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Taboo on the Bus

Taboo on the Bus

Whatzaraloves

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.

65 - The crisis of homeless uni students in the UK - nobody is talking about this, so I will...
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  • 65 - The crisis of homeless uni students in the UK - nobody is talking about this, so I will...

    (Apologies about the quality of the footage!)

     

    No chatty intro to today’s episode; I wanted to get right to the heart of the issue of homelessness amongst university students in the UK. A staggering number of students, both domestic and international, experience homelessness while studying every year. That may look like sleeping in carparks, libraries, living out of cars during breaks, or even surfing round sofas. The matter of fact is that this is an incredibly common experience, but one that goes underreported and underrepresented in datasets.

     

    Sit down with me today to discuss the nature of this issue, the paradox within the support system, who this largely affects, and what we ultimately need to do to not just tackle it but prevent it entirely.

    Thank you to Greg Hurst from the Centre for Homelessness Impact, who makes up the interview section of this episode, who joined me at the UCL campus café to discusssome research-backed recommendations for tackling this issue. Also thank you to the 13 individuals who shared their experiences with me to contribute to my ownresearch.

     

    Find me:

    Instagram: @whatzaraloves

    TikTok: @whatzaraloves6

    Podcast: Taboo on the Bus

    Email: whatzaraloves@gmail.com

     

     

    Links/Reading/Citations:

     

    Scottish Government Report: Research intohousing insecurity and hidden homelessness in Scotland - https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2025/04/research-housing-insecurity-hidden-homelessness-scotland/documents/research-housing-insecurity-hidden-homelessness/research-housing-insecurity-hidden-homelessness/govscot%3Adocument/research-housing-insecurity-hidden-homelessness.pdf

     

    LSE Research Paper: https://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/case/cr/casereport158.pdf

     

    Unite Foundation: https://www.unitefoundation.org.uk\

     

    Greg Hurst: https://www.homelessnessimpact.org/people/greg-hurst

     

    -             https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Could-universities-do-more-to-end-homelessness.pdf

     

    Toolkit: https://artshomelessint.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AHI-Homelessness-in-Higher-Education-Toolkit-DIGITAL-SPREADS.pdf

     

    Homeless Liaisons: https://www.highereddive.com/news/more-colleges-are-creating-homeless-liaison-roles-heres-why/744262/

     

     

    University of Edinburgh page: https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/living-in-edinburgh/accommodation/emergency-accommodation#:~:text=If%20you%20don't%20have%20somewhere%20to%20spend,University's%2024%2F7%20Community%20Support%20team%3A%20Email%3A%20security24%2D7%40ed.ac.uk.

     

    Guardian quote: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/aug/20/international-students-bring-much-more-than-money-to-the-uk

     

     

    References:

    https://taso.org.uk/news-blog/new-report-pathways-higher-education-childrens-social-care/

    https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insights-and-analysis/enabling-care-experienced-and-estranged

    https://housinghand.com/who-we-support/students

    https://wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/students-and-their-homelessness-are-invisible-in-mhclg

    https://www.studygroup.com/blog/the-importance-of-international-students-uk-he

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8726680/

    https://www.studynow.org.uk/blog/cost-of-living-uk-international-student-2026

    https://wonkhe.com/blogs/removing-the-rent-guarantor-barrier-to-safe-and-stable-accommodation


    Fri, 30 Oct 2026 - 51min
  • 64 - Taboo on the Tube, ft Kamal: on self help culture not actually helping

    Bonus new monthly series: Taboo on the Tube where I unpack other people’s taboo topics and conversations on the tube.


    Sit down with us on the Lizzie line today to unpack the taboo of self help content and culture, and how it doesn’t always serve us. Let me know if you’ve found yourself in a trap of this content before, and how we should manage?


    Kamal: https://www.instagram.com/kamalnw?srtk=MW9vdXAzMW00c3Vtcg==


    videographer: @roz.matuszyk

    Outfit: @après / @Babytoefu


    #tabooonthetube#tabooonthetube #videoessay

    Fri, 23 Oct 2026 - 02min
  • 63 - 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/

    Club Leader Gary: 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://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.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://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

    Wed, 30 Sep 2026 - 36min
  • 62 - 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

    Wed, 30 Sep 2026 - 02min
  • 61 - “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

    Instagram: whatzaraloves

    TikTok: whatzaraloves6

    Podcast: Taboo on the Bus


    Links:


    What is a Data Centre?: https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/ai-data-center


    Save Brick Lane: https://www.savebricklane.net/press/press-cuttings


    Oxford University Lecture: 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/data-centers-black-communities-south/


    References:

    https://www.datacenterwatch.org/report

    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.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/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-

    Wed, 02 Sep 2026 - 38min
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