Episode 37 - Before You Call the Cops: A Conversation w/ Tyler Merritt About Personal Narrative & the Power of Empathy

On this week’s episode, Tim speaks with Tyler Merritt, whose original video “Before You Call the Cops” recently went viral, provoking conversations across the nation about racism, stereotypes, and the importance of empathy in combatting racial injustice. The video, part of a larger effort he calls the Tyler Merritt Project, seeks to reach hearts and minds through original video content steeped in both humor and personal narrative. Tim and Tyler discuss the importance of personal narrative, the proper role of humor in addressing social injustice, the role of artists in addressing matters of social concern, and what it means that so many people responded viscerally to “Before You Call the Cops.” They’ll also address some of the criticisms leveled at the video by folks in the larger antiracism struggle as well as some of Tyler’s other material on race and how it fits into racial justice activism.