Burst Your Bubble

A podcast about -isms and -phobias in pop culture.

Filtering by Category: racism

EP70 - Joker: Why Make a Sympathetic Shooter?

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EP70 - Let’s talk about toxic masculinity, gun violence, and mental illness in Joker. Because here’s the real question: in a world where we can see real life mass shootings on TV and read about them in newspapers and hear about them on the radio, why do we need a movie that celebrate and sympathizes with the shooter?

You can find the full episode script here.

Logo by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP67 - The One Where We Talk About Friends

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EP67 - To put it simply, Friends was a phenomenon, not just influencing TV and pop culture, but American beliefs and values. Friends aired from 1994 to 2004, and while it may have been progressive for its time, now it just feels dated and problematic. But let’s take a closer look at how the show is essentially a time capsule, discussing how casual homophobia, gender stereotypes, sexism, transphobia, and racism can become a normalized part of society.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP66 - Cultures Aren't Costumes

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EP66 - It happens every year - someone wears a Halloween costume that's problematic, not thinking about the historical and cultural background of that costume. But let's talk about it, and why cultures aren't costumes.

You can find the full episode script here.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP64 - I Love Lucy: The All American Girl and "The Latin"

EP64 - I Love Lucy starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Arnaz was Cuban American, and so the real life married couple was the first interracial couple on television at a time when the typical TV family was suburban, middle class, and white; in the real world there were anti-miscegenation laws, immigration quotas, and xenophobia. On one hand I Love Lucy created more representation in the media, but on the other the show certainly had its problems.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP62 - Breakfast at Tiffany's, Yellowface, and Whitewashing

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EP62 - Breakfast at Tiffany's may be a classic film but it's hard to ignore Mr. Yunioshi, a Japanese character played by a white man in yellowface. While discussing this adaptation of Truman Capote's 1958 novel, let's look at the history of yellowface in Hollywood, reminding ourselves that while we might not see someone doing such a blatant caricature yellowface and its racism, xenophobia, and orientalism still seeps into pop culture today - but now more covertly through whitewashing.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP61 - The "Greatest" Showman?

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In The Greatest Showman P.T. Barnum is shown as a champion for outsiders who accepts and celebrates their differences and their diversity, but can the movie truly have a positive message when the very man who it makes its sympathetic hero is really a man who exploited people with disabilities and people of color to make money.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP60 - From the Heart to the Rind: The Watermelon Stereotype

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There's a stereotype that all black people love watermelon, but where does this trope come from? In this episode we'll talk about how since the Civil War the black community has been negatively associated with watermelon throughout pop culture,  from minstrel shows to newspapers, music and cartoons, and paper goods to TV. And whether we realize it or not, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, the stereotype and trope remains today - because that’s American culture and American history.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP59 - Game of Thrones: Race and Dany's White Savior Complex

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Here's part two of the problems with cultural phenomenon Game of Thrones. This time we're going to talk about race, representation (or lack thereof), and Dany Targaryen's white savior complex. 

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP57 - The Orientalist History (and Future) of Aladdin

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EP57 - Disney's 1992 Aladdin is a childhood classic. Growing up I know it was one of my favorites - but it's important to talk about the story from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and how its orientalist views later influenced any and all adaptations of Aladdin (and yes, that includes Disney's).

You can find the full episode script here.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP56 - The History of Prom

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EP56 - Prom is something just about every American teenager goes through, but how much do people know about the history of prom, a history full of issues concerning class, race, gender, and sex.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
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EP55 - Will & Grace, The Puppy Episode, and a Missed Opportunity

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EP55 - First airing in 1998 and running for 8 seasons before its 2017 reboot, Will & Grace has always been applauded as revolutionary - but the show only focused on a very narrow part of the queer community: the wealthy, white, cis man. While you could argue that this was the show’s only option at the time, Will & Grace continues to have the same problems with its current day reboot - bi-erasure, lack of racial representation, and the same stereotypes - ignoring the intersections of the queer community. And even more heartbreaking, the reboot mocks the Puppy Episode, a part of queer TV history that paved the way for Will & Grace.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP54 - Sixteen Candles and Toxic Masculinity

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EP54 - Sixteen Candles is an 80s classic, but when you rewatch it it's easier to see the films problems: racism, homophobia, and - above all - that masculinity and a guy's reputation are marked by the relationships and control men have over women.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP53 - Shrill

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EP53 - Shrill brings up important issues, most notably how changing your life for the better doesn't have to mean changing your body. It's a show about empowerment and acceptance, and I came away with a lot of information, but also a lot of questions. My biggest concern? Well, it has to do with the morning-after pill.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP52 -Dumbo

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Dumbo might be a classic, but it’s important to understand the history behind one of its characters, especially when that history encompasses slavery, racism, and discrimination in the United States, starting with blackface at minstrel shows and ending in written laws.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP51 - Renew One Day at a Time

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Have you ever watched the show One Day at a Time? The remake of the 1975 sitcom is a present day story of the Cuban American Alvarez family. The remake - brought to life largely in part by Gloria Calderón Kellett, a Cuban American, and a half Latinx writing team - is in danger of not being renewed for its 4th season. Listen as we look at either why you should be watching the show or reminding you exactly why you love it.

#RenewODAAT

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

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EP48 - An Ode to Black Hair, from Locs and Cornrows to Twists and Braids

Recently there was a viral video of Andrew Johnson, a black teen who was told by a white referee that he could either cut his locs or forfeit his wrestling match. Would it have been the same situation if he had been white? Let's talk about hair and what is fashionable for white people can lead to discrimination for blacks.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP47 - Modern Family, Sofia Vergara, and the Influence of Carmen Miranda

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The term "spicy Latina" has dominated Latinx representations in pop culture since the 1940s. Today we have Modern Family and Sofia Vergara, where she is a Colombian playing a Colombian. But is Vergara a positive representation of Latinx culture, and furthermore is it fair to ask her to be?

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP45 - Addams Family (Thanksgiving) Values

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Let's talk (real quick) about Addams Family Values (1993) and the infamous Thanksgiving scene.

You can find the full episode script here.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP44 - BoJack Horseman, Whitewashing, and Diane Nguyen

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BoJack Horseman might be a wonderful show, but it's not without its flaws. Let's talk about why representation is important, how using white actors to voice animated characters of color is still whitewashing, and Diane Nguyen - a Vietnamese American character who is voiced by a white woman.

You can find the full episode script here.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod

EP43 - Candyman and the Fear of "Urban Society"

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It's another Halloween episode! This time we're going to focus on Candyman, a 1992 film that plays off a white, middle class audience's fear of "urban society": their fears urban housing projects and the residents living there, all fueled by underlying racism and anti-miscegenation.

Art by Jeremy Ferris.

New episodes released the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com
www.facebook.com/burstyourbubblepodcast
www.twitter.com/burstbubblespod