This American Life: #549: Amateur Hour

March 2, 2015 10:56 AM

This week, stories of people who are in put into positions they're completely unqualified to handle ... but who try to make it work anyway. Including one story of a tough group of soldiers who attempt to save lives through the power of show tunes.

Act One: Fort Bragg army base was suffering a number of unnecessary deaths — so they decided to attempt to save soldiers’ lives through the art of musical theater. Jack Hitt investigates, and tells the story of how this strange phenomenon began.

Act Two: Some schools make kids take care of eggs in order to teach them about the responsibilities of rearing a child. But at Glen Ridge High, kids are asked to take care of robotic babies.

Act Three: Producer Stephanie Foo tells us the story of amateurs who for one night get thrown into a very, very big job — perhaps the biggest. President of the United States of America.

posted by ALongDecember (8 comments total)

I thought this was delightful, with everything from the surprisingly tear-jerking musical ("The sun'll come out...Tomorrow") and Paige's voice.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 12:42 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]

My dad wanted me to listen today due to the robot babies.

I had one of those in high school for a long weekend and boy was I OVER IT! Also I apparently was often in tears - I don't even remember that! It must have been the baby-haze. What they don't mention is just how LOUD those things are. They mentioned the speaker is in the chest - but what they didn't mention is that when you have to rock it at 5am, the speaker is blasting baby screams straight onto your shoulder and into your ear! It's crazy making!
posted by Crystalinne at 8:27 PM on March 2, 2015

I have so many questions about the robo-baby! My school didn't have them, so I have only seen them in movies.

1. Do boys get babies too?
2. Do people get to pick the week? I'd hate if it was I had a robokid during a big test or when running a mile for gym class.
3. What exactly is the motive at this school? Is it more "don't have a kid this early" or "don't have sex because sex=babies." TAL definitely had it more from the angle of deciding when to be a parent, but does this school have comprehensive sex-ed?
4. Do people really talk like that?

Maybe some of these are answered in the full story on the WNYC podcast The Longest Shortest Time. I'll have to check it out.
posted by ALongDecember at 9:24 AM on March 3, 2015

I was so lucky that I was in the last class that had flour babies before they got Baby Think It Overs. My mom was a terrible baby sitter for my flour baby--she left it on the couch and I found it after I got back from prom. They made the parents write an evaluation and she wrote this incredibly long page of rant about how flour doesn't really give you the right experience....I guess they listened to her :P

I looked at the transcript of the episode and was amused that yes, they said Paige actually talks like that. Missed it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:44 AM on March 3, 2015

I went to the high school in question (about 10 years back). Back in my day, we only had 4, I think, so it was on a volunteer basis.

1. Do boys get babies too?

I'm pretty sure only girls from my health class volunteered.

2. Do people get to pick the week? I'd hate if it was I had a robokid during a big test or when running a mile for gym class.

Senior year health class was always 3rd term (Jan-Mar). The babies were passed out around the time we all got the eggs, so there wasn't much flexibility.

3. What exactly is the motive at this school? Is it more "don't have a kid this early" or "don't have sex because sex=babies." TAL definitely had it more from the angle of deciding when to be a parent, but does this school have comprehensive sex-ed?

Very comprehensive sex ed. We learned about a wide variety of birth control- condoms were stressed, but we also learned about IUDs (I remember one being passed around the classroom). Students like Paige (i.e., very Christian, purity ring) were very rare in the school. So was teen pregnancy in general. The motive was something like "Don't have unprotected sex, cause babies suck".
posted by damayanti at 2:12 PM on March 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

1. Do boys get babies too?

I didn't have boys in my class. We did it for Family Life class which was kind of about keeping a household, family responsibilities, career tests, etc. Boys could take it but they often didn't.

2. Do people get to pick the week? I'd hate if it was I had a robokid during a big test or when running a mile for gym class.

Our was over a long weekend - I think 3 days. You got the babies during your class hour and had to keep them in school the rest of the day and through the weekend. I think there was only one class per semester so we had enough babies.

3. What exactly is the motive at this school? Is it more "don't have a kid this early" or "don't have sex because sex=babies." TAL definitely had it more from the angle of deciding when to be a parent, but does this school have comprehensive sex-ed?

I didn't take sex ed at my public school - I transferred as a 10th grader and missed that health class. Our family life teacher did discuss safe sex and ideas around starting a family. It was more so a reality check on the responsibility of having a baby. Ironically I think there was at least 1 pregnant girl in my class. Often the pregnant girls would take that class.

4. Do people really talk like that?

I suppose!
posted by Crystalinne at 9:29 AM on March 5, 2015

4. Do people really talk like that?

Talk like Marge Gunderson trying to run away from a river of blood in the Overlook Hotel while tripping balls on acid? Yeah, I guess we know that they do now!

(I just now listened to this and had to explain why I was crying with laughter about a segment on robot babies. I'm sorry Paige)
posted by selfnoise at 1:08 PM on March 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh my god, Paige's voice. That really does not sound like her real voice, I'm sorry.
posted by longdaysjourney at 1:06 PM on April 11, 2015