We Take the 15:17 All the Way to Pyeongchang

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This week we’re looking for a thread running through three seemingly disparate moments: the release of Clint Eastwood’s new film “The 15:17 to Paris,” the Olympics in South Korea, and the tragic death of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We use these events to discuss how culture can act as a smokescreen for reality and a way to avoid our fears. Plus: Jenna defends her surprising position that spoilers are actually good.

Discussed this week:

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Alt.Latino (NPR)

“Emma González Leads a Student Outcry on Guns: ‘This is the Way I Have to Grieve’” (Julie Turkewitz, Matt Stevens and Jason M. Bailey, The New York Times)

“Whole Lot of BS” Funkadelic (Maggot Brain, 1971)

“Fergie’s National Anthem Draws Criticism” (ESPN)

“Letter of Recommendation: Spoilers” (Jenna Wortham, The New York Times Magazine)

“The Sixth Sense” (Hollywood Pictures)

“On the Evolution of Hollywood Films” (James Cutting, Cornell University, 2010)

“Pulp Fiction” (Miramax)

“The 15:17 to Paris” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

“American Sniper” (Warner Bros. Pictures)