Trying to make sense of the Reiner Tragedy and the ethics of telling the story with Erin Khar
Opening Dave welcomes Erin Carr; jokes about her elite equestrian past and chaotic scheduling. They reflect on how close they’ve become despite not knowing each other long. Erin’s Election Erin won a seat on a NYC Education Council. Work is “more than expected,” with conflict but also progress. She approaches policy case-by-case and avoids personalizing disagreements. Generational Talk Gen X nostalgia: grateful they came of age before social media. Appreciation for 90s/2000s music era and early internet. Dopey Press + Nick Reiner Case Erin learns Dave is suddenly “the Nick Reiner expert” in the news. Dave describes doing ABC News without deep prep. Social backlash: people saying his compilation episode was “too soon.” The Daily Dopey Strategy Dave explains putting out an episode every day. Monday replays, Tuesday Patreon/teasers, Wednesday “dose,” Thursday archive, Friday main show. Ethics of the Nick Reiner Compilation Erin’s critique: title framed it as “The Nick Reiner Tragedy,” centering the alleged perpetrator rather than the victims. Dave explains intention: to compile all Nick content because press and fans were asking. Discussion of ethics, stigma, addiction vs violence narratives. They settle on retitling it “The Reiner Family Tragedy.” Media + Stigma Erin: important to avoid framing mental illness or addiction as inherent violence. Dave: acknowledges the emotional weight, his personal connection, and desire not to exploit the moment. Reiner Family Horror Erin describes the magnitude of the tragedy: daughter finding parents, multiple family losses. Conversation about denial, shock, and the devastation for surviving family. Closing Dave ends with a quick Patreon pitch due to time constraints (Susan’s Nutcracker show).
Dopey: On the Dark Comedy of Drug Addiction
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Show Notes
Hear the rest at www.patreon.com/dopeypodcast
This week on Dopey Tuesday with returning friend, writer, and “elite ex-equestrian” Erin Carr. They joke about their disorganization, their family-like bond, and the chaos of planning episodes. Erin updates Dave on her recent election win to the NYC Education Council and what serving on it has been like—contentious but meaningful work centered on education policy and generational differences.
The conversation shifts into generational talk (Gen X, Gen Z, Gen Alpha), early internet days, and feeling grateful they grew up before social media. Erin then describes learning—through an ex—that Dopey was suddenly in the news because Dave was doing media interviews about the breaking Nick Reiner case.
Dave recounts going on ABC News unprepared, explains his new plan to publish a show every day, and details the backlash he received for releasing a Dopey Emergency Episode compiling all of Nick Reiner’s past appearances. Erin gives thoughtful criticism: the issue isn’t releasing the audio, but centering Nick rather than the murdered victims. They discuss responsibility, ethics, addiction stigma, and the complexity of public consumption of tragedy.
Dave explains why he released the compilation, his intentions, the bizarre Dopey connection to the story, and his concern over tone. Erin helps him rework the title toward something victim-centered (“The Reiner Family Tragedy”). They unpack addiction narratives, mental illness stigma, and how easily public discussion slips into blaming or sensationalizing.
The two close on themes of empathy, horror at the details emerging about the Reiner murders, the emotional weight of family devastation, and the moral questions around covering breaking tragedy in recovery media. The teaser ends with Dave redirecting listeners to Patreon for the rest of the conversation before running off to Susan’s Nutcracker performance.
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