American Histories

Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything

Benjamen Walker & Radiotopia

Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2022

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

One of our heroes Barbara Ehrenreich passed away earlier this year. She was one of America’s best undercover journalists. We once spoke with her about her book Bright Sided, her journey into the heart of American darkness: the positive thinking industry. Also we hear from an ex clan member who reveals the secret of the twinkling cross. Plus your host wonders “what would the founders do”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to Benjamin Walker's theory of everything.
0:05.0	At Radio Topia, we now have a select group of amazing supporters that help us make all our shows possible.
0:13.0	If you would like to have your company or product sponsor this podcast, then get in touch.
0:18.5	Drop a line to sponsor at radiotopia.fm. Thanks.
0:23.5	Ear Hustle, the award-winning radio-topia podcast featuring sounds and stories that come from American Prison Life, is back with a brand new season.
0:33.5	And they're also celebrating their 100th episode.
0:37.5	In the new season, the show revisits its very first episode, a listener favorite called Sellies, about the relationships formed inside a prison cell.
0:47.0	But this time, the whole episode takes place inside a woman's prison.
0:51.5	The producers also spent a marathon 14 hours out on the road at San Quentin for this season.
0:58.5	From dungeons and dragons to dominoes, gospel to geese, weightlifting to just waiting, they've got new sounds and new stories that you have never heard before.
1:09.5	Listen to Ear Hustle, wherever you get your podcasts.
1:14.5	This installment is called American Histories.
1:27.5	Barbara Aaron Reich, one of my favorite writers, passed away earlier this year.
1:32.5	She wasn't the only person to practice undercover journalism, but she was definitely one of the best.
1:39.5	In her most famous book, Nickel and Diomed, she worked a number of low-skilled jobs to report on working conditions in America's low-wage sectors.
1:49.5	She kind of expected it would be awful, but still the toil and humiliation surprised her.
1:55.5	But what really blew her mind was just how difficult it was to even make ends meet.
2:04.5	My personal favorite of her books is Bright Sighted. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she immersed herself in the world of positive thinking.
2:13.5	And to her horror, she discovered an entire industry dedicated to scamming society's most vulnerable.
2:21.5	Like all of her books though, Bright Sighted also serves up an almost secret history of America.
2:29.5	I interviewed Barbara Aaron Reich in 2010 back when Bright Sighted came out.
2:35.5	And we're going to revisit this one again in her honor.
	...

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