Rules of Dumb

 Season 2 of the Rules of Dumb podcast starts off with a bang.  René and Ben discuss the recent FBI investigation of the college admissions scandal involving some well known-celebrities (Aunt Becky from Full House) and some high profile business people. The duo explores the spectrum of unethical behavior by Parents and College Coaches and Administrators in the admissions process as well as cases against Harvard College and the University of Texas to undermine their Affirmative Action efforts (#StayMadAbby).   Ben also shares some surprising results from a recent DNA test with Ancestry.com, and discovering some new family members. Tune in!

In Episode 010 of the Rules of Dumb Podcast, René and Ben meet their goal of completing 10 episodes in 2018. The two celebrate this victory by answering questions from RoD listeners and rabid fans.  Please support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review with a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow Rules of Dumb on Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb and you can email any feedback or show ideas to rulesofdumb@gmail.com. Enjoy

In Episode 009, Ben shares the highlights of his recent date with forever First Lady Michelle Obama. Actually, 20,000 other people were on the date and René tagged along as well. René and Ben venture to the famous Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY and discuss the life-changing experience as well as some big takeaways from the recent Michelle Obama book tour.  Please support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review with a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow Rules of Dumb on Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb and you can email any feedback or show ideas to rulesofdumb@gmail.com. Enjoy. René and Ben.

In Episode 008 of the Rules of Dumb podcast, Ben and René are joined by their brilliant and hilarious Production Assistant, Sri, to discuss the ever-controversial topic of ghosting in dating and relationships. Yep, you guessed it; Ben and Sri are both guilty and confess to their bad deeds. René offers her expertise about approaching women, the ineffectiveness of cat-calling, and encourages a more refined approach to getting them digits. Please support the podcast by subscribing and please leave a review with a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow Rules of Dumb on Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb and you can email any feedback or show ideas to rulesofdumb@gmail.com. Enjoy! René and Ben

Thanksgiving. For some of us, this means one thing. All the sweet potato pie we can eat. For others, it’s a time to enjoy with family, watch a little football, tell tall tales about cousin Larry and relax. But for some of us, the thought of having to spend extended time with turkey-filled family members is problematic. The holiday can be very stressful for some and downright toxic for others. Though there isn’t much hard data on the topic, some experts report many people feel at least some degree of anxiety around the holidays for a variety of reasons, one among them being family conflict. In other words, the holiday season can be a rough time for a lot of us. But it is a good thing for you, you are listening to Episode 007 of the Rules of Dumb podcast. René schools Ben on 10 non-traditional ways to spend “Alternative Thanksgiving”. René does not necessarily say you have to spend the holiday alone, but she strongly suggests you remove yourself from a toxic environment. The theme is self-care. And she gives you 10 great ways to spend your holiday. Of course, if you’ve decided to skip Thanksgiving with family this year, you might feel anxious about how your family might react. René and Ben have some ideas that will help you there as well. Please support the podcast by subscribing and please leave a review with a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow Rules of Dumb on Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb and you can email any feedback or show ideas to rulesofdumb@gmail.com. Enjoy! René and Ben

This is an emergency episode! In Episode 006 of the Rules of Dumb Podcast, Ben sits down with Sri, the podcast’s PA to talk about this year’s upcoming midterm election. Sri turned 18 last summer and registered to vote making her eligible to vote in this year's midterm elections. The media has termed this midterm the most important "election of our lifetime" so we wanted to get her perspective as a millennial and a new voter. The two got into how in 2013, in Shelby County vs Holder, the Supreme Court deemed section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as unconstitutional. That decision has made it easier for states to engage in a campaign of voter suppression including, closing polling places, voter ID requirements, exact match practices, all in an effort to marginalize the votes of black people. The two also got into how mass incarceration aides in suppressing the black vote. Please support the podcast by subscribing and please leave a review with a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow Rules of Dumb on Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb and you can email any feedback or show ideas to rulesofdumb@gmail.com. Enjoy!

René abandoned the Rules of Dumb podcast for Episode 005. Well, that’s not exactly true. She was continuing her quest to become a yoga guru so she and Ben decided to switch things up. This week the podcast had its first guest, Jamila Souffrant. Jamila is a podcaster, writer and founder of JourneyToLaunch.com where she shares her journey to reach Financial Independence and helps others do the same. In René’s stead, Sri, RoD’s trusty Production Assistant, came off the bench to fill in. In the conversation with Jamila, she chronicles her journey from Jamaica to the US as an infant to the work ethic her mother and grandmother instilled in her. This eventually led her down a path of business and financial success that has to date culminated in Jamila and her husband saving $169,000 in two years. She talks about the events that led her to leave her six-figure corporate job, the life of a solo entrepreneur and mom, and her role in the FI/RE (Financial Independence / Retire Early) movement and how she thinks she can advance POC into financial freedom. At the end of the conversation, Jamila also lets us in on what she thinks is a Rule of Dumb: A conventional idea that many think is a great idea but she thinks might not be all it’s cracked up to be. You’ll want to listen until the end. René got to listen to the conversation Sri and Ben had with Jamila, and she was disappointed she missed out. René and Ben share their takeaways from all the knowledge bombs Jamila dropped. But not before René accuses Ben of being an “over-toucher” and a “hand-talker”. She also reveals she has a secret talent. Enjoy!

In Rules of Dumb, Episode 4, Ben laments his T-shirt collection is overwhelming and René suggests yoga is the answer to his stress. She tells us a bit about her quest to become a yoga master and how her family and friends view her newfound passion. Ben also admits his dislike for 80’s “quiet storm” music, much to René’s chagrin. Finally, the two discuss the comfort, or better said, discomfort each of them has with artificial intelligence and its intrusion into modern life. Clips from: The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. Follow us Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb. Enjoy!

In the third installment of Rules of Dumb, Sri, our production assistant reveals her bleeding heart, René details her subway adventures, and Ben admits his love for dollar pizza. The crew talks about their daily routines before they get into more serious matters in the news. Botham Jean, a black man living in Dallas, was the victim of a shooting at the hands of an off-duty police officer under strange circumstances. Brett Kavanaugh, who is up for a Supreme Court nomination, is under fire as a result of accusations of sexual misconduct. René, Ben, and Sri all discuss how these cases are similar in that there seems to be a level of acceptable victim blaming and shaming. Clips from: NPR, Fox News. Follow us Instagram and Twitter at @rulesofdumb. Enjoy!

In the second episode of Rules of Dumb, René and Ben discuss job shaming of Geoffrey Owens aka Elvin of Cosby Show fame. The two also debate the intersectionality of race and gender with Serena Williams’ U.S. Open trouble as the backdrop. Serena Williams is the most accomplished professional tennis player in the open era with a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and is second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court who has 24. In the 2018 U.S. Open, Serena charged that penalties called against her were due more to misogyny than her own misdeeds on the court. Did you know the Nicki Minaj pledged to give Geoffrey $25,000? He hasn’t gotten the check yet. But Nicki has a good excuse. She’s busy feuding with Carbi B. René and Ben discuss. You can listen to this podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe to the Rules of Dumb podcast at bit.ly/rulesofdumb and give us a 5-star rating on iTunes. Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/rulesofdumb

Please subscribe to the Rules of Dumb podcast at bit.ly/rulesofdumb Follow on Instagram at instagram.com/rulesofdumb In this first episode of Rules of Dumb, René (@rene_lh) and Ben (@benbakaar) dive into what they've been getting into over the summer. Ben talks about his "near-death experience" while René details her vacation on Martha's Vineyard and playing golf with Barack Obama and Ray Allen. René also talks about her volunteer work at the African American Film Festival on Martha's Vineyard and gives her take on movies like the BlackkKlansman and the Bobby Brown docuseries with a special shout-out to Janet Jackson. Finally the two comment on Nike’s new “Just Do It” ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick and the public’s response to it. Enjoy!

Ben goes off on the folks who peddle "Improve Your Credit Score" programs and late night real estate infomercials. René seems pretty entertained by his passion for the topic. Stay tuned for the first season of full episodes of Rules of Dumb podcast starting every Thursday on May 24.

René describes how one of her social media acquaintances does not appreciate Cardi B. Stay tuned for the first season of Rules of Dumb every Thursday starting May 24.

Ben talks about his insights into many folks' personal finances. He and René discuss that many of the people who display the material trappings of wealth, do not in fact have much financial wealth to show for it. Tune in to new episodes of Rules of Dumb every Thursday beginning May 24.