On Our Minds in 2017: The Darkness Inside Us
As we at To the Best of Our Knowledge start off a new year, we wanted to talk about some of the books, movies, music, games and other media that we think might play a role in shaping the ideas that find their way onto the show in 2017. Since that list was extensive, we’ve divided it into a few core themes that emerged from our collective media diet.
Something unavoidable in our lists: how do we reckon with humanity’s capacity for depravity and evil? We cannot always hold murder, abuse, or genocide at a distance. They are a part of the human experience, filled with pain, but also with lessons about anger, the lies we tell ourselves and others, and how small actions can have big, scary consequences. Here are a few stories from the dark side of humanity that got us thinking.
“The Look of Silence”
When I interviewed director Joshua Oppenheimer back in 2014 for his film “The Act of Killing,” it felt like plunging into an existential crisis. His surreal and disturbing documentary about one of the perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide was almost unbearable to watch. In our conversation, Joshua’s bluntness about what we are capable of — any of us — was shocking. In 2016, he came out with the equally shattering film “The Look of Silence,” in which he turns his lens on one of the genocide’s survivors, an optometrist named Adi. There is only one reason I have not watched this film: I am afraid to. Afraid of the monster in me. — Charles Monroe-Kane
Reply All
I’m not a huge fan of serialized true crime dramas — the meteoric success of Serial and other shows like it still confounds me — and yet, the four-part “On the Inside” story on Gimlet Media’s Reply All stands as one of the most incredible things I’ve heard all year. Producer Sruthi Pinnamaneni follows Paul Modrowski, an autistic inmate who was charged with a grizzly murder in suburban Chicago more than 20 years ago, in an attempt to prove or disprove his innocence.The level of access Sruthi gets is impressive enough, but the way the story unfolds — with wonderful cliffhangers sprinkled throughout — will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. If that weren’t enough, it all culminates in the most gripping piece of dialog I’ve heard in years. Fans of Serial and Criminal should check out this highlight from the already stellar Reply All catalog. — Rehman Tungekar
Thomas Powers, “The Killing of Crazy Horse”
This summer I traveled with my family to the Dakotas. The Badlands, Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore — the children loved all of it. For me, the most powerful experience was our day at the Crazy Horse Memorial, combined with a pow wow near Wounded Knee. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe protests were just beginning, and the energy was palpable. But I was left with hundreds of questions, perhaps most critically: who killed Crazy Horse? For answers, I turned to Thomas Powers and his exhaustive book that pieces together the story, “The Killing of Crazy Horse.” — Charles Monroe-Kane
Hitman
I’m the only one with video games on my list of intellectual influences. “Hitman” may appear to be just another of brainless, violent shooting gallery. You play as a barcode-imprinted cipher, a contract killer with no past and a knack for stealing people’s uniforms in order to blend in among kitchen galleys and anywhere else you can assume an identity in order to sneak past security to find your targets. But “Hitman” excels as a showcase for gaming literacy — requiring players to observe how non-player characters interact, what actions shape their behavior, and how to manipulate those behaviors to reach goals. Moreover, guns are the least interesting weapons in the game. The most effective Hitmen arm themselves with soda cans, coconuts and pipe wrenches to knock non-targets unconscious, stashing them in closets and donning their uniforms in order to sneak poison into a target’s sushi or pose as a drummer for a rock band whose frontman is in the crosshairs of an international political conspiracy. The game doesn’t probe any intellectual depths, but cleverly encourages players to learn how things work together, an important skill set in a technically-driven world. — Mark Riechers
Danielle Keats Citron, “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace”
If the internet is ever going to be a place for civil discourse, we have to confront the serious online abuse that happens every day. People targeted for harassment — usually women, and often for minor offenses like sharing an unpopular opinion — are frequently bombarded with hateful messages. They can be blackmailed, get their home and work addresses published, and face the constant threat of real-world violence incited by anonymous handles. In her book, Citron lays out several cases of online harassment and outlines legal frameworks for dealing with online harassers, since our legal system is still woefully underprepared for even the most high-profile cases of cyberbullying and cyberstalking. Her work opens critical conversations about how we can preserve free online discourse while establishing norms for civility and decency. — Mark Riechers
“OJ: Made in America”
You might think there’s nothing new or interesting to say about O.J. Simpson, given the wall-to-wall coverage that gripped the nation during his murder trial, not to mention the books and TV shows that have come out since, yet ESPN’s “O.J: Made In America” proves there’s still much to reveal about the legendary football star. The series is making the rounds on many year-end best-of lists, and has been shortlisted for an Oscar in 2017. I’m not a huge fan of ESPN’s “30 for 30” franchise, and to be honest I only recently heard about the series during a recent radio documentary conference, but everyone I’ve spoken to has called it a masterful examination of race in America. Clocking in at just under eight hours, it also would be the perfect thing to binge-watch over a weekend. — Rehman Tungekar
