November 27, 2017
THE LIST
1. Planet Money - "Walmart's Pickle"
Despite criticism for their aggressive approach of scorched earth capitalism, Walmart is an undeniable juggernaut in the US economy. Arguably the originator of the one-stop-shop approach to commerce, the company now finds itself in a race with Amazon to be the physical and digital home for the American consumer. When Amazon buys Whole Foods, Walmart doesn't sit idly by. The intersection of bioengineering and mass consumption is the cue for Planet Money to step in and unravel this tale of competition at the highest level of the market for cheap goods.
While the juncture of money and food may belong to Planet Money, the literal synthesis of humanity and finance falls to Love and Radio. This episode unearths the resulting weirdness when a specific person seeks to integrate himself into the marketplace of tradable public commodities. "WWCD?" provides endless material for provocative hypothetical ponderings, while also conveying the depth of emotions that come as a bi-product of such an exercise.
Just as the cheeky title alludes to, this installment of More Perfect weaves a great deal of levity into a far-reaching judicial decision. As the Radiolab spinoff continues to dish out episodes, it appears that a number of plaintiffs in monumental hearings started out with very little intention of shaping a societal standard. This makes the characters in the proceedings all the more intriguing, and is once again at play in "Sex Appeal" - the story of gender equality brought about by dismantling discriminatory beer laws.
HONORABLE MENTION
SOMETHING NEW
Hosts play a key part in most podcasts, but the role is most important when the format is centered on discussion. Even more so when the topic of discussion is race, as is the case with Whiting Wongs. Dan Harmon, a well-regarded white male producer and writer, and Jessica Gao, a lesser-known Chinese female writer with a budding pedigree in the industry make for a winning co-host team on this new podcast. The first few episodes in the series showcase two earnest people trying to find the show's tone. Harmon tends to speak too much and jokes about Gao's lack of involvement, and takes a strong stance about how critical listeners can go...well...you know. Eventually the conversations settle into a territory where insight is perfectly proportioned with real-talk. Harmon inevitably walks himself in and out of troubling territory by candidly sharing his thoughts, and Gao offers frank and legitimate criticisms of the views expressed.
It can be tough to know how to enter a conversation about injustice, particularly from the majority perspective as this position leaves ample room for missteps. But the blueprint laid out by these two intelligent and funny people is a solid and could be effectively adopted by the masses. There's no point in pulling punches when discussing a hot-button issue like race. There is equal insanity in trying to single-handedly dissolve racism and/or disprove it's existence in society. The duo jokes about being upset that racism still exists despite the release of several episodes on the topic (something the now-defunct About Race podcast did with regularity), and this serves as a disarming entry point for deeper points of discussion. Indeed, the best moments of the show come when an errant comment is seized upon and transforms into a salient piece of amiable push and pull conversive debate. Despite a ridiculous name and a cringe-inducing earworm of a theme song, Whiting Wongs actually does what it sets out to do: advance the conversation about race relations in the entertainment industry.
It can be tough to know how to enter a conversation about injustice, particularly from the majority perspective as this position leaves ample room for missteps. But the blueprint laid out by these two intelligent and funny people is a solid and could be effectively adopted by the masses. There's no point in pulling punches when discussing a hot-button issue like race. There is equal insanity in trying to single-handedly dissolve racism and/or disprove it's existence in society. The duo jokes about being upset that racism still exists despite the release of several episodes on the topic (something the now-defunct About Race podcast did with regularity), and this serves as a disarming entry point for deeper points of discussion. Indeed, the best moments of the show come when an errant comment is seized upon and transforms into a salient piece of amiable push and pull conversive debate. Despite a ridiculous name and a cringe-inducing earworm of a theme song, Whiting Wongs actually does what it sets out to do: advance the conversation about race relations in the entertainment industry.
Whiting Wongs
From: Feral Audio
Recommended for: Anyone whose ever wanted to talk about race, but is afraid of how an honest expression of earnest thoughts would sound (Dan Harmon is not afraid of how he is perceived).
Drop Schedule: Thursday, Weekly
Average episode length: 70 minutes
Rating: Gotta Have It
From: Feral Audio
Recommended for: Anyone whose ever wanted to talk about race, but is afraid of how an honest expression of earnest thoughts would sound (Dan Harmon is not afraid of how he is perceived).
Drop Schedule: Thursday, Weekly
Average episode length: 70 minutes
Rating: Gotta Have It
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