White Racism: Who Feels It, And Why it Matters

Coming up on today’s show:

• The results of a new poll shows that 55 percent of whites feel they are discriminated against. Jonathan, a 32 year old office coordinator from Beaverton, Oregon, explains why he feels he is demonized and discriminated against for being white, male, and Christian. Dr. R. L’Heureux Lewis-McCoy, an associate professor of sociology and black studies at the City College of New York and author of “Inequality in the Promised Land,” reacts to Jonathan’s comments, and the broader issue of discrimination among collective groups. 

• Big data surveillance is being used more and more as a tool for law enforcement. But in a new book, Andrew Ferguson, author of “The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the future of Law Enforcement,” says all citizens need to pay close attention to the ways big data policing can upset community trust and raise questions about Constitutional protections and privacy rights.

• On Thursday, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency — a limited response that will waive some regulations and give states flexibility in how they use federal funds. But the president did not declare the crisis a national emergency, which would have given states access to funding from the federal Disaster Relief Fund. Dr. Caleb Alexander, an associate professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explains why the distinction is so important. 

• Every Friday,Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday and The Takeaway, drops by to review the new releases hitting the box office. This week, Rafer gives his take on the dark comedy, “Suburbicon” directed by George Clooney; the drama “Thank You for Your Service,” starring Miles Teller; and the family film “Wonderstruck,” with Julianne Moore. 

• Some 25 years ago, film scholar B. Ruby Rich coined the term “New Queer Cinema.” Today, she joins The Takeaway to discuss how the movement has changed in the decades since. Today Rich is a professor of film and digital media at U.C. Santa Cruz and the editor of Film Quarterly. 

This episode is hosted by Tanzina Vega.