This American Life: #557: Birds & Bees

May 18, 2015 12:03 AM

Some information is so big and so complicated that it seems impossible to talk to kids about. This week, stories about the vague and not-so-vague ways to teach children about race, death and sex - including a story about colleges responding to sexual assault by trying to teach students how to ask for consent. Also, a story about how and when to teach kids about the horrors of slavery and oppression in America.
posted by wonton endangerment (5 comments total)

An excellent episode, but I need to listen to it Monday morning instead of Sunday evening. Listening to children work their way through their feelings about a parents' suicide was a rough way to end the weekend and prepare for bed.
posted by maxsparber at 5:44 AM on May 18, 2015

Also a rough way to spend a subway ride. I was the crazy crying person on the train this morning.
posted by twoporedomain at 8:57 AM on May 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

I haven't listened to the last segment yet but the first two are great and especially great to listen to with my 12 year old. Lots of thoughtful material for her to think about and some for us to talk about it. She really liked it. Looking at the reactions above, maybe I'll preview the third segment before listening with her.

I'm struck (again) by how rarely we hear TAL talk about race, especially from the point of view of a person of color, and although irritated by their general problem with this, appreciative of this counter-example. Especially appreciated that they included the observation that NPR is "white space".

Major shout-outs to Chana Joffe-Walt who is just perfect at framing the episode in a way that eases the listener in gently, sharing our perplexity and anxieties but in a way that reassures and encourages. I always fantasize that TAL would switch to a rotating host model and whenever I get to hear one of these other fine producers at the helm of the show I'm reinforced in that fantasy.
posted by latkes at 10:09 PM on May 18, 2015 [3 favorites]

I finally was able to listen to this episode and thought they knocked it out of the park. Three solid segments, and the third one about death really presented the topic well. I think having Chana Joffe-Walt as the host (and guide for all three) tied them together and avoided any shmarm Ira might have brought (unintentional or otherwise)
posted by jazon at 4:45 PM on May 25, 2015

I rewatched the Amy Schumer "Football Town Nights" sketch right before listening to this TAL episode. The actual college dudes in the consent seminar and Schumer's parody high school football players were wayyy too close for comfort.
posted by augustimagination at 6:54 PM on June 1, 2015