We Might Be Tables

Dewansh and Shrish
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  • Philosophie

In this series, two friends contemplate and examine the nature of the world in all its absurd glory, while analysing anything from television and video games to books and essays. Founded in a passion for philosophy, this podcast, with hosts Dewansh Matharoo and Shrish Sudharsan, is a fresh take on culture, being, and everything in between. What does it mean to be, anyway? After all, we might be tables. E-mail: wemightbetables@gmail.com.

  1. 17. Mai

    Episode 47: Ima (Perfect Days - Wim Wenders)

    Kondo wa kondo, ima wa ima. Hirayama wakes at dawn to the sound of a broom sweeping the streets outside his modest flat east of the Sumida River. He makes his bed, marks the page on his book, and goes downstairs to brush his teeth, water his plants, and grab his keys and some spare change before going outside to look at the sky, breathe in, and smile. He grabs a coffee from a nearby vending machine, climbs into his van, and gets his music cassette ready. After a quick swig from his can humorously labelled 'BOSS', Hirayama drives off to begin his day as a cleaner of public toilets in Shibuya. Wim Wenders' modern masterpiece, Perfect Days, is a complex meditation on work, routine, and meaning. It touches on a vast array of topics such as capitalism and class, existentialism and relationships, and estrangement and grief. Rarely do films feel so well-rounded in their nuanced exploration of context, politics, and aesthetics, while also being piercingly poignant in what they have to say about transcending the limits of the body and spirit. Perfect Days is undoubtedly one of the great films of the twenty-first century; we could not help but watch it time and again to see and feel everything it has to offer. It is also one that is and will be important in the years to come, owing in no small measure to its thoughtful tone and sublime message, relevant more than ever in a world of growing alienation and individualism. This latest episode is in two parts: this one on Perfect Days, and the other (right before), on a surprisingly similar film by Akira Kurosawa: Ikiru. We had a fantastic time thinking through both stories' impact, and hope you gain as much from our discussion as we did from the films! As always, we would love to hear your thoughts, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram, e-mail, or using a voice note on Spotify! References: 1) Criterion Collection article by Bilge Ebiri, on Wim Wenders' filmography. 2) Reddit comment on abject loneliness in Perfect Days. 3) Article on the importance of Lou Reed to Wim Wenders and the former's presence in Perfect Days - Wim Wenders' Life Was Saved by Rock and Roll: Lou Reed is a mighty voice in my new film. 4) Dewansh mentions an article about how Perfect Days is a sanitized film. We are not able to link the source here (yet). 5) Dewansh reads something about the person experiencing homelessness. We are not able to link the source here (yet). 6) Aoi Yamada.

    1 Std. 37 Min.

  2. 3. Mai

    Episode 46: Living (Ikiru - Akira Kurosawa)

    [Note: Episode recorded in 2024] Tokyo, 1952. Seven years after World War II, Japan's public sector is in shambles: inadequate funding, multi-layered corruption, and bureaucratic apathy have left the people desperate for systemic change. Amidst this turmoil is one man, Watanabe, who has been a civil servant for close to thirty years, busying himself thoughtlessly and monotonously to the point of dehumanisation. However, unbeknownst to anyone, there is something special about him: in less than a year, Watanabe will be dead. Work. Service. Meaning. What is it all for? Are work and labour the same thing? How have we historically envisioned the importance of work as a social and cultural phenomenon? Under the umbrella of state-capitalism, how do workers become Subjects; what are the tensions between community-oriented and nationalist work; fundamentally, by what processes and associations do we ascribe "value" to certain individual and social projects? Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa's daring and dioramic critique of the relationship between individual and community, community and nation, and nation and morality is oft-considered one of the greatest films of all time. Its relevance cannot be understated in a time of growing communal tensions, increased global shifts towards the far-right and jingoism and, of course, the further fragmentation of work and labour. This latest episode is in two parts: the first, on Ikiru, and the second, on a surprisingly similar film by Wim Wenders: Perfect Days. We had a fantastic time thinking through both stories' impact, and hope you gain as much from our discussion as we did from the films! As always, we would love to hear your thoughts, so please don't hesistate to reach out to us on Instagram, e-mail, or using a voice note on Spotify! References: 1) Ikiru screenplay and Donald Richie 2) The Farewell (Chinese film), directed by Lulu Wang 3) Louis Althusser - Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus 4) Shin Godzilla, directed by Hideaki Anno 5) Living, directed by Oliver Hermanus 6) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 7) Off/Screen article: A Study of Kurosawa's Ikiru Note: At one point, Shrish refers to Donald Richie as Donald Richardson; we just wanted to apologize for that oversight!

    1 Std. 30 Min.

  3. 24.03.2024

    Episode 45: Erased, Not Dead: Ecofeminism Against Speciesism (Ecofeminism Revisited - Greta Gaard)

    An unfortunately longevous legacy of feminism--particularly its liberal brand from the 1970s--is a willful disregard for and violent erasure of ecological politics, specifically species justice. In her 2011 essay "Ecofeminism Revisited: Rejecting Essentialism and Replacing Species in a Material Feminist Environmentalism", Greta Gaard surveys the rise and fall of ecofeminist scholarship and activism, noting its frequent clashes with the mainstream. Inspired both by her work and its references, as well as our own academic pursuits into the ecological critique of gender liberation, this is a conversation that has been long in the making. We hope that this serves as the first of many necessary entries for a series on "eco-social critique" (we just made that up). Ecofeminism is not dead! We would like to thank ZHRØ for their song, chill background music #2.wav. References in the episode: 1) Ecofeminism and Climate Justice. Interview with Greta Gaard. 2) Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. 3) Mind your Buffalo by Buffalo Intellectual. 4) #OilYouNeed on Nutrition and Flavour with Swetha Sivakumar. Note: Please send us a message if you would like to read the paper!

    1 Std. 52 Min.

  4. 12.06.2023

    Episode 44: We Might Be Academics

    We're back! It has been a while (here's hoping we stop saying this as often as we do) since we released an episode, and this is one we've wanted to record for so long now. We started this podcast in 2020 after completing our first year in university. Unsettled and fatigued as we were, the world of academia enticed and captivated us in unimaginable ways. Chasing belongingness in an unfamiliar academic world meant adapting to it and becoming 'academics' without ever truly knowing what that meant, a process augmented by an unfiltered (perhaps naive) desire for knowledge. However, a lot has happened in the years that have passed - for one, we have graduated. The charm and glamour long gone, it only feels right to turn our eyes to academia as an institution and examine it for what it is, and what it promises it be. In this episode, we talk about where we started and where we're going, expectations and reality, academic jargon and "canonism", privilege, power, postcoloniality, hermeneutical injustice and self-reflexive negations. Here is a list of references made in the discussion (feel free to point out anything we have missed!): 1) Like a Savarna, by Ravikant Kisana 2) Hermeneutical Injustice, by Miranda Fricker 3) Paolo Freire - Pedagogy of the Oppressed 4) Walter Benjamin - Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 5) Chat Deni Maar Deli (for funsies) We Might Be Tables now has a voice note feature! We'd love it if you left us a comment with your thoughts on the episode; click the link below to record a message.

    1 Std. 31 Min.

  5. 16.09.2022

    Episode 43: Saul Tenser and the Inner Beauties (Crimes of the Future - David Cronenberg)

    Deep within a dilapidated building hidden away in a dark alley, one Saul Tenser lies in his LifeFormWare bed anticipating the growth of something new in his body. This growth, a new organ, does not come as a surprise to Tenser or his performance partner Caprice. Mutations and transformations of this kind have been around for a while in this seemingly drab world. But are these "inner beauties" anomalies, or an evolutionary gift?  In this episode, we talk about Crimes of the Future, a body horror film directed by one of the principal originators of the genre. We present our critiques of the film, ask questions about human evolution and sexual desire, draw comparisons with the original Crimes of Future, and dive deeper into the social commentary of the film. Watch this film and share your thoughts about it with us!  Mentioned in this episode: Crimes of the Future - David Cronenberg Not mentioned in this episode but worth checking out: Why The Human Body Sucks, and How To Fix It (AsapSCIENCE)

    1 Std. 7 Min.

  6. 06.08.2022

    Real Talk III

    Hello! A lot has changed since we recorded our previous episode a year ago, but our desire to be here voicing our thoughts has remained. In this episode, we talk about where we've been, our thoughts on the podcast, changing attitudes and more, all while going on a few characteristic WMBT Tangents™. We're glad to be here and to you have you here with us. Thank you and we'll see you around. P.S. The audio in this episode is from a YouTube video with the same title, which is why it might not be of the best quality. You can click here to watch the video, or find it directly on our YouTube channel.

    45 Min.
  7. Episode 41: Go Gentle Into That Good Night (Dying, But Not Alone - Joshua Briscoe)

    29.11.2021

    Episode 41: Go Gentle Into That Good Night (Dying, But Not Alone - Joshua Briscoe)

    This episode contains heavy and lengthy discussions about death, suicide, ageing, euthanasia, and disease. Please listen at your own discretion. "Death before dishonour" - an idea that has consistently cropped up for centuries, in cultures the world over: from the samurai in ancient Japan to soldiers in present-day militaries.  Seemingly, the notion of "laying down" one's morals is so aversive that one would much rather choose death. Today, said "dishonour" often equates to a loss of control over one's life upon getting older. With age comes illness and disease, and the necessary dependence on friends and family, or even institutional care systems, such as old-age homes or hospitals. The question is: why do we equate ageing (or a loss of control) with a loss of dignity? In a fantastic paper titled  "Dying, But Not Alone", Dr Joshua Briscoe writes, "We can’t support  those who say that their lives have become undignified by the logic taught to them by a culture that makes autonomy the basis for dignity." We must remember here that there are nuances to consider (more on those in the episode), but the point is that absolute autonomy is nothing more than an illusion. We lack both the biological and social ability to have complete control over our lives and bodies. Dr Briscoe uses such an idea as the basis for their argument for dependence in old-age being dignified, even desirable. Primarily, Briscoe responds to a New York  Times article that speaks in support of physician-assisted suicide and highlights the importance of tackling the taboo surrounding ageing rather than (or at the very least, in conjunction with) laws that allow for physician-assisted suicide. In this episode, we explore the idea of dignity in death and sharing the burden of pain as we grow older. Links: Dying, But Not Alone by Joshua Briscoe When Patients Choose to End Their Lives in The New York Times Watch Euthanasia on Reddit

    1 Std. 19 Min.
  8. Episode 40: Questioning is Progress (The Talos Principle - Part 2)

    24.10.2021

    Episode 40: Questioning is Progress (The Talos Principle - Part 2)

    Welcome, my child.  In our last episode, we began to traverse the deep waters of The Talos Principle. Today, we scuba dive in and explore the many terminal messages scattered across the land. From a dad’s message for #@3##@ to questions about liberty and quality of life, these messages tug at your heartstrings as well as your brain-strings (?). Here’s a taste of some of the questions that emerge in our discussion: would a true AI deserve citizenship? What about rights? If you had to, how would you make someone believe you were a real person? If these questions make you scratch your chin, we think you will enjoy this episode.  Also, we cannot say this enough: play the game and show support for games and media like The Talos Principle! Have fun! And remember, don’t climb the tower. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Watch the trailer for the game here. If you're not big into gaming, you can check out a walkthrough of The Talos Principle here. Thank you Migfus20 on freesound.org for the music in this episode!

    1 Std. 14 Min.
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Info

In this series, two friends contemplate and examine the nature of the world in all its absurd glory, while analysing anything from television and video games to books and essays. Founded in a passion for philosophy, this podcast, with hosts Dewansh Matharoo and Shrish Sudharsan, is a fresh take on culture, being, and everything in between. What does it mean to be, anyway? After all, we might be tables. E-mail: wemightbetables@gmail.com.

Informationen

  • Erstellt von
    Dewansh and Shrish
  • Jahre aktiv
    2020 - 2026
  • Folgen
    47
  • Bewertung
    Anstößig
  • Copyright
    © Dewansh and Shrish
  • Sendungswebsite
    We Might Be Tables

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