My Racist Friend
Episodes
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Episode 2.22: Living in Lovecraft Country
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Sunday Aug 30, 2020
Don and Amy discuss the impact of the new HBO series 'Lovecraft Country' (while trying to avoid any spoilers) and how it relates to the local and national stress surrounding race in America. Don shares an experience near his home confronting a group protesting the Bloomington mayor in support of law enforcement, and how his courage to challenge racist narratives online is impacting his business.
NOTE: This is the second episode of the pandemic where these two friends were in the same physical space, this time out amongst tree trimmers, construction, and the prelude to 2021's return of the cicadas. As a result, there is a lot of background noise throughout their discussions.
Additional resources:
"RallyMayor2" (Facebook, by the Bloomingtonian, August 23, 2020)https://www.facebook.com/290914014937212/videos/306912050755160
"Gallery: Red, White and BLUE rally at the Courthouse Square"(Bloomingtonian, by Jeremy Hogan, August 23, 2020)https://bloomingtonian.com/2020/08/23/gallery-defend-the-police-rally-at-the-courthouse-square/
"Black Lives Matter demonstrators attack “elderly man wearing oxygen.”" (Politifact, by Tom Kertscher, June 29, 2020)https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jul/07/facebook-posts/older-man-was-struck-demonstration-not-oxygen/
"New Jersey BLM leader charged with shoving elderly man during rally" (New York Post, by Lee Brown, August 19, 2020)https://nypost.com/2020/08/19/blm-leader-charged-with-punching-elderly-man-during-rally/
"Few African-American golfers on the PGA tour" (Richmond Free Press, by Fred Jeter, June 25, 2020)http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2020/jun/25/few-african-american-golfers-pga-tour/
"American Tennis in Black and White" (New Yorker, by Gerald Marzorati, August 3, 2016)https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/american-tennis-in-black-and-white
"Wisconsin police shoot a Black man as his children watch from a vehicle, attorney says" (CNN, by Eliott C. McLaughlin and Amir Vera, August 24, 2020)https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/24/us/kenosha-police-shooting-jacob-blake/index.html
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Episode 2.21: To Live and Die in Pixie
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Amy and Don talk about a neighborhood petition to rename "Dixie Street" in Bloomington, reflecting on both small meaningful actions and empty gestures. Their conversation covers the presence and suggestion of racism in the songs we sing and the media we watch.
NOTE: This is the first episode of the pandemic where these two friends were in the same physical space. As a result, there is a lot of background noise throughout their discussions.
Additional resources:
"Bloomington, Indiana: Rename Dixie Street" (Change.org, by S. Sherry, August 14, 2020)https://www.change.org/p/city-of-bloomington-plan-commission-bloomington-indiana-rename-dixie-street
"What 'Dixie' Really Means" (Atlantic, by Ben Zimmer, June 26, 2020)https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/06/what-dixie-really-means/613585/
"12 Good Ol' Facts About the 'Dukes of Hazzard'" (Mental Floss, by Jake Rossen, January 26, 2019)https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65519/12-good-ol-facts-about-dukes-hazzard
"What Did the 'Dukes of Hazzard' Really Say About the South" (Time, by James Poniewozik, July 2, 2015)https://time.com/3944668/dukes-of-hazzard-tv-land-confederate-flag/
"The changing profile of the U.S. military: Smaller in size, more diverse, more women in leadership" (Pew Research Center, by Amanda Barroso, September 10, 2019)https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/10/the-changing-profile-of-the-u-s-military/
"Even in her uniform, this happened ..." (Facebook post, by Ashley Bryant, August 1, 2020)https://www.facebook.com/immelaninaire/posts/3278691135547490
Onion Lawshttps://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/onions/onionlaws.html
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes
Monday Aug 03, 2020
Episode 2.20: Half-Pint Grunge Is Your Target Market
Monday Aug 03, 2020
Monday Aug 03, 2020
Prompted by a recent essay calling for an end to using the pejorative 'Karen', Amy wrestles with how sexism interferes and overlaps with anti-racism work. She and Don discuss how they participate in the systems they want to change—even while they are being hurt—and the importance of being authentic in a world that values power.
Additional resources:
"How That 'Karen' Meme Benefits the Right" (The National Memo, by Nina Burleigh, July 18, 2020)https://www.nationalmemo.com/karen-meme
"What's In a 'Karen'?" (NPR Code Switch, by Karen Grigsby Bates, July 15, 2020)https://www.npr.org/2020/07/14/891177904/whats-in-a-karen
"'Karen' Isn't a Slur - It's a Critique of Entitled White Womanhood" (Bitch Media, by Rachel Charlene Lewis, by April 10, 2020)https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/very-online/the-karen-meme-isnt-a-slur-its-a-social-critique
"How 'Karen' Became a Coronavirus Villain" (Atlantic, by Kaitlyn Tiffany, May 6, 2020)https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/05/coronavirus-karen-memes-reddit-twitter-carolyn-goodman/611104/
"Just Because You Never Called a Woman a Bitch Doesn't Mean You Haven't Called a Woman a Bitch" (Esquire, by Kelly Stout, July 24, 2020)https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a33409041/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-house-speech-ted-yoho/
"A small story ..." (Twitter, by Quinn Cummings, July 25, 2020)https://twitter.com/quinncy/status/1287099839726018560
Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes