Connections

I've expressed my frustration and disdain with CNN (and other "mainstream media channels" by extension) quite openly.

Once upon a time, when Ted Turner still owned it, CNN was a brilliant invention...a 24-7 channel with news available from around the world.

Now, it's just a game show of sorts, full of recursive, repetitive sound bites, "panels" of so-called experts who act out their dreams of 15 minutes of fame, over and over.

Arguably, in my own personal opinion, the uncensored repetition of all of Trump's rallies may well have added to his recognition value and his election.

But CNN on weekends actually does good stuff, things I recommend watching for lots of reasons.
And one of those things is Anthony Bourdain's  "Parts Unknown".

Bourdain is a celebrity chef, who became popular for his 2000 autobiographical book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. it was rude, crude, and became a breakout best seller. Since then he's done several television series, mostly very interesting to foodies like myself because of the venues he filmed, as well as his bad boy persona.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, however, is fascinating because he has taken his celebrity status to not just explore food around the world , but because of his very clear political stance, which is extraordinarily inclusive and global. He's been in Russia, and Iraq, and China and Vietnam, Somalia,  and  even American immigrant communities this last year, and he always asks the people he's eating with about how they see the global political perspective as well as how that fits with their traditions.
Basic premise: people are pretty much the same around the world. We want our kids to grow up safely , we want to be treated with respect and kindness, we want work which is meaningful,  we want to share with others; and food is one of the important vehicles with which we do share our common humanity. We all are far more alike than our political leaders and the news bites of every day would have us believe...

I highly recommend that if you can watch the 8 seasons available of the show that you do. It's on Netflix, and the 9th season will start in the next couple weeks on CNN.