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I like Sedaris in writing but I really don't like when they play him on This American Life for two reasons. I'm not the biggest fan of his voice, which is one thing...but I can get past that since hell, he can't control how he talks. What I dislike is they're always just playing live recordings of him at some event/show and it does bother me how the crowd just is ridiculously enthusiastic about everything he says. This is admittedly a petty thing but it does get a bit grating for me. I can't think of any weak episodes off the top of my head but I do know they happen as there are some that just are hard to get through. One thing that annoys me slightly is that they'll sometimes have a repeat episode on the itunes list and they don't really let you know that all the stories have aired already so I'll get 15 minutes in and think "wait...this seems familiar." I know i know hard to complain when its free but it would be nice if they just put THIS IS A REPEAT
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Oct 2, 2011 08:01
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This may sound petty but I hate how Ira (this is recently) has insisted on saying WE'RE ONLY ASKING FOR MONEY ONCE! but then kind of pokes in during their natural radio breaks and basically asks for money again but does it in a way where its like "We said we weren't asking for money and we're not!...but don't forget!"
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Oct 7, 2011 07:43
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UltraRed posted:BLARG!!! Repeat podcast! Seriously, nothing is more off putting than downloading a podcast and 15 minutes in realizing you've heard it before. I really wish they would denote that its a repeat.
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Nov 6, 2011 07:41
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maxnmona posted:On the website, they always tell you the original air date. Its mostly me being lazy. I just sync with itunes and load up the latest without much bother for the title etc. So I'm usually thinking, "this sounds familiar" and about 12 minutes in I realize it is. If they just started every broadcast with "It's September 18, 2010 and this is This American Life" it would be sweet. Or me just not be lazy.
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Nov 8, 2011 08:41
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danifestmestny posted:Thanks, I'm from the town where Nummi was located, I'll check this one out. It's an amazing story and really tells you something about how awful the American car companies got, what could have been, and how things happened the way they did. It's also pretty touching at points.
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Nov 11, 2011 10:40
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I was working through the archives (last few months) and just listened to the one about creating a job. One thing that does annoy me as I don't particularly love Ira's voice but I've gotten used to it, is when he and others (in this case I forget her money but she is part of planet money) do interviews and react in a very coy and incredulous response. I.E. (Making this up but): IRA: You mean to say that after you stole the apple pie from your neighbor they came over with a gun?! REALLY?! THAT'S, JUST....AMAZING! I don't know if this even makes sense to you guys but there is something how they sometimes position their questions that really bothers me like they're playing dumb or something. I don't know. I love the show and all my complaints are nitpicks honestly.
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Nov 26, 2011 22:29
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UltraRed posted:I wonder how big the ramifications of this could be? This did spawn international protests. If China made a big stink, it really could be a big deal for western journalists. It spawned more in depth investigations that uncovered similar findings. And China already makes a big stink about western journalists. This won't do much. E: I just listened to the 'Retraction' episode and holy poo poo Daisey comes off so loving bad its hilarious. He actually does sit down with Glass and another gentleman who's name escapes me but they basically ask him using their own facts that they got if he lied and he either admits it or says things like "I wouldn't call it that." He comes off bad. soggybagel fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Mar 18, 2012 |
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Mar 18, 2012 01:13
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I'll hop on that train. I liked a lot of Sedaris's written work and the occasional radio bit, but I really am sick of his fictional animal stuff. And the worst is when its from a live recording. So not only do we get less stellar audio, we get an audience who is laughing their asses off at this inane stuff. It reminds me of that Simpsons joke when Homer yells at the TV to be funny when they're watching A Prairie Home Companion/Garrison Keillor reading on stage and the audience is going crazy.
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Jan 6, 2013 11:07
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hope and vaseline posted:This episode was just trippy. Fred Armisen's impression kept getting better throughout the show. Here's that weekend update bit by the way. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/web-exclusive-update-fred-as-ira-glass/1428371/ Haha that's great.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:37
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I'm a few episodes back logged, but man, that one about the lady making the Asian fetish documentary was interesting but also terribly sad.
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Apr 27, 2013 09:14
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I really liked their followup to the Patent troll episode. Very good. And I do hate when they play coy about things like "WE WERE SHOCKED THEY WOULDN'T ANSWER US...GOSH GEE WIZ" but the audio from the trial was hilarious.
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Jun 4, 2013 09:01
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I am at the same spot with this show. A couple years ago I just made the decision that if its a work of fiction I immediately skip it. It's made my listening more enjoyable.
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Nov 12, 2013 09:15
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I really liked the latest one. I think its the type of show that really made me fall in love with TAL in the first place. Just spending time with people trying to make a living selling cars. Spending time. Its just a good episode. Also the photos of the people are pretty much the type of people I had imagined when I heard them talk. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/at-the-car-lot/
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Dec 17, 2013 11:18
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I really wish they'd tack on a "This is a repeat" on the podcast version. I do usually recognize the repeats immediately but sometimes it takes me 20 minutes and then I get annoyed.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:40
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zakharov posted:Why not just look at the episode number? I don't usually even look right away. I know, its stupid. But I just start playing them on my commute so I usually start them very early in the morning so I kind of am waking up to the show.
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Feb 27, 2014 01:00
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The bad baby episode from a few weeks ago was terrifying. Completely out of control but your kid just ends up being a loving sociopath. E: Also the Tarred and Feathered with that delusional topix lady was just terrible. soggybagel fucked around with this message at 01:33 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 23:41
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Tatum Girlparts posted:There's nothing the core NPR crowd loves more is to hear a sad story and cluck their tongues and go 'oh dear oh dear oh dear' so they can bring it up next time they're talking about how the world is just terrible and if only someone would do something. It's tragedy porn because the listeners have fallen into the tumblr trap of thinking 'awareness' fixes anything on its own, so by nodding and agreeing that these stories are quite sad they're helping, really! Or maybe it's just because the story is interesting. There's a lot of suffering in the world and I feel that knowing about it can make you more empathetic even if you're not rushing to Pakistan to free the children working in brick kilns.
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Jun 22, 2014 20:13
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One thing I've always wondered is if there is a sizable international audience who listens to This American Life. And is there say, a UK version of this type of show?
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Jun 28, 2014 05:49
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I really like TAL still. I actually appear to be in the minority but the serious stories are just as enjoyable for me. I wouldn't call it middle class liberal misery porn either. It's telling interesting stories by and large. I do love the light airy episodes like the one that takes place at the rest stop too. I'm fine skipping episodes that bore me but they are few and far between.
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Jul 1, 2014 04:54
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The Berzerker posted:This week was a rerun so you may have heard this exact episode before Yeah. This.
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Jul 11, 2014 08:12
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I came to the realization people are crazy when it comes to their pets. Still, what Ira does for his dog is loving insane. Also the way he waves off the fact that the dog has bitten him, his wife, and even children to the point where it broke the skin was annoying.
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Jul 21, 2014 19:00
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After a couple less than stellar episodes a classic TAL episode to get your blood pumping.
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Sep 16, 2014 22:20
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dongsbot 9000 posted:I think it's important to realise that we probably aren't being presented with the complete story. While it might be fair to say that the Orthodox community whose students don't attend the school might not have the exact same goals as the community whose students do attend the public school, it is unconstitutional to say that the tax-paying Orthodox resident can't run for office because he doesn't have students enrolled at that school (taxation without representation, natch). Furthermore, I would be highly surprised if there have never been anti-Semitic comments regarding this situation. TAL showed the ugly of the Orthodox community (lawyer calling a woman a oval office) but it doesn't spend as much time on the ugly of the public school community. While the high schooler says she shuts down any anti-Semitic comments at her rallies, if students are asking teachers about "Why are the Jews doing this to us" or looking for "Jews to shoot", they're probably receiving a bad message in their home, and quite possibly, these comments are uttered directly to the board members by public school parents. We wouldn't know since none of the board members really wanted to discuss the situation (I don't blame them.) One reason we weren't presented with the complete story is that the Orthodox community did not participate in the story. And if the author is telling the truth, they had numerous changes to articulate their own views and standings but choose not to. dongsbot 9000 posted:youre right why didnt these jews just move back to israel if they didn't want to pay taxes which steadily increased every year. gently caress them for deciding to exercise their democratic rights to impact local government Settle down there buddy. Taking the articles I read about the subject and this episode of TAL completely at face value this much is clear. The Orthodox community is not being 100 percent forthcoming with their budgets, not operating in a transparent manner (the school board meetings where they simply adjourn for a private meeting leaving those in attendance to twiddle their thumbs), and are simply being dishonest in many regards when it comes to treating the community they (the school board) represent. What is also clear from the episode is their a tragic and seemingly unfixable divide that obscures a greater truth and problem. I ultimately find the Orthodox community's stance disingenuous and quite self serving. What I find most damning is the viewpoint from either side of "If you don't like it, move" attitude. Pardon the platitudes about democracy in America and being a republic but seen at the local level as we did in this episode, this is one of the most important aspects of how this country operates. Government is not the enemy in this case. The Orthodox community has done nothing illegal by being voted and controlling the school board. But by participating in this base system, they are buying into a larger system of societal responsibility that comes with such benefits. They are destroying the community slowly but surely if they think what they are doing is sustainable. To quote Robert Kennedy, "For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is a slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter. This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all. I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. For a broad and adequate outline we know what must be done. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies - to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and mastered. We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear - only a common desire to retreat from each other - only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this there are no final answers." This is an American tragedy unfolding in a small community in New York. Disagreement has taken on Shakespearean heights but whatever happens will be a tiny blip on the radar of America and for that I am truly sad.
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Sep 18, 2014 09:31
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Hearing the woman crying as the Milwaukee cops beat the poo poo out of him made my blood boil. However it was a great episode. Can't wait for part 2. And yeah the parking lot shooting was as good as it was frustrating. I'm also way behind on episodes. After I listened to the most recent I just picked a random one to listen to and happened to pick the Wake Up Now episode. Crazy poo poo.
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Feb 10, 2015 16:12
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I had random back logged episodes that I caught up with today. Holy poo poo that ATF story. loving insane. On top of the cops story of recent times and then that story from the goddamn school field trip where the plain clothes officer told the students to gently caress off. I hate cops.
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Feb 23, 2015 06:24
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Irish Joe posted:That's because you're stupid. Cops put their lives on the line keeping people like you safe from the worst dregs of society. Show a little appreciation for the people who do more for their communities every day than you will do in your lifetime. Ouch. You got me good!
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Feb 24, 2015 08:13
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Yeah this was a great episode. I didn't mind the girls voice either. It was weird but not grating. This is one of those great TAL episodes which is just goofy, light, touching, and all that stuff.
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Mar 7, 2015 07:00
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Max posted:My favorite part of that episode is Ira coldly playing the different versions of the song and telling the guy how many actually exist. That's such a funny loving segment. He is genuinely bummed out. HELLLLOOO TULLSSAAAAA soggybagel fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Mar 10, 2015 |
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Mar 10, 2015 21:48
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I googled Zoe Chace to make sure it was the one I was thinking of and this is the 2nd result on google: http://www.quora.com/NPR-Planet-Money/Why-does-Zoe-Chaces-voice-irritate-so-many-people Also I don't mind her voice and I can't imagine the type of weirdos that bother to write in to complain about any radio persons voice. However, if I was going to complain about any radio personalities voices that appear on TAL it would definitely be Ira Glass and constant contributor David Sedaris. I honestly don't mind Glass's voice too much, but sometimes if I'm in a less happy mood and I'll just get annoyed quick by Ira Glass and the way he pronounces certain words. And Sedaris isn't awful. I think its probably just when they play audio that was recorded live in front of an audience. Every little thing he says makes the audience die with laughter. It just reminds me of that simpsons clip where Homer gets pissed at the television when Garrison Keilor is on and hits the TV and says something to the effect of, "Stupid TV, be funny" as the audience is laughing up a riot at the smallest Keilor quip. I am not bothered by Chace, however I did always find the way she enunciates a few things a tad weird.
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Sep 5, 2015 08:38
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I like Dave Davies. Sometimes Gross bugs me the way she phrases questions.
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Sep 17, 2015 01:59
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An Enormous Boner posted:She on purpose exaggerates her inflection for dramatic effect like every other human being on earth, but she does it with a particularly unpleasant accent, highlighting the bad parts of that accent. This somehow is a problem for you to deal with . I want to burn all women alive. You're incredibly stupid.
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Oct 13, 2015 05:24
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The Night In Question was a great episode. Good to see that conspiracy theory idiots are a universal human trait across all cultures.
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Nov 5, 2015 01:53
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bad day posted:The number of repeats and segments from other podcasts in the last year has soured my opinion of This American Life. Honestly I get producing some of their long form investigative episodes takes time, but for fucks sake I wish they'd just say "Yo this is a repeat." up top.
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Nov 18, 2015 23:14
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I just listened to #565 Lower 9 + 10. I was kind of skipping this one because I didn't want to be super depressed, and no doubt there was some truly tragic sad stuff in this episode. However when they re-united those 2 friends via phone, Samuel and Terrence it made me smile. "Not to caught you off, but you still talk the same." 
soggybagel fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Nov 23, 2015 |
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Nov 23, 2015 06:44
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Honestly I think some of you over react towards Planet Money. The majority of episodes were fine little capsules that were decently interesting.
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Feb 23, 2016 09:39
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The one young woman who when confronted with actual racist shitheads that spew on her behalf she halfheartedly can only muster a "well he's probably joking."
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Jan 24, 2017 00:51
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