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Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

wnycstudios.org

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Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#21

Post by wowDude »

boomboomsubban wrote: post #16
coupdejarnac wrote: post #12

I don't think any discussion of Radiolab is complete without mentioning their episode about "Yellow Rain". I was pretty shocked at how the episode went. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/239549-yellow-rain The episode contained significant distortions and omissions, all in the purported pursuit of truth. https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2012/10/10/deliberate-distor... This story made plain their lack of integrity. Sin…

In a search for the truth, eyewitness accounts should basically be ignored. Memory is terrible, and even his memory at the time seems to lack a true smoking gun. As of now, hearing a podcast dismiss an eyewitness account is a welcome change from the "true crime" reliance on them. Besides that, it seems that both sides had a different expectation on what the topic was going to be. It's understandable that Mr. Yang fel…

Cool. I'm going to disregard any memory of having read this comment, or any of the ideas it attempts to present as facts. My memory is terrible, and if I did remember it, that would likely disprove everything you just said.

You helped me realize that I should only believe what I tell myself is true, rather than what I might mistakenly remember.

Good thing I won't remember writing this. It would be weird remembering a moment when I was right, but having to disregard it as wrong, because I tell myself I'm wrong, plainly, and in the face of my own memories.

Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#22

Post by owaty »

I understand that the point of view that "kill all men" is not hate speech exists, and it's ok to interview someone who holds that view.

But when the hosts themselves started talking about how it's not hate speech like it's a very reasonable view to hold, I was a bit shocked. I never enjoyed radiolab or listened to much of it before, but I used to think it was a legit show with respectable hosts, even if I didn't like the format.

Would they also say "kill all Americans" is not hate speech because Americans are not "historically oppressed"? Sure, it's safer to talk about Japanese in China on the American radio.

(I haven't listened to the whole episode yet, in case they address it later.)

Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#24

Post by bachbach »

owaty wrote: post #22

I understand that the point of view that "kill all men" is not hate speech exists, and it's ok to interview someone who holds that view. But when the hosts themselves started talking about how it's not hate speech like it's a very reasonable view to hold, I was a bit shocked. I never enjoyed radiolab or listened to much of it before, but I used to think it was a legit show with respectable hosts, even if I didn't lik…

It's not just you. I'm reminded of antisemitism in the conspiratorial way the descriptor is being used and how the Reality Distortion Field extends that that White Males/Jews are the cause of every problem.

The fact is that many media people are racists and these people and their fellow travelers don't like it being pointed out that they are being hypocrites. Some of them think being white males themselves is an exemption from criticism - except there are so many historical examples of self hating peoples who supported the people attacking them that it would make your head spin. I remember Scott Alexander, usually a level headed person as you could hope to find - unsettled by what he was reading about the Jewish refugees who ended up in England during WWII - many of whom were praising Adolf with full awareness of what was happening. There's not much to stop self hate going from signalling to malignant.

If you look around you won't notice many people speaking out against it, that's because it's mainstreamed, it is the we've always been at war with Eurasia. These people are very confident and very stupid.

The moderation mechanism on websites such as this feeds back into this echo chamber too, because I'm aware that every thing I say will be under exacting scrutiny but I'll regularly see violations of the rules I'd never get away with. Rule violations have to be extraordinary to reach a moderators's inbox if they are in the general spirit of the group believes.

Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#25

Post by aaron695 »

coupdejarnac wrote: post #12

I don't think any discussion of Radiolab is complete without mentioning their episode about "Yellow Rain". I was pretty shocked at how the episode went. https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/239549-yellow-rain The episode contained significant distortions and omissions, all in the purported pursuit of truth. https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2012/10/10/deliberate-distor... This story made plain their lack of integrity. Sin…

Not only was that a great story about mythology and fake tales that comes from war, it humanised and told the story of the Hmong.

What is the point exactly? Fox news is telling the Hmong's story better?

To be fair the story is amended, so you really need to link the original since it might have been worse?

[edit] Link to her story - https://apexexpress.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/22813-kao-kalia... (about 10mins in)

To be clear Yellow Rain is fake, this is an incredibly important story to be told. To be a westerner and believe in the Yellow Rain is nuts and should be laughed at, but how does one talk to a Hmong person about it?

Post WMD's, we still have Vietnam using Agent Orange in known propaganda, we know Rohingya refugees are lying at times but we don't know how much. It's important stuff.

How they treated the interviewee(The Uncle) was shitty, especially in the earlier version but at the end of the day this interview talked more about the Hmong story than the other shitty news outlets like Huffpo and created more thought.

Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#26

Post by picklesman »

mattl wrote: post #6

Radiolab is incredibly hard to listen to with all the random noises and things they sprinkle into each episode. Contrast this with This American Life and its a world of difference.

I totally agree. I feel like the audio editor is having fun for their own sake, and it takes away from the show for me. It makes the listening experience super irritating, despite the fact that I often find the content interesting.

Re: Radiolab: Post No Evil [audio]

#27

Post by hossbeast »

nothrabannosir wrote: post #19
mattl wrote: post #6

Radiolab is incredibly hard to listen to with all the random noises and things they sprinkle into each episode. Contrast this with This American Life and its a world of difference.

Impossible to listen to. I can’t stand it. Their series on the Supreme Court, More Perfect, is slightly better and just manageable. But I couldn’t finish one episode of their flagship show. I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only one, to be honest. I thought I was going mad. Or worse: old.

I would recommend listening to the catalogue in reverse order. I agree with the broad criticisms in this thread, and I no longer listen. But for the first 4 or 5 years they produced a lot of fascinating shows. Probably around Jan 2017 it takes a nosedive.
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