This week, Anita, Ebony and Carolyn are going deep undercover with Spike Lee’s latest film, BlacKkKlansman, based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a black Colorado Springs police officer who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, in a manner of speaking. We talk about how the film engages directly with cinematic history, from white supremacist films like Birth of a Nation to blaxploitation classics like Shaft, the frustrating ways in which it positions the police force as an institution as heroic, and the roles women play among both the black political activists and the white supremacists the film focuses on.
We also cover some of the latest pop culture news from the world of video games, discuss our complicated feelings on the idea of Idris Elba (yay!) as James Bond (boo!), and share some stuff worth celebrating in What’s Your Freq-Out! Remember, we want to hear from you, too, so head on over to feministfrequency2020-production.mystagingwebsite.com/freqout and send us your FREQ-Out today!
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Segment Timestamps:
:00 Intros and greetings
1:25 Anita’s back from Vegas and Indianapolis
3:40 pop culture news: Fortnite streamer Ninja won’t stream with women, the sexist culture at Riot Games, Idris Elba may be the next Bond
17:20 BlacKkKlansman
46:00 What’s Your Freq-Out?
57:45 Submit YOUR Freq-Out! / Wrap-up
59:25 A special message from Ebony
Relevant Links:
Ninja explains his choice not to stream with female gamers by Allegra Frank
Inside the Culture of Sexism at Riot Games by Cecilia D’Anastasio
Trailer, If Beale Street Could Talk
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Canadian Screen Awards acceptance speech for Kim’s Convenience