June 9, 2019
SOMETHING NEW
With a larger than life premise, attempting to both trace the modern condition of human existence back to its roots and prescribe some kind of solution for what ails us, WNYC podcast The Stakes sets a pretty high bar for itself right out of the gate. And so far, sad to say, I think it's a little overblown. The episodes have all tackled important issues and the reporting on each has been exceptional. But I am left wanting a throughline that really isn’t there, to connect the topics in a more cogent way than a “how did our crazy world get so crazy?” kind of broad introspection. Part of this is the frequency of the episodes, dropping once every two weeks. Yet the question that persists is one of theme - other than being problems, what do lead-based paint, Eric Holder Jr., giving birth while black, conscious rap, and a gender-fluid pansexual have in common? Injustice? It just doesn’t do much for me as a sum of parts.
That stipulated, individual chunks have the potential to be powerful. “The People vs. Dutch Boy Lead” primed me with excitement for the series, weaving in a personal narrative with structural injustice across time and government and our corporate overlords. The conversation with Holder was interesting, but it was a weird follow-up to the rigorous reporting in episode 1. “Giving Birth While Black” was a return to the structure of the first episode, exploring the destructive biases afflicting black women in the US healthcare system. “To be Young, Conscious and Rap” is a fascinating documentary piece that asks a question that does not align with the grandiosity of others in the series; I am curious about why conscious rap didn’t spread, but I don’t think the implications of the rise and fall carry anywhere near the amount of gravitas as previous episodes.
“We’re Here. We’re Fluid. Get Used To It” has some novelty, as it incorporates the Radio Rookie program to stoke an intergenerational conversation on queer identity. That sounds like a pretty unique topic for a podcast, and it is. But again, the scope is simply reduced to a microcosm that doesn’t translate to the kind of crystallization and subsequent shattering of social ills I was hoping to encounter. An older lesbian woman speaking to a 21-year-old about queer semantics is a rich interplay worth hearing. I liked that the show’s host Kai Wright injected a bit about his own quest for owning a label, and would’ve gladly welcomed much more of this angle (especially if couched against a larger contextual backdrop). The history of labels used within the LGBTQ community is surely deep and fraught with difficulty that continues to this day. I simply wish I would’ve gotten some definite sense of that after this episode, as opposed to the (again, quite well done) personal narrative stipulating that every individual must find what works for themselves.
I suppose this biggest question I’m left asking myself at this point in the series is: What, exactly, are the stakes? Are they the biggest things that animate a single person to act in relation to a societal shift? Or are they the shift itself and the implications for the existence of a just world in the chaotic churn as powerful forces act, agnostic of the human cost of furthering a bottom line? Ideally I’d want to wrestle with this at the end of each episode reflecting on what I’d just heard, as I did after “The People vs. Dutch Boy Lead.” Instead, I find myself playing a game of podcast roulette, guarding against the kind of unabashed excitement certain shows trigger whenever a new episode drops and hoping I’ll find some meaning in whatever dujour packaging is featured fortnightly. I’ll stick it out a while longer, and probably pass along the highlights to you, dear reader, with a wee bit of intro that may help in aiding your expectations going in.
That stipulated, individual chunks have the potential to be powerful. “The People vs. Dutch Boy Lead” primed me with excitement for the series, weaving in a personal narrative with structural injustice across time and government and our corporate overlords. The conversation with Holder was interesting, but it was a weird follow-up to the rigorous reporting in episode 1. “Giving Birth While Black” was a return to the structure of the first episode, exploring the destructive biases afflicting black women in the US healthcare system. “To be Young, Conscious and Rap” is a fascinating documentary piece that asks a question that does not align with the grandiosity of others in the series; I am curious about why conscious rap didn’t spread, but I don’t think the implications of the rise and fall carry anywhere near the amount of gravitas as previous episodes.
“We’re Here. We’re Fluid. Get Used To It” has some novelty, as it incorporates the Radio Rookie program to stoke an intergenerational conversation on queer identity. That sounds like a pretty unique topic for a podcast, and it is. But again, the scope is simply reduced to a microcosm that doesn’t translate to the kind of crystallization and subsequent shattering of social ills I was hoping to encounter. An older lesbian woman speaking to a 21-year-old about queer semantics is a rich interplay worth hearing. I liked that the show’s host Kai Wright injected a bit about his own quest for owning a label, and would’ve gladly welcomed much more of this angle (especially if couched against a larger contextual backdrop). The history of labels used within the LGBTQ community is surely deep and fraught with difficulty that continues to this day. I simply wish I would’ve gotten some definite sense of that after this episode, as opposed to the (again, quite well done) personal narrative stipulating that every individual must find what works for themselves.
I suppose this biggest question I’m left asking myself at this point in the series is: What, exactly, are the stakes? Are they the biggest things that animate a single person to act in relation to a societal shift? Or are they the shift itself and the implications for the existence of a just world in the chaotic churn as powerful forces act, agnostic of the human cost of furthering a bottom line? Ideally I’d want to wrestle with this at the end of each episode reflecting on what I’d just heard, as I did after “The People vs. Dutch Boy Lead.” Instead, I find myself playing a game of podcast roulette, guarding against the kind of unabashed excitement certain shows trigger whenever a new episode drops and hoping I’ll find some meaning in whatever dujour packaging is featured fortnightly. I’ll stick it out a while longer, and probably pass along the highlights to you, dear reader, with a wee bit of intro that may help in aiding your expectations going in.
From: WNYC
Recommended for: People interested in a set of varied issues related to systemic injustice
Drop Schedule: Tuesday, Fortnightly
Average episode length: 25 minutes
Rating: Make It Work
THE LIST
Just in time for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, 30 for 30 drops an episode centered on the success of the 1999 US Women’s National team and the aftermath of fame and fortune and obscurity that followed. It is about gender inequality but also how nations and organizations traffic on the merits of a small group of individuals. The women on the 1999 team were everything for America, but America would not return a quid-pro-quo reward for all involved.
There has been so so so much coverage on election meddling, mostly with an eye toward Russia, and I have long felt it was important but also a little played out and too broad to gain much traction. This story is about election meddling on a smaller scale, but the implications can be projected on a larger scale. If you’ve found yourself at a loss as well, check it out.
There are all sorts of well-told stories that emanate sincerity and sadness and loss and gravitas. And then there are stories that have all of those elements and also feature a central character whose voice embodies the pathos of the narrative. Criminal seems to gravitate toward such voices, and this story is one of the most heart-wrenching in that mold.
Doubt is an effective dramatic device, often used to pull apart an audience’s emotional and visceral reactions into a more analytical place. This makes for a compelling story arch in a thriller or mystery, and a devastating reality when attempting to merge one’s memory with a hazy recollection of facts. This American Life tells a longform story of a woman who grapples with such a reconciliation.
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