Our Opinions Are Correct

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Episode 40: What is TV criticism, anyway? Sep 12, 2019

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People have a lot of opinions about what it means to have opinions about TV. Who is allowed to criticize TV, and how do you do it well? In this episode, we talk to TV critics Inkoo King (Slate) and Nina Shen Rastogi (Vulture) about what it means to analyze TV in 2019. We're at Peak TV, everything is political, and we are still processing our feelings about Game of Thrones. Also, recaps are dead. Let's talk about TV!

Shownotes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 39: Monstrous Women and Women Who Make Monsters Aug 29, 2019

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Why do so many horror movies and stories feature terrifying women? Why do male creators treat female bodies and women's sexuality as intrinsically terrifying? And what happens when women get to create their own monsters and horror narratives? Plus we talk to Mallory O'Meara about her new book The Lady from the Black Lagoon.

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 38: The new anti-capitalist science fiction Aug 15, 2019

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There's been a renaissance of anti-capitalist stories in science fiction and fantasy in the U.S. But these aren't tales of violent revolution or faceless corporations. We discuss Utopia, community, and how group therapy is the opposite of authoritarianism. Also, we're joined by K.M. Szpara, who talks to us about his steamy forthcoming novel Docile, whose tagline is, "There is no consent under capitalism."

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 37: The history of Afro-futurism Aug 01, 2019

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Afro-futurism is on the rise again, thanks to the popularity of movies like Black Panther, and creators such as Janelle Monae and N.K. Jemisin. But Black-centered futurism has a long history in the U.S., and it's changed a lot over the past century. We sit down with critic and scholar Shawn Taylor, co-founder of TheNerdsOfColor.org, to talk about Afro-futurisms of yesterday and tomorrow.

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 36: The Laws of the Future! Jul 18, 2019

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Real-world law is becoming science fictional. We talk about the future of surveillance and digital policing with guest Cyrus Farivar, a journalist who covers law and technology for NBC News. He's also the author of Habeas Data, a book about landmark privacy cases. We discuss where our current laws are going, and what science fiction has to say about it -- especially Star Trek, a show lawyers love for a reason.

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 35: When science fiction gets censored Jul 04, 2019

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There's nothing quite so dystopian as censorship: the suppression of knowledge, or works of art, that challenge the ruling order. We look at how science fiction, fantasy and horror have been censored. But also, what does science fiction teach us about how to resist censorship? And we talk to Ron Turner, publisher of Last Gasp, about the underground comics scene and his struggles with official censorship.

Show notes: https://www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes/

Episode 34: How to Write a Good Ending Jun 20, 2019

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Everybody knows that endings are hard, and we all love to complain about the way our favorite TV show or movie ended. But with both Game of Thrones and the Avengers movies coming to an end, this is a perfect time to think about what makes for a good ending. And how the heck do you write one?

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 33: Science fiction explains our messed-up economy Jun 06, 2019

Show notes

We talk to economist Noah Smith about how different theories of economics show up in science fiction -- and how economics is also an exercise in speculative worldbuilding. How do ideas about "rational actors" make their way into space operas, and why is everyone so obsessed with game theory? Plus what is the deal with Ayn Rand?

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 32: You're doing camp wrong! May 21, 2019

Show notes

Lately the camp-themed Met Gala got us talking about camp again. What is camp? And how is it different in 2019 than in 1969? And most importantly, why is science fiction so deathly terrified of seeming campy? We're going to have a Kiki about this.

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Episode 31: Getting out of the Utopia/dystopia binary May 09, 2019

Show notes

We're living in an age of dystopian stories, while real-life social issues are getting pretty dystopian too. What's the point of telling dark stories in a dark time? Also, we discuss how Utopian stories and dystopian stories are actually quite similar -- just two opposite extremes -- and how the best science fiction exists in the nuanced gray area between the binary poles. Plus: what stories are giving us hope right now?

Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

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