Behind the Seen
By Mark Bauer and Branden Polk
Behind the SeenSep 12, 2018
S3 Ep. 6 Victim or Villain with Karith Foster
Continuing with our #CheckTheBox theme for this season, special guest Karith Foster joins us to discuss two boxes we tend to put people in when it comes to the race conversation: Victim or villain. In reality, those labels aren't so cut and dried, especially when you introduce intersectional identities into the mix.
Karith Foster is a comic turned motivational speaker, TV & radio personality, actress, author, blogger and entrepreneur—and her new book, 'You Can Be Perfect or You Can Be Happy,' teaches readers basic concepts for embracing life's messiness. In this episode, we discuss how we can apply these same concepts to the race conversation.
Episode Description
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Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
Wonymedia.com/behindtheseen
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S3 Ep. 5: Conscious Masculinity
What are barriers to men living conscious, compassionate, connected lives in their homes and communities? How does this apply to the race conversation?
Guest: Addison Brasil, VP of branding for tethr, an online peer-to-peer support community for men.
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Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Tethr: @tethrformen
S3 Ep. 4: Policing Behavior and the Preservation of Power
In this episode, we discuss policing behavior (behavior of police) and the act of policing other people's behavior in our day-to-day lives. Recent civil unrest around the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has shined light on inconsistencies in what we view as acceptable policing. More often, policing of any kind is a preservation of power and is an attempt to invalidate those who are being policed.
#CheckTheBox Call to Action: Who are you policing in your life in attempt to preserve your power over them? Who is policing you in order to preserve their power over you? If you can identify that behavior is occurring, it will set you up to break free of that oppression to live a more fulfilled, balanced, healthy life.
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Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
Wonymedia.com/behindtheseen
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S3 Ep. 3: The Racism of the White Moderate
In this episode we discuss the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. A lot of white people are being confronted for the first time with the injustice of racism and unsure how to process it. Others are perplexed why race has to be dragged into the equation at all. In this conversation, Branden turns the questions on Mark to discuss how the unexamined identities of white moderates continue to perpetuate racism. The second part of the discussions turns to how to transform guilt into change.
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
Wonymedia.com/behindtheseen
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S3 Ep. 2: Is Love Really Blind?
Before the Tiger King, the quarantine binge was the reality show Love is Blind, which puts strangers in neighboring cubes and allows them to get to know one another without the benefit of seeing each other. Then, they fall in love. Or at least that's the idea. But is love REALLY blind? How do subtle ways we talk even give away things about how we were raised? And if love isn't blind, should it be? That's what we're talking about in today's episode.
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S3 Ep. 1: Racial Justice in a Post-COVID World
Has coronavirus altered how you view racial disparity? Has it amplified it? Who are the populations most affected by coronavirus disruptions? Disruptions of this magnitude always allow for a shift in the landscape. When all of this lifts, how can we rebuild more equitably?
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 6: What is Fear Trying to Tell You?
This is actually a replay of one of our favorite episodes from last season. I've experienced a lot of fear the last few weeks around quitting my job and moving to Los Angeles for the summer, and in conversations with friends there seems to be a widespread season of fear that a lot of folks are walking in. So, in this episode we go a little deeper into understanding what fear is trying to tell us and how we can practice getting over that fear. Continually pushing the boundaries of what you can overcome unlocks a whole new perspective on life when you aren’t inhibited by fear.
Notes from Show
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Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 5: Forgiveness without Repentance, a Review of the Emanuel Documentary
In this episode, we review the Emanuel documentary, which covers the history of the black church in Charleston leading up to the church shooting in 2015 by Dylan Roof that killed nine congregants, including the pastor. The movie's primary emphasis is on the expressions of forgiveness by family members toward Dylan Roof, less than 48 hours after he committed that heinous act.
Co-hosts Mark Bauer and Branden Polk explore the idea of forgiveness and who it is for, and why forgiveness doesn't need to be preceded by repentance for it to be impactful, right and meaningful.
We also dovetail into discussions about the contrast between how white offenders are handled by police during arrests, versus how we commonly see black subjects taken into custody. A recent police shooting of Pamela Turner in Baytown, Texas that was caught on camera illustrates this point.
We also reflect on some points that were raised in a post-screening discussion that Branden and Mark facilitated following a viewing of the film, during which Branden asked attendees for three things black people wished white people would understand about the racial justice conversation, and three things white people wished black people would understand about their perspective on the racial justice conversation.
At the end of this episode, we hope you feel compelled to check out the Emanuel documentary in theaters during a limited run June 17 and 19. Let us know your thoughts by following us on social below!
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 4: Understanding Colorism
In the last episode on racism in dating, Todrick Hall briefly touched on something that a lot of listeners picked up on: Colorism—the idea that whiteness has defined some skin tones and features in people of color as more beautiful and acceptable in society. This twisted idea has resulted in a sort of prejudice and resentment from some blacks toward other blacks. In this episode, we discuss the origins of colorism, why it's an especially nasty form of prejudice, and how to differentiate colorism from legitimate criticisms of anti-black self-hate.
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 3: Racism in Dating (w/ special guest Todrick Hall)
In a freewheeling conversation about dating, singer/songwriter/producer Todrick Hall joins Behind the Seen to discuss our racial “preferences,” how we acquire those preferences in the first place, and why we are OK completely disregarding a different group of people as potential partners based on such inconsequential factors as race.
References
For more on the breakdown of numbers by Nathalie Reshard looking for a straight black man with multiple degrees, who is a high performing athlete and who has never been to prison, visit her blog post here.
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
Wonymedia.com/behindtheseen
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 2: Code Violations | #BeSeen
In today's episode, we're talking about code violations. We have our own personal codes, informed by religious texts or some other source, that we violate every day. And we have societal codes, laws and regulations that are in place to help guide, control and keep order in society.
We discuss how easy it is to slip into a cycle of guilt and shame when we violate our codes, and how difficult it is to break that cycle. It takes a certain amount of privilege to be able to carve out the space necessary to reflect on the behaviors that are leading to code violations, as well as to access the tools necessary to then change that behavior.
On a macro scale, we see the same kinds of problems at play regarding mass incarceration, which disproportionately affects people of color and the economically disadvantaged. One popular retort is: If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. Not only have we shown how this isn't consistently applied to our own lives, we discuss how it's not always as simple as just not doing something. Our experiences don't exist in a vacuum, and many complex factors contribute to crime: poverty, generational traumas and other motivations.
Ultimately, the goal of this episode is simply to get you thinking about the topic of criminal justice and mass incarceration in such a way that makes you curious to learn more. For more about the racial disparity in mass incarceration, please visit the Sentencing Project, which has a wealth of information and data on the topic.
Follow us on Instagram
Behind the Seen: @behindtheseenpod
Mark Bauer: @BarkMauer
Branden Polk: @BrandenPolk
Website
*The views expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and do not reflect that of their employer
S2 Ep. 1: Being Human | #BeSeen
How does this factor into racial justice? External conflicts emanate from internal conflict. We quiet our internal conflict by embracing life's greatest paradox: We have to lose our life to find it. When we take our gaze off of ourselves long enough to observe the hurt in someone else, we are fully able to see ourselves. That self-emptying, while it contradicts every base human urge within us, really does lead to a joy that surpasses anything external object we could acquire—whether it's fame, fortune or success.
What identities do you need to lay down in order to #BeSeen?
BONUS Episode: Oscar Reaction and Black Representation in Pop Culture
The Oscars never fails to provide good fodder for race discussions and this year proved no different. Despite the diverse representation of presenters throughout the program and several firsts for black honorees and other people of color, the show wasn’t without its detractors. Even the Best Picture winner, Green Book, was widely panned for historical inaccuracies and for how creators approached the storytelling of a black entertainer and his white driver. In this bonus episode of Behind the Seen, filmmaker and producer MoJo Adam and freelance creative director Obi Okolo share their reactions to these Oscar films and discuss why black representation in pop culture and media is so important.
Episode 17: Racism, Slavery and the Church
Episode 16: Justification
Episode 15: How to Talk to Your Relatives About Politics at Thanksgiving
Featuring special guest Destiny Herndon De La Rosa founder of New Wave Feminist.
Episode 14: Understanding Dehumanization
You might argue that dehumanization is among the greatest sins. If Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, and then the other one is like it--to love your neighbor as you love yourself. In order to do that, though, it requires you to view the Other in their totality just like you do yourself.
So we’ll break it down today by discussing what it looks like to dehumanize someone in our everyday lives--it doesn’t have to be explicitly racist or bigoted; we'll also look at the language that people tend to use when they dehumanize and some surprising areas where people are dehumanizing others.
Episode 13: The Importance of Safe Spaces — Even for White People
Episode 12: The Politics of Identity
Episode 11: White Fragility
Episode 10: Conforming to Expectations
Episode 9: Reputation
Episode 8: Generational Trauma
Episode 7: Understanding Privilege
In this episode, Branden Polk and Mark Bauer discuss the real-world effects of privilege and how it impacts our everyday lives.
Episode 6: Are You Listening?
Assuming that you two are speaking the same language, a variety of factors can get in the way of listening. You have the speaker, who is trying to communicate from their perspective and life experiences, and then you have the listener, who is interpreting that information and trying to make sense of it based on their perspective and life experiences.
By the end of the episode, we'll hope you're able to identify areas where you haven't listened and take away some practical applications for hearing others.
*What you’re listening to is raw, unedited dialogue. Views expressed in this podcast are our own.
Episode 5: Using Fear as a Guidepost
Episode 4: The Excuses We Make
[BETA] Episode 3: Understanding 'Black Anger'
But political dialogue can often get heated, and we rarely shy away from it when we're emphatic about highlighting an issue that's important to us. It’s a necessary tool that we have taken away from a whole segment of people who need to use their voices for expressing their grievances.
*What you're listening to is raw, unedited dialogue. Views expressed in this podcast are our own.
[BETA] Episode 2: Understanding Whiteness
And when a whole bunch of people live together who share a bunch of commonalities related to economic status, religion, and ethnicity, they develop social norms as general guidelines for living together in a geographically defined area. In the United States, we might call that "Whiteness"--and this isn't in reference to the skin color so much as a social construct. In this episode, we discuss the history of Whiteness and its implications on us today.
*What you're listening to is raw, unedited dialogue. Views expressed in this podcast are our own.
[BETA] Episode 1: Understanding Misunderstanding
Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is contribute to dialogue that will help produce racial harmony. We know that there are still terribly, dark, hateful and racist people in the world, but our goal isn’t necessarily to talk to them. The people we’re trying to reach are the ones in the center, where we believe there’s more ignorance than animus, where their perplexity has led to disengagement on the topic.
To open the series, we start by asking questions around why we continue to make snap judgments about people's outward characteristics, and offer some practical tips for navigating the conflict that arises when what we think we know about someone doesn't align with what actually is.
*What you're listening to is raw, unedited dialogue. Views expressed in this podcast are our own.