Race and Racism

BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep4: “Striking Vipers” with Adriel M. Trott

  In Episode 4 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by Dr. Adriel M. Trott to discuss the first episode from the latest Season of Black Mirror, “Striking Vipers” released in 2019. Please make sure that you watch (or re-watch) “Striking Vipers” before you listen to our conversation, because all of the BLACK MIRROR…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep2: “White Christmas” with Chris Gilliard

  In Episode 2 of BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, I am joined by Dr. Chris Gilliard to discuss the first Black Mirror holiday special, first aired in 2014, “White Christmas.” Again, I strongly recommend that you watch (or re-watch) the episode before listening to this podcase episode. Even though Chris and I spend waaayyyy more time talking about…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 12: “Black Museum” with Zandria F. Robinson

  For Episode 12, our first episode of 2021, I am joined by Dr. Zandria F. Robinson to talk about whose bodies get sacrificed in the name of scientific advancement, the contours of consciousness, suffering as spectacle, ancestral ghosts, and “Black Museum” (Season 4, Episode 6 of Black Mirror), which first aired in 2017. Listen/Download BLACK…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 14: “Men Against Fire” with Charles W. McKinney, Jr.

  For Episode 14, I am joined by Dr. Charles W. McKinney, Jr. to talk about dehumanization techniques, the importance of race-conscious thinking, the dangerous logic of eugenics, whether an anti-racist technology is possible (or desirable), and “Men Against Fire.” Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Support/Donate to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 13: “Be Right Back” with Samir Chopra

  For Episode 13, I am joined by Dr. Samir Chopra to talk about intelligent robots, personhood, the complicated machinations of human grieving, and “Be Right Back” (Season 2, Episode 1 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2013. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Support/Donate to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast My…

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BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS, Ep 17: “White Bear” with Charles Mills

For Episode 17, I am joined by Dr. Charles Mills to talk about punishment, non-ideal theories of justice, why philosophers love science fiction, and “White Bear” (Season 2, Episode 2 of Black Mirror), which first premiered in 2013. Listen/Download BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast episodes  Subscribe to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast Support/Donate to BLACK MIRROR REFLECTIONS podcast I’ve been…

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#30DaySongChallenge, Day 3: A Song That Reminds You Of Summertime

I live in Memphis, so summertime makes me think of heat. Hot heat. Sticky heat. Unrelenting heat. Oppressive heat. The kind of heat that you can’t escape and you can’t recover from, despite the fact that you spend most of your time between May and September mad-dashing from one air-conditioned place to another air-conditioned place….

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The Fine Line Between Proselytizing and Parody: On “Roseanne”

Two decades after its season “finale” in 1997, Roseanne made its triumphant return to prime-time television this past Tuesday night.  More than 18 million people tuned in (including President Trump) and, if the hot takes are to believed, most people loved it (including President Trump). Critics have attributed the largely positive reception of Roseanne to its sympathetic…

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Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, and the APA’s “Code of Conduct”

by Edward Kazarian and Leigh M. Johnson A little over two years ago, more than 600 philosophers petitioned the American Philosophical Association to “produce a code of conduct and a statement of professional ethics for the academic discipline of Philosophy.” The immediate motivation for the petition was several high-profile cases of sexual misconduct by philosophers, which…

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