This past week, a Minnesota dentist and father of two shocked us out of our complacency. Desensitized by the weekly shootings this summer of African Americans by white policemen, moviegoers in theaters and African American churchgoers by a young white racist, hisambush of Cecil the lion was a visceral blow to our collective gut. Yes, we're still horrified by the way human beings treat each other. Our outrage over Cecil doesn't change that horror, but animals are somehow out-of-bounds of our cruelty to one another. In some ways, they're like civilians in a war - innocent victims in a world outnumbered by humans with the power to destroy all that is natural in this world.
Also, Amy Schumer is having a moment as an emerging comic icon. While her appeal is broad, she's a hero to any woman who has been told she's not pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough or young enough or...the list goes on. But, along with the praise comes the backlash from those who think she's not doing enough.
"Trainwreck," writtern by Amy Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow, gets rave reviews for taking aim at the enduring and unfair stereotypes that have plagued women for centuries. At the same time critics bring her down for not pursuing the film's "radical options to the end." What, exactly, do we want from Amy Schumer and what does she really owe any of us?
GUESTS:
- Theresa Cramer is a writer and editor for The Cut. You can tweet her @TheresaCramer
- Jim Chapdelaineis an Emmy-award winning composer, engineer, producer and musician, currently playing with The Shinolas
- Taneisha Duggan is the Director of Audience Engagement at HartBeat Ensemble
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Colin McEnroe is the host of the Colin McEnroe Show. Betsy Kaplan was today's technical producer.
