"If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny" ::: Examining "The Handmaid’s Tale". . .the fictional story that explores the real potential of the U.S. as a failed state.
@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG See Part 5 – “Rewards for doing the president’s bidding” of “Future-Proofing the Presidency” by @BostonGlobe, for ideas on how to reform presidential pardon powers. Watch Thurs., 8 pm ET, to 4/7/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on TWN.
In this segment of the six-part series, “Future-Proofing the Presidency,” editors of The Boston Globe offer their recommendations on reforming presidential pardon powers and curbing the likelihood of abuse. — LMO
Here are a few excerpts:
“Donald Trump’s abuse of the pardon power to reward criminal loyalists is a precedent for a future authoritarian leader to commit crimes without consequence. Its use must be curtailed by Congress.”
“… in the era of mass incarceration, executive clemency can and should be used as a means to combat an overly criminalizing and punitive system. Barack Obama used his authority to grant pardons to do just that: Most of the nearly 2,000 people whom he granted executive clemency to were people convicted of nonviolent drug-related crimes.
“… But Donald Trump has proved that a president can use his pardon power not as a corrective for injustice but in exchange for political and personal favors — or even as a tool of coercion or manipulation — and get away with it. In stark contrast to his immediate predecessor, Trump granted clemency to only 237 people. And though some of those acts of clemency included commuting unjustly long sentences for minor offenses, over 100 of them, according to the Lawfare Blog, were granted to people who either had personal connections with the former president or advanced his political cause.
“… So what exactly can be done about such a broad power bestowed on the president by the Constitution? First, the federal government should follow the example of most states. Instead of the Office of the Pardon Attorney, which oversees clemency reviews and is housed in the Department of Justice, President Biden should establish a clemency board through executive order. That way, with an entire board of various criminal justice experts reviewing petitions together rather than the pardon attorney doing so alone through their office, there would be more eyes on each individual case and a more deliberative process.
“… Second, Congress should muster the will to pass a constitutional amendment that would narrowly constrain the president’s pardon power.
“…so long as Biden and Congress absolve themselves of the responsibility to reform presidential pardons, future abuse of that power is not only likely; it’s inevitable.” — The Editorial Board, The Boston Globe
@JaniceOCG See how @ruthbenghiat suggests confronting white supremacist fears on changing demographics. Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is live, Thurs., Feb. 10 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for chat on race & ethnicity in @HandmaidsOnHulu & relationship to current challenges to democracy.
TruthWorks Network: The Black Voice Collaborative that knows…Truth must be spoken more than once.
Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat is looking for ways to counter America’s slide toward autocracy. She sees a new kind of patriotism – one that celebrates diversity – as a potential way of holding back the floodgates. In Let’s Celebrate America as a Multiracial Democracy, she considers how autocratic governments attempt to control even the dreams of their citizens – but in the U.S., we are still free to dream our own dreams.
Shifting demographics in the country today undergird the appeal by white supremacists that there is reason to fear a more diverse and colorful America. Ben-Ghiat is suggesting we confront this fear directly with celebration of the multiracial country American democracy has allowed to develop – rather than turning from the path we are on.
African Americans and other people of color have been seeking ways to celebrate diversity for many years, with limited success. It would be fascinating to see if the threat to democracy is actually the thing that brings this vision to life and leads a majority of Americans to push in the same direction. If we are not able to effectively address the fears and consequences of white supremacist thinking, the alternatives are quite grisly. — LMO
By Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat
WATCH Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of Italian and History, New York University | Arts & Sciences– LIVE – Thursday, February 10, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when she joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Race & Ethnicity evoked byThe Handmaid’s Taleand modern American culture.
A few quotes from the post, “Let’s Celebrate America as a Multiracial Democracy: A New Patriotism That Plays to Our Strengths as a Nation,” by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
“…It is this freedom to dream, and the idea that it is possible to transform one’s life and the destiny of one’s family, that has distinguished America in the global imagination and made it a destination for millions of impoverished, oppressed, and ambitious individuals. The America of immigrants’ aspirations was and is a place where everyone could find their community and everyone, in theory, could have a chance, with dizzying improvements in standards of living possible within the scope of one or two generations — both for immigrants and for people born here, of every race and religion.
“It is time to harness this sense of pride and potential, this ability to dream, and make them central to a new brand of patriotism that celebrates America’s multiracial character as a generative force.
“…when democracy is under attack, as it is today in America, talking about patriotism is essential. To make it appealing, we must find a new language, one that can mobilize new generations of voters and constituencies who may be wary of the military and not inclined to display the flag.
“Creating passion and excitement around America explicitly as a multiracial democracy is one way in. It directly confronts the GOP’s attempts to disenfranchise non-Whites, impose silence about past and present racial crimes, and engineer and enforce rule by a White minority.
“… Faced with these changes in the American population, the GOP has chosen to retrench rather than reform. When shifting demographics are seen as an existential threat, being racist is twisted into a patriotic act. Nothing is off the table to save the country and reverse the course of history. The Jan. 6 coup attempt, in this light, was not just an operation to keep the right person in office (Donald Trump), but an attempt to keep the wrong people, like Vice President Kamala Harris, out.
“…To counter this authoritarian agenda, we must explicitly associate patriotism with defense of democracy and highlight the stability and productivity of American multiracial society. The aspiration of freedom for everyone is no fairy tale. It reflects our best traditions and civil rights history. A patriotism devoted to protecting that can be powerful.” — Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Works by Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat
“Any society can be susceptible to strongman figures if it’s the right time,” says Ruth Ben-Ghiat.
Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, is a historian, educator and commentator “on fascism, authoritarian leaders, and propaganda — and the threats these present to democracies. As author or editor of [seven] books, with over 100 op-eds and essays in CNN, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post, she brings historical perspective to her analyses of current events. Her insight into the authoritarian playbook has made her an expert source for television, radio, podcasts, and online events around the globe,” according to her website. Her most recent publication in Strongmen: Mussolini To The Present (2020).
Dr. Ben-Ghiat also maintains a blog on Substack – Lucid – where she writes and chats about current threats to democracy in America and abroad, and interviews other prominent voices in this arena. She is a historical consultant for film and television productions; a big fan of electronic music; and a yoga practitioner. “Ruth Ben-Ghiat… specializes in male menace. What interests her is the manufactured drama of world-historical strongmen—their mannerisms, speech patterns, stagecraft, and mythomania,” wrote Jon Blitzer of The New Yorker. Follow her Twitter feed @ruthbenghiat. — If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny
@JaniceOCG Find Afrocentric events by #CEMOTAP & @DrJamesCMcInto1 on Facebook. Dr. James McIntosh is live, Thurs., Feb. 3 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for chat on mental health issues in @HandmaidsOnHulu.
Works by Dr. James C. McIntosh
WATCH Dr. James C. McIntosh, Retired Psychiatrist, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Committee to End Media Offensive to African People (CEMOTAP), and Host, MIND FIELD (WBAI radio show) – LIVE – Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when he joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Mental Health issues in The Handmaid’s Tale and American culture.
Dr. James C. McIntosh regularly produces and hosts events of interest to the Black community through the agency he leads – CEMOTAP (Committee to End Media Offensive to African People). CEMOTAP brings together Afrocentric scholars and other leading Black voices, to accurately diagnose and guide the community in meeting many significant challenges. For example, CEMOTAP recently hosted a series of discussions related to the COVID-19 vaccine, featuring Black doctors, to assist the community in working through concerns and fears, and deciding how to proceed. Like the CEMOTAP page on Facebook and stay up-to-date on upcoming events. — LMO
Dr. James C. McIntosh, is a retired Psychiatrist who spent over 40 years practicing medicine in the five boroughs of New York City, a writer, community activist, educator, public speaker and talk radio host. His publications include The Unauthorized Psychoanalysis of Donald Trump (2017) and The Unauthorized Psychoanalysis of Rudolph Giuliani (2007), where James C. McIntosh, M.D. takes an insightful and irreverent view of these two public figures. For decades Dr. McIntosh has tended to the mental health and educational needs of the Black community as Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Committee to End Media Offensive to African People (CEMOTAP) and former Chairman of the Board for the Education of People of African Ancestry (BEPAA). These two community-based organizations, bring together some of the most distinguished leaders in the Black community to offer no-cost forums, panels, conferences and other events of relevance to the emotional, psychological, spiritual, and educational needs of Black America. Dr. McIntosh appears frequently in the media and has received numerous awards for his distinguished community service. Most recently, this busy retiree has begun hosting and producing MIND FIELD, a weekly program airing Wednesdays at 2:30 pm on WBAI 99.5 FM, where he shares the mic with Richardeanea Theodore, RN. Together they focus on mental health issues and interview thought leaders on critical issues impacting the community. Dr. McIntosh completed undergraduate work in Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, and medical school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production
@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety You’re invited! Author @Frank_Schaeffer is live, Thurs., Jan. 27 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for chat on gender issues in @HandmaidsOnHulu.
YOU ARE INVITED to watch the LIVE webcast, Thursday, 1/27/2022, 8:00 pm ET, “American Democracy Under Siege: Sex, Wombs & God” with Mr. Frank Schaeffer, Artist, Filmmaker & Author, Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy.
Works by Frank Schaeffer
WATCH Mr. Frank Schaeffer, Artist, Filmmaker & Author, Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy – LIVE – Thursday, January 27, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when he joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Gender inThe Handmaid’s Taleand American culture.
Welcome to Season 1 of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” a discussion group exploring themes presented by “The Handmaid’s Tale” Hulu Series,”which is an adaptation of the book, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood. Co-hosted by Janice Graham and L. Michelle Odom, “If America Fails?” is a production of TruthWorks Network.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
Tonight we take up the theme of Gender, looking at the status of women, children and men, in The Handmaid’s Tale. Gender roles are strictly defined and regulated in the series, with special attention (oppression) to women with ability to bear children. Yet this oppression of women also restricts the freedoms and boundaries for men and children. Similarly, women who cannot have children are forced into a limited set of roles as overseers, housekeepers, and sex workers. So hardened are the lines, that even the medical care a highly qualified woman doctor is able to provide, is restricted. When government seeks to control “sex, wombs & God,” The Handmaid’s Tale makes clear – we all lose. Tonight we chat with Frank Schaeffer who knows a thing or two about how religion is sometimes used to constrain the roles of women, and the damage this does to us all.
“Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books. Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as ‘pretty terrible.’ He is also an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction and an artist with a loyal following of international collectors who own many of his paintings.
“Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. He is a much sought after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University and the Kansas City Public Library.” — FrankSchaeffer.com
@JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety Here’s video of the 1/20 chat, “American Democracy Under Siege: Cults, Cultures and Religions” w/ @cassady2euca & #CynthiaAnnBaron on theocracy in @HandmaidsOnHulu. Watch Thursdays, 8 pm ET, 1/13 – 4/7/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on TWN.
RAW VIDEO: If we missed you at the 1/20/2022 webcast where we shared our thoughts on “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” – “American Democracy Under Siege: Cults, Cultures and Religions” – you can catch up at the link below.
Season 1 of “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” airs Thursdays, 8:00 pm ET, January 13 to April 7, 2022, on YouTube. This TruthWorks Network production is co-hosted by Janice Graham and L. Michelle Odom. Joining us tonight – Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith, Founder and Executive Director, Crazy Faith Ministries and Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron, Associate Professor, Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University.
“IF AMERICA FAILS?: The Coming Tyranny,” is a real-world exploration of a fictional story. A new totalitarian society is created in the dystopian world of The Handmaid’s Tale. It resonates, frighteningly, with the dramatic efforts happening in the United States today—to suppress voting rights, limit a woman’s right to choose, criminalize free speech, distort education, rewrite history, and other threats taking place in the country now. Our Black voice collaborative considers the themes presented by the universally-focused web series, from our own perspective—relating them to real-life current events—and warns, the time to fight fascism is NOW!
@JaniceOCG See #LetMeBeFrank, a 2016 film by @Frank_Schaeffer. Author Frank Schaeffer is live, Thurs., Jan. 27 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for chat on gender issues in @HandmaidsOnHulu.
See the 2016 film by author and artist Frank Schaeffer, Let Me Be Frank. Thinking of Frank’s life and experience leads me to ask:
When we look at the death cult energized by “the former guy,” and the seemingly mindless way his followers support him, no matter what – what advice do you offer people on the cusp of walking away from an unhealthy, irrational association?
How did you know you were ready to leave the evangelical community?
In what ways is the religious right oppressive for men?
Your questions for Frank? — LMO
Works by Frank Schaeffer
WATCH Mr. Frank Schaeffer, Artist, Filmmaker & Author, Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy – LIVE – Thursday, January 27, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when he joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Gender inThe Handmaid’s Taleand American culture.
“Let Me Be Frank is sometimes funny, often poignant and not so politically correct. This is the story of Frank’s journey out of religious certainty and, in the face of the historic rise of political and Christian conservatism, the discovery of surprising instances of tenderness, hope and grace along the way.
“Frank, the son of influential Evangelicals Francis and Edith Schaeffer, was a filmmaker, writer, speaker and an architect of the religious right in the 1970s. Underneath the exterior of aggressive religiosity, and expected to follow in his famous family’s footsteps, his life was in turmoil.
“To the surprise of the religious establishment, Frank didn’t step up. He stepped away.
“Described as the ‘Traitorous Prince’ by former confidants on the religious and political right, Frank is now a best-selling author, blogger, painter, speaker and regular commentator for news outlets like MSNBC.
“His books include, Portofino, Crazy for God, Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the U.S. Marine Corps (with son John Schaeffer), Why I’m an Atheist who Believes in God and most recently, Letter to Lucy: A Manifesto of Creative Redemption—In the Age of Trump, Fascism and Lies…” — Producer
“Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books. Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as ‘pretty terrible.’ He is also an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction and an artist with a loyal following of international collectors who own many of his paintings.
“Frank has been a frequent guest on the Rachel Maddow Show on NBC, has appeared on Oprah, been interviewed by Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air and appeared on the Today Show, BBC News and many other media outlets. He is a much sought after speaker and has lectured at a wide range of venues from Harvard’s Kennedy School to the Hammer Museum/UCLA, Princeton University, Riverside Church Cathedral, DePaul University and the Kansas City Public Library.” — FrankSchaeffer.com
@JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety Cut straight to the truth in #WithLiberty&JusticeForSome by @cassady2euca & @JudsonPress. Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is live, Thurs., Jan. 20 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for our chat on @HandmaidsOnHulu, cults, cultures, religion & modern practices.
“Can those whom a nation has considered ‘we the problem’ ever become ‘we the people’ who are celebrated in the Preamble to the Constitution?” — Judson Press
The most recent book by Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is With Liberty & Justice for Some: The Bible, the Constitution, and Racism in America (2020). Here Williams Smith goes to the heart of the contradictions between espoused values and beliefs, and actual behavior and practice within the U.S. Dr. Smith puts her finger on the pulse of the disease ailing Americans today, and threatening to plunge the country into open warfare.
My mother, Loga Isis Butler Odom, taught me “actions speak louder than words.” It’s old-school wisdom meant to protect us from those who lie, manipulate, deceive, and otherwise work to foment chaos and confusion for their own reasons and advantages. It works! (Thank you, mother). When we give more weight to the things people do, than the things they say, we are seldom confused, and more importantly, empowered to take steps to protect ourselves from whatever nefarious agenda the deceiver may have in mind. Dr. Smith applies this wisdom to the context of America, and gives us a tool with which to see through the smokescreens of copius disinformation leaving many uncertain about where things stand in the country today. Thank you, Dr. Smith.
Let’s ask Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith:
What contradictions do you see in the words and actions of the men who lead Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale?
What are some of the ways Americans have been deceived by the beliefs and values found in the Bible and the U.S. Constitution?
Why have lies traditionally been so effective in fomenting chaos and confusion – or why does truth have such a difficult time motivating our actions?
Dr. Smith joins our discussion tonight and you still have time to add your questions to the mix! — LMO
Founded By Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith
WATCH Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith, Founder and Executive Director, Crazy Faith Ministries – LIVE – Thursday, January 20, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when she joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Cults, Cultures and Religions inThe Handmaid’s Tale, and modern American culture.
“In this provocative new book from prophetic preacher and pastor Susan Williams Smith, the author tackles the truths that the church in the United States has long held to be self-evident—that ours is one nation under God, that our U.S. Constitution is (almost) as infallible as the Holy Bible, and that democracy and its principles of justice for all are sacrosanct and protected by both God and government. Yet, history and headlines alike expose the fallacy of those assumptions, particularly when viewed in the light of a national culture of white supremacy and systemic racial injustice. In fact, Smith argues, the two texts we count as sacred have not been merely impotent in eliminating racism; they have been used to support and sustain white supremacy. This important work examines how our foundational documents have failed people of color and asks the question, Can those whom a nation has considered ‘we the problem’ ever become ‘we the people’ who are celebrated in the Preamble to the Constitution? What will it take to reclaim the transforming and affirming power of God and government to secure liberty and justice for all?
“Susan K. Williams Smith, MDiv, DMin, has formed a private not-for-profit organization aimed at empowering urban youth all over the United States through improved literacy. ‘Susan K. Smith Ministries’ is operating as ‘Crazy Faith Ministries,’ aiming to ‘worship through service.’ She also has her own blog, ‘Candid Observations,’ which concentrates on the intersection of race, politics and religion. Dr. Smith is the author of Forgive Who? The Struggle to Obey God’s Awful Command (Pub: United Church Press, 1999), and Carla and Annie (African American Images, 1989), a children’s book. This former news reporter and talk show host makes her home in Gahanna, Ohio. — Publisher
“With Liberty and Justice for Some is the best argument of historical theology for critical race theory.” — Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Sr., Pastor Emeritus, Allen Temple Baptist Church
“Susan Smith’s meditations are like piercing rays of light in the present dark times, the consequences our politics, greed, and wayward choices have inflicted upon humanity. COVID-19 has mercilessly exposed the long-existing fractures and fault lines in our societies. With these meditations on American faith, the American Constitution, and American politics, Susan Smith does the same. But she is equally relentless in her message of hope, her inspiration toward courage, her call for steadfast faith in times of great convulsions. A wonderful book one puts down only to pick up again.” —Allan Boesak, Professor of Black Liberation Theology and Ethics, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Member, Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers
“Neither the Bible nor the Constitution protected Black Americans from the power and prerogatives of white supremacy. That is the eye-opening conclusion reached in this important new book by Susan K. Williams Smith. This book explores, examines, and then explains how two different versions of Christianity have held sway in this country from its inception. How can white Christians who read the same Bible as Black Christians allow for and justify the physical enslavement and economic exploitation of their fellow believers? Williams Smith answers that question by leading the reader on a journey—from the encounter of Christianity with the Roman Empire, to a slave castle in Ghana, to the centuries of slavery and racial segregation in the United States, and finally to the racial tensions that continue to divide this country today. This is a journey worth taking with a gifted and insightful guide.” —Marvin A. McMickle, PhD, Retired President and Professor of African American Religious Studies, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School; Pastor Emeritus, Antioch Baptist Church, Cleveland, OH
“With Liberty and Justice for Some is a brilliantly written, well-researched, must-read book for such times as these. Turning a historical, theological, and exegetical lens on three texts: the Bible, the Constitution, and the text that is American racism, Susan K. Williams Smith invites the light of truth to shine on our sitz im laben in order to heal the soul of our nation, illuminating a just path to create an antiracist heaven on earth. Reading, we are compelled to be the Christians we say we are and to fulfill the prayer we pray when we gather for worship. Without blame and with a big-hearted invitation, this book is an altar call to come, see, and taste the new thing God wants to do in and through us. For preachers, for professors and students, for people in the pews—you’ll soon have a dog-eared copy to which you will return again and again.”—Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, PhD, Senior Minister, Middle Collegiate Church, New York; Author, The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leading Multi-Racial and Multi-Cultural Congregations
Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is an ordained minister, pastor, musician, writer, activist and mother of two, living in Columbus, OH, where she now serves as Founder and Executive Director of Crazy Faith Ministries. This is a non-traditional church with faith ministries providing outreach and services for homeless people; services for children of incarcerated parents; and voter education and registration, among other things. Pastor Williams Smith also leads Freedom Choir that sings songs of freedom at marches and events offering messages of social justice through music. She previously served for 22 years as pastor of Advent United Church of Christ, also in Columbus, and maintains an interest in the relationship between politics, religion, and race. A prolific writer and author of several books, Williams Smith began her career as a newspaper reporter in Baltimore. Her books include Crazy Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives (2009), and most recently, With Liberty & Justice for Some: The Bible, the Constitution, and Racism in America (2020), Dr. Williams Smith also blogs at Candid Observations and has written for the Washington Post and Huffington Post. With a Doctorate in Ministry, she maintains leadership roles in many national and community organizations and religious networks. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production
@JaniceOCG @AtwoodSociety #ActingIndie by #CynthiaAnnBaron & @Palgrave is film expert’s latest book & looks at impact of actors as writers, directors & producers. Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron is live, Thurs., Jan. 20 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for chat on @HandmaidsOnHulu, film & cults, cultures & religion.
Acting Indie: Industry, Aesthetics, and Performance (2020) is the most recent book published by Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron, and it focuses upon the role and contributions of actors in American independent cinema.
While we have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Baron, let’s see what we can learn about the differences between independent and studio-backed film-making, and what it implies about our viewing consumption of The Handmaid’s Tale. Perhaps we could ask the professor:
What differences do you imagine we might see if The Handmaid’s Tale TV series were developed by independent filmmakers, instead of Hulu, a major streaming service and production studio?
I see where major studios have attempted to become more innovative, as a response to increased demand created by COVID-19 lockdowns. Has the pandemic had an impact on the quality or quantity of film production by independent filmmakers; and if so, in what ways?
Elisabeth Moss made her directorial debut in season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale, including the dramatic season finale. What do you see as the pros and cons of actors who simultaneously take on multiple roles in a film production?
Tonight we welcome Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron to “If America Fails?” Join the chat or send your questions to us in advance of the 8 pm ET livestream. — LMO
By Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron
WATCH Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron, Associate Professor, Theatre and Film, Bowling Green State University – LIVE – Thursday, January 20, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when she joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Cults, Cultures and Religions inThe Handmaid’s Tale, modern American culture and film.
“This book illustrates the many ways that actors contribute to American independent cinema. Analyzing industrial developments, it examines the impact of actors as writers, directors, and producers, and as stars able to attract investment and bring visibility to small-scale productions. Exploring cultural-aesthetic factors, the book identifies the various traditions that shape narrative designs, casting choices, and performance styles. The book offers a genealogy of industrial and aesthetic practices that connects independent filmmaking in the studio era and the 1960s and 1970s to American independent cinema in its independent, indie, indiewood, and late-indiewood forms. Chapters on actors’ involvement in the evolution of American independent cinema as a sector alternate with chapters that show how traditions such as naturalism, modernism, postmodernism, and Third Cinema influence films and performances.” — Publisher
Dr. Cynthia Ann Baron is an Associate Professor in Theatre and Film at Bowling Green State University, where she researches and teaches; authors scholarly books and articles on subjects related to the discipline; and provides keynote speeches and other presentations at conferences both domestically and internationally. Her research and teaching interests include American Independent Cinema; Screenwriting; Taste Formation; Censorship; Food Studies; Women’s Cinema; and Actor Training, Stardom, and Screen Performance, among other subjects. She has taught courses on intersections between the film-media industry, national security, and cultural moments such as the Cold War and the Vietnam era. Some other courses Dr. Baron teaches are American Independent Cinema; Hollywood, Censorship, and American Culture; and Performance and Theatre in the Americas.
Most recently, she published Acting Indie: Industry, Aesthetics, and Performance (with Yannis Tzioumakis), (2020), which illustrates the many ways that actors contribute to American independent cinema and analyzes industrial developments; Modern Acting: The Lost Chapter of American Film and Theatre (2016), which, in part, highlights women’s key contributions to American film and theatre; and Denzel Washington (2015) where Baron traces the star’s persona and impact on mainstream society. Current book projects include: Recasting (White) Genres: Race, Ethnicity, and Performance in Contemporary Film and Television; Intersecting Aesthetics: Literary Adaptations and Cinematic Representations of Blackness, with co-editor Charlene Regester; and Imprisonment: Representation in Global Film and Media, with co-editor Karen Ritzenhoff. She is co-chair of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Caucus on Class and has participated in events such as the Rethinking Realist Acting Conference in New York, and the Acting in Film Conference in Potsdam. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production
@JaniceOCG See book talk on #WithLiberty&JusticeForSome by @cassady2euca & @JudsonPress w/ #BrittanyGraves. Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is live, Thurs., Jan. 20 at 8 pm ET, w/ “If America Fails?” on TWN, for our chat on cults, cultures & religion in @HandmaidsOnHulu & modern practices.
Watch this 52-minute video as Rev. Brittany Graves interviews Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith on her latest book — With Liberty & Justice for Some: The Bible the Constitution and Racism in America, Judson Press (2020). — LMO
Founded By Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith
WATCH Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith, Founder and Executive Director, Crazy Faith Ministries – LIVE – Thursday, January 20, 2022, 8 pm ET, on the TruthWorks Network YouTube channel, when she joins “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny,” in discussion on Cults, Cultures and Religions inThe Handmaid’s Tale, and modern American culture.
“Rev. Brittany Graves, Associate Coordinator Public Witness & Advocacy, at American Baptist Home Mission Societies interviews Dr. Susan Smith, author of the award-winning book, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR SOME. This book challenges assumptions that the U.S. is ‘one nation under God,’ that both the Constitution and the Bible have been interpreted without bias and that democracy and its principles of justice for all largely prevent the oppression or unequal treatment of individuals and groups.” — Judson Press
Rev. Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith is an ordained minister, pastor, musician, writer, activist and mother of two, living in Columbus, OH, where she now serves as Founder and Executive Director of Crazy Faith Ministries. This is a non-traditional church with faith ministries providing outreach and services for homeless people; services for children of incarcerated parents; and voter education and registration, among other things. Pastor Williams Smith also leads Freedom Choir that sings songs of freedom at marches and events offering messages of social justice through music. She previously served for 22 years as pastor of Advent United Church of Christ, also in Columbus, and maintains an interest in the relationship between politics, religion, and race. A prolific writer and author of several books, Williams Smith began her career as a newspaper reporter in Baltimore. Her books include Crazy Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives (2009), and most recently, With Liberty & Justice for Some: The Bible, the Constitution, and Racism in America (2020), Dr. Williams Smith also blogs at Candid Observations and has written for the Washington Post and Huffington Post. With a Doctorate in Ministry, she maintains leadership roles in many national and community organizations and religious networks. — If America Fails: The Coming Tyranny, a TruthWorks Network Production
@ASoulAFire @JaniceOCG @GlennonDoyle & friends discuss value of creating art – even more important in dystopian times. Watch Thursdays, 8 pm ET, 1/13 – 4/7/22, “If America Fails?: The Coming Tyranny” on TWN.
In these difficult days
where U.S. Senators attempt to decide if voting rights are more important than a rule they use to regulate how they work together;
where jobs go unfilled and few seem to imagine that perhaps workers don’t want to risk their lives during a plague, in order to maintain employment; and
where long-established women’s rights to control their own bodies are quickly evaporating,
The need for art in all forms goes up.
In this relaxing conversation between Glennon Doyle and friends, they discuss the role of writing and art in their own lives. They see engagement in making art as a space in their lives to breathe and be seen. When I was listening to this episode, I thought about how fascistic-style governments require that our representative be on call almost always. It must be even more important than ever to have a space to breathe and be seen, when living under such over-bearing oppression.
If you’re not in denial about the direction in which this country is heading, you may want to start now (if you haven’t already), cultivating the skills and stocking your playground with the toys you need to make art. Who knows? Maybe you’ll produce the very thing this world needs to connect with the most loving and humane parts of our nature. Good luck! 🙂 — LMO
How writing is a lifeline for Glennon because it’s the one place her real self can tell the truth.
Why Abby feels that her time on the soccer field was art.
The unorthodox way Glennon’s writing evolved from hourly 5AM sessions to survive sobriety with three young kids to three New York Times Best Sellers.
Why it’s horseshit that books by women authors are indiscriminately labeled “self-help.”
If America Fails? 