Livestream: Capsule-sized primer on things shaping the world

Season 1 of Explained, takes into account four major topics – ranging from the inequitable distribution of wealth between blacks and whites in America to the moral conundrum of selective gene editing, the far-reaching influence of K-pop and even the questionably faulty idea of monogamy. 

Keeping it short and simple seems to be a mantra that’s working well for Netflix’s documentaries as seen in this series of 20-minute vignettes. My attention at first was drawn to the feature on income inequality in modern day America and how generations of federally legislated laws kept the African American community wallowing in a spiral of debt, homelessness and reliant on welfare. 

The historical context of 247 years of slavery, which was put to an end by late President Abraham Lincoln and how his assassination turned the tide for the black community, only for the worse, is a potent reminder of the dangers of narrow minded thinking. 

The documentary lays special emphasis on the importance of housing as a determinant of social wealth. Real estate developers back in the 50s would not rent out a house to a black family, fearing a massive tumble in the property prices in such neighbourhoods. 

Come to think of it, how much has changed, and stayed the same, since Malcolm X, Rev Martin Luther King Jr, and former US president Barack Obama’s ascension. 

Another segment that does manage to hold one’s interest is the one concerning designer DNA and gene editing, which allows the possibility of entire generations to skip the trauma of certain conditions and ailments altogether. 

A hard-hitting moment in the feature comes when a woman, who has a dwarfism condition, and is a mother, asks, Is there no place in the world for the likes of us? That’s also when it dawns on you as to how important is the mix of the human race – with all its imperfections. 

The moral predicament of creating designer babies is also worth pondering over.