The Cornell 7: Bystander Silence, Consent & Why Women Grow Up Afraid
What happens when everyone knows something is wrong, but nobody speaks up?
This week on Don’t Quote Us with Al and Val, we’re discussing the disturbing Cornell 7 case and the larger conversations it raises about consent, accountability, morality, and the consequences of remaining silent.
We explore the psychology behind bystander behavior, the Good Samaritan theory, and why witnessing something harmful without intervening raises difficult questions about personal responsibility.
We also discuss why conversations about consent, respect, and morality need to begin at home and continue throughout childhood for both boys and girls. How much of what we believe is genuinely our own, and how much has been shaped by our families, culture, and environment?
From the safety precautions girls learn at an early age to the hypervigilance we once questioned in our parents but now understand, we examine the different ways men and women are socialized to navigate the world.
We also ask why disturbing cases can feel like entertainment rather than real-life tragedies when we’re removed from the people experiencing them.
This episode is about more than one case. It’s about the responsibility we have to one another, the beliefs we choose to challenge, and the importance of speaking up even when everyone else stays silent.
Join Al and Val for a conversation about the Cornell 7, bystander behavior, consent education, women’s safety, and the psychology of silence.
14 Oct 2026
Why Is Everything So Embarrassing These Days?
From recording TikToks in public to hearing our own voices on a voicemail, we’re talking about embarrassment, overthinking, and the fear of being perceived.
This week on Don’t Quote Us with Al and Val, we’re unpacking the things that make us cringe and questioning why we care so much about what other people think. Val admits that almost everything embarrasses her, while Al somehow manages to feel embarrassed by her phone but not by being out in public.
We get into the anxiety of creating content, the fear of receiving mean comments online, and why recording a simple voicemail somehow requires 15 takes. Plus, Val calls out Al’s avoidant tendencies and her commitment to living on Do Not Disturb, while Al questions whether butt-dialing is even possible in 2026.
And because no conversation stays on track around here, we’re also discussing Al’s determination to eat all 12 grapes this New Year’s Eve in hopes of finding love, our childhood obsession with Club Penguin and Disney games, and the embarrassing prank calls we once thought made us cool.
From social anxiety to childhood cringe, we’re asking ourselves: Are we actually embarrassed, or are we just afraid of being perceived?
Join us for another episode of Don’t Quote Us as we attempt to embrace the cringe, stop overthinking, and finally get comfortable putting ourselves out there.
7 Oct 2026
We Came Back, But We Didn't Go Back
The “ber” months are officially here, but Al & Val have a few bigger things on their wish lists than Christmas presents.
This week, we’re talking home buying, changing relationships with money, a long-awaited graduation, and the big milestones making life feel a little more real lately.
We also reflect on finding our way back to our small town after once believing moving away meant moving forward; and realizing that coming home doesn’t mean going backward.
Plus, soup season, fall TV binges, Lisa Vanderpump in Scottsdale, and the yearly reminder that Arizona time makes absolutely no sense.
Turns out the “ber” months might be about more than slowing down. Sometimes they show you just how far you’ve come.
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
8 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
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