Starve a Lie, Feed the Truth

This week, the Drs ponder at what point watching movie or television dramatizations of people’s struggles or experiences of violence becomes exploitative. Dr. Lisa shares her frustration with the poor job news media is doing suffocating the many lies told on the campaign trail by one particular presidential candidate and the pair end with reflections on whether knowing a person’s race gives context to behavior and at what point this can tip into racism and stereotype.

Word of the Week [2:10]: Exploitation. Over a year ago, Dr. Lisa found an amazing article that applied theories of exploitation to nonprofits. Since reading it, Dr. Shaunna can't unsee the exploitation all around us. 

Phase 1 [7:55]: "Buried Alive...and Survived". Many of us have probably seen movies that were inspired by real events. During a shocking "a ha" moment, Dr. Shaunna realized that not only was this new Lifetime TV movie a remake of a 1990 horror film, but that it may sensationalize gender-based violence. What happens when art imitates life a little too well?

Phase 2 [21:20]: The Lies He Tells. Media outlets across the political spectrum have named 45's outright lies to varying degrees. Many times, news media will use imprecise language like “lacking evidence” rather than calling something what it actually is – a lie. Dr. Lisa reminds us that we should all work to feed truths and starve lies much more often than we do.

Phase 3 [33:20]: "Are They White?" About a week before recording, Dr. Shaunna shared the challenges of collaborating with a new partner on a project. Given some of the disrespectful behavior, Dr. Lisa asked about the race of the person. In response to that question, Dr. Shaunna erupted in both laughter and reflection. Does race give context? 

Referenced in the show:

Preview: Buried Alive and Survived

The Trump Campaign Continues to Spew Lies about Springfield. Plus, Support for Political Violence Is On the Rise. – On the Media podcast

The Media Are Going Easy On Trump and Russia is Going All In On Right-Wing Media – On the Media pod