Air Date: 5-18-2025

The full quote from today's title is from one of the most celebrated writers of Southern American literature, William Faulkner, who said, "The past is never dead. It’s not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity.” The new film, Sinners, set in the Jim Crow South, attempts to take on some of the subjects that make up that web of history and consequence. The theme of today's episode is an attempt to dig into many of the subjects of the film.

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KEY POINTS

KP 1: Sinners: Director Ryan Coogler on His Latest Hit, Delta Blues, His Mississippi Roots & Vampires Part 1 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-25-25

KP 2: Sinners and the General State of Things - The Morbid Zoo - Air Date 5-10-25

KP 3: Western Christianity and White Supremacy Part 1 - Meant For This - Air Date 3-23-22

KP 4: How Do You Put A Price On America's Original Sin? - Consider This - Air Date 3-27-23

KP 5: Storm and Stress: Jim Crow America Part 1 - History is US - Air Date 6-5-22

KP 6: Trump's first 100 days, but it's just the racism - Garrison Hayes - Air Date 5-2-25

(48:29) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

On how to talk about the interplay between economics and identity politics

DEEPER DIVES

(57:48) SECTION A: 

A1: The Role of Christianity In African Colonization Part 1 - Groundings - Air Date 4-14-22

A2: ‘America, América' with Greg Grandin - Why Is This Happening? - Air Date 4-22-25

A3: Western Christianity and White Supremacy Part 2 - Meant For This - Air Date 3-23-22

A4: The Role of Christianity In African Colonization Part 2 - Groundings - Air Date 4-14-22

(1:33:29) SECTION B: 

B1: Storm and Stress: Jim Crow America Part 2 - History is US - Air Date 6-5-22

B2: The Origin of Race in the USA - Origin of Everything - Air Date 4-3-18 

B3: Asiaphobia in the Black Community - Foreign Man in a Foreign Land - Air Date 7-30-22 

B4: Why Talk About Whiteness? The Why - Whiteness at Work - Air Date 2-3-25 

B5: How the Asian "Model Minority" perpetuates Anti-Blackness - oliSUNvia - Air Date 7-30-22

(2:18:56) SECTION C: 

C1: Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation Part 1 - Roots, Race & Culture - Air Date 5-19-22

C2: Why Sinners is Hollywoods Worst Nightmare - Olurinatti - Air Date 4-30-25

C3: Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation Part 2 - Roots, Race & Culture - Air Date 5-19-22

C4: Sinners: Director Ryan Coogler on His Latest Hit, Delta Blues, His Mississippi Roots & Vampires Part 2 - Democracy Now! - Air Date 4-25-25

SHOW IMAGE CREDITS

Description: Portion of the 1830s painting “Slave Market” (Brazil) depicting two white men discussing the sale of enslaved, black Brazilian men with a church with steeple and cross in the background and the iconography of the Virgin Mary on the wall above. 

Credit: “Slave Market” by Johann Moritz Rugendas, New York Public Library Digital Collections | Copyright status undetermined by NYPL | Changes: Cropped with increased contrast and brightness

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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