Squid Game: A technicolor TV show of violence, betrayal, and desperation that Americans understand
By Sarah A. Son, Lecturer in Korean Studies, University of Sheffield Squid Game is anything but your typical, saccharine, soft-glow Korean television drama. In this biting commentary on life in South Korea today, viewers are presented with a twisting, technicolor...
Needle in a Timestack: John Ridley’s new sci-fi film envisions a future with Black people and time travel
Written and directed by Milwaukee native John Ridley, who won an Academy Award for his “12 Years a Slave” screenplay, “Needle in a Timestack” is a science-fiction drama that follows a married couple struggling to maintain their relationship in...
The old model falls apart: Big-budget movies continue shifting from theatrical debuts to streaming services
By Anthony Palomba, Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Administration, University of Virginia The trailer for “The Many Saints of Newark” features the song “Money” by The Flying Lizards. One lyric poignantly captures the thematic heart of the prequel to the...
A Toxic Culture: How COVID-19 has caused youth harassment to skyrocket in online gaming
By Amanda Cote, Assistant Professor of Media Studies/Game Studies, University of Oregon As COVID-19 has driven much of life online and fueled a boom in online gaming, harassment in these and other internet spaces has increased. Forty-one percent of computer and video...
Why my head might explode if I hear another White person say they don’t have a racist bone in their body
“Dumboriss Smith has lips the size of Michelin tires.” – John Gruden, 2011 email “All I can say is I’m not a racist. I can’t tell you how sick I am. I apologize again to De Smith. But I feel good about who I am, what I’ve done my entire life....
Harpole Building: Bader Philanthropies names its Harambee HQ in honor of Reuben and Mildred Harpole
At a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on October 12, Bader Philanthropies announced the name of the newly renovated Harambee neighborhood building located at 3338 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. To be known as the Harpole Building, the name was selected...
Myth of a stolen election: Republicans continue to force a 2020 recount in Wisconsin despite no evidence
Republicans in several states are advancing partisan reviews of the 2020 election results, underscoring how deeply the GOP has embraced the myth of a stolen election since 2020. The investigations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Texas are advancing even after an...
Statewide strike demands Congress ratify path to citizenship for immigrant essential workers
Essential workers in Wisconsin held a statewide “Day Without Latinxs and Immigrants” strike on October 11, Indigenous People’s Day. Thousands of supporters marched, sometimes during periods of heavy rain, from Milwaukee’s Latinx-majority southside to...
An age of broken information: Understanding when online content is misleading, manipulated, or false
By Michael J. O’Brien, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Texas A&M-San Antonio; and Izzat Alsmadi, Associate Professor of Computing and Cybersecurity, Texas A&M-San Antonio Sorting through the vast amount of information created and shared...
Your discomfort with talking about racism is making me very uncomfortable
I keep hearing people say that they are tired of talking about race and racism all the time. They claim that it is causing discord and division and making people feel a great deal of discomfort. My response to this, has grown out of a feeling of frustration. I am...
Inventing Columbus: How an explorer who devastated native populations inspired the American Dream
By William Francis Keegan, Curator of Caribbean Archaeology, University of Florida Christopher Columbus was a narcissist. He believed he was personally chosen by God for a mission that no one else could achieve. After 1493, he signed his name “xpo ferens” meaning “the...
Truth and Healing: Congress proposes plan for Native communities traumatized by boarding school policies
By David R. M. Beck, Professor of Native American Studies, The University of Montana The National Day of Remembrance for Native American children honors children who died years ago while attending the United States’ Indian boarding schools each September 30. On that...
