Episode 3 – Electric Sliding for PR and the IRS Comes for Crypto

Listen to the Episode

https://litpodcast.transistor.fm/episodes/episode-3

Shownotes

After deciding that FX’s Pose and Janet Jackson’s headlining residency in Las Vegas are “what’s good” this week, Shontavia and Tonya walk through what’s got them lit. Shontavia isn’t happy with Megan Thee Stallion’s trademark lawyer, who neglected to file a trademark application for the rapper’s viral phrase HOT GIRL SUMMER before some random guy in Washington, D.C. Shontavia also walks through the copyright history the Electric Slide and the dance’s recent adoption by Puerto Rican #RickyRenuncia protestors. Tonya breaks down the IRS’s 10,000 letters searching for crypto use and the implications for crypto investors. She also covers Facebook’s $5 billion fine for privacy violations, which she says isn’t large enough to punish Facebook for its activities.

WHAT’S GOOD

• Shontavia just celebrated her birthday by binge-watching Pose and thinking about the culture and colloquialisms we’ve taken from LGBTQIA+ culture. And Tonya debuts her sultry voice to serenade her.
• Tonya humble brags about heading to Vegas (babaaaay) for an early birthday present to herself. She lost her hearing and her voice but got her entire life at the phenomenal Janet concert (Miss Jackson, if you’re nasty). Janet Jackson is in residence until August 17, 2019.

WHAT’S GOT YOU LIT™

• Shontavia explains why Megan Thee Stallion needs a better trademark lawyer and strategy and how the Electric Slide became the signature dance of the #RickyRenuncia protests 
• Tonya covers the IRS treatment of crypto currencies as property and the agency’s recent move to contact 10,000 crypto holders regarding tax consequences. And also the bogus Facebook fine levied by the Federal Trade Commission.

LIT LEVEL UP™ AND MAKE YOUR FIRE WORK™

• Shontavia asks you to find and watch “Boss: The Black Experience in Business” documentary:  https://www.pbs.org/wnet/boss/video/boss-the-black-experience-in-business-nguxge/ 
• Tonya asks you to get still and focus on the second half of the year. Ask yourself what you really want from your life and what will be different “this time next year”. She also encourages you to pick up a copy of Minda Harts’ book, The Memo.

SHOW LINKS

• Pretty Much Everything We Say Comes From the World of Drag Queens: https://www.mic.com/articles/121464/rupauls-drag-race-shade-yaaasss-vocabulary 
• We Should All Be Having a “Hot Girl Summer” Like Megan Thee Stallion: https://www.distractify.com/p/what-is-a-hot-girl-summer 
• How Megan Thee Stallion’s Summer 2019 Motto ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Set the Internet Ablaze: https://time.com/5632924/hot-girl-summer-meme-explained/ 
• Puerto Rico Protesters Got Creative: Dancing, Singing, Divinghttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/24/us/puerto-rico-governor-ricky-renuncia.html 
• Shontavia’s Twitter thread on the history and intellectual property issues with the Electric Slide: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq/status/1153684917227859969 
• Friend of the Podcast, Tulane Law Professor Kristin Johnson, made an appearance at the US House Committee on Financial Services hearing, “Examining the Use of Alternative Data in Underwriting and Credit Scoring to Expand Access to Credit.” Professor Johnson expounded on the cultural intersections between credit, big data and artificial intelligence & automated decision-making platforms: https://financialservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=404003 
• IRS is going after cryptocurrency users with warning letters about back taxes
• Facebook will pay an unprecedented $5 billion penalty over privacy breaches
• MindaHarts.com: Visit to learn more about Minda Harts and her forthcoming book, The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table (August 2019).

Where to find Tonya: 

• http://www.proftonyaevans.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPProfEvans
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IPProfEvans/ 

Where to find Shontavia: 

• https://shontavia.com/
• https://popcultureu.com/ 
• witter: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq 
• Instagram: https://twitter.com/ShontaviaJEsq 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shontaviajesq/  

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Audio post-production by Soul Sanctuary.