Meat Dilemma: Elias, a vegetarian, struggles with his brother Theo's meat-eating, creating family tension. Their mom encourages communication to help them understand each other, navigating complex emotions around vegetarianism and meat consumption.
Elias stopped eating meat at a very young age because he felt sad about how animals were treated. Now he passionately wishes for everyone to become vegetarian, which causes some tension with his younger brother Theo, who enjoys eating meat. Their mom Rachel tries to manage the boys' conflicting feelings about meat while encouraging open conversations between them. As a compromise, the family stopped eating meat at home, but they still face challenges, such as when Theo secretly goes out for turkey sandwiches with their dad. Rachel aims to balance both boys' needs, hoping they can understand each other's perspectives. This family dynamic is filled with love and challenges, making parenting decisions about food a complex situation, but they remain committed to finding a solution that respects both Elias's feelings and Theo's desires.
Sibling Negotiations: Siblings learn to negotiate and respect each other's choices, as they grapple with understanding autonomy in familial relationships.
In family dynamics, siblings often engage in negotiations over choices like food preferences. A brother named Elias struggles with his sibling Theo's decisions, especially when Theo enjoys eating meat. As Elias proposes deals for Theo to become a vegetarian, it becomes clear that kids are still learning about autonomy and respecting each other's choices. Their parents observe these interactions, teaching them that every person has the right to their own decisions, and that manipulation or force won't change those choices. This experience highlights how children navigate disagreements and the complexities of sibling relationships as they seek to understand and accept each other's preferences.
Shared Sounds: Connections often form over unexpected shared experiences, such as Dick's love for Cisco's hold music, which connects him to others and his own history, despite its unintended nature, highlighting how small joys can bring people together.
People often find comfort and a sense of belonging when they connect with others who share their passions and quirks, like Dick's love for the Cisco hold music, composed by a teenager named Tim. Tim's music, though widely played and beloved, was never profitable for him, leading to mixed feelings about his unintended fame. This story highlights how something unexpected, like a simple piece of hold music, can create a unique community and shared experience among people who feel isolated. Whether it's through humor, nostalgia, or unexpected appreciation, connections can form around the most mundane things, illustrating the joy found in shared experiences. Ultimately, the pursuit of these personal connections, no matter how trivial they may seem, can provide support and understanding in a world that often feels isolating.
Religious Divorce Issues: Refusing a religious divorce can trap women in marriages, leading to desperation and significant emotional turmoil despite civil divorce agreements.
In some Orthodox Jewish marriages, a husband can refuse to grant a religious divorce, known as a get, leaving his wife trapped in a failed marriage. This can lead to desperate measures, such as extortion or even violence, used to compel the husband to comply. Women like Gital struggle with this control, facing unreasonable demands from their husbands even after civil divorce proceedings have concluded. Rabbinic courts may issue punishments to encourage compliance, but these measures can fall short if the husband refuses to cooperate. The emotional and legal turmoil for women in these situations can be devastating, revealing the complexities of marriage, divorce, and religious obligations within the Jewish community.
Reputation and Emotion: Mendel Epstein’s fall from grace illustrates how ethical conflicts can damage reputations. Simultaneously, personal narratives reveal emotional struggles tied to love and loss, emphasizing the complexity of human experiences.
Mendel Epstein initially earned a good reputation for helping Orthodox women navigate the divorce process. However, his credibility suffered when he began to represent husbands, leading to conflicts of interest, and he ultimately faced legal trouble for more extreme measures. In a separate context, a personal reflection highlights the emotional complexity of saying goodbye and the unexpected emotional responses triggered by films, revealing a connection to memories of love and loss. The intertwining of these narratives showcases struggles with ethics, personal emotions, and societal norms within different settings, highlighting the impact of personal actions on reputations and relationships.
Crying in Flight: Many people cry during movies on airplanes due to a mix of emotions. High altitude seems to bring feelings to the surface, allowing passengers to connect deeply with heartwarming and dramatic moments, leading to unexpected tears.
Crying at movies on airplanes seems to be a common phenomenon, as many people find themselves experiencing emotions more intensely in the skies. Whether it’s happy, sad, or even mundane moments, flights provide a unique space where emotions can flow freely. This shared experience among men and women shows that certain settings, like the confines of a plane, can unlock feelings that might otherwise be held back on land. Boarded by mountain-high views or movies stirring pivotal moments, passengers like Brett and his friends have realized they aren’t alone in shedding tears over both heartwarming and mundane life scenarios alike. It seems that altitude adds a layer of poignancy to films, commercials, and even simple human connections, allowing a deeper level of emotional reflection that often leads to an unexpected release of tears. So next time you're in the clouds, don't be surprised if a film hits home more than usual.
Emotional Release: Air travel creates a space for emotional release, letting people confront feelings they usually suppress. Crying during flights may be a way to express emotions held back on the ground, turning the airplane into an unintentional therapy session.
Flying can evoke deep emotions in people, as being in an airplane puts us in a unique mental space. Away from daily distractions, this state of purgatory can prompt feelings that we might not express on the ground. Many people find themselves crying during flights because they let go of their usual defenses and confront emotions they've bottled up. The authors reflect on how flying allows them to accept situations they'd normally resist, revealing that perhaps airlines are unintended therapists—allowing an emotional release that might be suppressed in everyday life. Through this lens, air travel becomes more than just transportation; it becomes a transformative experience that forces us to face our feelings.
553: Stuck in the Middle
enSeptember 29, 2024
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Recent Episodes from This American Life
842: 51 Days
Chen Almog-Goldstein was kidnapped by Hamas along with her three youngest children on October 7, 2023. This week, she tells the story of their life as hostages in Gaza.
- Prologue: The 251 hostages taken by Hamas a year ago have become a divisive symbol in Israel. Host Ira Glass talks about the father of one hostage, and what happened to him at a protest last week when he called for a hostage deal. (6 minutes)
- Part One: On this week’s show, we’re airing excerpts of interviews with former hostages produced by an Israeli podcast, Echad Bayom. In these interviews they describe, in a remarkably detailed and complicated way, what happened to them a year ago.
- Part Two: Chen’s story continues, with a description of what it was like to be hidden in a small apartment with her children and their captors. (6 minutes)
- Part Three: Chen talks about the complicated relationship between her family and the people holding them hostage. (6 minutes)
- Part Four: Chen describes hearing the Israeli news while in captivity, including one night when her own father was interviewed. (4 minutes)
- Part Five: Chen talks about what it was like to walk around the streets of Gaza in disguise and their eventual release, 51 days after they were taken from their home. (13 minutes)
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enOctober 06, 2024
553: Stuck in the Middle
People caught in limbo, using ingenuity and guile to try to get themselves out.
- Prologue: Rachel has two kids. Elias, age seven, is a vegetarian. Theo, age five, is not. But Elias wants Theo, and everyone else in the house, to be vegetarian too. So Rachel and her husband are in the middle of negotiating the desires of two very strong willed kids. (12 minutes)
- Act One: Sara Corbett's father-in-law Dick is 81. And he's become obsessed with a limbo most of us hate – the music he hears whenever he's on hold. (14 minutes)
- Act Two: Mark Oppenheimer reports on agunah in the Orthodox Jewish community. An agunah is a woman whose husband refuses to give her a divorce – in Hebrew it means "chained wife." If you're an Orthodox Jew, strictly following Jewish law, the only real way to get divorced is if your husband agrees to hand you a piece of paper called a get. Without the get, women who want out of their marriages can stay chained to their husbands for years. In New York, a couple of rabbis were recently accused of using violence to force men to give their wives a get. (17 minutes)
- Act Three: Brett Martin documents a previously unnoticed human phenomenon, one that involves airplanes, crying, and Reese Witherspoon. (11 minutes)
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enSeptember 29, 2024
841: My Senior Year
One kid comes to America as an exchange student and commits herself to the senior year experience.
- Prologue: We talk to high school seniors in Salt Lake City who are trying to have the perfect year. (5 minutes)
- Act One: Every year, thousands of teenagers come from all over the world to experience American high school. Last year, thirteen students from Palestine came to the US on a program sponsored by the US State Department. We tell the story of a girl named Majd, from Gaza, and her extraordinary year in America. (50 minutes)
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enSeptember 22, 2024
840: How Are You Not Seeing This?
People trying and struggling to see what another person sees.
- Prologue: Guest-host Tobin Low talks to comedian Tig Notaro about a jarring ride to school with her son. (6 minutes)
- Act One: Producer Aviva DeKornfeld heads to the Calgary Stampede to watch as men try out a machine designed to simulate menstrual cramps. (15 minutes)
- Act Two: A man can’t seem to see anyone in his life for who they really are, plunging his life into chaos. (18 minutes)
- Act Three: Senior Editor David Kestenbaum hears about a way to save some money and help save the world. All he needs is a little help. (5 minutes)
- Act Four: Marie Phillips reads a short story involving an aloof friend, a goose, and some extreme gardening. (7 minutes)
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enSeptember 15, 2024
839: Meet Me at the Fair
Iowa has three million people and a million come to their State Fair, each with their own goals and dreams for the fair. We hang out with some of them, to see if they get what they hoped for.
- Prologue: A big bull, a giant slide, and cowboys on horseback shooting balloons are just a few sights you can take in at the Iowa State Fair. Some people come for the spectacle, and some are the spectacle. (8 minutes)
- Act One: Bailey Leavitt comes from a family of carnies. For her, one of the most thrilling things she looks for at the fair is someone who is really good at luring people into spending money at their stand. She takes Ira on an insider’s search for “an agent.” (16 minutes)
- Act 2: Motley Crue pledged never to play the fairgrounds. Then they did. We wondered what that had been like for them. They agreed to an interview, but then they flinched. (1 minute)
- Act Two: What life lessons can kids learn at the 4-H rabbit competition? A lot. (11 minutes)
- Act Three: The Iowa State Fair awarded coveted slots to just nine new food vendors this year. All of them are run by people who already own restaurants or who’ve done other big fairs. All except for an unlikely newcomer: Biscuit Bar. (19 minutes)
- Act Four: As the ferris wheel goes dark and the fair is closing down, one game is racing to meet their quota. Ira watches until the end.
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This American Life
enSeptember 08, 2024
801: Must Be Rats on the Brain
The one animal we can’t seem to live without, even when we really, really want to.
- Prologue: At the announcement of New York City’s inaugural rat czar, we meet Darneice Foster, who despises the rats outside her apartment. And host Ira Glass introduces two special co-hosts for today’s show. (11 minutes)
- Act One: Producer Elna Baker meets Todd Sklar, a man who can’t quit rats. (22 minutes)
- Act Two: Fifty years ago, New York City started to put garbage out in plastic bags. This has become the number one food source for rats. Producer Ike Sriskandarajah investigates the decision that led to the city’s rat baby boom. (10 minutes)
- Act Three: How did Alberta, Canada pull off a feat that has eluded the rest of human civilization? Ira visits the largest rat-less land in the world. (15 minutes)
- Act Four: We drop a hot mic into a hot mess of a rats’ nest. You’ll never believe what happens next. (3 minutes)
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This American Life
enSeptember 01, 2024
754: Spark Bird
Stories about birds and the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change.
- Prologue: Ira goes out birding with birder extraordinaire Noah Strycker, who tells the dramatic story of the bird that changed his life: the turkey vulture. (13 minutes)
- Act One: Carmen Milito tells Ira the story of a date she went on as a teenager, and the bird her mom brought to the occasion. (14 minutes)
- Act 2: Ira tromps around the woods some more with Noah Strycker, who explains, among other things, his problem with the movie Spencer.
- Act Two: Producer Bim Adewunmi on a decades-long political battle in Florida — between the incumbent state bird and the challenger that threatens to knock it off its perch. (7 minutes)
- Act Three: There are the birds who exist, and then there are the birds who may as well exist. Producer Sean Cole explains. (18 minutes)
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This American Life
enAugust 25, 2024
838: Letters! Actual Letters!
When the best—and perhaps only—way to say something is to write it down.
- Prologue: Ira goes out with a letter carrier, ‘Grace,’ as she delivers mail on her route. He learns about the people who bring us our mail and also how people treat their mail. (11 minutes)
- Act One: Writing a letter decades after an event that shaped her life was the only way that Nicole Piasecki could make some sense of it. (18 minutes)
- Act Two: Yorkshire, 1866. A farmer overcomes his timidity and writes a very important letter to a local beauty. (3 minutes)
- Act Three: When senior editor David Kestenbaum was still a rookie reporter, he wrote an email to a legend. Then he waited...and waited...for a reply. (6 minutes)
- Act Four: A woman writes an unusual letter on behalf of her husband. (1 minute)
- Act Five: Producer Zoe Chace compares the letters a person gets and the letters they wish they got. (12 minutes)
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This American Life
enAugust 18, 2024
837: Swim Towards the Shark
In a crisis, when all logic suggests that you get away from the dangerous thing, how will you respond?
- Prologue: Ira talks to two members of a recreational swimming club who intentionally swam straight toward a shark that had just bitten their friend. (9 minutes)
- Act One: Sarah Polley has always been reluctant to jump into challenging situations. Then something happened that changed all of that – something that also made her think her teeth were going to fall out. (19 minutes)
- Act Two: Comedian Josh Johnson tells the story of a “trad wife” who stepped into an incendiary situation. And even as the flames consumed her, she kept stepping. (7 minutes)
- Act Three: This summer, thousands of young people have taken to the streets in Nairobi to protest the Kenyan government. But behind those protestors are thousands of worried parents. Reporter Kimu Elolia talks to a woman whose son keeps lying to her. (17 minutes)
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This American Life
enAugust 11, 2024
803: Greetings, People Of Earth
Humans encounter non-human intelligences of various kinds and try to make sense of them.
- Prologue: Ira has some thoughts about our country’s long history of alien invasion movies. (2 minutes)
- Act One: We’ve witnessed a revolution in A.I. since the public rollout of ChatGPT. Our Senior Editor David Kestenbaum thinks that even though there’s been a ton of coverage, there’s one thing people haven’t talked much about: have these machines gotten to the point that they’re starting to have something like human intelligence? Where they actually understand language and concepts, and can reason? He talks with scientists at Microsoft who’ve been trying to figure that out. (30 minutes)
- Act Two: A short piece of fiction from the perspective of aliens who’ve been scouting Earth, from writer Terry Bisson. It’s called “They're Made Out of Meat.” It’s performed by actors Maeve Higgins and H Jon Benjamin. (5 minutes)
- Act Three: A species of massive, mysterious, highly intelligent beings have recently been making contact with humanity. Or our boats, anyway. Many people seem convinced they are seeking revenge for past injustices. Producer Chris Benderev wondered if that was true. (7 minutes)
- Act Four: Many of us, especially when we’re young, feel like we’re the alien, trying to understand and fit in with the humans on this planet. Producer Diane Wu spent some time recently with a teenage humanoid who feels that way. (15 minutes)
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This American Life
enAugust 04, 2024