Gay rights groups are recommending that textbooks highlight when historical figures had same-sex partners, but could the use of such markers backfire by further alienating LGBTQ figures from the “norm”? We also discuss homeland security’s monitoring of immigrants’ social media accounts; review this week’s movie releases on FilmWeek; and more.
Department of Homeland Security to collect social media data on immigrants
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security updated one of its Federal Register pages to say it will collect publicly available social media information about incoming immigrants for more stringent screening.
The new language says the DHS will collect “social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results” on immigrants, including naturalized citizens and Green Card holders, sparking privacy concerns about the scope and use of the information, as well as the efficacy and storage practicalities of the practice.
The DHS will start gathering this information on October 18.
We get the latest, as well as debate the ethics and efficacy of this new data collection practice.
How will all this data be stored and parsed? Is this an invasion of privacy? Should naturalized citizens and Green Card holders be swept under the scope of this practice? Or is this an effective tool that could protect the U.S.?
Guest:
Lily Hay Newman, security staff writer at Wired who’s been following this story; she tweets
Adam Schwartz, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontiers Foundation, an advocacy group for civil liberties in the digital realm
Art Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies
Should CA textbooks highlight that certain historical figures had same-sex partners?
The California Department of Education is updating textbook recommendations, and various gay rights groups are objecting to the new books, claiming they don’t go far enough in highlighting the contributions of lesbian, gay and transgender people.
This is the first time the Department is providing new recommendations since the state required teaching the achievements of LGBTQ figures in 2011.
At a state commission Wednesday, gay rights groups argued that the textbooks should interweave, rather than tokenize, LGBTQ figures through their teaching of history, as well as highlight when historical figures had same-sex partners. The latter clause begs the question of whether the partners of heterosexual historical figures should be mentioned as well.
Does pointing out a historical person’s homosexuality imply that all other figures mentioned are straight? Or is this an important step forward for the representation of LGBTQ people in California textbooks?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
FilmWeek: ‘American Made,’ ‘Til Death Do Us Part,’ ‘Our Souls at Night’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Christy Lemire, Justin Chang, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"American Made" in wide release
"Til Death Do Us Part" in wide release
"Flatliners" in wide release (but not screened for critics)
"Lucky" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark Theatre
"Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark Theatre
"Our Souls at Night" at iPic Westwood & iPic Pasadena
"Super Dark Times" at Laemmle's NoHo
"Literally, Right Before Aaron" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
"Loving Vincent" at ArcLight Hollywood & Laemmle's Royal Theatre
"Gerald's Game" on Netflix
"Window Horses" at Laemmle's Music Hall
Critics' Hits:
Christy: "American Made" & "Our Souls at Night"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lci71HjGvaM
Justin: "Lucky" & "Gerald's Game"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KLLkj84GAo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twbGU2CqqQU
Mixed Feelings:
Justin: "Super Dark Times"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0af8nliCE
Misses!
Christy: "Til Death Do Us Part"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_D2cbZcDzQ&t=94s
Justin: "Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFpuXxM4tzE
Charles: "Loving Vincent"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8xcLdOjX6w
Guests:
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC and RogerEbert.com; co-host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?;”she tweets
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Spielberg-backed startup wants to bring VR to the movies
The summer movie season ended on Labor Day weekend, and ticket sales in the US fell to its lowest level in 25 years.
Reasons for the drop have been attributed to pricey movie tickets, a dearth of new creative content and heavy competition from streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Blame aside, theater owners are being forced to innovate in order to attract customers, and one LA tech startup is hoping to resuscitate the flagging movie theater industry by turning to virtual reality.
Dreamscape Immersive wants to install up to six “VR centers” in cinemas and as standalone locations in the US by mid-2019. The company announced this week that its flagship location will be located at the Westfield Century City Mall, and is slated to open next year.
The VR outfit, in addition to locking in $20 million from AMC, also has backing from some of Hollywood’s biggest players, including Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros. and MGM.
What are the challenges of bringing VR to the cineplex? Considering the history of customers’ hesitancy towards virtual reality, how are audiences predicted to respond? If successful, could VR end up benefiting the theater industry at the cost of the movie industry?
Guests:
Bruce Vaughn, CEO of Dreamscape Immersive, a location-based virtual reality startup in LA
Brent Lang, senior film and media reporter at Variety; he tweets