KQED's Forum

Even amid a global pandemic, weight stayed center stage in the national consciousness as many bemoaned their lockdown weight gain, commonly called the “Covid 15.” That’s no surprise to critics who say that the cult of thinness and the pervasive message that being skinny equals wellness have long been part of American culture. While society has become more size inclusive, some argue that the damage to self image, particularly for millennial women, has been done. We’ll talk about body image, diet culture, and what it means to equate health with thinness.

To get help with an eating disorder, the National Eating Disorders Association has toll-free warm line at 1-800-931-2237 and for 24/7 crisis support, you can text 'NEDA' to 741741. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

English and Spanish are the most commonly spoken languages in the U.S., and some people see Spanglish -- a hybrid of the two -- as the future. Latinx youth are embracing Spanglish in ways previous generations were told was unacceptable, freely using un poquito de eso and a little bit of that in conversation. We talk about the origins of Spanglish, how people are using it today and why it’s growing.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past year of on and off shelter in place restrictions, so many of us discovered--and in some cases, rediscovered--places that helped us get through those times. A park we had never known about. A room in our home that was rarely used. A path we had walked passed many times before but never traveled upon. What was your pandemic place? We talk with journalists Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley, co-authors of the forthcoming book, Until Proven Safe which examines quarantines from medieval Venice to outer space to reveal new ideas about quarantine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Media conversations about the origin of COVID-19 intensified this week, after President Biden ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to "redouble" efforts to determine whether the virus emerged through cross-species transmission or escaped from a research lab in Wuhan, China. In a highly publicized joint report in February, the World Health Organization and the Chinese government dismissed the lab-leak theory as "extremely unlikely." But since then, more scientists are calling for new investigations, as a consensus forms that both scenarios are still viable. We'll talk about the politics -- and geopolitics--complicating the inquiry into the pandemic's origins.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods,” writer Brian Broome describes growing up gay and Black in small town Ohio. Broome learned to hide his sexuality in a family, and a community, where masculinity was everything. His memoir traces his journey surviving an abusive father, poverty, racism, violence and addiction to finally embrace his sexuality and value as a man. Brian Broome joins Forum to discuss his new memoir which he has described as, “a kind of love letter to Black boys,” to tell them that you don’t have to be this thing that the world keeps telling you that you are.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you watched a throwback TV show or movie recently that — upon viewing now — made you cringe because of scenes or jokes that are so obviously, well, cringeworthy? The expansive library of old TV shows and films made available for nostalgia viewing on streaming services prompted some rude awakenings about content we thought we loved. We’ll reflect on the ways our awareness as viewers may have shifted and consider the TV shows and films that don’t quite stack up to today’s social norms. We’ll also discuss the movies and shows that have stood the test of time and why. Is there an old TV show or film that lost its charm for you upon re-watching?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Memories of last summer’s rolling blackouts and predictions for a hot, dry summer have Californians wondering whether there is enough energy to keep the lights as air conditioners and other energy demands tax the grid. And more supply concerns loom. In three years the state is planning to decommission the Diablo Nuclear Energy plant, which supplies 6% of the state’s electricity, and is still in the process of identifying how it will replace the supply. We’ll talk this hour about the electrical grid, whether it's ready for the summer, and plans for the future.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early Wednesday morning, an employee of the Valley Transit Authority opened fire at the rail yard in San Jose, killing 9 co-workers before he shot and killed himself. We’ll talk with local officials about the victims, the VTA employee who gunned them down and what is known so far about the circumstances of the horrific mass shooting.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California courts approved more than 1,200 gun violence restraining orders last year under the state’s “red flag” law, according to data from the state attorney general. The law allows local authorities — at the request of family, teachers or co-workers — to temporarily remove firearms from those deemed a threat to themselves or others. Red flag laws made headlines earlier this year in the wake of the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, when it emerged that the perpetrator’s mother attempted to invoke Indiana’s red flag law months prior. We’ll talk about how red flag laws work and they're used in California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the Bay Area’s largest hospitals counted zero COVID patients last week, the CDC is advising the vaccinated to remove their masks, and more than 40% of Californians are now fully vaccinated. After a year with so much loss and isolation, many of us are feeling the joy of newfound freedom and reconnection. We’ll talk about overdue reunions with loved ones and other post-vaccination freedoms and we’ll want to hear from you. What is bringing you joy?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices