This Week in Dystopia – Details, episodes & analysis

When HBO series Watchmen premiered in October 2019, the show—a dramatically different take on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’s original comic book/graphic novel—was noted for its direct confrontation of racism in America. Systemic racism, police brutality, collective trauma, and vigilante justice are all central themes to the TV remix. In light of ongoing deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police, nationwide protests, and calls for reforms, the show is now getting a second look with many calling it eerily prescient. 

Tune in to a conversation, originally held on June 25th, 2020, about how Watchmen and other popular entertainment can highlight and help us understand critical issues around race and policing. Speakers include: 

• Chris LeBron, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University 
• Leah Wright Rigueur, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, Brandeis University 
• Deva Woodly, Associate Professor of Politics, The New School 
•  Christopher Robichaud (Moderator), Senior Lecturer in Ethics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

⚠ Spoiler alert! This discussion will reveal key moments from the show, if you haven't seen it already and plan to, we highly encourage you to watch before listening. 

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Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, returns to talk about the HBO TV series based on the 1980s comic.

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From the moment your alarm goes off until your head hits the pillow at night, fitness is in your face. During the day, most of us will either go to the gym, think about working out, get a reminder from our fitness tracker, walk by a fitness studio, or feel bad for not getting any exercise at all. Fitness is not only a large part of our day, but it's a part of our cultural identity and pop culture. 

This week Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Associate Professor of History at The New School, joins This Week in Dystopia Host Chris Robichaud for a conversation about fitness, pop culture, and public policy. We talk about everything from SoulCycle to physical education in schools.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

🚨 SPOILER ALERT: Host Chris Robichaud has already seen this movie (twice!) and the episode contains spoilers. If you haven't already seen Captain Marvel, listen at the peril of your movie-going experience.

Julian Chambliss, English Professor at Michigan State University and comic book aficionado, joins host Chris Robichaud to discuss Captain Marvel. They discuss both what Carol Danvers portends for the Avengers storyline as well as what her cultural significance is as the leading female superhero to grace the silver screen in the most popular superhero universe (sorry DC Comics, but let's be real).

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

In episode 20, we asked, can you keep politics out of football? The answer was a resounding no. Not only are politics a part of contemporary sports culture, but politics is woven throughout sports and entertainment history. Host Chris Robichaud sits down with Justin Tinsley, a writer at ESPN's Undefeated, to talk about social activism in sports and pop culture. The conversation touches on everything from Jackie Robinson to Sammy Davis Jr., Travis Scott, and sneaker culture.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

This week, host Chris Robichaud sits down with author, scholar, and executive producer Tananarive Due to talk about the complicated relationship Black filmmakers and Black audiences have with horror.

Mentioned in the show
Horror Noire
Get Out
The Sunken Place
My Soul to Keep (African Immortals series)

This episode was FULL on mentions, find them all on our Medium page.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The Grammys have been criticized for lacking diversity and not giving hip-hop artists their due. This year, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, took home both song and record of the year awards. This is America, Glover's chart-topping song best known for its music video, has something to say about the state of the U.S. from gun violence to race. We sat down with Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins, to talk about the significance of Glover's Grammy win in light of recent criticism as well as his no-show at the Awards. The conversation turns to the broader music scene, Janelle Monáe, Afrofuturism, and Kanye West.

Mentioned in the show
This is America Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY
Boston Review, What Happened to Kanye West?: http://bostonreview.net/race/christopher-lebron-what-happened-kanye-west
Boston Review, Janelle Monáe for President: http://bostonreview.net/race-literature-culture/chris-lebron-janelle-monae-president
Kanye West Interview with Charlamagne: http://digg.com/video/kanye-charlamange-interview
Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFK6k-pvXmI

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Are comic books just for kids? Is there more to pop culture then pure entertainment? I think you know our answer. Tune in to hear host Chris Robichaud discuss why This Week in Dystopia is focusing on pop culture and politics this season and how we'll prove that comic books aren't just for kids.

Mentioned in the show
Bill Maher's comments on comic books: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgInmHHO0m4
Maher's blog on the topic: http://www.real-time-with-bill-maher-blog.com/index/2018/11/16/adulting?rq=comic%20books
Brett Easton Ellis on Black Panther: https://www.indiewire.com/2019/02/bret-easton-ellis-black-panther-oscar-noms-no-one-thinks-its-good-movie-1202041009/

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.

In advance of Super Bowl LIII, tune in to hear host Christopher Robichaud in conversation with Mark Leibovich, Chief National correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, author of Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times, and Leah Wright Rigueur, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Special thanks go to the JFK Jr. Forum at Harvard's Institute of Politics for allowing us to share this discussion.

On Tuesday, March 20th, the Institute of Politics hosted a conversation with students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School titled, “#NEVERAGAIN: How Parkland Students are Changing the Conversation on Guns.” This week, we listen in to the discussion to reflect on both the power of young advocates in our democracy and the deep impact of gun violence, particularly in schools.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.