Show Notes Myco (it/its) and fern (they/them/?) discuss neo-slavery as they see it show up in the world around them and as it has impacted Myco throughout its life.  Image Description: A small human walks down a red runway, surrounded by sketchy, loosely drawn people in chairs clapping, and colorful balloons. The words "Colonizer and a slave" separate the small human from the clapping audience.  Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of slavery, trafficking, abuse, white supremacy, cultural alienation, etc. Transcript: transcript doc Fern (they/them): Hello and welcome to another episode of Liberatory Naysayers!   Myco (it/its): Hi!   F: That was Myco. Myco uses it/it's pronouns. I'm Fern, I use they/them pronouns. For now.    M: For now!   F: They don't fit anymore.   M: No   F: They're like a sweater that's a little too tight or itchy. But that's for another episode.    M: you'll find the right ones!   F: I will! Do you want to introduce our topic today Myco? It is one that is near and dear to your heart. Maybe not so much dear, but near?   M: Yeah, yeah. Near like a dagger. I almost said a splinter and then I was like ah, I hate that, that's too small.   F: Yeah, that's fair. Like a stake.   M: Yeah, so we wanted to talk about neo slavery. Which is a topic I've been thinking about pretty much nonstop.   F: And talking about constantly.   M: Yeah. Which is a step up from last year and previous years where I kept forgetting over and over again about it. Because it was too lava to hold that I think.    F: Yup.   M: But now I'm holding it! And I need to talk about it all the time. And I need other people to listen all the time! I can't shut up about it and everybody has to hear about it all the time! So!    F: Dear listeners, you now also need to hear about it.    M: Yeah!    F: How would... well, before we get into a definition- I want to ask you how you would define neo slavery as someone who maybe as not really come across that label. But before that I'm thinking maybe a content warning might be appropriate?   M: Yeah, honestly all of our episodes need content warnings...   F: I mean.. The Naming of A Thing doesn't feel too terrible.   M: So I guess for this one we're gonna talk about abuse, trafficking, genocide, neo slavery. The realities of the world. I don't know. We can post specifics afterwards when we do transcripts.   F: Check the notes if you wanna see details.   M: We never script anything, we talk off the cuff, so it's a little hard to say exactly what will come up and what we will discuss in the moment.    F: Ok! That's fair. Neo slavery. What is the definition in your opinion?   M: Right, so. At it's most base it's modern slavery. It is current, happening in real time. It acknowledges, in my opinion... cuz neo has this new connotation to it... it acknowledges that slavery has shifted and changed. It is not the same it was. It doesn't look the same it did.   I think people in power are really invested in us understanding slavery as either very specific chattel slavery which has been strictly abolished.   F: Technically abolished.   M: Technically. But like in the specific way it showed up, it is. That's one of the ways they control us right? They keep us from understanding the world around us by like strictly defining these tings.   F: That's true, they set the definitions and then expect us to go along.   M: But the truth is slavery has changed. It still exists, it's still there. It's everywhere around us. The definition is a lot broader than white supremacy wants it to be.   So with that in mind I would say that neo slavery shows up in many ways in the world. I think it shows up in a lot more ways than I know about and talk about to be clear. I'm sure there are a lot of ways that I don't know about and I super wanna know.   F: Yeah, that's true.   M: I think it's important to talk about in every way shape and form. But ways I notice it are in the foster and adoption system. I notice it in