Since the early 2000s, a spate of forensics-focused TV shows and films have emerged on the pop culture scene. Years after Law & Order premiered in the '90s, shows like CSI, NCIS, and The Mentalist followed, trumpeting the scientific merit of analyzing blood-spatter patterns, reading facial and bodily cues, and using the latest fingerprint-matching technology to catch the bad guy.

Yet what these procedurals neglect to acknowledge is that many of these popular forensic techniques are deeply unscientific and entirely political. Spatter pattern-matching, firearms analysis, hair analysis, fingerprint and bite mark analysis — they’re all mostly bullshit with little scientific merit. Despite this, forensics have helped contribute to the wrongful convictions of thousands of people: a storytelling aid, prosecutorial smoke and mirrors, a courtroom PR tool to lend scientific verisimilitude to what is very often just circumstantial, hunch-based police work.

On this episode, we break down how popular culture depictions of forensics helps mislead viewers — and by extension jurors — into thinking forensics are science that proves guilt rather than what they really are: slick marketing collateral to help prosecutors convict someone they already think is guilty for other, nonscientific reasons. 

We are joined by Aviva Shen, Senior Editor at Slate.

Episode 94: The Goofy Pseudoscience Copaganda of TV Forensics

Historian Gerald Horne on his book "The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century" from Monthly Review.

https://monthlyreview.org/product/the-dawning-of-the-apocalypse/

1205: Slavery, race and capital in the sixteenth century / Gerald Horne

Writer Ben Ehrenreich on the value of life and time before the collapse, and his book "Desert Notebooks: A Road Map for the End of Time" via Counterpoint Press, and in a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen wants to sell you another improved fascism.

https://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/desert-notebooks/

1207: Time at the end of time / Ben Ehrenreich

In a Moment of Truth, Jeff Dorchen wants to sell you another improved fascism.

Read the transcript here: https://thisishell.com/announcements/559

Moment of Truth: The Time Has Come for Big Tent Fascism.

Writer Ashley Dawson on decarbonizing the global energy system, collectivizing renewables, and his book "People's Power: Reclaiming the Energy Commons" from OR Books.

* Use the promocode THISISHELL15 and get 15% off the book at OR's site, plus a free download of Ashley's book "Extinction: A Radical History."

https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/peoples-power/

1210: Towards a global energy commons / Ashley Dawson

Labour members aren't the problem.

https://newsocialist.org.uk/transmissions/labour-members-arent-problem/

Reel Politik

BONUS RP - Solidarity with New Socialist

Researcher Christian Sorensen on his book "Understanding the War Industry" from Clarity Press.

https://www.claritypress.com/product/understanding-the-war-industry/

1232: On the war industry / Christian Sorensen

Lucy, Andrew, and Ben are boldly stepping up to the current events of the week and slapping them right in the face. In this episode: Eating out did not help out, the rat hole, getting toilet cucked, and a podcast that is even worse than this one.
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EPISODE 173: Toilet Cucked On Father's Day

Bonus Episodes

Matt goes off live on http://www.twitch.tv/chapotraphouse

Grill Stream

109 - The hand that mocked them, and the ham that burgled. 11.12.20

Australian Celebrity Chef/Conspiracy Theorist Pete Evans is back and he's crazier than ever! You'd need a state of the art Biocharger NG to cure what's making him post white supremacist memes! We've also got Monster Wolf Robots, Redditor wedding trouble and another installation of Dutchwatch.

EPISODE 175: How To Kill Your Baby In Ten Days Or Less

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Was the Venezuelan election rigged? Abby Martin speaks with an election observer.

Keep Empire Files independent and ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/empirefiles 

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1210: Towards a global energy commons / Ashley Dawson

This Is Hell!

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