Our Opinions Are Correct

Why has darkness descended upon the university? We talk about the dark academia aesthetic, from Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" to the show "Dear White People." What defines this aesthetic, and how does it shed light on current traumas within the academy? Also -- why is it so gay? Academic Ana Quiring joins us to discuss all this and more. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

With the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark court case that made abortion legal in this country, our future is looking very different. In this encore episode, we talk about the future of reproductive rights -- our hopes and our fears. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Nothing is ever permanent in pop culture: people die and come back to life all the time, huge changes get retconned, and Spider-Man is always a young guy who's just starting out. Why are we stuck with the "illusion of change," and what happens when this goes on for several decades? And how do we find a way to move forward? Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Paranoia’s back, baby. We talk about two Cold War obsessions — space combat and brainwashing — and how they’ve returned in a big way. Cold War tropes are haunting our science fiction and dominating political discourse in the United States. Why now? Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Princesses used to be helpless damsels, but these days they're more likely to pick up a sword than wait to be rescued. Why do we love princesses who fight back? Does it have something to do with our hang-ups about femininity? Plus we talk about Charlie Jane's new book Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak! Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Humans have been trying to communicate with non-human animals for thousands of years. We have stories about magical talking animals, and tales of scientists who use technology to turn wild dolphins into friendly co-workers. What do these stories say about us, and what happens when we try to make them come true? Also, science reporter Arielle Duhaime-Ross joins us to talk about their latest podcast, which is all about teaching apes to use sign language.  Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Why is it so hard to imagine money being different in the future? We talk about the problem of money in science fiction, the ancient history of spade coins, and cash that spies on you. Plus, we're joined by guest Stacy Marie Ishmael, managing editor for crypto at Bloomberg News, to talk about where money is headed in the future. Watch out for Bitcoins!

JK Rowling has become an anti-trans activist on social media. This news has sent Harry Potter fandom -- always full of queers and trans people -- into mourning. We talk to author/publisher (and longtime Slytherin) Cecilia Tan about how to ignore Rowling and take back Harry Potter.

Many people claim that if you traveled back in time, you could never succeed in changing the past---but our favorite time travelers break that rule. Why is it so fun to rewrite history? To find out, we talk to Keto Shimizu, showrunner of Legends of Tomorrow, and Terry Matalas, showrunner of Star Trek: Picard. Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes

Science fiction is full of heroic journalists, and the real-life world of journalism is filled with people who have been deeply influenced by ideas from science fiction. In this episode, we talk about the love affair between Superman and muckrakers — and the deep connection between cyberpunk and media criticism. Plus, how did the 1970s movie Network predict memes and cable news? Show notes: www.ouropinionsarecorrect.com/shownotes