Indie Artist Music Hustle

Your Couch Is Nice, But Are We Both Sitting?

• Host and Creator: Blonde Intelligence (Ms. Roni) • Season 4 • Episode 71

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Welcome to Blonde Intelligence, I am your host Ms. Roni and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. Hungry families. Shuttered paychecks. Loud opinions. Quiet facts. We take on the empathy gap around public benefits and ask a harder question: what does fairness look like when the pantry is empty and the rent is due? We start by reframing “welfare” to include the benefits many of us already use—tax breaks, SBA loans, VA support, FHA mortgages—so the conversation stops being “us versus them” and becomes “how do we keep households stable?”

From there, we unpack SNAP reality on the ground: time limits, work and training rules, recertifications, and the frustrating tradeoffs people make just to qualify. Yes, fraud exists, but policy and administration already chase it; it shouldn’t erase the majority who play by the rules. We spotlight the human side of shutdowns and economic shocks—air traffic pros gigging to cover tuition, small business owners taking risky loans, parents staring at a pantry shelf. Freedom from want isn’t a luxury; it’s a baseline that lets kids learn and adults work.

We also turn to the workplace, where empathy shows up as safety, fair schedules, and leadership that values people over output theater. And we make a case for practical resilience: skills and trade credentials that pay, protect, and keep communities running. Education is broader than college; it’s any path that delivers real work and dignity.

If you’re tired of hot takes and want a clearer lens on benefits, voting choices, and everyday ethics, this conversation invites you to test every policy against a simple filter: how would this land on me? Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about solutions, and leave a review with one change you’d make to build a more empathetic city. Follow me @BlondeIntelligence @Rroneice


#EmpathyInAction #WelfareReform #FairnessForAll #SNAPReality #EndTheStigma #CommunitySupport #EconomicJustice #FoodSecurityMatters #ResilientWorkforce #EquitableSolutions #HumanSideOfPolicy #EducationForAll #VoicesForChange #SupportLocal #BuildEmpathy

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SPEAKER_01:

Learn about the indie artist from the indie artists.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm Shannon Key. I'm an artist. My name is Lauren, as you already said. I am a singer-songwriter. So I'm all femmes. Originally come from the Caribbean, St. Vincent, the Grenadines.

SPEAKER_02:

My name is Brian Ducev. I'm an East Coast Canadian rocker. And then I found myself in Las Vegas, where I'm at currently, for dancing for Circle Duce with my own solos.

SPEAKER_01:

I also learned from music industry professionals.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm a music producer. I've been producing professionally for about 14 years. I have uh worked with a couple people in the industry. Uh Greg Me nominated, Trev Rich, Isha from 702.

SPEAKER_02:

After I got my deal with Universal Music, after the Alicia Keys and Gunner Record, and many other that I've done, and then Alicia Keys was the number one adult RB song of the year.

SPEAKER_01:

I asked the question.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a great question.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_02:

Ooh, uh, that is a good question. Wow. I love all these questions. These are great. Like most of the questions that I get are like, you know, tell me about Justin Bieber.

SPEAKER_01:

Indie Artist Music Hustle is for the indie artists, their fans, industry professionals, and the music lover. Subscribe on YouTube, Facebook, or the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or Blonde Intelligence Facebook page. Don't forget to add me to your playlist. Bye. Really funny, especially hoping someone across the pond. Let's go. Welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence, formerly called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. I'm your host, Miss Ronnie, and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. And that means that sometimes I want to make your ass think. And I have been seeing different comments of people who have, I would say, different views on people who receive, I would say, snap benefits, because I'm not even sure if you want to say welfare recipients, because I had this talk with somebody one time, and the disagreement was about what was considered welfare. I said, if that's the case, we all receive welfare in some form of fashion, such as if you get a small business loan, even if you have to pay it back, or if you receive some type of grant, if you receive some type of tax break, if you use um FH FHA or what is it, um rural development to buy a home at a discounted down payment or no down payment, or if you use your veterans' benefits. So if you receive any type of benefit from either your federal state or local government, that is still considered welfare. Welfare is something that everybody needs. Okay, what is in the best interest? So if you're in need of, I would say, because the big thing is about food stamps right now, need food stamps, then what is the problem with a person getting it? Now I understand that there is fraud because I used to be a case manager at a Department of Human Services, and I'm not gonna say where or what state. And I had a supervisor that when you're I guess during the end of the end of the interview for um the Medicaid and the food stamps, she was if if they're lying and da-da-da-da. And I was like, Well, don't y'all have people whose job is for eight hours to find fraud? And I just thought that that was like really crazy because at one time I was the recipient of food stamps. And now I do not understand how people have seven, eight, nine kids and getting$3,000 and$4,000 worth of food stamps. And some people do have to understand there are certain situations in which that can happen, such as if the parent has a disability and is receiving um SSI and will never be able to work and has that many children. Yes, families like that will receive that amount of food stamps and to feed their children. Now, when I applied and the amount that they told me that I could get, I'm like, so that deterred me from having more children because I didn't want to have more children that I could take care of. So my goal was to always not want their assistance, but if it was needed, then it was there. So I listened to um I would think it was is a snippets of it. I didn't watch the whole thing. Snippets of uh the man um Stevie Knight, and I cannot remember the man that um he interviewed with, but they had like a debate, and he had some derogatory things to Stevie Knight did about you know people who receive benefits. And I know that people will go and make TikTok videos doing grocery hauls and all that kind of stuff, but people also have to realize people will glamorize things for social media, and they may say that they get this and it's all free and all that, but I must tell you here in Arkansas where I'm at currently, they then had a mandate that you could receive um emergency food stamps, but then after that, you had to go to work, you had to do some type of work program, you had to do something to receive those benefits. So it's been like that here, but the benefits have been there for those who really need it. Now, I do understand some people live in section eight apartments and they got a boyfriend who make good money or whatever, and he may come over and stay. Some of them, if they live in section eight where they pick their own housing, can live there. So I do understand that it's some people who get over, but you have to realize the majority of those people are not ones that get over. And most people, I was watching, I think, CNN and they were talking about the face of welfare, and said that over the years the face of welfare has turned more brown when that's not the actuality of it. And I just feel like that people are lacking an empathy, Gene, when it comes to some of these social policies, because um I don't know who it was, but it was a writer that worked with Chris Brown, and he was saying that Chris Brown owed him$25,000 allegedly. And he was crying because he was like, I have an EBT card. I have an EBT card. I would not worry about an EBT card because this is something. One time my daddy and my brother was having an argument. Not per se an argument, but you know how you sit around and be talking and and whatever, and you know, you're how you're different, you know, like how you kick in the back with a friend. And my brother gonna tell my daddy, my couch costs more than your couch. And my daddy looked at him and he was like, so what? We both sitting? And I was like, Yeah, sometimes you have to look at it like that, okay? So what I got to pay in work right now, and I'm helping somebody else. Because here you cannot get food stamps for the rest of your life. You have, I want to say it's 24 months. You got lifetime, 24 months, you got 24 months to get yourself in order, to find a job, to find some some housing, some this, some that. So I know that different states have different policies, but when people talking to say uh it's the red states that no, I feel like you really can't go by that either, because you have to go by how many people vote, how many people in that population are not allowed to vote. And there's other things that that go with that, um, and that's a whole nother topic. But I want to talk about people having the lack of the empathy gene through this crisis because not having food is a major thing, and people talking about Walmart, Target, such and such. This is what we're gonna do. Okay, the government may be shut down, but the local government is not, and they still have local police and the sheriff. So, and you go on and you tell them people, because I'm gonna bring cousin woo-woo with me, and and he's gonna pop whoever in the face. Well, woo-woo might get taste. These people are going to try to protect their assets too, because you have to realize that everybody is being affected, and that's the reason why I don't understand why people don't have more empathy for each other, for for each other, for one another. I hear so many times that people, well, it don't affect me. I don't benefit from it. I've been paying this for such and such and such and such. Well, I don't even know what to say that you can't put yourself in another person's place. Now, yes, I do believe in karma, and sometimes when they got the what is it, F O F A? Some F A F O. You know, I I normally say the words, but I try to be good sometimes. But I don't know what people was expecting. And when people say the uneducated, and I love the uneducated, or you as a uninf uneducated voter, that does not have anything to do with if you have a degree or if you have a high school diploma or if you dropped out. It is your ability to comprehend. These are the words that's being said to you. Now I look into the future based on these words, and what does it mean for my life? How would it affect me personally? Not what I think it's gonna do, what is it going to do to me? And that's how I make my vote. Not oh well, this person said this and this person's gonna do this. An informed vote is the issues that this person is saying, no matter where on the totem pole it is at, how is it going to affect you personally? Let's look at this and see how this is going to affect me personally, and that is an uninformed vote, and that is the uneducated, and people are sheep. That's the reason why you have a lot of sheep and one shepherd. And people is gonna f the sheep is gonna follow the shepherd. And I just feel like that people are lacking the empathy gene, even when it comes to the government shutdown. They're not worried about people who are being fell furloughed without without money. I think it was an air traffic control pilot was needing to leave a meeting to go and drive DoorDash because his daughter was in college and people have mortgages. And I saw one business owner say that um she had took out a mortgage on a house and not gonna be able to pay. I mean, took out a loan against a mortgage on a house and not gonna be able to pay. The upcoming note, I just I just don't know. I mean, I don't know, but I feel like that some places have. I saw one man he spazzed all the way out about um his daughter's preschool having a food pantry in the front for parents who cannot afford food. Food is a basic necessity from the four freedoms. Worldwide, we're supposed to be striving for freedom of speech and expression. And I think that's what Drake then realized that we do have freedom of speech, and part of freedom of speech is freedom of expression, and that's not only in dialogue, it's in photography, it's in illustration, it's in any form of art because that speaks to you. We have freedom of worship. That means that you can choose to be Pentecostal today, you can be Christian tomorrow, you can be atheist the next day, whatever you want to do. Freedom from want, the economic understanding that was secure to every nation a healthy, peacetime life for its inhabitants everywhere in the world. Now, I don't know how that's working out, but we're not supposed to be struggling like that. We're supposed to all work together to make the world economic stage stable, and that's working together. And we're supposed to have freedom from fear, no aggression, against thy neighbor. So I'm just wondering what is the empathy gene? Empathy is a fundamental human quality that allows individuals to understand and share the feelings of others. However, some individuals exhibit signs of lacking this crucial trait, often referred to as lacking the empathy gene. Identifying these signs is essential as individuals who lack empathy can pose significant risk to society and interpersonal relationships. One prominent sign of a lack of empathy is a consistent inability to recognize or respond to the emotional state of others. For example, individuals may fail to comfort someone in distress or may dismiss the feelings of those around them. This emotional detachment often manifests in conversations where the person monopolizes the discussion, showing little interest in the other's experience or feelings, such behavior can create a toxic environment, leading to strained relationships and social isolation. I see this through the responses that people are having to these people crying on food stamps. Now, I will admit that some of the reasoning that people have for not wanting to, as they quote unquote say, go to work. But I saw one man say that he went from$2,800 a month to$350 a month, and he wanted to spend time with his five kids. And he don't want to work a job where he has spent all his time away from his kids. Okay, well, get a part-time job because at some point, five kids, somebody is in school, even if you go be a substitute teacher. Then you can spend time with your children during the day while they're learning. Another sign is a tendency toward manipulative or exploitative behavior. Individuals lacking empathy may use others for personal gain without regard to their feelings or welfare. Notice that's that word welfare. This behavior can be particularly dangerous in positions of power where a lack of empathy can lead to decisions that harm others, whether in corporate settings, politics, or personal relationships. For instance, a manager who prioritize profit over employee well-being may foster a toxic workplace culture, resulting in high turnover rates and lack of morale among staff. You see that in fast food restaurants. Remember the the girl that went to work at McDonald's and she felt like her her manager was I would say bullying her. And she went on social media to say several things about it. And it was people saying, I don't understand where she's coming from. And I'm like, well, if you understand where she's coming from, why you didn't go and do what she did, because this lady went in here and just went to work with a knife on this lady and and left her kids motherless. So people empathize with, I can see why she did it, the negative side of it, and not look, and I understand that it was reported that she may have had like some mental issues or whatever, but those things like that, you have to, I would say, make the workplace uh not necessarily a pleasant environment, but where you're not causing mental stress to someone. Additionally, a lack of empathy can manifest in disregard for social norms and ethical standards. Individuals may engage in harmful behaviors, such as bullying or harassment, without recognizing the pain they inflict on others. This disregard for the feelings of others not only harms individuals but can also lead to a broader societal issues, including violence and discrimination. The consequences of such behavior can be far-reaching, affecting community cohesion and safety. And see how people are having mixed emotions about people's food stamps being cut off. And I really feel for those people I do because I have been in a situation before when I have needed. And sometimes when you need services, you don't qualify for them. You may have more than one car. You may go in with a piece of jewelry on your hand, you may um have a decent job, but on your bills, they'll be like, well, you chose to have more than one car, or you chose to do such and such and such and such, and you have a life insurance policy that you could cash in. So it's like you have to lose everything in order to qualify for some of these benefits. So imagine the people that's qualifying for these benefits to qualify, you don't have anything at all. Or you have a boatload of children and what and the man who spazzed out and he was like, and who will want to have sex during this time when you're worried about bills? Anybody, he didn't say it like this, but he the gist of it, anybody feel aroused right now and want to have more children that you can't take care of? And he spazzed all the way out, but he was telling the truth. Things like this, when you're worried about money, money can break up marriages and split up relationships and and and all kinds of things. And I did a show a few weeks ago about the different professions that's going to make it through this hard economic times. And I talked about plumbers and electricians and carpenters and things that are going to be needed. Whether you have the money or not, you're gonna scrape it up to get it. And I was watching several different shows, and people, now I went to college and I got several degrees, but if you can go to trade school, go to trade school, do it while you can. You don't necessarily have to go to college, and I've said that being educated does not mean having a college degree, you can have a certificate in something. So in conclusion, recognizing the signs of individuals who lack empathy is vital for understanding their potential dangers, their inability to connect emotionally with others, combined with the manipulative tendencies that disregard and disregard for ethical norms can lead to harmful behaviors that impact both personal relationships and societal well-being. Well-being, welfare, it is the same thing. Addressing these issues through education and awareness is crucial in fostering a more empathetic society, and right now, society is missing that empathetic gene. Anyway, that's all that I have for you today. Remember, you can catch Indie Artist Music Hustle on all your favorite podcasts and platforms. Please go to Spotify and subscribe to I think it's still under Indie Artist Music Hustle on Spotify. So please go and subscribe and also go on YouTube and subscribe. And you can find me on social media sometimes. And you can get your merch and get customized merch on my website at www.blonde-intelligence.com. And please feel free to leave a comment. And I see you next week. Bye.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey girl, let me tell you about this podcast. Girl, everybody has a podcast these days. But this one interviews new and interesting indie artists. It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Really? Where can I find it? It's on all podcasting platforms, streams live on social media and on rpentradio.com. What'd you say it was called again? It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Girl, I'm gonna have to check her out. Give it a check, girl.