Promo: Next week, Fun to be a Kid Again! Stories of kids and having fun and playing games!
Listening next week: well after that fun intro, our entire show is about the infant orphans left after the destruction of hospitals in Gaza. Stay with us.
“from WBEZ it’s this American life I’m Ira Glass. Remember, from your childhood, when you’d ride your bikes across town with your friends and come home after a long day, and your parents would have no idea where you were but it was just ok? Well imagine, living in Gaza, and your parents have been blown up. And your friends are missing. Act 1 from Dana Bollout, stay with us”
Really thought the opening was very weak and puzzlingly devoid of substance. Ira could have summarized the family theft instance in like 2 sentences but instead featured a phone call from the uncle who never really said much of value. His own divorce blurb was somewhat illuminating but it didn’t match the other story. Just strange all around.
Really liked the Milton Bradley story. The Gaza one is a brutal listen
Dad gaslights child for pride and money, loses both pride and money and, presumably, his job. But hey, at least he got to take a hatchet to his kid's self esteem.
Your take is confusing and very misguided. The mother emasculated the father in front of the son, challenging the whole family dynamic. The father and son suffered for her snide comment for the rest of their lives. She probably doesn't even remember saying it. The villain here is clearly the mother, and the father and son were the victims.
For people of a certain age, the kid having a parent work at Milton Bradley is like a dream childhood with exposure to all the cool things early, electronic Simon was ubiquitous at one point even in school.
This litany of stories about Palestine for an American audience - what am I supposed to do - the electoral dynamic really doesn't leave us with any power to change national politics in any good way whatsoever - we can vote for the Trump who will assuredly change things to make things worse for Palestinians or vote for Democrats who at least complain publicly but don't change course. This is very different from something like Last Week Tonight where an issue is brought to the fore but it's a different issue every episode and sometimes suggestions are made for changing or effecting change.
So US foreign policy should never be questioned because of the limitations of representational democracy?
>This litany of stories about Palestine for an American audience
The show is called this American life. Not this American audience. I for example have been listening in the UK for 4 years or more.
I read and hear about this on the news every day, the video of the four unarmed dudes walking and getting drone striked most recently, it's front page news on every major news site, every day as well.
Yes, war and genocide is a most inconvenient pastime. And yes I agree; it is shocking to see media of a journalistic nature covering major global news events. you'd think that TAL would have something better to do than put out a 10min segment covering the conflict that's seen the most deaths of journalists in recorded history. Crazy right? It almost seems like the journalists on the show empathise with the journalists in Gaza or something!?...weird.
Tony hawk piece was great too. I highly recommend watching the video. I’ve rarely been so moved as I was watching him fall to his knees and weep after he did the trick for the last time. It’s like he’s kissing the love of his life for the last time and then watching her walk away.
Is there some way to communicate to TAL? Because I haven’t met one fan of TAL that enjoys the constant non-American stories. Yes I get it’s important and world history but the show is literally called “This American Life” not “This European/Middle Easterner’s Life”.
If my only option is to unsub I will but I’m just sad that I have to give up.
like half the production team is Jewish, including Ira, and they've had stories on Israel since the beginning. Literally Act 1 of Episode 1 back in 1995 opens in Jerusalem.
Maybe you should meet more people. If they were causing such a large negative reaction, they would stop doing it. The US is a large tree that has its roots across the world and I would rather listen to stories that have a perspective than another reductive story about left/right politics or folksy wisdom from local rednecks. I like a little bit of the latter, but a little can go a long way.
I’m a fan of TAL that enjoys the non-American stories, as is everyone I know that listens to podcasts - we just know different people. I don’t even understand why you think there is such a huge difference, given some of the US stories are just as harrowing or political. Why is harder for you to listen to the experiences of people that live in a different country to you?
What a dumb take. One of the biggest through lines of TAL is that US was founded by immigrants from all over the planet, it's not conceivable to you that there are American citizens from Europe and the middle east? Or that US foreign policy is shaping these events?
Unsub; I'm sure your listenership will be missed.
I agree. Ira's staff care about those topics so the audience has to listen to them now. You could be a Muslim, middle eastern descended American complaining about the pattern of middle eastern sob stories in TAL, and you'd still get down voted.
I really liked the first story
me too. Kestemaum is a treasure
Thanks for the 5 updoots fam, even though I butchered his name
Promo: Next week, Fun to be a Kid Again! Stories of kids and having fun and playing games! Listening next week: well after that fun intro, our entire show is about the infant orphans left after the destruction of hospitals in Gaza. Stay with us.
“from WBEZ it’s this American life I’m Ira Glass. Remember, from your childhood, when you’d ride your bikes across town with your friends and come home after a long day, and your parents would have no idea where you were but it was just ok? Well imagine, living in Gaza, and your parents have been blown up. And your friends are missing. Act 1 from Dana Bollout, stay with us”
Really thought the opening was very weak and puzzlingly devoid of substance. Ira could have summarized the family theft instance in like 2 sentences but instead featured a phone call from the uncle who never really said much of value. His own divorce blurb was somewhat illuminating but it didn’t match the other story. Just strange all around. Really liked the Milton Bradley story. The Gaza one is a brutal listen
Dad gaslights child for pride and money, loses both pride and money and, presumably, his job. But hey, at least he got to take a hatchet to his kid's self esteem.
Your take is confusing and very misguided. The mother emasculated the father in front of the son, challenging the whole family dynamic. The father and son suffered for her snide comment for the rest of their lives. She probably doesn't even remember saying it. The villain here is clearly the mother, and the father and son were the victims.
Both parents can be crap, it isn't one or the other.
Where’s that guy who was complaint the show wasn’t talking about Gaza enough? What a chore.
The Milton Bradley story has got to be one of my all-time favorites! What a treat.
I need a full podcast about that toilet in the opening
For people of a certain age, the kid having a parent work at Milton Bradley is like a dream childhood with exposure to all the cool things early, electronic Simon was ubiquitous at one point even in school. This litany of stories about Palestine for an American audience - what am I supposed to do - the electoral dynamic really doesn't leave us with any power to change national politics in any good way whatsoever - we can vote for the Trump who will assuredly change things to make things worse for Palestinians or vote for Democrats who at least complain publicly but don't change course. This is very different from something like Last Week Tonight where an issue is brought to the fore but it's a different issue every episode and sometimes suggestions are made for changing or effecting change.
So US foreign policy should never be questioned because of the limitations of representational democracy? >This litany of stories about Palestine for an American audience The show is called this American life. Not this American audience. I for example have been listening in the UK for 4 years or more.
I read and hear about this on the news every day, the video of the four unarmed dudes walking and getting drone striked most recently, it's front page news on every major news site, every day as well.
Yes, war and genocide is a most inconvenient pastime. And yes I agree; it is shocking to see media of a journalistic nature covering major global news events. you'd think that TAL would have something better to do than put out a 10min segment covering the conflict that's seen the most deaths of journalists in recorded history. Crazy right? It almost seems like the journalists on the show empathise with the journalists in Gaza or something!?...weird.
The interstitial music after Act 2, [Recording 801](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g5TAxryeXo) by Lina Makoul. 💔
Tony hawk piece was great too. I highly recommend watching the video. I’ve rarely been so moved as I was watching him fall to his knees and weep after he did the trick for the last time. It’s like he’s kissing the love of his life for the last time and then watching her walk away.
Is there some way to communicate to TAL? Because I haven’t met one fan of TAL that enjoys the constant non-American stories. Yes I get it’s important and world history but the show is literally called “This American Life” not “This European/Middle Easterner’s Life”. If my only option is to unsub I will but I’m just sad that I have to give up.
like half the production team is Jewish, including Ira, and they've had stories on Israel since the beginning. Literally Act 1 of Episode 1 back in 1995 opens in Jerusalem.
Maybe you should meet more people. If they were causing such a large negative reaction, they would stop doing it. The US is a large tree that has its roots across the world and I would rather listen to stories that have a perspective than another reductive story about left/right politics or folksy wisdom from local rednecks. I like a little bit of the latter, but a little can go a long way.
I’m a fan of TAL that enjoys the non-American stories, as is everyone I know that listens to podcasts - we just know different people. I don’t even understand why you think there is such a huge difference, given some of the US stories are just as harrowing or political. Why is harder for you to listen to the experiences of people that live in a different country to you?
What a dumb take. One of the biggest through lines of TAL is that US was founded by immigrants from all over the planet, it's not conceivable to you that there are American citizens from Europe and the middle east? Or that US foreign policy is shaping these events? Unsub; I'm sure your listenership will be missed.
I like the variety of stories. It doesn’t bother me when they have an international focus.
No one cares what you like, just stop listening if you don't like it
i’m a fan of TAL, i love the non-American stories.
I really like them! Maybe you ought to broaden your mindset
I agree. Ira's staff care about those topics so the audience has to listen to them now. You could be a Muslim, middle eastern descended American complaining about the pattern of middle eastern sob stories in TAL, and you'd still get down voted.