Ira Glass is the creator and host of a weekly show on National Public Radio called This American Life. I think it is the hardest show in public radio to listen to. It’s not flashy or polished and it takes effort to get it. But it is a weekly slice of life, radio theater for a modern age that is worth checking out. Glass has a way of pointing out the irony of life in America through real stories and his often pedantic but somehow insightful look at where we seem to be going, set apart from the more pressing news stories of the moment. His road show sounds like a live “best-of” presentation.
Glass is very concerned about the state of affairs for public radio with a Republican majority in the House. These battles flare up time and time again (1995, Newt Gingrich, et. al.), and although funding has never been seriously cut for public radio, I believe it is a bellwether of our national attitude toward discourse and free thought. Please read the linked article, I think you’ll find some similarities to John Patrick Shanley’s thoughts on our culture and our insistence on yes-no arguments for questions that deserve much greater consideration.
