Mainstream Media – Narratively Speaking

NSP029 – The Story Russel Brand Tells

Starting out as a stand-up comedian and Hollywood actor, Russel Brand has become a divisive public figure for the past 15 years.

Not particularly notable as a Hollywood superstar, Brand burst into the mainstream media pushing political a message of revolution and political non-compliance. The establishment weren’t quite sure what to make of him.

Whether you’re a fan or hater, the one thing Russel Brand is not is boring. Let’s have a look at his career and the story he tells.

Episode Links

NSP025 – Trauma is Just a Story

It’s often tempting to assume that the worst part of trauma is the tangible, physical experience.

But the core element of any trauma that stays with the victim throughout his or her lifetime is the memory of the event, more than the physical scars inflicted.

It’s the story of the trauma that continues to affect human consciousness, long after the physical wounds have healed. So, is it really fair to diminish the effects of purely emotional trauma, or are these the issues that we need the most help with?

Let’s discuss…

Episode Links:

Intro Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQVJBu3NEi0

Episode Links:

Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207191/
Traumatic stress: effects on the brain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181836/
Psychology Today – How to Heal the Traumatized Brain: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/workings-well-being/201703/how-heal-the-traumatized-brain
Learning Brain vs Survival Brain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoqaUANGvpA
Dr. Vincent Felitti – How Childhood Trauma Can Make You A Sick Adult: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3cCAcGeG8E
Nadine Burke Harris – How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

NSP022 – Stories the Media Tell Us

Angus McAlpine recently ran as a Greens candidate for the seat of Footscray, using the campaign slogan “Put a Plumber in Parliament”.

His campaign was derailed when the media discovered he had been a rapper in a past incarnation and had created some hip-hop tracks featuring lyrics that contained potential references to date rape and violence against women.

Now, we all know the media has a tendency to sensationalise stories for ratings, but this was a rare opportunity to investigate a real-life example of media duplicity, and find out exactly how far from the truth the media is willing to stray.

Today I sit down with Angus and get his side of the story, and discuss the real-life impacts of stories the mainstream media tells.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Intro clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmM8rE_LdFA
Grhyme Productions on Bandcamp: https://grhymeproductions.bandcamp.com/

News stories on Angus’ campaign:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-14/more-video-of-rapping-greens-candidate-emerges/10496640
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/greens-candidate-exposed-as-rapper-called-fatgut-who-wrote-about-date-raping-women-and-hurting-his-girlfriend/ar-BBPE15z
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-13/victorian-greens-stand-by-footscray-and-sandringham-candidates/10494022
http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/footscray-greens-candidate-apologises-sexist-hip-hop-past/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-12/victorian-election-greens-woes-not-due-to-preference-deals-alone/10612276
https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/9wxh02/greens_defend_rapping_candidate_angus_mcalpine/

NSP012 – Stories We Tell About Reality

Elon Musk looks like he’s never toked on a doobie before, and yet he’s telling us, completely sober, that we’re probably living within multiple nested computer simulations, like Russian nesting dolls.

What is he banging on about? Is there any evidence for this? And why does this idea keep surfacing in popular media?

Let’s see if we can sort it out…

Popcorn Lobotomy Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdHQBomyVGo
JP / Wandering Soul Records: https://wanderingsoulmusic.bandcamp.com
JP’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joel.pearse
Riddle / Simulation theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CyN8rYdX6g
Another explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRmZ_sNf2mE
Elon Musk with Joe Rogan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cM690CKArQ
Russel Brand considers Simulation Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkYsMinnh5s
Dr Sylvester James finds computer code in reality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc4GOkHfxBY