The election of Barack Obama propelled the idea of a post-racial United States, or that the country had moved beyond race as a defining feature of social difference and beyond racism as an everyday reality.
Dr. Danielle Fuentes Morgan examines the ways in which African American comedians and cultural producers took aim at such claims through the lens of satire. In her book, Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty First Century(University of Illinois Press, 2020), Morgan demonstrates and argues for satire’s capacity for social justice through its expression of Black interiority and individuality that troubles simplistic renderings of Black people. Morgan examines texts such as Insecure, Get Out, and comedy by Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle, to show how African American satire fulfills or stymies possibilities for liberation. In expressing Black interiority, satire not only provokes revolutionary laughter but aids in African American psychic and physical survival. During the interview we discussed the main concepts in the book, a range of satirical texts, and Dr. Morgan’s approach to teaching and writing about African American satire. Laughing to Keep from Dying probes satire’s potential for liberation and survival embedded within Black laughter, giving new meaning to the term seriously funny.
Danielle Fuentes Morgan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Santa Clara University.
Reighan Gillam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Southern California.
The CDC is continuing to warn about new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus in the US, and is tracking potential spread in daycare centers and youth sports. Meanwhile, Brazil is grappling with its own new variant that has caused infections and deaths to reach new highs this week.
Republicans in Kentucky joined together with the Democratic Governor to expand voting rights in the state — bucking the trend of Republicans elsewhere in the country. We explain what’s behind the move, along with a new executive order from the mayor of Atlanta to protect her residents against Georgia’s restrictive voting law.
And in headlines: Arkansas moves forward with extreme anti-trans law, the physics of muons, and House Republicans con their own donors.
Show Notes:
Washington Post: "Brazil has become South America’s superspreader event" – https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/05/brazil-variant-coronavirus-south-america/
Three L.A. comedians are quarantined in a podcast studio during a global pandemic. There is literally nothing to be done EXCEPT make content. These are "The Corona Diaries" and this is Episode 125. Music at the end is "Lenny Kravitz and Lisbon" by Don Lennon.
Arkansas has just become the first state in the country to pass legislation protecting minors from being prescribed puberty blockers or gender-hormone treatments, or receiving gender-change surgery.
Arkansas state Rep. Robin Lundstrum, the lead sponsor for the bill, joins the “Problematic Women” podcast to explain why the passage of the act is a victory for children and families. Lundstrum also explains why she thinks the bill has faced so much opposition from the political left.
We also cover these stories:
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer tells Democrats they need to “think long and hard” about court packing.
Small businesses are the big losers in Major League Baseball’s decision to move the All-Star Game from Atlanta, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tells the Washington Examiner.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul asks Republicans to boycott Coca-Cola after it came out against Georgia’s new election law.
This week, author Heather McGhee breaks down the driving force of American economic exclusion via the swimming pool. Baratunde asks Heather about all she has learned traveling across the country to write her book, The Sum of Us. They explore the roots of wealth inequality, the true cost of racism, and why Americans have a zero-sum worldview - meaning progress for some must come at the expense of others.
Guest: Heather McGhee - writer, advocate
Twitter: @hmcghee
Bio: Heather designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. Her new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together is now available from One World, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Her 2020 TED talk, “Racism Has a Cost for Everyone” reached 1 million views in just two months online. In the coming year, she will launch an original podcast on how to create cross-racial solidarity in challenging times.
SHOW NOTES + LINKS
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We are grateful to Heather McGhee for joining us! Follow her at @hmcghee on Twitter, or find more of her work at heathermcghee.com.
ACTIONS
PERSONALLY REFLECT
Where does your family fit in?
Our history is deeply rooted in the idea that one group’s gain must come at the expense of another. Reflect on your family. Has anyone expressed any of these sentiments? Where do you think it comes from? Why?
BECOME INFORMED
Read the Sum of Us
This book is incredible. It’s engaging, insightful, and digs deep into the hidden history of our country. Heather covers lots of ground, from the economic and racial impact of Climate Change to the Housing Crisis of ‘08. Support local bookstores and this show. You can buy it and more online at bookshop dot org slash how to citizen. https://bookshop.org/howtocitizen
PUBLICLY PARTICIPATE
Fight for $15
As Heather explained, solidarity dividends are the gains we get when we work together, across racial divides. Fight for $15 is an international movement for workers rights and a $15 minimum wage. Heather cites this movement as a perfect example of reaching across racial lines. The website fight for 15 dot org has all sorts of ways you can get involved, from signing a petition to organizing in your place of work.
If you take any of these actions, share that with us - action@howtocitizen.com. Mention But … Why Is Our Economy So White? in the subject line. And share about your citizening on social media using #howtocitizen.
Visit the show's homepage - www.howtocitizen.com - to sign up for news about the show, to learn about upcoming guests, live tapings, and more for your citizen journey.
How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts and Dustlight Productions. Our Executive Producers are Baratunde Thurston, Elizabeth Stewart and Misha Euceph. Stephanie Cohnis our Senior Producer and Alie Kilts is our Producer. Kelly Prime is our Editor. Original Music by Andrew Eapen. Valentino Rivera is our Engineer. Sam Paulson is our Apprentice. This episode was produced and sound designed by Stephanie Cohn. Special thanks to Joelle Smith from iHeartRadio.
The price we all would ultimately pay for a central government database of our vaccination status to regulate our public engagement could be very high. Can we get the benefits without the costs? Julian Sanchez and Jeff Singer comment.
Curious City reporter Monica Eng and editor Alexandra Salomon try to help one listener who claims NY has better bagels find some good ones in Chicago. Plus, we trace the local history of the donut-shaped bread: From its arrival in the U.S. with Jewish immigrants to mass production to a renaissance of local artisanal bakers who have gone back to the traditional way of making them.
President Biden announced on Tuesday that every American adult will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations on April 19th.
Various community stakeholders tell Reset what the announcement could mean for Chicago-area residents.
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For more about Reset, go to wbez.org and follow us on Twitter @WBEZReset
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mixed messaging on travel reveals the uncertain future of the pandemic, Dr. Monica Gandhi tells NPR. Gandhi is an infectious disease expert at the University of California San Francisco.
In the future, some travelers may be required to verify their vaccine status to enter a stadium or attend a wedding. Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and former member of President Biden's Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, tells NPR so-called vaccine "passports" can be made secure and private.
