Ethics in Culture

An ultrasound can only tell you so much, and we have a harmful tendency to fill in the rest before the baby is even here.

How should we approach the literature of racial justice, and how far can it take us?

What responsibility do judges bear in assessing individual's moral culpability for outcomes that are the product of luck?

Video games may not directly incite violence, but that doesn't mean they can't still send dangerous messages.

The pandemic is laying bare all sorts of troubling relations and concerning arrangements. And COVID-19 may be the least of college football's problems.

What could be the harm in the idealization of the simple life and commodification of the rural aesthetic?

Food isn't as apolitical as we tend to assume, it's fraught with concerns regarding access and questions like what constitutes "ethnic" cuisine.

Humor is often used to lampoon social and political beliefs, but how defensible is it when others are made the butt of the joke?

Combating the underrepresentation of people of color in the entertainment industry is an important goal, but the way we go about it is equally important.

What might be the real-world harm of racial essentialism in a fantasy role-playing game? What does it take to confront the Veil?

The most recent episode of Rick and Morty raises familiar questions about the value of virtue—and the harm of immoral action—in the absence of consequences.

Do the responsibilities of celebrity extend to keeping some of their opinions to themselves? Must they play by a different set of rules than the general public?

Is this new medium reducing art to a formulaic hunt for virality or is it inspiring innovation and increasing independent artists' opportunity for exposure?

Melina Matsoukas’s film offers a nuanced exploration of issues like police brutality and tries to communicate the realities of the black experience to a wider audience.

Honoring the works of controversial artists like Roman Polanski sends a political message that transcends the confines of art.

Corporations often try to brand themselves as inclusive and progressive, but is there any substance behind these labels or is it all just marketing?

Trans athletes are being barred from competing with their cis counterparts under the guise of "inclusion" and protecting the integrity of sport, but what does fairness demand?

A new movement has developed around shoplifting as an anti-corporate political protest. Does it work? Can it?

It has become common for those being honored to use their time on stage to comment on social justice issues. Should they?

The NFL has a troubling history of racial prejudice infecting everything from the huddle to the sidelines and the owner's box to the press box.