We Pick Science Fiction for Mitch McConnell

Cannonball with Wesley Morris

The New York Times

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Arts

4.8 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 July 2017

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

2017 feels sort of like the End Times, and we’re leaning into science fiction TV shows and movies to imagine the outcome of our current political and geological climate. If science fiction functions as a cautionary tale, offering lessons in morality and asking us to consider our relationship with technology, what should our country’s leaders be watching? We discuss “War for the Planet of the Apes,” in which highly intelligent apes and plague-riddled humans battle for control of the Earth. Then, we serve up a list of sci-fi homework for ourselves and our elected officials.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Jenna Wortham.
0:01.3	And I'm Wesley Morris.
0:02.7	We're two culture writers at the New York Times.
0:06.0	I'm mostly right about how humans relate to technology.
0:08.8	And I'm mostly right about how movies and popular culture relate to humans.
0:13.1	And this is still processing.
0:25.6	Welcome back to our show, our pop culture bird book.
0:29.1	Oh, shoot.
0:31.5	I didn't see that coming.
0:32.6	Wesley.
0:33.2	Yeah.
0:33.8	What's on your list for the week?
0:35.0	Well, I just want to say first of all that you're glow today.
0:37.7	Do I have a glow?
0:38.6	Oh, it's given me some.
0:39.4	Oh, yeah.
0:40.2	Your energy's good.
0:41.5	I don't know what's going to bring out of me, but I'm just saying I appreciate your energy.
0:45.1	I had a really lovely weekend.
0:46.3	So thank you.
0:47.1	I just want to say some things to my girl Venus Williams.
0:50.5	Spent two weeks playing some of the best tennis she's ever played in her whole life.
	...

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