How could people believe something so stupid," they asked themselves, "we obviously know exactly how the world works, but why don't they?" We know that you come to Postmodern Raygun for Dusty and Austin's ethos appeal- our show is dripping in self-satisfied assuredness. But in this episode we're going interview an actually smart person, a scientist, who will rock our little boat of certainty, and try to help us identify the tools that could be used to tear down "false" ideologies (Hint, Austin: You're never going to make a utopia).

After an extended break from recording, Austin and Dusty try to tackle the big questions, like: Why conspiracies, though? Who the fuck thinks we’re injecting microchips, have you seen the needles for those sorts of things? Do they do ANY relevant research into how 5G works. WHY DO YOU TRUST EVERY FUCKING THING YOU READ ON A MESSAGE BOARD (editor’s note: tell Austin he needs to back the rhetoric down a smidge). Fear not the conspiracies brave listener, for in this episode, we’re going to try to tackle how people come to fiercely believe false stories, and see patterns where none exist.

You saw the Jeep commercial during the Superb Bowl, right? You probably saw it at least a couple times on the web, right!? Meet Dusty and Austin... in the middle... for a Postmodern Quickie (no, not that kind)!

Which sport makes more money? A) The sport everyone knows about, but nobody watches B) The sport almost nobody knows about, but some people choose to live their lives around?    In this episode, Dusty and Austin attempt to explore the how media can develop a large audience with shallow expectations, or a small audience with fervent interactivity. They feel there is one sport that, throughout its history, has had just about every relationship that media can have with an audience: Wrestling. Steroid-fueled, spandex-wrapped, high-flying, personality-driven Wrestling. Strap in while Dusty and Austin tackle wrestling, and the question of Breadth vs. Depth.

Black Panther and Captain Marvel have a lot in common, aside from being in the same franchise. Sub-textually, they are both emblematic of people from classically oppressed groups grappling with their oppressors and identity- trust us. Yet if you were to ask the common person on the street, which movie was better, they would overwhelmingly tell you that Black Panther is the superior film. We here at PMRG happen to agree; Black Panther is far superior. In this episode, we compare the execution of the films' narratives and explain why... What, were you expecting some snark?

We're doing another watch-along in order to settle a bet. This time we're watching Captain Marvel. Austin remembers the film as a piece of military propaganda. Dusty remembers the film as a piece of feminist propaganda. For this watch-along, we're switching perspectives and watching the film together to figure out which theory holds more water. Play the movie at the same time you listen to this podcast to get our commentary! Then listen to our breakdown of this film and how it compares to Black Panther.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of the author in this episode of Postmodern Raygun. What happens when art becomes more than aesthetic, and the identity of the author comes into play? Is it okay to like art made by a terrible person? Is JK Rowling an authority on trans rights (Spoiler, No). Would a candle that smelled like any other vagina than Ms. Gweneth Paltrow's sell as well? Join Austin and Dusty as they roll up their sleeves and Kill God!

One of the great things about art is that it can kind of be whatever you like- NO! There are rules, Goddammit! In this episode of Postmodern Raygun, we explore how aesthetic has rules grounded in the real world. In Physics. In things like gravity. You know, real shit. Not wishy-washy  whatever speaks to you, hippy-BS. Buckle up as Austin and Dusty take you on a journey to justify their liberal arts education.

In this episode, Austin and Dusty dissect and study Western Society's greatest villain (Other than... Donald Trump! Right?... Colbert, hire me), The Joker. We'll delve into the history of the character and his portrayal, and discuss how his archetype has evolved over time. We'll also give our analysis of the most recent film featuring The Joker: “Joker.” Is it a cinematic masterpiece or a masturbatory alt-right wet dream? Could it be... neither? Delve with us into the darkest mind in all of fiction on this episode of Postmodern Raygun!    We watched "Joker" to prepare for this, and we actually recorded our live reactions. Go ahead and play our reactions at the same time as the film if you'd like to do a watch-along with us!

We watched "Joker" together to prepare for an episode. As a little experiment, we live-recorded our reactions in real time, and we invite you to play our reactions at the same time you watch the film yourself! It will be like you've got annoying friends who talk during the movie right there in the room with you! If we get positive feedback on this... it will have been the first bit of positive feedback we'll have ever gotten. It will also be the first feedback we'll have ever gotten. We're just flailing around out here like drowning sailors. Help us! PLEASE, send help!

F%@K YOU! We don't care what you think, so long as you listen to our ads, so  F%@K YOU- Sponsored by Lex Corp.  Why is our society so polarized? Do you think the way media works has something to do with it? Austin and Dusty have a civil discussion about polarization and why we're so goddamn angry.

In part two of our review of the production history of STAR WARS we dig into the Disney era. How did handing the keys to the castle over to "The Mouse" affect the storytelling we all saw on-screen. Fair warning, we did this whole two-parter in one recording, and we get a little unhinged towards the end.

This episode, like Thanos, is inevitable and titanic. Our review of the production history of STAR WARS is so long that we had to make the recording a two-parter. In this episode, we dig through the first two trilogies: Where did the highs and lows come from? Is George Lucas a good filmmaker? Who really "Own's" STAR WARS.

What exactly is the relationship between a piece of intellectual property, and fans with that property? Does Dusty feel genuine, human love for Han Solo? Or would that be Harrison Ford...? or George Lucas?  In part-1 of this two-parter, we start to discuss what fans actually feel for media, and try to figure out who actually owns universally beloved IP.

We got pretty negative about documentaries in the last episode: Truth is nothing but a conceit, everyone is lying to you, and while our brains perceive sensory input through our flesh-and-bone-suits, we can never actually grasp anything real- Yadda, yadda, yadda. We want to lighten the mood in this episode by reviewing,  The Act of Killing! A documentary that gets it really, really right!

When you watch a documentary, what you are shown is what there is- right?  Well, maybe. Actually, no? From the machinations of Michael Moore to the entertaining Mr. Joe Exotic, let's explore just how  real documentaries are, and think about the limitations of recordings.

In episode 2 of Postmodern Raygun, we crack into when we think a film is making a good-faith argument vs. a hollow act of virtue signaling.

Which story is better, A or B:  A) The king died, and then the queen died.   B) The king died, and then the queen died of grief.   Well, which one? It may come down to context, or more accurately, subtext. In this episode, we try to explore the nature of subtext. What makes it good? What makes it bad? What is Kubrick’s “The Shining” actually about? (Spoiler: Austin still doesn’t know, but Dusty does.). Join us for our inaugural episode of Postmodern Raygun.