Balancing Humor and Seriousness in Commentary

Esperanza and Irwin discuss the Shinnecock Monuments in both real and metaphorical terms.  The monuments were installed in 2019 and 2021 to bring a much needed source of revenue to the Shinnecock Nation; 60% of the Reservation lives below the poverty line.  Yet despite being a sovereign nation, the Shinnecock's and their monuments drew the wrath of local and state governments, not to mention much of the east end community.   After this episode was recorded, we discovered the Parrish Museum was opening an exhibition on July 23, Another Justice: US is Them.  The museum activated the Monuments with digital billboards by indigenous artists, including Jeremy Dennis of the Shinnecock Nation.