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Tag: Social Justice

Posts related to social justice issues such as institutional racism and sexism.

Prime Time Crime

Prime Time Crime

WEEK IN GEEK: This week, Andrew watches the Queen Latifah-starring CBS reboot of the classic crime drama, The Equalizer, while D. Bethel finds a powerful, personal, and moving story about depression and self-acceptance in the 2018 retro-styled puzzle platformer, Celeste.

RELEVANT LINKS:

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • Episode 36 – Dan & Andy’s Quality Audio” (13 February 2015): Where Andrew made D. Bethel watch the pilot to Andrew’s favorite show (after Star Trek…maybe), John Rogers’ Leverage by John Rogers.
  • Episode 108 – Private Reasons” (29 September 2016): Where D. Bethel and Andrew discuss the surge of reboots of classic ’80s film and tv franchises.
  • Sad News Theme” (28 February 2020): Where Andrew discussed his first impressions of another reboot of a classic prime time drama, MacGyver.
  • For Great Justice” (19 February 2021): Where D. Bethel talks with Andrew about video game genres and their ability to tell certain kinds of stories (as it related to the bizarre news around Six Days in Fallujah).

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Dulce Et Utile

Dulce Et Utile

THE DELONGATED MAN: Actor Hartley Sawyer has been fired from his role as Ralph Dibney––the civilian name for The Elongated Man––after racist and misogynist tweets he made years ago once again resurfaced. Andrew and D. Bethel discuss accountability in the world of social media and the permanence of internet publishing.

WotC RESHUFFLES: Magic: The Gathering publisher, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) announces it will be retiring old cards with clear racist imagery and implications from circulation.

RELEVANT LINKS:

RELEVANT EPISODES:

  • “A Casualty of the Rhyme” (22 May 2020): Where Andrew and D. Bethel––guided by resident DC expert, Taylor Katcher––talk about the news of Ruby Rose leaving Batwoman after the first season.

INFO:

FEATURED MUSIC:

Shortcast 40 – Shortcast Your Mom

Shortcast 40 – Shortcast Your Mom

WEEK IN GEEK – COMIC BOOK TV SHOW EDITION: Andrew tunes in to the CW’s newest superhero premiere––Black Lightning––while D. Bethel looks back at the first season of Fox’s The Gifted. SPOILER WARNING

RELATED EPISODES:

RELEVANT LINKS:

INFO:

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

FEATURED MUSIC:

-“District Four” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
-“Disco Medusae” by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com)*
*Tracks are licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Episode 144 – Commodore Chew-Town

Episode 144 – Commodore Chew-Town

WEEK IN GEEK: Andrew dives into Paizo’s newest RPG, Starfinder (starts at 2:34), while D. Bethel checks out the premier episode of Disney XD’s reboot of DuckTales (19:46).

REAL MONSTERS: (30:45) Dan and Andrew just hang back and have a conversation rather than a guided discourse about Nazis in popular culture. They go all over the place, but hover around the topic of how (and why) they’re used in fiction.

RELATED LINKS:

WORKS REFERENCED:

LINKS:

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

FEATURED MUSIC:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio
-“Bad Man” by The Coral
-“Fanfare” by Nobuo Uematsu (from Final Fantasy VI)

Episode 140 – A Vernal Pool of Talent

Episode 140 – A Vernal Pool of Talent

Image created by Aaron Lowe.

WEEK IN GEEK: The guys are again on the cutting edge of entertainment as Andrew begins playing Skyrim (albeit the Special Edition that was released for current platforms last year) while D goes all the way back to 2006 and plays Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (albeit the recently released HD remastered version).

DOCTOR NEW: After speculation accruing since Peter Capaldi announced he would be leaving the lead role of Doctor Who earlier this year, the BBC announced his replacement, Jodie Whittaker. And the internet went wild. (Time Stamp – 38:38)

RELATED EPISODES:

WORKS CITED, REFERENCED, OR CONSULTED:

LINKS:

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

FEATURED MUSIC:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio
-“I Am the Doctor” by Jon Pertwee

Worth a Look: Luke Cage Edition

Worth a Look: Luke Cage Edition

Marvel/Netflix’s Luke Cage has a lot of people talking a mere week and a half after being uploaded to Netflix’s servers, and for good reason. While ostensibly linked to the more popular popcorn faire that is the “superhero genre” of films created by Fox, Sony, Warner Bros., and Marvel over the last sixteen years, Netflix has done more to push the genre forward and upward with its four seasons of shows than has really been done since The Dark KnightLuke Cage alone has elevated the discourse in our popular culture to the point where the greater populace can not only talk about blackness in America, but it’s getting white America to listen to conversations about blackness in America. The last time a live-action superhero production instigated a larger conversation about deep-seated issues in America was not this summer’s Captain America: Civil WarBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, nor X-Men: Apocalypse, but last year’s Jessica Jones––a Marvel/Netflix (Martflix?) show. Like Jessica Jones before it, Luke Cage approaches its issues in a variety of incredibly subtle, as well as not so subtle, ways, but the fact that it’s approaching them at all––and giving these issues narrative prominence––sets it apart from most other entries in the genre.

source: BlackNerdProblems
source: BlackNerdProblems

Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m an English teacher (albeit not one of Literature, but of Composition and Rhetoric), but I noticed right away how many books dominated the show (at least in the front half––I’m not quite done with the season yet as of this writing) and how diverse Cage’s tastes were––in terms of race, sure, but also in terms of genre.

Dr. Tara Betts briefly discusses the books given center stage in the show, but expands that view into a full reading list that addends and complements the show. Some are a bit jokey (the Where’s Waldo? choice), others are referential (picking a Geoffrey Canada book since the writer was referenced by Cottonmouth at one point), and others are thoughtful on a pedagogical level (Acres of SkinCutting Along the Color Line), all of which could be used to describe the show itself.

Like I did for the “Worth a Look” about Stranger Things, I’m featuring this article even though I didn’t read it yet because it boldly sports a spoiler warning, and I––wishing to hold onto some aspect of nerd integrity––want to watch the rest of Luke Cage clean.

source: iO9.com
source: io9.com

Evan Narcisse’s article is presented as a dialogue between four writers discussing the major cultural issues as presented and challenged in Luke Cage. In fairness, many articles have been written about this aspect of the show, but this gathering of different points of view on the same subject is an attractive and important approach. Especially as a white dude from the coast of California––and as a teacher––it’s these discussions that I need to find and listen to.

Episode 94 – The Garbleflangers

Episode 94 – The Garbleflangers

Week in Geek: Andrew plays The Dice Must Flow while Dan talks about responding to nerds who write term papers.

Bill and Pete’s Excellent Adventure: The 12th Doctor’s new companion, Bill, was introduced to the world last weekend and Dan and Andrew talk more about how the announcement was made more than about the companion herself, if only because that’s all the information we have.

Digital Board Games: As Andrew tries to liquidate his enviable stock of board games, he contemplates the purpose of buying more boxes for new games since their digital versions are so readily available––and so easily playable.

Share your thoughts on this week’s topics as a comment at forall.libsyn.com. For exclusive content, be sure to join our official Facebook page. Email the show at forallpod [at] gmail.com. Support the show by leaving a comment on the iTunes store page. Their algorithms will help spread the word of the show.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Links:

-“‘Star Trek’ Lawsuit: The Debate Over Klingon Language Heats Up” by Eriq Gardner (via The Hollywood Reporter)
-“Reebok
Celebrates ‘Alien Day’ by Releasing Ellen Ripley-Inspired Shoes Just for Men
” by John Marcotte (via Heroic Girls)
-“The Sound of Crushing Silence: A Death-Metal Band Covers John Cage’s ‘4’33’” by Lars Gotrich (via NPR)

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio
-“I Am the Doctor” by Jon Pertwee
-“The Sentinels of the Multiverse (Main Theme)” by Jean-Marc Giffin
-“Iron Man 3” by Brian Tyler

Episode 93 – The Clay Man Incident

Episode 93 – The Clay Man Incident

NOTE: There were some technical difficulties that occurred during the recording of the opening segment which caused some of the audio quality to be compromised. The remainder of the episode meets our normal standards of audio fidelity. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Week in Geek: Andrew plays Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes while Dan plays a Free-to-Play game, finally watches Ant-Man, and discusses re-watching Event Horizon.

Whitewashing: With the release of a photo of Scareltt Johansenn in costume to celebrate the start of filming of the Hollywood live-action adaptation of the venerated manga/anime, Ghost in the Shell, a lot of controversy across the internet among nerds and socially conscious people alike discussed the idea of whitewashing in media adapted from other cultures.

Leave a comment about the topics discussed in this episode at forall.libsyn.com. Join the official Facebook page for exclusive links and conversation with other listeners. E-mail the show at forallpod [at] gmail.com. If you like the show, rate it on the iTunes store to help spread the word.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Interesting Links:

-“Orientalism, Whitewashing, and Erasure: Hollywood’s Historic Problem with Asian People” by Jessica Lachenal (via theMarySue)

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ In Black” by Wax Audio
-“The Ghost Inside” by Broken Bells
-“When Doves Cry” by Prince (RIP)

-Clip from Animaniacs

Episode 91 – Trying to Keep Sharp

Episode 91 – Trying to Keep Sharp

Week in Geek: Andrew plays through Resident Evil HD Remaster while Dan struggles with the humor and politics of Broforce.

All in a Name: An incredible blowout occurred on the internet after certain fans of Baldur’s Gate found, in the recent expansion Baldur’s Gate: The Siege of Dragonspear, an openly trans character and found it offensive, for a variety of reasons. Dan and Andrew ruminate on this and associated controversy in the realm of video games to varying degrees of civility and calm demeanor.

DC Comics Talk with Andrew and Luke: Andrew has a sit down with Luke Turpeinen from AcrossTheBoardGames.net about all things DC (perhaps touching on the issues around Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice).

Leave a comment on the topics of this episode at forall.libsyn.com. Be sure to join our official Facebook and Google+ pages. Email the show at forallpod [at] gmail.com. If you want to help the show, be sure to leave a review (stars and/or text reviews) at the iTunes store page for this show.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Links:

“Caped Crusader, Or Cruel Sadist? Miller Makes One Fan Wonder” by Kim Fu (via NPR)––this is republished from a 2014 article in the light of the Batman presented in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“The Inside Story of Recording Metal Gear Solid by Ben Hanson (via GameInformer), and audio documentary.
“Watch Mega Man Produce Keiji Inafune Make a Mario Maker Stage” by Nick Robinson (via Polygon).
Baldur’s Gate Studio Responds to Harassment Over Trans Character” by Colin Campbell (via Kotaku).

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio
-“Why Can’t We Be Friends?” by WAR
-“Superman Inside” by Eric Clapton
-“Dog on Fire” by They Might Be Giants

Episode 09 – Podcastin’ All Night

Episode 09 – Podcastin’ All Night

As is the case every week, when exciting news or developments happen in the nerdy & geeky world, Andrew and Dan are on top of it with sharp wits and minds.

The Week in Geek:  Andrew starts reading comics and Dan finishes video games while listening to the new Weird Al album.

Boasts of Bethel: Dan talks about the audience’s role in completing that action that is “fiction.”

Discussion: This week Dan and Andrew discuss the recent developments in the world of comic books––specifically, the new Thor and the new Captain America––and how the world would benefit more from these “legacy” characters.

Games that Matter: This time, Andrew and Dan go on about their love for all things Fallout 3.

Geek Thoughts: After discussing the answers to last week’s questions. To that end, since I said I’d link to it, here is the historical recipes blog that commenter, Tracy Johnston, maintains, Goode Eates. This week our hosts ask a timely question:

What is exciting you or piquing your interest at this year’s San Diego ComicCon?

Submit your answer as a comment at forall.libsyn.com, on Facebook, Google+, or on Twitter (Dan and Andrew).  Also, feel free to leave a review of the podcast on iTunes! Leaving reviews gets us more attention! Also, you can e-mail any questions, comments, or miscellanea to forallpod [at] gmail [dot] com.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Music from the Episode:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“Get Used to It” by Darren Korb, from Bastion (Original Soundtrack)

-“I Dont’ Want to Set the World on Fire” by The Ink Spots

-“The Rockford Files Theme” by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter