The Human Condition with Lisa Gregory Lisa Gregory

It began as a baking competition between two friends and has now become a national movement of goodwill during a pandemic. Jeremy Uhrich and Scott McKenzie of Pennsylvania donate their homemade cookies to essential workers and others as a show of kindness and thankfulness. And from that initial effort there are now similar groups all across the nation and even in Canada. The two men and their Cookies for Caregivers mission have been featured on CNN, the Rachel Ray Show, the Today Show and in People Magazine. During a time when physical hugs are discouraged, Jeremy and Scott are delivering hugs one sweet treat at a time.

Dr. Cheryl Hopson is a dedicated teacher and a committed advocate for those marginalized by society. But at her very heart she is a poet. Hopson, also a essayist and the author of two books, "Fragile" and  "Black Notes," takes her own life experiences, some heart wrenching, as well as her observations of the world around her and creates beautiful prose. On this episode of The Human Condition with Lisa Gregory, Hopson, an assistant professor of English and African American Studies at Western Kentucky University, talks about her life as a queer black woman and a feminist. She also talks about her love for creating the written word and what it means to her and what she hopes it means to others.

Justice was only four months old when he was killed by his mother's boyfriend in January 2007. The much-loved baby boy with his deep blue eyes and hearty laugh left behind a devastated family. Despite their overwhelming grief, the family was determined to do something good in honor of baby Justice and his memory. For years they worked desperately to change Maryland's law to increase the maximum sentence for the conviction of child abuse leading to death. Justice's Law, which passed in 2016 and was part of a criminal justice reform bill, increased the law to 40 years to life. They also established a fundraising effort with the annual Rock Me Don't Shake Me concert which benefits mothers and children. On this episode of The Human Condition with Lisa Gregory we talk to Justice's mother, Ashley Rutherford, and his grandparents, Dee and Nink Myers, about their "biggie boy" as they lovingly called him and how they turned loss and pain into hope. All in the name of Justice.

From the ancient Egyptians to surprisingly even the Amish, we humans are driven by the appearance of having more and doing better than those around us. The middle class of modern day is especially drawn to the idea of keeping up or surpassing the Joneses. So, why are we so enamored with the idea of more and better? And, what impact is it having on our society? On this final episode of a three-part series exploring the research of Jeffrey Podoshen, a professor of marketing at Franklin and Marshall College, he talks about the allure of material things and the role marketing plays in convincing us that our value as human beings can be gauged by the material items we acquire. Even to our own detriment.

When one thinks of vacations, images of beaches and Disney World come to mind. But there are those who seek a darker path. Dark tourism, as it is called, is a growing industry. It caters to those interested in sites where great calamities, historical atrocities and horrific crimes have taken place, such as Auschwitz and Pompeii and even the Manson and Jack the Ripper murders. Jeffrey Podoshen, a professor of marketing at Franklin and Marshall College, has done extensive research on dark tourism. On this episode of The Human Condition with Lisa Gregory, part two of a three-part series discussing Podoshen's research, he talks about why so many are intrigued by these darker places. He also talks about where we draw the line between selfies at Auschwitz and commemorating and respecting these places and embracing the lessons for humanity that many of them hold.

Death Metal and Black Metal music, violent video games, graphic horror movies and even infant onesies decorated with skulls. Society is becoming more and more fixated on death as our world becomes ever more unpredictable and chaotic. Jeffrey Podoshen, a professor of marketing at Franklin and Marshall College, is one of the world's leading scholars on this very topic - death consumption. On this episode of The Human Condition with Lisa Gregory, part one of a three-part series discussing Podoshen's research not only on death consumption but on dark tourism, consumer behavior and materialism, he talks about our growing obsession with the macabre, and why it may not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, "Learning about death is learning about life," says Podoshen.