Summary
What can we learn from the humanity of others? From seeing ourselves reflected in someone else? Josie Long presents stories of role models.
"You know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There's this idea that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. And what I've always thought isn't that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. It's that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves... Part of what inspired me, was this deep desire that before I died, I would make a couple of mirrors. That I would make some mirrors so that kids like me might see themselves reflected back and might not feel so monstrous for it." - Junot Diaz
Water Fleas Featuring Akira Sakata Produced by Phil Smith
Mirrors Featuring Nikesh Shukla
Nadia Produced by Sophie Townsend
Intolerants Not Welcome Featuring Mark Thompson Produced by Alan Hall
Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in September 2017.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, welcome to Shortcuts, I'm Jacey Long. |
| 0:02.7 | This program is the last in our current series, but don't worry, we'll be coming back in November, |
| 0:07.8 | so I hope you enjoy your little time without us, perhaps have a good Halloween and a good harvest festival. |
| 0:13.5 | And the first voice that you're going to hear is my voice. |
| 0:21.6 | This is Shortcuts. Brief encounters, true stories, radio adventures and found sound. |
| 0:29.6 | Today, role models. |
| 0:33.6 | We would not be quieted, we faced up proud and strong landing one thump on fascism glass chin. |
| 0:41.3 | Sure, we fought with the law but the law couldn't win because these are our streets and this is our home. |
| 0:52.3 | How do you find strength and inspiration? |
| 0:56.4 | It doesn't need to be from obvious sources. |
| 0:59.3 | Sometimes a cheesy motivational quote or a slogan in an advert |
| 1:03.2 | will hit your line of vision at exactly the right point, |
| 1:07.4 | as if it was sent to save you. |
| 1:09.9 | Keeping your eyes open for hidden profundity |
| 1:12.4 | can lead you in unexpected directions. |
| 1:16.4 | The Tokyo-based saxophonist Akira Sakata |
| 1:19.2 | keeps aquariums of water fleas in his house. |
| 1:24.5 | Water fleas in his house. |
| 1:25.2 | Waterflies help me my life very much. |
| 1:30.3 | You know? |
| 1:35.3 | They help me. They help me. |
| 1:41.3 | I start to keep water free as feed of the fish. |
... |
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