Make Your Damn Bed

Latest Episodes:

1511 || engaging ethically with AI Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Engaging with AI ethically is never going to be black and white, but we shouldn't feel shame or guilt for using these things with more awareness and tact. Being conscious is the best way to avoid the risks + potential consequences that come from engaging with an unregulated new technology.

Managing our expectations and understanding the risks is incredibly important to these beginning stages of AI. Today we talk about a few of the ways I'm engaging with ai more consciously.

15 times it's good to use AI, 5 times not to: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/15-times-to-use-ai-and-5-not-to
Protecting the Freedom to opt out: https://theconversation.com/avoiding-ai-is-hard-but-our-freedom-to-opt-out-must-be-protected-255873
Preventing AI from doing all the thinking: https://spencereducation.com/cognitive-atrophy/
Avoiding AI article: https://www.voxweb.nl/en/they-are-not-using-ai-avoiding-it-is-actually-really-easy
Exploring the ethical use of AI: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401223000816

Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66

SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed

DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net

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The opinions expressed by Julie Merica and Make Your Damn Bed Podcast are intended for entertainment purposes only. Make Your Damn Bed podcast is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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1510 || AI's full list of downsides Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

We should be cautious about normalizing AI before establishing regulations:

Unreliable:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-

Plagiarism machine: https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868

Environmental racism, Energy Waste + Terror: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/08/terrorist-groups-artificial-intelligence

Training models = unethical. https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/the-hidden-human-cost-of-ai-in-conversation-with-professor-mark-graham/

Exacerbates issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKCynxiV_8I&t=3s AND https://apnews.com/article/chatbot-ai-lawsuit-suicide-teen-artificial-intelligence-9d48adc572100822fdbc3c90d1456bd0

Bad for Brains: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/

Stealing Jobs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uJHHOO5ZmY and https://www.vox.com/technology/418525/ai-chatgpt-google-office-work-white-collar-jobs

Biased. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/even-chatgpt-says-chatgpt-is-racially-biased/ and https://news.uchicago.edu/story/ai-biased-against-speakers-african-american-english-study-finds

Privacy Violation. https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/machine-surveillance-is-being-super-charged-by-large-ai-models and https://www.govtech.com/artificial-intelligence/new-chatgpt-gov-enables-use-of-non-publicly-available-data

Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

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1509 || The Downsides to ChatGPT + AI Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Here are some reasons we should be cautious about normalizing AI + ChatGPT before establishing regulations:

It’s unreliable. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-

It’s a plagiarism machine. https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868

Environmental racism, increasing consumer's energy bill.

Terrorism: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/08/terrorist-groups-artificial-intelligence

Training these models is deeply unethical.

Exacerbates mental health issues.

Bad for User’s Brains: https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/

Stealing Good Jobs.

Biased.

Privacy Violation.

Deepfakes + Harmful Misinformation: perpetuates extremism

Affects Societal Trust + Relationships.

Worst Corporations Backing AI

Moral Questions of Control + Freedom

As historian Yuval Noah Harari has written, to “never summon a power you cannot control”

Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66

SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed

DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net

GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast

OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast

OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica

Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

Tune in on INSTAGRAM ANDYOUTUBE or TIKTOK

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

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1508 || the downfall of ChatGPT Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

AI is becoming increasingly unavoidable. It's in our phones, our TV's, and emails. But ChatGPT is one we STILL have a choice on how much we use it.

There is a vast number of reasons we should be moderating the amount of AI we’re engaging with, while we still can.

Here are some reasons we should be cautious about normalizing AI + ChatGPT before establishing regulations:

It’s shockingly unreliable: ChatGPT is known to falsify sources, reinforce biases, and perpetuate misinformation. AI hallucinations are another increasing concern. According to one peer reviewed study: “ChatGPT is an unreliable source… as 64% of sources were deemed inaccurate, specifically referring to these sources as not able to be traced back to an existing publication.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11729512/#:~:text=This%20study%20indicates%20that%20ChatGPT,back%20to%20an%20existing%20publication. AND https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07930-

It’s a plagiarism machine: steals directly from artists without credit or permission. https://youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc?si=OjKaOsE7GWKfm15p&t=868

Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66

SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed

DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net

GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast

OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast

OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica

Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

Tune in on INSTAGRAM ANDYOUTUBE or TIKTOK

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1507 || "livable wage" is a violent phrase Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

People are more productive than ever before and YET our wages are not reflecting the growth in labor. Our wages have been stolen by the wealth hoarders and redistributed to shareholders at the expense of our dignity. We need to ensure their propaganda about laziness doesn't continue to influence the people around us.

The robber barons are worse than ever, but at least we're FINALLY talking about their crimes.

Justin Scott's TikTok video on Livable Wages: https://www.tiktok.com/@cypher.j/video/7525955994262834462
The Atlantic on Minimum wage: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/raise-the-minimum-wage-reduce-crime/480912/
The NYTimes on calculating "livable wages": https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/smarter-living/what-a-living-wage-actually-means.html
EPI's Productivity–Pay Gap Charts + Breakdown: https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/

Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66

SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed

DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net

GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast

OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast

OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica

Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

Tune in on INSTAGRAM ANDYOUTUBE or TIKTOK

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1506 || Zohran Mamdani Jul 12, 2025

Show notes

I'm baaack!!! and today I'm diving into Zohran Mamdani's platform and campaign which has given me a surprising amount of renewed hope for the future of American politics, if we can stay focused on resistance, revolution, and harm reduction.

SOURCES:

NYTimes on Zohran: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/us/politics/what-is-democratic-socialism.html
Zohran's Platform: https://web.archive.org/web/20250701190438/https://www.zohranfornyc.com/platform
Who's afraid of socialism? https://ips-dc.org/whos-afraid-of-socialism/
The DSA’s “What is Democratic Socialism?” https://www.dsausa.org/about-us/what-is-democratic-socialism/
Britannica's Democratic Socialism: https://www.britannica.com/topic/democratic-socialism
Democratic Socialist Public Officials: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Democratic_Socialists_of_America_public_officeholders

Resources for Resisting a Coup: https://makeyourdamnbed.medium.com/practical-guides-to-resisting-a-coup-b44571b9ad66

SUPPORT Julie (and the show!): https://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed

DONATE to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: www.pcrf.net

GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

TUNE IN ON INSTAGRAM FOR COOL CONTENT: www.instagram.com/mydbpodcast

OR BE A REAL GEM + TUNE IN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/MYDBpodcast

OR WATCH ON YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/juliemerica

Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

Tune in on INSTAGRAM ANDYOUTUBE or TIKTOK

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

consequentialism - wait for it Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

there are so many different "consequentialisms" out there + it's important to not get lost in the "sauce" of the different combinations, but focus on the perspectives you can manage now, ideally the ones that affect you, your community, and the world around you.

RESOURCE: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consequentialism/

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Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

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the authoritarian playbook Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

What to expect under an authoritarian regime:

1. Democratic election through fear mongering.

2. They will divide + rule.

3. They will subjugate media outlets to create a propaganda machine.

4. They will create a sense of chaos + fear.

5. They will distort truth and lie to create confusion.

6. They will slander their "enemies"

7. They will create distractions to fight while they pass more insidious legislation to dismantle democracy.

8. They will further marginalize groups.

9. They will attempt to dismantle the courts, the checks + balances.

10. They will limit our ability to protest + assemble.

11. They will distort language and steal words.

12. They will take over national symbols.

13. They will rewrite history.

14. They will alienate foreign powers.

15. They will manipulate our electoral system to fit their agenda.

be strong, fight, endure, and remember you’re on the good side of history.

EVERY authoritarian, totalitarian and fascist regime in history eventually failed, thanks to the PEOPLE.

– With love, your Eastern European friends

RESOURCES: https://verfassungsblog.de/the-authoritarian-regime-survival-guide/

DONATE:www.pcrf.net

GET AN OCCASIONAL PERSONAL EMAIL FROM ME: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

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Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com

Tune in on INSTAGRAM ANDYOUTUBE or TIKTOK

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/make-your-damn-bed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

hyper-normalization Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

Hypernormalization: Pretending everything is fine, when it is obviously NOT fine. The goal is to keep us overwhelmed and confused and disengaged. Resist your apathy. Resist in any way you can. Join a co-op, a tenants union, a mutual aid network, a food pantry, local politics, and fight for a new reality that doesn't force so many to pretend it's not happening.

FOUSHY ON IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEhR7_Rge95/?hl=en

THE DOCUMENTARY WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation

THE DOCUMENTARY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr7T07WfIhM

DONATE TO KIDS IN PALESTINE: www.pcrf.net

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Read Julie's Medium Blog.

Support JULIE (and the show!)

Support + get some bonus stuff over on PATREON.

Get an occasional personal email from me: www.makeyourdamnbedpodcast.com