Ep. 20 - Bama Rush Doc Bad

Watched the new Bama Rush documentary on HBO last night and was so enraged by how vacuous and empty it was when it had SUCH RIPE subject matter that I’ve now recorded two different hour-long episodes in response (the second, calmer version is this very episode which turned out far more cohesively than the one recorded at 1:30 am last night)! I know too much about the University of Alabama’s rush process because I love weird youtube subcultures and getting glimpses into systems I’ll never be part of and now, six years later, it all pays off because now the rush process has gone viral twice over on TikTok so now more people in culture want to examine what we find so captivating about the experience! And this documentary…fails to do much at all. So I’m here to critique it, give my two cents, and contribute my thoughts on lives being lived in front of multiple cameras. The rituals, the narrative of achieving self-acceptance via gaining cultural capital, the lack of critical analysis of what these organizations promise vs. deliver, the racism, the hazing, the self-policing nature of eating disorders, The Machine, and all of the underexplored themes. Plus, a walk-through of what rush week entails because the documentary didn’t cover that part! Anyway, I never want to watch anyone film a TikTok during a documentary again please and thank you!!! Linky dinks! Watch the Bama Rush Week YouTube video that started it all Read about The Machine and it’s real-world impact on Alabama’s government Getting this through the Substack and want to subscribe on the podcatcher of your choice? Let’s make that easy 🤠 Apple Podcast Stitcher Spotify Get full access to Smoke Show at smokeshow.substack.com/subscribe