California’s new legislation allowing college athletes to make money off endorsements. One step forward. The backlash against victims who came forward in the wake of #MeToo. Two steps back. Does big, sustainable change have to feel like grasping at straws?

Discussed this week:

• “California Tells the N.C.A.A. to Share, and It Pitches a Fit.” (Michael Powell, The New York Times, Oct. 4, 2019)
• “The Toll of Me Too.” (Rebecca Traister, The Cut, Sept. 30, 2019)

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We revisit "Fight Club" on the 20th anniversary of its release, and consider how the trope of the "psychobro" is showing up onscreen — in the new blockbuster “Joker” and HBO’s critically acclaimed series “Succession” — and off.

Discussed this week:

• "The Unbearable Bradness of Being" (Chris Heath, Rolling Stone, Oct. 28, 1999)
• "Fight Club" (directed by David Fincher, 1999)
• "Joker" (directed by Todd Phillips, 2019)
• "Succession" (HBO, 2019)
• "Whistleblower Explains How Cambridge Analytica Helped Fuel U.S. 'Insurgency'" (Fresh Air, Oct. 8, 2019)

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Jennifer Lopez is having a triumphant 2019. From her Motown tribute at the Grammys to the success of “Hustlers” to the announcement that she’ll be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, she seems to be enjoying the fruits of her labor from about three decades in show business. So we want to know: is Jennifer Lopez finally getting her due?

Discussed this week:

• “How Jennifer Lopez’s Versace Dress Created Google Images” (Rachel Tashjian, GQ, Sept. 20, 2019)
• “Hustlers” (directed by Lorene Scafaria, 2019)
• Jennifer Lopez’s Motown Tribute at the 2019 Grammy Awards
• “Jennifer Lopez Talks Engagement, Diddy’s Instagram Comments, Bonding With Cardi B + More” (Breakfast Club, Apr. 10, 2019)
• “‘Hustlers’ Has a Strong Opening at the Box Office” (Gabe Cohn, The New York Times, Sept. 15, 2019)
• “Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez Announce Their Engagement” (The Associated Press, March 9, 2019)
• “Selena” (directed by Gregory Nava, 1997)
• “Movies (And Other Things)” (Shea Serrano, 2019)
• “Waiting for Tonight” (Jennifer Lopez, 1999)
• “1999” (Prince, 1982)
• “Out of Sight” (directed by Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
• “Monster-in-Law” (directed by Robert Luketic, 2005)
• “The Wedding Planner” (directed by Adam Shankman, 2001)
• “Maid in Manhattan” (directed by Wayne Wang, 2002)
• “Gigli” (directed by Martin Brest, 2003)
• “Jenny from the Block” (Jennifer Lopez, 2002)
• “Play” (Jennifer Lopez, 2001)
• “Rap Performer Puffy Combs Is Arrested After Shootings at Times Sq. Nightclub” (William K. Rashbaum, The New York Times, Dec. 28, 1999)
• “El Cantante” (directed by Leon Ichaso, 2006)
• “American Idol” (Jennifer Lopez as judge in Seasons 10-11 and 13-15)

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We'll be back with a new episode next Thursday, October 17th.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Comedy is changing. Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix comedy special, "Sticks & Stones," makes us wonder if he can keep up.

Discussed this week:

• "Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones" (Netflix, 2019)
• "Aziz Ansari: Right Now" (Netflix 2019)
• "A Black Lady Sketch Show" (HBO, 2019)
• "My Favorite Shapes" (HBO, 2019)
• "Ramy Youssef: Feelings" (HBO, 2019)

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We’re in love with MTV’s dating-reality TV show “Are You the One?”

Discussed this week:

• Jenna Wortham. "How Queer People Brought Some Actual Reality to Dating-Reality TV" (The New York Times Magazine, Aug. 28, 2019)
• Wesley Morris. "Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?" (The New York Times Magazine, April 24, 2019)
• "Are You the One?" (MTV, Season 8, 2019)

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How "Old Town Road" gave us hope without making us cringe, and became our song of the year.

Discussed this week:

• Joe Coscarelli, Alexandra Eaton, Will Lloyd, Eden Weingart, Antonio de Luca and Alicia DeSantis. "Diary of a Song — ‘Old Town Road’: See How Memes and Controversy Took Lil Nas X to the Top of the Charts" (The New York Times, May 10, 2019)
• Jon Caramanica. "The Short Rise and Long Tail of Lil Nas X" (The New York Times, Jun. 26, 2019)
• Jade Jolie
• "Shut Up & Sing" (directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, 2006)
• BriMalandro.tumblr.com

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Remember that beer test? It’s not enough. That’s why this election season, we bring you: Still Processing’s Rubric for Leadership and Democratic Excellence.

Discussed this week:

• Astead Herndon, Jon Caramanica and Jon Pareles. "What Do Rally Playlists Say About the Candidates?" (The New York Times, Aug. 19, 2019)
• Clara Guibourg and Helen Briggs. "Climate change: Which vegan milk is best?" (BBC News, Feb. 22, 2019)
• The AP reporter Alexandra Jaffe’s post on Twitter that Senator Kamala Harris drinks oat milk
• Matt Flegenheimer and Sydney Ember. "How Amy Klobuchar Treats Her Staff" (The New York Times, Feb. 22, 2019)
• Carl Zimmer. "Elizabeth Warren Has a Native American Ancestor. Does That Make Her Native American?" (The New York Times, Oct. 15, 2018)
• Adrienne Keene, Rebecca Nagle and Joseph M. Pierce. "Syllabus: Elizabeth Warren, Cherokee Citizenship, and DNA Testing" (Critical Ethnic Studies, Dec. 19, 2018)
• Thomas Kaplan. "Elizabeth Warren Apologizes at Native American Forum: ‘I Have Listened and I Have Learned.’" (The New York Times, Aug. 19, 2019)
• Matt Stieb. "Where Does Marianne Williamson Actually Stand on Vaccines?" (NYMag, Aug. 4, 2019)
• Glenn Thrush. "Obama and Biden’s Relationship Looks Rosy. It Wasn’t Always That Simple." (The New York Times, Aug. 16, 2019)

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Still Processing will be back in your ears on Thursday, September 12th.

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We dissect Jordan Peele’s new psychological thriller, “Us,” and discuss the film’s central question (WITHOUT SPOILERS): Are any of us ever truly free from the past?

Also, we’re going on a short hiatus. Happy spring, and we’ll be back in your ears soon.

Discussed this week:

• “Us” (directed by Jordan Peele, 2019)
• “Suspiria” (directed by Dario Argento, 1977)
• “The People Under the Stairs” (directed by Wes Craven, 1991)
• “It Follows” (directed by David Robert Mitchell, 2014)
• “White Is for Witching” (Helen Oyeyemi, 2014)
• “Beloved” (Toni Morrison, 1987)
• “Beloved” (directed by Jonathan Demme, 1998)
• Jan Svankmajer
• “Beloved” (Toni Morrison, audiobook, 2006)
• “The Souls of Black Folk” (W.E.B. DuBois, 1903)

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.