Tag: Podcast – Us & Them

Us & Them: In Dixieland I'll Take My Stand

In this episode, my friend Alice Moore and I visit a Confederate cemetery in Corinth, Mississippi.  Alice tells me about her love for the battle flag.

In our conversation, we soon learn that you can’t talk about the flag without also talking about people’s ideas about the War and slavery and racism … and whether our ancestors were on the right side of history. This program features Cornell University history professor Ed Baptist, who has a view of the South’s history that differs from that of Alice.  

And we dig into another beloved southern icon – the song Dixie.

You can subscribe to Us & Them on iTunes and Stitcher, and listen on the podcast’s website.

In recognition of the sesquicentennial of the ending of the American Civil War, Us & Them had been preparing a program about the emotionally charged icons of the Confederacy.

We decided to move up this release of the program because we felt that our program could be a part of the conversation sparked by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calling for the Confederate battle flag to be taken down from that state’s capitol grounds.    

Haley’s action came days after pictures had been circulating of the man who confessed to shooting nine African American people in a South Carolina church; he’s posing with Confederate flags. This led many people to call on South Carolina to stop flying the battle flag over its statehouse.  Subsequently, lawmakers in other states are debating whether to remove the flag and other symbols of the Confederacy from public display and from license plates. And some big retailers say they’ll stop stocking it.

But experience has led me to believe that some people won’t let the Confederate flag go without a fight.  For years, I’ve wondered why some people have such a deep affection for the flag and other symbols of the Old South.   This program tries to examine this.

'Us & Them' Host Trey Kay Delves Into the Battle Over Sex Ed in Latest Episode

Us & Them tackles an extremely hot topic in their latest episode, The Talk: the battle over whether or not (and how) sexual education should be taught in…

Us & Them tackles an extremely hot topic in their latest episode, The Talk: the battle over whether or not (and how) sexual education should be taught in American schools.

In addition to taking a look at recent controversies, host and producer Trey Kay interviewed historian and New York University Steinhardt School of Culture professor Jonathan Zimmerman about the history of sexual education in the episode.

Zimmerman’s latest book, Too Hot to Handle: A Global History of Sexual Education, explores the issue in-depth and concludes that despite all the fuss, children in American schools rarely get exposed to much about sexuality in the classroom.

Kay spoke with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Beth Vorhees to recap the episode and what he learned in exploring such a divisive issue. You can listen to Trey’s interview with Beth and hear from Zimmerman and others included in the episode in the audio stream above.

You can subscribe to Us & Them on iTunes and Stitcher, and listen on the podcast’s website. 

Us & Them: A History Lesson About Sex Education

Today a new episode of our podcast "Us and Them" comes out. This one focuses on sex education. Beth Vorhees talks with host and producer Trey Kay about…

Today a new episode of our podcast “Us and Them” comes out. This one focuses on sex education.  Beth Vorhees talks with host and producer Trey Kay about the conflict that has surrounded sex education for decades. 

'Us & Them': To Give or Not to Give?

When you see panhandlers on the street, what do you do? Ignore them and walk the other way? Hand them some spare change? And, how do you decide?

A lot of people have strong opinions about panhandlers, but are they based in reason or in ideology?

That’s the focus of latest episode of Us & Them, the new podcast from Trey Kay & West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Subscribe to Us & Them

Trey Kay says the WVPB news staff’s reporting about a panhandling controversy in Parkersburg was the inspiration for his most recent episode.

Last fall, reporter Dave Mistich filed a story about the city of Parkersburg posting signs that read:

“Please Do Not Contribute to the Drug and Alcohol Problem by Giving To Panhandlers.”

“These signs made it sound like the city knew for sure that the money panhandlers get goes to drug and alcohol,” Kay recalled. “And I’ve always wondered whether that was true. I’ve always struggled with whether to give money to panhandlers. And so do a lot of people.”

Trey grew up in West Virginia, but he lives in New York now. He says whenever he’s in New York City, he encounters panhandlers. He recently stopped random people in Manhattan to ask if they give to beggars. He was surprised by how much thought people had given this question. Nearly everyone he talked to had a reason they choose to give – or not to give.

John, a guy Kay met at Penn Station, said he doubts that these people really need the money.

“I’ve seen some wearing $200 sneakers panhandling,” John said.  “So you tell me.  Why would I give that person money?”

A man named Simon told Kay he rarely gives because he believes panhandlers “just have to find a job.”

“I’ve seen a lot of alcoholics drinking, not really working,” Simon said.  “They’re just lazy.  They don’t want to work.”

Another person told him she doesn’t give because she’s seen TV news stories about beggars who are actually rich. 

Others said they gave if the person seemed sincerely needy. And some said they didn’t care how the panhandlers spend the money – even if it goes for alcohol or drugs. 

'Us & Them' Releases Latest Episode Focused on Panhandling

Friday marks the release of the latest episode of the West Virginia Public Broadcasting podcast ‘Us & Them.’ This episode was inspired by a story WVPB reporter Dave Mistich reported in the fall that focused on panhandling in Parkersburg.

The city had posted signs asking citizens not to give to panhandlers claiming donations would support the drug and alcohol abuse problems in the area. 

The West Virginia ACLU threatened the city with a defamation lawsuit, but today, the signs are still posted and nothing has been filed. 

Listen and subscribe to “Us & Them” and our other podcasts here: http://wvpublic.org/podcast

'Us & Them' Launches with Four Episodes Highlighting the Cultural Divide

 
Americans are as divided as they’ve ever been. A recent Pew Research Center study found that “Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades.” The report found the percentage of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over that period, to 21%, and that “ideological overlap between the two parties has diminished.”

 
 
The Us & Them podcast will focus on the fault lines that divide Americans. From fights over same-sex marriage or whether humans cause climate change to immigration and whether or not President Obama should identify ISIS militants as Muslim terrorists, we’ll the explore issues, disputes or ideas that divide people into longstanding, entrenched camps. In each episode, we’ll give a good listen to passionate people on either side of the culture war divide – from conservative, God-fearing Christian preachers and creationism advocates to moderate Muslim imams and campy flamboyant drag queens – not to determine who is right or wrong, but rather to access their humanity. Shows may include some expert voices, but in essence an Us and Them program is an intimately told story, focused on real people with deeply held core beliefs. It’ll provide insight as to how and why people come by these strong beliefs. 
 
Trey & Alice

 
In the first episode of Us and Them, a red state Christian conservative and a blue state secular liberal share an unlikely friendship. And a slug burger.

 
 
The Great Textbook War


 
In 1974, Kanawha County, West Virginia became an early battleground in the culture wars when fighting broke out over new school textbooks. People planted bombs in schools, shot at buses, and shut down coal mines. This radio documentary was honored with Peabody, Murrow and DuPont/Columbia awards.

 
Rev. Jim Lewis – Marrying Gays When It Wasn’t Cool
 

Decades before same-sex marriage was legal, the Rev. Jim Lewis of Charleston, West Virginia, sparked outrage by blessing the unions of gay men and lesbians.

Revisiting the Grand Palace  

Americans’ attitudes towards gay relationships have changed dramatically in a short time. Host Trey Kay returns to his home state of West Virginia to see how this change is playing out in a state where 53 percent of residents believe the Bible is the literal word of God.

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