Sit down with Zara McIntosh to chat taboo topics from the front seat of the bus. Taking an unfiltered stance on pop-culture, society, culture, and queer issues, she candidly shares her opinion as passengers around her go about their every-day life, overhearing snippets of these unspoken taboos.
The viral TikTok series has launched on Spotify after demand for lengthier episodes, so you can tune in to taboos on your next bus journey.
The ‘Morality Olympics’ of Ed Sheeran’s Tour – why do we make celebrities the end-point of our advocacy on world atrocities?
Sit down with me today to discuss the fallout from Ed Sheeran dropping Macklemore from his tour over his public support for a free Palestine. What started as a conversation centred on Palestinian liberation has warped into memes, weighing up of celebrity ‘sides’, drags of Ed Sheeran’s tattoos, and somewhat of a ‘Morality Olympics’ at play online.
What I have noticed is that amid conversations centring on world atrocities, we can be quick to end our advocacy online at follows/unfollows, and surveillance of celebrity stances and movements. We can get wrapped up in mass cancellations, public dragging, and picking ‘sides’, which diverts from conversations and actions that actually can move the dial.
This episode serves to discuss how we must engage with BOTH in order to make a difference and keep pressure on the cause, which is, and remains, a free Palestine.
Let me know what you think. I hope this serves as an important addition of digital culture analysis and a reminder of the root here.
Thank you for your continued support for my podcast/vodcast, it means the world to me!
Insta – Whatzaraloves
TikTok – whatzaraloves6
Podcast – Taboo on the Bus
Email – whatzaraloves@gmail.com
Reference List:
TikTok:
Ed Sheeran Tattoo Artist: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8rATGRg/ (https://vm.tiktok.com/ZN8rATGRg/)
Club Leader Gary: https://www.tiktok.com/@garebearclub?_r=1&_t=ZN-9A55wn0Qk5O (https://www.tiktok.com/@garebearclub?_r=1&_t=ZN-9A55wn0Qk5O)
Articles Mentioned:
https://gaypop.substack.com/p/ed-sheeran-and-the-fallacy-of-apoliticism (https://gaypop.substack.com/p/ed-sheeran-and-the-fallacy-of-apoliticism)
https://glasgowguardian.co.uk/2025/09/19/the-curtains-arent-just-blue-why-art-cannot-be-apolitical/ (https://glasgowguardian.co.uk/2025/09/19/the-curtains-arent-just-blue-why-art-cannot-be-apolitical/)
https://www.palatinate.org.uk/the-fallacy-that-art-can-be-apolitical/ (https://www.palatinate.org.uk/the-fallacy-that-art-can-be-apolitical/)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/18/robert-kraft-macklemore-ed-sheeran-tour&ved=2ahUKEwjowLLF1o6XAxUtUEEAHcO8E0MQFnoECDIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3zJJ8lEHeBF-iOzfgidWoC (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/18/robert-kraft-macklemore-ed-sheeran-tour&ved=2ahUKEwjowLLF1o6XAxUtUEEAHcO8E0MQFnoECDIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3zJJ8lEHeBF-iOzfgidWoC)
Donation Links:
https://www.pcrf.net (https://www.pcrf.net/)
https://donate.wck.org/campaign/749399/donate?utm_source=googlesearch&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gaza-googleaccountsitelinks&c_src=2025-paidmedia-fundraising-googlesearch-gaza-googleaccountsitelinks&utm_source=googlepmax&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=evergreen-performancemax&c_src=2026-paidmedia-fundraising-googlepmax-evergreen-performancemax&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22475403517&gbraid=0AAAAApcxQJu3-B3-VBxYdCggywRPvbNVO&gclid=CjwKCAjw_eLVBhBEEiwAeaYZfA79vlR0ntUqTbLFUhOmbO6c_z6dI5_umT9vYY6qcVswscf08Q0QmxoCCIYQAvD_BwE (https://donate.wck.org/campaign/749399/donate?utm_source=googlesearch&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=gaza-googleaccountsitelinks&c_src=2025-paidmedia-fundraising-googlesearch-gaza-googleaccountsitelinks&utm_source=googlepmax&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=evergreen-performancemax&c_src=2026-paidmedia-fundraising-googlepmax-evergreen-performancemax&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22475403517&gbraid=0AAAAApcxQJu3-B3-VBxYdCggywRPvbNVO&gclid=CjwKCAjw_eLVBhBEEiwAeaYZfA79vlR0ntUqTbLFUhOmbO6c_z6dI5_umT9vYY6qcVswscf08Q0QmxoCCIYQAvD_BwE)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcyw0Uso0kD/&ved=2ahUKEwipr92w1o6XAxWqYEEAHVyBGAEQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1-ET7FziEt5r0T63dWULf6 (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcyw0Uso0kD/&ved=2ahUKEwipr92w1o6XAxWqYEEAHVyBGAEQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1-ET7FziEt5r0T63dWULf6)
30 Sept 2026
The ‘Morality Olympics’ of Ed Sheeran’s Tour – why do we make celebrities the end-point of our advocacy on world atrocities? [Mini Bus Version]
[Long-form deep dive episode at home is also live]
Sit down with me in the front seat of the bus to discuss the fallout from Ed Sheeran dropping Macklemore from his tour over his public support for a free Palestine. What started as a conversation centred on Palestinian liberation has warped into memes, weighing up of celebrity ‘sides’, drags of Ed Sheeran’s tattoos, and somewhat of a ‘Morality Olympics’ at play online.
What I have noticed is that amid conversations centring on world atrocities, we can be quick to end our advocacy online at follows/unfollows, and surveillance of celebrity stances and movements. We can get wrapped up in mass cancellations, public dragging, and picking ‘sides’, which diverts from conversations and actions that actually can move the dial.
This episode serves to discuss how we must engage with BOTH in order to make a difference and keep pressure on the cause, which is, and remains, a free Palestine.
Let me know what you think. I hope this serves as an important addition of digital culture analysis and a reminder of the root here.
Thank you for your continued support for my podcast/vodcast, it means the world to me!
Insta – Whatzaraloves
TikTok – whatzaraloves6
Podcast – Taboo on the Bus
Email – whatzaraloves@gmail.com
2 Sept 2026
“Divas hate data centres “- on racial gentrification, Brick Lane, and the harm of big tech infrastructure
Sit down with me today to dissect the harms of AI data centres on a micro and macro level, looking at their local, racial, environmental, and social impacts. From Sophia and Cinzia promoting Google Gemini for AI pasta recipes, to Open AI taking influencers on a ChatGPT nature retreat, to the Save Brick Lane coalition, let’s unpack the current AI landscape and the powerhouses behind this force.
Email: charlie@84world.com (mailto:charlie@84world.com)
Instagram: whatzaraloves
TikTok: whatzaraloves6
Podcast: Taboo on the Bus
Links:
What is a Data Centre?: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-data-center (https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-data-center)
Save Brick Lane: https://www.savebricklane.net/press/press-cuttings (https://www.savebricklane.net/press/press-cuttings)
Oxford University Lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKa1Z-Z6xOQ&t=2s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKa1Z-Z6xOQ&t=2s)
Capital B News:
https://capitalbnews.org/musk-xai-memphis-black-neighborhood-pollution/ (https://capitalbnews.org/musk-xai-memphis-black-neighborhood-pollution/)
https://capitalbnews.org/data-centers-black-communities-south/ (https://capitalbnews.org/data-centers-black-communities-south/)
References:
https://www.datacenterwatch.org/report (https://www.datacenterwatch.org/report)
https://theconversation.com/how-brick-lane-became-the-latest-neighbourhood-to-battle-against-a-data-centre-290200 (https://theconversation.com/how-brick-lane-became-the-latest-neighbourhood-to-battle-against-a-data-centre-290200)
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/06/scotland-lanarkshire-village-ai-datacentre (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/06/scotland-lanarkshire-village-ai-datacentre)
https://www.regen.co.uk/insights/the-data-centre-boom-has-a-justice-problem (https://www.regen.co.uk/insights/the-data-centre-boom-has-a-justice-problem)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/new-york-moratorium-ai-datacenters (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/new-york-moratorium-ai-datacenters)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/09/slough-famous-the-office-datacentres-locals-hub-europe (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/09/slough-famous-the-office-datacentres-locals-hub-europe)
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/technology/article/what-is-a-data-center/&ved=2ahUKEwi50aGfja-WAxWPRkEAHcJqIlsQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw369MGsyZUy8KdDhAtwXqx- (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/technology/article/what-is-a-data-center/&ved=2ahUKEwi50aGfja-WAxWPRkEAHcJqIlsQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw369MGsyZUy8KdDhAtwXqx-)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
400 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
63
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
67
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