The new Netflix documentary Seaspiracy highlights the damaging effects of fishing on the world’s oceans. The documentary is narrated and directed by British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi as he discovers fishing to be the ocean’s biggest threat.

While perhaps produced with good intentions, Seaspiracy fails to provide a critical angle to the problems it unveils. Instead, the film tries to encourage anger. Still, many disturbed viewers are taking the bait(诱饵)and announcing plans to stick to the film’s call to action: to stop eating fish. But Seaspiracy’s use of lies and half-truths may ultimately set the ocean conservation movement backward for the sake of attention.

Seaspiracy presents information at a pace too fast to fully grasp, let alone critically evaluate. The film’s “just trust me” attitude runs against today’s culture of facts, science, and truth. Yet many who watch appear all-in on Seaspiracy’s tale: everything you know about the seafood industry is a lie. Even well-known environmentalists and conservation organizations have expressed support for Seaspiracy despite holding themselves to higher standards of scientific accuracy and inclusive solution building. Why support a documentary that does not take much care in painting an accurate portrait of the oceans nor the best way to help protect them?

Perhaps for them, the cost-benefit analysis came out in favor of supporting the film. Even if it’s full of lies and half-truths, maybe the documentary is still good overall if it introduces people to ocean issues and inspires a desire to make a difference.

Yet, a few ocean-focused non-profits may be supporting the documentary out of fear. Seaspiracy successfully painted a number of non-profits unfavorably. The film implies the Plastic Pollution Organization is hiding the amount of plastic fishing gear(设备) that ends up in the ocean.(The film states fishing gear is a leading cause of plastic pollution in many parts of the ocean. While fishing gear does contribute to ocean plastic, it only accounts for about 10% of all plastic in the ocean.)

A few years ago, I had the honor of traveling through Accra, Ghana, an African city. As I rode down a main avenue, images grabbed my attention. On one side of the street, African children dressed in rags were playing in an open gutter (排水沟). On the other side of the street, there was a billboard advertisement featuring palm trees, a beach, and a white man lowering sunglasses from his eyes. If you are a fan of the American police shows, it’s not hard to see that the man in the ad is David Caruso, the righteous (正义的) policeman in Crime Scene Investigation: Miami.

The dichotomy of images was a reminder not only of the international impact of American pop culture, but of the specific influence of TV police shows.

In Hollywood, Tm a rare creature, a black man who has made a career writing for network police shows, having eventually created my own show, S.W.AT., for CBS. For me, writing television can never simply be about entertainment. The unjust death of the African American George Floyd keeps me wondering how the shows we are writing contribute to the understanding of the justice system, class, race, and the image of black men. I look at this not as a creative burden, but a necessary responsibility.

The past 60 years have seen numerous cop shows like Dragnet and Adam 12, where police, typically are beacons (灯塔) of morality who never do wrong while criminals are always people of color, particularly black men. This can make for wildly popular entertainment, but it also risks mistaking fantasies for reality. People watch TV to see heroes, but how are we defining who a hero is? For people of color, especially black people, the viewing experience is complex.

There are quite a few highlights about theaters in the week ahead in Chicago, and here are some previews.

Clyde’s

In Lynn Nottage’s Tony Award-winner comedy “Clyde’s,” the hot-tempered Clyde manages a staff of formerly imprisoned people who are determined to make the perfect sandwich. The cast also includes Reza Salazar and Garrett Young; Kate Whoriskey directs. Sept. 10—Oct. 9 at Goodman Theatre. Tickets: $25—$48.

Leonardo: A Terrible Monster

It is an adaptation of Mo Williams’ picture book about the unlikely friendship between a monster who longs to be scary and his friend Sam, the most easily-scared kid in the world. Illustrated puppets, actors on live cameras and a live soundtrack bring the popular book to life. Sarah Fornace directs. Sept. 10—Oct. 16 at Factory Theater. Tickets: $25—$36.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber

Stephen Sondheim’s masterpiece about an unjustly exiled (被流放的) barber, Sweeney Todd, who returns to 19th century London seeking revenge (复仇). Kevin Webb stars as the barber with Caitlin   Jackson   as   Mrs.   Lovett;   Derek   Barham   directs.   Sept.   8—Nov.   6.   at Chopin Theatre. Tickets: $25—$36.

Stew

Lyric Opera’s 68th season opens with Zora Howard’s “Stew,” a drama that explores the unbreakable bond between women relatives and reveals the power that loss holds over lives when we refuse to share it with others. Malkia Stampley directs. Sept. 9—Oct. 22 at Lyric Opera. Tickets: $45.