Saturday, May 14, 2011

Do-Gooders

Since college, I have loved "This American Life".  Equipped with my iPod and pocket stereo I've been able to catch up on old episodes recorded long before I developed a true appreciation for public radio.

On a rainy day in my hut, I heard an episode on do-gooders.  The first act really caught my attention.  For those readers back at home scratching their heads about my experience, listen to the first act.  It's as analogous of my time here as any American example could ever hope to be.

I've pasted the link and the description below.  Enjoy!


http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/126/do-gooders


Act One: You Can't Go Home Again
Jackie and Kenny Wharton were kids in the tiny town of Canalou, Missouri, off of old Highway 61. They moved away for 40 years but always dreamed of moving back. After Kenny retired, they finally did. Canalou had fallen on hard times. They hoped to do a few things to help restore some of the spirit it had when they were kids: Modest, innocent things, maybe start a softball league, build a place for kids to play ball, maybe pave a few streets. And the more they tried, the more people resented them. After three years, they realized that something had changed in Canalou that would take a lot more than two do-gooders could fix. This is the story of what went wrong. (33 minutes)