Something that I’ve talked a lot about on various podcasts lately, is social consciousness. How can that not be at the forefront of anyone who is maintaining even a cursory awareness of the news? My concern, though, comes less with the public social consciousness than my own. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that, as an empathetic species, humans are broken and failed as a whole. There are pockets and exceptions, but generally speaking, people are pretty awful to each other. The notion of making strides to improve inclusivity in society as a whole is far too daunting, and seems impossible if we don’t first look at ourselves and resolve our own personal issues, biases, and subconscious (or conscious) prejudices. The point has been painfully driven home for me lately that I have to fix myself before I can even begin to look at anyone else.
With that in mind, I braved the First Friday crowd on Roosevelt row and went to check out the iNDIEFILMFEST. Specifically, I went over to FilmBar to see Pita Juarez and Matty Steinkamp’s documentary, You Racist, Sexist, Bigot. A film to raise consciousness, it says, and I think it does that successfully. It doesn’t seek to provide any answers, but rather allow people to share their stories, their experiences, to serve as a conversation starter, and cause the viewer to reflect inwardly—at least that’s my impression. Anyway, I thought the film was great, and you should check it out. Google “You Racist, Sexist, Bigot.” It’s the first thing that comes up. It’s making the festival circuit and playing in colleges around the country, so if you’re listening outside of Phoenix, it might be headed your way.
My guest on the show this week is Allyson Bills. Allyson is a writer for YabYum Music + Arts, where you can read her column, Social Savvy, which is all about how creatives in the arts community navigate the mess that is social media in order to promote their work. Allyson is also the co-creator of the Scooter Litter Instagram account documenting the scooters left around all over the place by various jerks.
Best,
Jared
Listen to LE 99 – Allyson Bills
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