Titanic (w/ Dr. Erika Okamoto)

On this week’s Movies vs. Capitalism, Rivka and Frank are joined by the host of the Cocktails and Capitalism podcast, Dr. Erika Okamoto, for a deep-dive conversation about James Cameron’s 1997 global smash hit Titanic. Scientists have long warned us that as the climate crisis unfolds, extreme weather events will increase in both regularity and intensity. While Southern California and Hawaii have lately faced the brunt of such disasters, the most devastating effects will be felt in the Global South. Within this context, geography could mean the difference between life and death. In today’s interview, the MVC team draws parallels between today’s ecological crisis and the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, in which a person’s societal rank became a literal death sentence for more than 1,500 travelers and crew members. They also dig into the internal conflict of Rose’s aristocratic life, the portrayal of the steerage class’ “poor-people party,” and whether or not there was actually room for Jack on that fateful door frame. A rough transcript of the episode is available here.For next week’s movie, MVC will be watching the 2017 drama First Reformed.Links mentioned: John LaRoche: Titanic's Only Black Passenger (Kelly Carter Jackson, 2020) Cocktails and Capitalism Food Not Bombs Stop Cop City This podcast relies on community support to keep the show going:

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