Harry.
Speaker 2:Well, I thought she ends up with him anyway.
Speaker 1:You don't have to choose who she ends up with. You choose who you liked the most.
Speaker 2:Oh, was that what I was supposed to do? Yes, sorry. Well, I was definitely happy to pick Aidan, and Harry was a nice chap from memory.
Speaker 1:Yep, harry was a nice chap.
Speaker 2:And he was a bald man like me, a bit closer to the skin than me. I don't go quite as bald as that.
Speaker 1:We love Harry and his hairy back Okay.
Speaker 2:We love bald men. Which TV show would you marathon on a night in the Crown? 13 Reasons why Friends, the Walking Dead, four Weddings, top Chef, stranger Things, the Simpsons, sex and the City. Oh God, this is tricky because I wouldn't watch any of them and obviously I grew up loving the Simpsons and I probably could have my arm twisted to do a marathon night in quote. End quote.
Speaker 1:You love a bit of a marathon.
Speaker 2:I love a marathon, but I'm getting through one season every five years at the moment?
Speaker 1:Yeah, same, I'm also not watching anything. I've heard the Crown's very good stuff. I've heard.
Speaker 2:The last season of the Crown is shocking, oh really. And I heard. Sorry, spoiler alert everyone. The ghost of Princess Di appears.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:How tacky and what a terrible way to end what actually was quite a good series. Bugger it, I'm going. Sex and the City.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so am I.
Speaker 2:I'm doing it.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:I'm doing it for my friend, I'm doing it for you, don't do it for me, I'm doing it for Aidan.
Speaker 1:Do it for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm doing it for me. I could do it. No, pick one of Samantha's love interests Smith, gerard Maria Reyes, richard Wright and Guy with the Funky Spunk. Okay, it's got to be Smith.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Handsome fellow. What's your sign? Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo I'm not going to list them all out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I left that one out because I'm just not into signs at all.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. I feel so seen and heard by you, Tammy, and I'm kind of surprised that you're not. You haven't, unlike the rest of your generation, it would seem dabbled in that.
Speaker 1:First of all, we are of the same generation.
Speaker 2:I mean like sorry, I'm going to say, say something's politically incorrect. A woman of your okay generation, a female assigned at birth of your generation, a woman of your particular milieu, ie, because you're like, creative and you're artistic and but I know that you've got a broad range of friends. You can't box tam Tammy, sussman, aries, I'm an Aries, everyone should know that.
Speaker 1:So am I hey.
Speaker 2:When's your birthday? April 19th.
Speaker 1:That's right, I'm March 31st. We should have a joint celebration halfway in Broken Hill. Celebrate with some Ghost.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hot ancestors in Broken Hill.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Pick someone to get coffee with Stanford Blatch in it Anthony Maratino, lexi, featherston, magda or Bill Kelly the only character I know here, tammy, is Stanford.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he's the most fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm going Stanford. And finally, what makes you so damn awesome? And finally, what makes you so damn awesome?
Speaker 1:So what makes you so damn awesome, dash? Are you funny, pretty rich, powerful, fit, fun, chill, employed alive?
Speaker 2:Yeah, what do you think I would say?
Speaker 1:Fit.
Speaker 2:No, of course.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to say that.
Speaker 2:Gonna say that your marathons yes, well, I am fit, but um, I'm not going to say that's what makes me so damn awesome you have to choose from this yeah, yeah, I'm just getting through. The day is an achievement sometimes, particularly at this stage in life, at this time in the year. I'm alive. That's what makes me so damn awesome. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Oh, josh, that's a little bit depressing. Okay, what do you think I chose?
Speaker 2:You should say that I'm fun, you're fun. But I don't think you would have done that. I think you're too self-deprecating. You're too self-deprecating. I do a process of elimination You're like well not rich, you're not powerful, you're not chill, you're not employed. Just narrow them down to three and pick one. But then, even though you're self-deprecating, I also think you could be like do this one a bit ironic. So I think you actually could have put I'm pretty.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't choose that.
Speaker 2:I'm powerful.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm chill, I'm chill.
Speaker 1:I'm chill. I did that one ironically. Yeah, I'm chill. No, I'll click. I'm funny.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Some of our listeners may not agree with.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're funny sometimes.
Speaker 1:Okay, so who are you?
Speaker 2:Like where's the bit where I go into my score?
Speaker 1:Who are you Dash?
Speaker 2:I'm Charlotte. I am Charlotte. You definitely have some Carrie-like tendencies, but at the end of the day you are a truly deep romantic. You're a total Charlotte. Try not to take life too seriously and let loose once in a while.
Speaker 1:That's pretty accurate Dash. How do you feel about that outcome?
Speaker 2:Not true. It's not true.
Speaker 1:Oh, you don't like it, I don't like it.
Speaker 2:I don't like Charlotte.
Speaker 1:Who did you think you would get?
Speaker 2:Out of all the Sex and the City characters I don't know, like maybe Aiden, out of all the Sex and the City characters, I don't know like maybe Aiden, it's not out of all of them, it's out of the four. Oh, okay, or probably Carrie, maybe Miranda, because she's, like the most sensible out of all of them.
Speaker 1:So you identify as sensible, okay.
Speaker 2:Compared to you.
Speaker 1:Can you take a guess who I got?
Speaker 2:You got Samantha.
Speaker 1:So you think I'm a slut? That's what you're saying. I mean, I did open with an abortion story, another one.
Speaker 2:In China.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How did that happen?
Speaker 1:I'll tell you exactly how it happened. I went into a 24-hour convenience store and there were different flavoured condoms and one of them was green tea flavoured and I'm like, well, when in China, let's just say it was a little bit too much caffeine in that condom. That's how it happened, yeah.
Speaker 2:Didn't do the job.
Speaker 1:Is this how we're going to end today's episode?
Speaker 2:Yeah, enough talk.
Speaker 1:You've been listening to Summer Shames, the Shvitsi Shvesta podcast of a shame to admit.
Speaker 2:Presented by the Jewish Independent and hosted by me, Dash Lawrence and Tammy Sussman.
Speaker 1:These episodes are edited by Nick King.
Speaker 2:If you like what we're doing, it's time to wipe the sunscreen off your hands and leave a review.
Speaker 1:Or if you're in a different hemisphere, dash, because we forgot that some of our listeners live overseas and it's not summer there. Remove your mittens and give us some stars. We'll take five of them, thanks.
Speaker 2:As always. Thanks for the support and we look forward to Kitzel your ears next week.
Speaker 1:You chose Yiddish. That's very racist. What about Kosses in Ladino? Or dig dug in Hebrew? Tickle, Give your ears a little tickle. Or zug zug.
Speaker 2:I only know Kitzel. I've got a book about Kitzel.
Speaker 1:Okay.