Jalen Brunson’s hosting debut on September 26, 2026 generated a split reaction: sports fans were thrilled, while SNL purists found the show formulaic and too reliant on basketball metaphors and sexual innuendo, but there were highlights. We explore whether ridicule, contrasting Hobbes with Frederick Douglass, effectively counters “uncivil” public figures in Tucker Carlson Reviews the Summer’s Blockbuster Films, and North High, a High School Musical parody, to discuss whiteness in teen movies, along with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on AI’s Threat to Humanity and the paradox of AI executives begging for regulation while racing ahead. Readings include scholarly readings include political theory and film critique alongside movie and television recommendations from the past half century.
Readings and Resources
Bejan, T. M. (2017). Mere civility: Disagreement and the limits of toleration. Harvard University Press.
Douglass, F. (1852). What to the slave is the Fourth of July? [Speech delivered in Rochester, NY].
Malooley, J. (2023). So Hard to Say Goodbye: The Oral History of Cooley High. Chicago Tribune Magazine. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2023/01/02/so-hard-to-say-goodbye-the-oral-history-of-cooley-high/
Stenger, J. (2007). Mapping the beach: beach movies, exploitation film and geographies of whiteness. In The Persistence of Whiteness (pp. 28-50). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203939741-3/mapping-beach-josh-stenger
Schultz, M. (Director). (1975). Cooley High [Film; screenplay by E. Monte]. American International Pictures.
Akil, M. B. (Creator). (2025). Forever [TV series]. Netflix.
Paltrow, B. (Creator). (1978–1981). The White Shadow [TV series]. CBS.
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