This American Life: 684: Burn It Down

September 30, 2019 6:48 PM

Stories of people who decide the only way forward — for real change — is to burn everything to the ground. We go to Amsterdam where the boss of the city's fire department sets off a war with his own firefighters.

The first one made me want to throw a table. The guy trying to fight back against a sexist society is the one who gets fired and nothing changes?

The second one made me laugh my head off and I wish I'd tried that when I had a boyfriend who was addicted to the Sims.

posted by jenfullmoon (1 comment total)

God, that firefighter story was brutal. But, having grown up in a family of firefighters, it's entirely believable...the racism, the misogyny, the "pranks" they played on the women and PoC firefighters. And, especially the heavy political power they can wield.

The Sims story was hilarious, and I congratulate her for not absolutely going off on her mom. There's no way in hell I'd have been able to not tear my mom several new a-holes over that.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:09 AM on October 1, 2019 [1 favorite]