20 Don’ts for a Saner, Kinder 2026: Media Literacy, Culture, and Real Joy

Ready for a cleaner feed, clearer mind, and a steadier heart in 2026? Carmen opens the year with twenty unapologetic don’ts that cut through noise and nudge us toward a saner, kinder way to live. We move from civic basics you should know by heart—two senators, your House rep, your governor, your mayor—to the media literacy everyone claims and too few practice. Viral doesn’t mean true; three sources beat one influencer; and when you’re wrong, own it, fix it, and move on. The payoff is real power: you stop being steered by clout and start steering your choices.

We also get honest about pop culture and storytelling. Don’t debate shows you haven’t watched. Comfort TV is valid, shock value is lazy, and breaking the audience’s emotional contract has consequences. From clapping when the plane lands to “discovering” decades-old classics, we unpack why taste police and faux insiders miss the point: culture is an ecosystem. When you respect the craft and the community around it, you get better art and better conversations.

The digital hygiene hits home: stop ghosting and start communicating; skip devil’s advocate and propose solutions; starve bots by not arguing in comment sections. AI gets a grounded take too—use it like a hammer, not a therapist, and keep your eyes on the people and incentives behind the tools. Then we land in the body and the spirit: touch grass, breathe outside air, and build boundaries instead of walls. Most of all, stop confusing happiness with joy. Happiness is external and fleeting. Joy is internal, practiced, and chosen—perspective, gratitude, and aligned action you can carry through any storm.

If this list made you nod, wince, or laugh, hit play, share it with a friend, and tell us which “don’t” you’re adopting first. Subscribe for more candid, hopeful conversations, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth


DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening And Purpose Of The List
• 0:31 Don’t Be An ICE Agent
• 1:11 Know Your Representatives
• 2:33 Don’t Debate Shows You Haven’t Seen
• 3:01 Hallmark, Virality, And Politics
• 4:15 Shock Value Isn’t Storytelling
• 6:03 Resolutions And Ghosting
• 7:13 Fact-Checking Over Fandom
• 8:07 Plane Claps And Music History
• 9:17 See Color And Celebrate It
• 10:03 Don’t Argue With Bots
• 10:49 Pop Culture Ecosystem Matters
• 11:16 No More Devil’s Advocate
• 11:42 AI Is A Tool, Not Therapy
• 12:15 Boundaries Versus Walls
• 12:46 Touch Grass Daily
• 13:28 Joy Versus Happiness And Closing

Transcript

Carmen Lezeth: 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. This is Carmen Talk, and I'm Carmen Lisette, your host. And this is the first episode of 2026, and I'm here to tell you the top 20 things you should not do in 2026. Okay, this is some of this stuff is gonna anger some of you, but you know what? Like, I'm just here for the information to share with you from my point of view, things you should not be doing in 2026. Number one thing you should not do in 2026. Do not be an ice agent. Listen to me. I was just doing my job, has never fared well in history. Let's just be honest, you look kind of silly and stuff. You know what I mean? With like the all the mask, and huh? And it's not really that hard to take down an abuela and you know, some landscapers and shit. It's not that hard. And yet you're out there doing it as if it is your due diligence. And I'm telling you, worst job ever. Don't be an ice agent. That's really simple. That's number one. That's number one for all you out there. I know work is hard, but find something different, okay? All right, number two, this is really important. This is for all of you, especially Trump supporters. I say this with such respect and kindness, but I have not met a Trump supporter yet who can name every one of these things. So do not get caught not knowing who represents you in Congress. Okay? Very important. And here are the ones you need to know. Here are the ones you need to know. I'm gonna give it to you. Two senators from the state you live in. There are two senators. You need to know who those two senators are. You should know who is your representative in Congress, your U.S. representative. Okay. This person represents you in Congress. So you should know it's based on your district. Number three, you should definitely know who your governor is. Okay, shout out to Gavin Newsom. I'm just saying you should know who your governor is. You should also know who your mayor is. You should know who your mayor is. Now, extra credit if you can name your actual state legislatures. Okay, that's a little bit harder, that's a little bit more in the weeds. But you should know the basics, you know. Honestly, for me, I can name three of those, but if we start going really down in, I can't. But I can name all of the ones I just told you and then some. But those are the basics you should know. Okay, so take note. Great. Thanks. Okay, number three. Number three on the list, very important for all you people who love television and movies. Baby, please don't argue about a TV show or a movie you have not seen. We can tell. Just because you watched someone on TikTok do a summary does not mean you know what they're talking about. Do not talk about a movie or a TV show you have not seen, period, and stop. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Number four. Number four. Don't pretend you don't like Hallmark movies. Stop it. Okay. Some of us need a small town bakery and a gorgeous man named Nick to get us through the year. Okay? So embrace that shit. Hallmark, you're doing good. Okay? Okay, number five. This is really important for all the content creators out there. Just because you go viral doesn't mean you are right. Do you hear me? And this is for everybody else who's also listening or watching any of these content creators who go viral. Just because you go viral does not mean your information is correct. No, it does not. So please stop that. That's a very, very important one. Okay. Number six, let's go with number six. Please stop saying I don't follow politics. Okay, you're not bragging, you're confessing. And as much as you think you don't do politics is a thing, I swear to you, if you have not noticed it yet, you certainly will, but politics is motherfucking doing you. You know that. So stop saying that. Okay, thanks. Okay, and this one I actually need to read off of my script because I want to make sure I get it right. This is a very specific one, but it's also for a lot of other people, you writers and everything. Listen, do not confuse shock value with storytelling. Okay? When you kill a character like Bobby Nash on the TV show, you're not just writing drama, you're dismantling the plot and betraying the audience's emotional contract. Okay? This was never a reality show, Tim Manier. Is that your name? Tim Manier? I don't know if I'm saying your name right because I hate you so much. 911 was a comfort show. It was a bubblegum TV show. It was a show we went to and loved, and you ruined it. Shout out to Peter Krause out there. Happy New Year to you, Cap. We miss you, we love you. I don't watch a show anymore. Number eight. This maybe should have been number one, but I'm I made it number eight. So number eight, please don't post your New Year's resolutions. We all know you're gonna take that shit down like February 1st, if not before. We've already seen it. It's boring. Just don't do it. Just just don't do it. Do not post it. Make it an internal thing. You know what I mean? Put it on your calendar. Write it on your hand. Do whatever you need to do, but but we don't need to see that shit. Because we know you're not going to keep doing it after February 1st. And I'm not talking about me because I didn't make no resolutions. Okay. This one's gonna be a little touchy. This is number nine. Number nine on the list. Do not ghost people. What is wrong with you? This is not mysterious. This is not even hard to do. It is cowardly. You are a coward. Okay. Let's use our big boy voices, our big girl voices, our big kid voices, and let's communicate with each other. Okay? If you are upset with somebody, don't ghost people. Let them know. If you don't want to date somebody, let them know. There's too much technology around for you not to be able to come to terms with what it is you want to say. So, number nine, do not ghost people, okay? Be better than that. Number 10, don't treat misinformation like a personality trait. What is wrong with you? It takes literally minutes for you to Google and find out if that information is correct. And all you need to do is get three sources minimum for whatever you're going to dish out of your mouth. If you think it's factual because so-and-so said it who's a YouTuber and he has a million followers, you a fool. You need to be double checking everything. Everything. You got the resources right in front of you. You don't have to walk to the library, you don't even have to make much effort. The problem with you people is you just keep believing anything anybody tells you because you think they're pretty or because you think they have so many followers. Check everybody. Three resources. If you're going to turn around and say it again, three sources minimum. And here's the most important part you can still make a mistake after getting those three resources. And you know what you do when you figure out that you're wrong, when you have made a mistake, own it. Own it. Apologize for it. Correct it. Fix it. Stop being a dumbass in 2026. That's really what that's about. That's really what that is. Stop being a dumbass in 2026. Fact check your shit. It's too easy not to do. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, this one's a big one. This is a big one. Listen, do not judge people who clap when the plane lands. You know, I mean, some of us are just thanking Jesus, Zeus, and Beyoncé for the safe passage. You know what I'm saying? So, um, you know, I know it's a weird thing, but I just don't want to be judged anymore. Every time I land, I am thanking. Zeus, Jesus, and Beyoncé for my safe passage. Number 12. This is a big one. This is a big one for me, okay? Please don't pretend that you discovered some song that's been famous for like 30 years. Seriously, I will always love you was like 30 years ago, okay? I think it was 1992, Whitney Houston. You did not discover this song. This is not a new song. This is not a new song. You may have just discovered it, but this is not like something new to the rest of us. So remember, you should revere your Gen X people because we probably know that song and a whole bunch of other songs from before our time because we were forced to listen to our boomer parents, generations music, and whatever it was before then. Like, we know all that shit. Like I can name Sammy Davis Junior songs, and I can name some Frank Sinatra shit, and then we can go back even further. And I because we we have that, but stop acting like you discovered some new song, you know, by Tupac Shakor. What is wrong with you? Ooh, number 13. This is gonna hurt some of you. Okay, it's 2026. Stop saying I don't see color. Okay. You've always seen color. I've always seen color. Let's let's now just admit that we see color. We want to see color, okay? And let's honor the differences, let's celebrate that diversity, okay? Let's stop lying. Let's stop it. And let's act accordingly. Let's act like the nation here in the United States we claim to be one of love and unity and and yeah, maybe we're not any of those things, but I'm just saying stop saying that you don't see color. We all see color. Always have, always will. And that's not a bad thing. It's a good thing. It's a good thing. Ooh, number 14 is probably one of my favorites. I was gonna make this number one, but you could see the problem here. There were so many that were gonna be number one, but this one is so good. Okay, listen, do not argue with people in the comment section. Bitches, please. Like you're fighting with a bot named Freedom Eagle underscore 47. Let it go. Move the fudge on. Enough. Why are you even bothering? We need to start ignoring the people that are just fighting to fight. Imagine. Imagine what would happen if every time you were in a comment section and instead of arguing with the dumbass who is acting stupid, you just ignore them. Everybody just ignored them. Stop fighting with people in the comment sections. Ooh, this is a good one too. Don't pretend you're above pop culture because you're not, okay? If Denzel Washington raises an eyebrow or Lynn Manuel Miranda sneezes, Hollywood is going to react, okay? Hollywood is going to react. Respect the ecosystem. That's all. That's all you need to understand. Enough. Enough with the hating of celebrities. I'm done. Number 16. Don't say I'm just playing devil's advocate. Listen, the devil has enough advocates here on earth, enough representation. We don't need you to play devil's advocate at all. We need you to figure out how to fix the situation. Come up with tools to fix the situation because we all know what the problem is. We all do. Thank you. This is a big one, especially for all of you out there who are a little scared of AI. Listen, don't treat AI like a therapist. Okay? Seriously, please do not treat AI like a therapist. It's here to help. It's not here to replace people. I don't care what people have told you, no matter what you think, AI is not your friend and it is not human. It is not human. It's not even trying to pretend to be human. The people who own all of the AI sources, that's who you should be careful of. The people who are programming, who are those are the people you should be afraid of. You know what I'm saying? AI is a tool. Think hammer. Ooh, this one is just a little bit of wisdom that I have, you know, been really dealing with my entire life, but it has really come really good and concrete in the past years. Listen, don't confuse boundaries with walls, okay? One protects your peace and the other one isolates you. Okay? What we want is boundaries, not walls. Boundaries are good, walls are bad. Okay, I see you got that. Great. Good. Number 19. I know we've heard this said so many times, but it's so true. Please don't forget to touch grass. Literally. I love screens. I love technology. I know what this medium is and I am embracing it fully and completely. But every day without fail, I make sure I go out for a walk, get some sun, get some grass under my feet, and walk along the beach and the sand. Well, I don't really walk in the sand so much, but you know, they got the pathway. But I'm just saying go outside for 20 minutes a day, do something. Stop, stop being obsessed with screens. Stop it. Number 20 is the most important one to me, and it's one that I talk about all the time. Don't confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is external. It's what happens to you. It is something that you really can't control, and it ebbs and flows, right? I've said this a million times. I eat a piece of chocolate cake, I'm happy. I get a bonus at work, I'm happy. Somebody smiles at me, I'm happy. Joy is innate. Joy is something you can work on. Joy is something that comes from within you, and joy is a choice. And that is why we have our show, All About the Joy, because at the end of the day, it really is all about how you choose to see the world in front of you. You get to decide your perspective. You get to decide how you deal with everything. It doesn't matter what comes your way, you have the ability to change the trajectory of how it happens, how it goes, how it is defined, how it moves you, how it how you move through it. At the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. And I hope that you will continue to hang out with us on all of our shows and contribute to what we're trying to do here, which is always in a space of joy. So thank you for stopping by. Thank you for hanging out with us. Thank you for your support. Please like and share, and please make sure that you subscribe to any of our channels. We would really, really appreciate it. And again, at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. And we'll see you next time. Bye. Thanks for stopping by, All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.