This week, stories of people who are in put into positions they’re completely unqualified to handle … but who try to make it work anyway. Including one story of a tough group of soldiers who attempt to save lives through the power of show tunes.
Prologue
Theater of War
Fort Bragg army base was suffering a number of unnecessary deaths — so they decided to attempt to save soldiers’ lives through the art of musical theater. Jack Hitt investigates, and tells the story of how this strange phenomenon began. Jack's most recent book is Bunch of Amateurs. (20 minutes)
What to Expect When You're Expecting a Robot
Some schools make kids take care of eggs in order to teach them about the responsibilities of rearing a child. But at Glen Ridge High, kids are asked to take care of robotic babies. Hilary Frank, host of the podcast The Longest Shortest Time, follows around two teenage “moms" to see how realistic the experience is. (17 minutes)
Commander In Brief
Song:
Related
Act Four: Revision Quest
Act Four: Who's Canadian?
Act Five: The Accursed Items
Staff Recommendations
Simulated Worlds
Civil War reenactments, wax museums, simulated coal mines, fake ethnic restaurants, an ersatz Medieval castle, and other re-created worlds that thrive all across America.
Sissies
A family where the father was one kind of sissy and the son was another kind, and how the family was destroyed despite the fact that no one wanted it to be.