Episode 38: The Treble with Trainor

May 28, 2015

“I don’t consider myself a feminist, but I’m down for my first opportunity to say something to the world to be so meaningful. If you asked me, ‘What do you want to say?’ it would be, ‘Love yourself more.’”

— Meghan Trainor

“I just think women should love themselves more than they do. Because I think - with all the social media stuff - we look at ourselves too much, and we just destroy ourselves when we’re way cooler than we know.”

— Meghan Trainor

In this episode we welcome Maureen Hoff to discuss a recent sensation in the music industry: Meghan Trainor. We chose to examine some of the lyrics in two of her most popular songs, entitled "All About That Bass" and "Dear Future Husband". Both songs, satirical in their own way, deal with issues of ideas of femininity and masculinity, body image, beauty standards and marriage. We examine some of the issues with her approach and inadvertent issues with her delivery and lyrical choices.

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Episode 37: Starbucks' 'Race Together' Campaign

May 20, 2015

“White people control almost 90 percent of the nation’s wealth.”

— Starbucks on Friday, March 20th, 2015 in a newspaper advertisement

“‘Race Together’ grew out of concerns over police killings of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and New York. In announcing the campaign, Schultz called it “an opportunity to begin to re-examine how we can create a more empathetic and inclusive society – one conversation at a time.”

— Tom Kertscher of Politifact, March 31, 2015

“Most Starbucks baristas simply don’t have the time to discuss anything other than coffee with customers. Amid responsibilities like taking orders, working the registers, making complicated drink orders, and preparing food from the company’s newly expanded menu, there is no time to write extra words on cups — much less entertain a debate on race relations.”

— Hayley Peterson of Business Insider, March 29, 2015

Spurred by an article in the March 23rd edition of Advertising Age, we felt it would be pertinent to work through some of the issues facing the 'Race Together' campaign. While we applaud Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for his attempt at being progressive, we highlight issues regarding the Catch 22 for workers, the intended speed of fast food and the complexity of commercial influence.

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Episode 36: Hillary Clinton's Nomination

May 13, 2015

“Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times. But the deck is stacked for those at the very top.”

— Hillary Clinton, 2015

“If Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee, then how will she be able to attack the Republican nominee for being a tool of Wall Street — which she will have to do (and do convincingly) in order to beat the Republican?”

— Eric Zuesse, The Huffington Post

This week we welcome Sam Whipple, who joins us to offer some opinions and insight on Hillary Clinton's recent bid as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2016 Presidential Election. We discuss some of the criticisms and concerns facing her and how the political landscape might react to this decision in the long term.

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Episode 35: Why Dogs Do That

May 6, 2015

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”

— Gilda Radner

“Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell.”

— Emily Dickinson

A much more lighthearted episode than our typical fare, we wanted to find a text which was both informative while also being easy to consume. We give a reading from several chapters of Tom Davis' book Why Dogs Do That. The chapters explain and offer a variety of hypotheses for canine behavior including why dogs chase cars and why certain breeds point or fetch instinctively.

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Episode 34: The Advent of Vlogging

May 6, 2015

“The popularity of independent young video bloggers, the ‘vloggers’ who film their thoughts and observations for thousands of followers to enjoy online, is already setting the future shape of marketing and advertising.”

— Dalmeet Singh Chawla, The Guardian

As video-blogging or "vlogging" becomes increasingly popular on sites like YouTube, we wanted to discuss the influence and potential of this new medium. It is simple to use and offers brief glimpses to the lives of others as reality shows have long claimed to do. Unlike reality TV, however, vlogging is edited by the individuals on-screen, who have a much more personal and constant relationship with their various audiences.

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