Behind the Seen

Mark Bauer and Branden Polk•wonymedia.com

Society & Culture

Behind the Seen is a conversation dedicated to uncovering our biases and how to navigate them in a constructive way.

Last refreshed: August 15th, 2025 at 4:07 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Episode 5: Using Fear as a Guidepost

We’ve talked a lot about discomfort and tension when we encounter things that are different than us. This episode will go a little deeper into the actual psychology of that fear. Practicing getting over that fear is like building and stretching any muscle—it requires repetition. And continually pushing the boundaries of what you can overcome unlocks a whole new perspective on life when you aren’t inhibited by fear.

Sep 12, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Episode 4: The Excuses We Make

For this episode, it’s important that we talk about justification—or the excuses we make—when we’re confronted with our biases. If the last three episodes have caused you any kind of shame, guilt or anxiety, our typical reaction when we experience that kind of discomfort is to put it on somebody else, usually the person who pointed out our wrongness in the first place. We become the best defenders of ourselves in those moments to absolve our responsibility. But once you realize the discomfort is...

Sep 05, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 4

[BETA] Episode 3: Understanding 'Black Anger'

In this episode, we try to de-stigmatize the stereotype of the "angry black person." We have this idea that civil discourse means we can’t be passionate and angry, and so when dialogue rises to that level, white people use it as an excuse to disengage. But political dialogue can often get heated, and we rarely shy away from it when we're emphatic about highlighting an issue that's important to us. It’s a necessary tool that we have taken away from a whole segment of people who need to use their ...

Aug 20, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 3

[BETA] Episode 2: Understanding Whiteness

In the first episode, we talked about what is at the root of misunderstandings and the snap judgements we make about people based entirely on the information we’re provided about their outward identities. Those outward identities never tell the full story about who that person is behind the seen, and when we’re confronted with those misunderstandings it creates tension between what we think we know and what actually is. And when a whole bunch of people live together who share a bunch of commonal...

Aug 13, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 2

[BETA] Episode 1: Understanding Misunderstanding

For this first episode, we introduce who we are, discuss what we’re trying to accomplish and lay some ground rules for the rest of the series. Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is contribute to dialogue that will help produce racial harmony. We know that there are still terribly, dark, hateful and racist people in the world, but our goal isn’t necessarily to talk to them. The people we’re trying to reach are the ones in the center, where we believe there’s more ignorance than animus, where the...

Aug 13, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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