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See Something Say Something

Taking The Numb Out of Numbers

See Something Say Something

Ahmed Ali Akbar

Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

4.8550 Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2018

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever wondered how many Americans are married to their cousin? How hairy the average woman of color is? Well! Data journalist Mona Chalabi has the answers to all your weirdest queries, often with whimsical and witty illustrations. Ahmed and Mona talk about how opinion polling has been used against Muslims, double standards of shame across cultures, and her contentious friendship with Sesame Street's Count von Count.

Follow Mona on Twitter and find her illustrated data sets on Instagram @MonaChalabi
Watch Mona's "Touch Your Tits" PSA: https://vimeo.com/281551760
Follow the show on Twitter (@seesomething), Facebook (facebook.com/seesomethingpodcast), and Instagram (instagram.com/buzzfeedseesomething).
Email us at saysomething@buzzfeed.com
Our music is by The Kominas, follow them @TheRealKominas and kominas.bandcamp.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey everyone, I'm Amidale Yuckbert, and this is See Something Say Something.

0:12.8

This week, we're talking about data.

0:15.5

I mean, honestly, I still feel ambivalent about even calling myself a Muslim because the ways that I move through the world

0:22.0

are completely different as a non-Hijabi,

0:24.1

as a woman who shows a lot of pleasure

0:26.4

at every single opportunity.

0:28.7

So I don't want to speak on behalf of any other groups

0:32.0

and data allows me to do that in a slightly different way.

0:35.8

If you see something, you better, you better say do that in a slightly different way.

0:56.1

This week, this week we're talking to a data journalist, and I'm somebody who doesn't like data very much.

0:58.9

I think it's been very destructive for our communities.

1:01.2

It's always been the domain of white men.

1:05.1

It feels like been used against communities of color in really destructive ways.

1:10.8

But my guess this week uses data to sort of normalize the things we're uncomfortable with and ask and answer uncomfortable questions.

1:13.4

I count one count.

1:14.2

Greetings.

1:15.6

What is your name?

1:16.7

My name's Mona Chalaby.

1:17.5

Mona.

1:19.5

Wonderful to meet you.

1:24.3

Joining me this week is Mona Chalaby.

1:28.7

She's a Guardian data journalist illustrator and friend of Count von Count.

...

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