I find that too many of the “greatest shows of the 21st century” are middle-aged white men in crisis. And I’ve enjoy my fair share of them. But this is my truth!
B.A. Parker
@baparker.bsky.social
co-host of code switch on npr (she/her)
Listen to my friend and co-worker Hannah politely call us old on this week’s TAL
Solomon@solomonrmissouri.com · 2w agolol lol lol lol lol lol lol
Going to a Black film prgm, one of the first things they taught us was the origins of this guy’s film “Blue Collar,” and his treatment of the writer Sydney Glass. Maybe no Black actors wanted to be in the movie bc he hasn’t written a complex Black character since ‘78 and even then he stole them? 🤷🏾♀️
The Playlist@theplaylist.bsky.social · last mo.Paul Schrader Says He Turned To AI Because “No Black Actors Wanted To Play In A Movie Where There Are No Good Black People”
Gloria Steinem “was a talented, driven, and powerfully charismatic emblem for a movement that was always more complicated and sometimes more radical than she herself was,” writes Rebecca Traister.
Gloria Steinem Loved Women
The feminist icon, who has died at the age of 92, epitomized the contradictions and hopes of the women’s liberation movement.
thecut.com
Wrote about how Love Island USA's failure to protect Trinity Tatum, Kayda Bosse, Aniya Harvey, and Melanie Moreno from anti-Black racism and sexism online is a threat to the franchise for @time.com #LoveIslandUSA time.com/article/2026...
Love Island USA’s Failure to Protect Black Women Is a Threat to the Franchise
The record-breaking reality TV franchise is built on the popularity of its Black female stars, but it does not do enough to keep them out of harm's way.
time.com
Glad to know that my childhood affection for Griffin Dunne is understood by other people!
descriptivist.bsky.social@descriptivist.bsky.social · 2mo agoOn the recent PCHH @baparker.bsky.social talks about G Dunne in My Girl & surfaced my memory of what, to me, was the most relatable plot line, as a precocious reader/aspirational writer around the same age as Clumsky. Suddenly the joy and heartbreak welled up again, like I was a stressed 12 again.
The rumors are true! @dieworkwear.bsky.social and I have started a monthly book club podcast together. We read works of fashion philosophy and talk about what they mean today. We start with a book from 1705 called Fable of the Bees substack.com/home/post/p-...
Philosophy Club: Bernard Mandeville
A New Series with Derek Guy
substack.com
So the next day, during their lunch break at school, the students lawyered up. Find out what happened next here: www.wired.com/story/epstei...
A Teen Reporter Searched for His Community in the Epstein Files. Adults Freaked Out
An Instagram post turned one California student newspaper into a free-speech flash point. The students say they were just doing their homework.
wired.com
When the temperatures rise, our doors are open. 💙 This summer, BAM's Peter Jay Sharp lobby serves as an official NYC Cooling Center, offering a safe, air-conditioned place for our neighbors to escape the heat. 🕘 Cooling Center Hours: Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm, 30 Lafayette Ave
The Knicks finally figured out how to do the right thing.
Wu Tang and the burnt sage outside of MSG really turned this all around
Razzball@razzball.bsky.social · 4mo agoThis will fix the Knicks
On its face, very cool. When you think about how “Scandal” was a show made in the Obama era about a Black woman stealing 3 presidential elections for the GOP, my feelings get complicated. But maybe it’s best not to overthink it.
Christopher Webb@cwebbonline.com · 4mo agoNot gonna lie, this is a badass museum donation. 🇺🇸 Shonda Rhimes donated the Oval Office set from Scandal, the same one fictional President Fitzgerald Grant called home for seven seasons. Now it’s part of the Obama Presidential Center Museum
Love it: the night after he was kicked off of CBS for good, Stephen Colbert hosted a public access show in southeast Michigan.
Only In Monroe --- May 22, 2026
YouTube video by Stephen Colbert
youtube.com
One of my favorite episodes to record, ever. With @aishaharris.bsky.social and @baparker.bsky.social!
‘Is God Is’ interrogates misogyny in a vivid, scathing revenge tale : Pop Culture Happy Hour
You should make sure to check out the new film Is God Is. It’s a kinetic movie about twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) who set out to kill their abusive dad (Sterling K. Brown). It’s an ex...
npr.org
NEWS: NPR plans newsroom restructure and modest jobs cuts as it confronts era without federal funding. CEO Katherine Maher says NPR intends to save $8M from newsgathering & related units; shows and podcasts not eligible for buyouts or targeted for layoffs. www.npr.org/2026/05/18/n...
NPR trims jobs in newsroom overhaul as it confronts era without public funding
NPR is offering buyouts to journalists as it overhauls its newsroom, with the threat of layoffs to follow. Two recent gifts totaling $113 million are primarily dedicated to NPR's tech infrastructure.
npr.org
I think Casey Affleck’s character knows he looks like Casey Affleck. But absolutely no one in the group knows who that is. But oddly enough they know who Scott Caan is. Rusty was a big Hawaii 5-0 fan.
Mike Ryan@mikeryan.bsky.social · 6mo agoSince 2011 anytime I interviewed anyone involved in OCEANS TWELVE I’ve asked them a version of, “Since Tess knows she looks like Julia Roberts, does everyone else on the team know they look like famous people?” I finally put all of their answers together in this post
In celebration of the O’s opening day win today, here is my obligatory post of the coolest thing I did in 2025.
B.A. Parker@baparker.bsky.social · last yr.On Tuesday night, I got to achieve a childhood dream: I threw the first pitch at Camden Yards. #Orioles
In the summer of 2020, I was determined to find out what’s the point of police. I learned it’s to protect the community, not the individual. I learned that protecting folks is either at the police’s discretion, or we end up in a police state. And we’re kinda on our own. radiolab.org/podcast/no-s...
No Special Duty
A look at what happens when the police don’t do the one thing you expect them to.
radiolab.org
Gothamist@gothamist.com · 7mo agoThe NYPD is not constitutionally required to help a person being attacked by an angry mob, lawyers for the city argued in a recent court filing: gothamist.visitlink.me/W7zbRT
Haven’t posted in a month. Life updates: - I just watched all of Lonesome Dove for the first time, and I’m a better person for it. - I’m learning “Bet On It” from High School Musical 2 on the banjo. - For my birthday, I finally own wine glasses. - Code Switch is now 2 eps a week. Yes, we are tired.
Jeffrey Bezos is destroying the Washington Post for the same reason Musk destroyed Twitter and Ellison is destroying CBS—oligarchs oppose the free press when if it threatens their wealth and power. They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
I respect the thought on Ms. Parks’s heavenly birthday… but I’m a Black lady with a bad back, I’m taking that seat.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority@mta.info · 8mo agoTo commemorate Transit Equity Day and Black History Month, a seat has been reserved today to honor the legacy of Rosa Parks. Each and every day, we’re committed to providing accessible and equitable transit for all.
The entire time they’ve been on this journey, the monks have been met with racism, cops, and content creators. A sad indictment of the current state of affairs.
Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 9mo agoThe Buddhist monks on a "Walk for Peace" toward Washington are urging streamers not to follow them everywhere they go "We don't want this to become something people chase after"
For the first time in my life I saw a gun ad on tv tonight. Is that… common?
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