What Did We Just Watch? – Episode 2
How Do We Watch Differently?

Content Considerations: 

This episode includes discussion of films and media narratives that touch on themes some listeners may find emotionally challenging depending on personal experiences and lived realities.

  • Topics discussed include:

    • Media influence and public perception

    • Critical reflection and questioning narratives

    • Institutional power and decision-making

    • Corporate influence on storytelling

    • Gatekeeping and access to representation

    • Race and racism

    • Representation and identity

    • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and power

    • Historical inequity in media industries

    • Bias and cultural assumptions

    • Class and socioeconomic inequality

    • Poverty and access to opportunity

    • Systems thinking and institutional critique

    • Discussions of marginalization and exclusion

    • Film ratings, censorship, and audience access

    • Marketability, audience appeal, and cultural palatability

    • Media framing and public understanding

    • Power, autonomy, and agency in storytelling

    • Discussions of adoption and conservatorship

    • Historical restrictions on film content and representation

  • This episode also references films that include themes of: (however, these topics are discussed analytically rather than depicted directly)

    • Racial inequity

    • Family systems

    • Identity

    • Institutional control

    • Unequal access to opportunity

  • Listeners are invited to engage with curiosity rather than certainty and to pause, reflect, skip sections, or revisit content in whatever way feels supportive and appropriate.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  • Concepts to Explore:

    • Learn More About:
      • Critical Reflection
      • Narrative Framing
      • Critical Media Literacy
      • DEIPAR Framework
      • Intersectionality
      • Harm vs Hope Reflection
      • Social Work and Public Dialogue

  • Reflection Questions for movie watching:

    • Critical Reflection:

      • Why am I reacting this way?

    • Questioning Narratives:

      • What story am I being encouraged to believe?

    • DEIPAR:

      • Who is represented?

      • Who benefits?

      • Where is power?

    • Harm vs Hope:

      • What feels hopeful?

      • What feels harmful?

  • Exercise:

    • Re-watch a movie you’ve seen before. What about the movie changed for you when you rewatched it?

      • What assumptions did you bring into that experience?

      • What narratives felt invisible?

      • What stories stay with you and why?