Popular Culture – The Pop Culture Philosopher

Long Division

April 4, 2019March 30, 2019 Chris SunamiLiterature

I first encountered author Kiese Laymon when I read his essay “You are the Second Person,” an unapologetically bridge-burning reckoning of his encounter with a assimilationist editor who tried to deracinate his work. What stuck[…]

Image by Nishant Goswami

Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man’s Chest

March 28, 2019March 29, 2019 Chris SunamiCompetition

The second Pirates movie was an entertaining romp, with some great action sequences, featuring the always-compelling Johnny Depp. However, the film also featured a disturbing racial subtext.   Most blatantly, the film trafficked in broad racial[…]

Image by Nthinila "Conz" Phumaphi

The Incredibles

March 14, 2019March 13, 2019 Chris SunamiAnimation

In honor of the recent release of Incredibles 2, a repost of my look at the philosophical implications of the original movie. While I found it impossible not to like and enjoy Brad Bird’s animated[…]

Both Eyes Open: Remembering James Alan McPherson

February 14, 2019February 11, 2019 Chris SunamiPopular Culture

I first discovered James Alan McPherson when I read his masterful novella Elbow Room, in a collection of stories by black authors called The African American West. I traced it back to his Pulitzer-Prize winning collection, also[…]

image by Natilles

Not Playing the Background

October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 Chris SunamiMusic

Out of all the great black American talents, the ones who have arguably fared the best are the singers and musicians. While it may only be a fraction of what they deserve, they have at[…]

Image by Angela Holmes

In Memory of the Queen of Soul

August 16, 2018August 17, 2018 Chris SunamiBest

The late, great Aretha Franklin, who, until her death on Thursday was perhaps the world’s greatest living singer, was the undisputed Queen of Soul, but she was a master of many genres. She grew up[…]

Image by Allison Adams

Zora Neale Hurston and the Problem of Audience

July 26, 2018February 11, 2019 Chris SunamiArt

My first real understanding of the power of affinity on attention came in 9th grade. When my teacher assigned a project called “The African-European Connection,” I was enthralled by history for the first time, as[…]

Top 10 Movies: #1 – Children of Men

July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 Chris SunamiBest

Repost: Just rewatched this amazing film recently, and what once felt like a warning from the near future now feels ripped from the headlines… Today, most people know director Alfonso Cuarón as the first Latino[…]

Alt Classical: The Innovators

June 21, 2018June 21, 2018 Chris Sunamialt-classical

Reposted from 2015 This week brings a new installment of my series on alt-classical music –music that combines the instrumentation, elegance and sophistication of classical music with the vitality of newer and more modern approaches[…]

The Pop Culture Philosopher

Books, Music, Movies and Philosophy (Updates Thursdays)

Category: Popular Culture

Long Division

Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man’s Chest

The Incredibles

Both Eyes Open: Remembering James Alan McPherson

Not Playing the Background

In Memory of the Queen of Soul

Zora Neale Hurston and the Problem of Audience

Alt Classical: The Innovators