The Great Textbook War

FromUs & Them

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The Great Textbook War

FromUs & Them

ratings:

Length:

58 minutes

Released:

May 1, 2015

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

In 1974, Kanawha County West Virginia was an early battleground in the American culture wars. The fight focused on what children should learn in school. This documentary won a Peabody Award and a DuPont Silver Baton in 2009.

Released:

May 1, 2015

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

We tell stories from the fault lines that separate Americans. Peabody Award-winning public radio producer Trey Kay listens to people on both sides of the divide.

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Trapped on the Turnpike: How 27 hours of being snow-bound on the Pennsylvania Turnpike helps Trey file a report to the Keystone State’s “Office of Lessons Learned.” by Us & Them
29 min listen
Textbook Watchdogs: Lots of American school districts have fierce fights over what kids should learn in school, but nobody fights like Texans. And no citizens have had a bigger impact on what goes into public school textbooks than Mel and Norma Gabler. by Us & Them
30 min listen
The Talk: Despite all the fuss about sex education in America, students get precious little of it. Jonathan Zimmerman, an education historian, tells Trey how Americans spend more time arguing about what kids should learn about human sexuality in schools... by Us & Them
43 min listen
Revisiting the Grand Palace: Americans' attitudes toward gay relationships have changed dramatically in a short time. Trey Kay returns to his home state of West Virginia to see how this change is playing out in a state where 53 percent of residents believe the Bible is the literal w by Us & Them
38 min listen
In Dixieland, I'll Take My Stand: The Condederate flag and the song "Dixie" -- two enduring Old South icons that make us wonder if the war ever ended. by Us & Them
38 min listen
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Two men with strong opinions about evolution and climate change are willing to lay their money on the line. by Us & Them
38 min listen
The Changing Face of Heroin: Something has shifted in the way our society thinks and talks about heroin addicts these days. Could it be that smack users seem more like ‘us’ and less like ‘them’? by Us & Them
40 min listen
Femme Voice: Anne Kelly always felt like she was born into the wrong body. She began life as a man, but is now transitioning into a woman. She’s got the looking like a woman part down. It’s the sounding like a woman thing that’s harder than she... by Us & Them
46 min listen
To Give or Not to Give: If you give money to panhandlers, are you helping them or hurting them? And do they really need help? People have strong opinions. We try to separate the facts from the ideology. by Us & Them
31 min listen
The Church Lady: The Supreme Court says you can't have organized prayer in public schools. But most Americans don't agree with that call -- and some people are still finding ways to make sure public school children have a chance to hear about God. by Us & Them
29 min listen
Atheism: Would Americans vote for an atheist president? A recent poll says no way. In this episode, a social psychologist tells us why this might be. by Us & Them
20 min listen
Sex Ed for Grown-ups: The chair of the University of Minnesota's program for Sexual Health Education tells Trey most sexual health instruction focuses on adolescents and that maybe adults might also need some instruction. by Us & Them
17 min listen
War on Christmas…Really?: Some feel there’s an attack on this sacred holiday. Others are bothered that this religious holiday has blurred America’s church/state separation. But is this really a war? by Us & Them
34 min listen
Marrying Gays When It Wasn't Cool - Rev. Jim Lewis: Decades before same-sex marriage became legal, the Reverend Jim Lewis of Charleston, West Virginia sparked outrage by blessing the unions of gay men and lesbians in his church. by Us & Them
8 min listen
New Math: When conservatives and liberals fight about school curriculum, the disagreements aren't just about science and history. Even math has been a battleground in the culture wars. Trey talks with historian Christopher Phillips. by Us & Them
33 min listen
The Refugee Trail with Scott Carrier: Veteran journalist – or “cultural anthropologist” – Scott Carrier speaks with people fleeing war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries as they seek refuge in Europe. by Us & Them
33 min listen
Community and Cops Talking Across the Divide: How a proactive partnership changed perceptions between police and the black community. by Us & Them
27 min listen
A Confederate Reckoning: Can we reconcile different versions of history? Two American foreign correspondents of color fly from Kenya to Louisiana to report on an unfinished civil war back home. by Us & Them
53 min listen
Strangers With Cameras In Appalachia: A recent photo essay depicting Appalachians has stirred controversy in that region. Some locals feel violated when outsiders come into their communities snapping photos. Are these shutterbugs depicting reality or reinforcing stereotypes?... by Us & Them
52 min listen
Enemies: Jesus said, “Love your enemies." Today’s politicians ask God to bless America, but in the same breath, they call their political opponents "enemies." Labels help us organize the world along fault lines, but is this the best... by Us & Them
19 min listen
Trey & Alice: A blue state secular liberal and a red state conservative Christian have an unlikely friendship. And a slug burger. by Us & Them
32 min listen
The Elephant in the (Class) Room: How I Survived Iraq and Vassar College: After four years of commanding a tank in Iraq, David Carrell, a Republican from Texas, had the opportunity to study at a liberal college in the northeast. He tells Trey what he’s observed about Red and Blue America. by Us & Them
32 min listen
Locked Up For Sodomy: Not that long ago, you could get locked up for being gay. A West Virginia man tells Trey about being sent to a mental institution for violating the state’s sodomy laws. by Us & Them
29 min listen
Love, the Ayatollah & Revolution: Essi and Katie fell in love before the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution and growing antipathy between America and Ayatollah Khomeini. Despite many fantastic twists and dangerous turns, their love has triumphed over archenemies' hatred. by Us & Them
27 min listen
His Name's DJ: "He knew it was hurting us, and it was killing him. But he couldn’t help himself." by Us & Them
35 min listen
Reasserting Femme Voice: North Carolina repealed its notorious bathroom law, but not necessarily for the better. Transsexuals remain outside NC’s equal protection laws—whether in the bathroom or in the workplace. All of this has got me thinking about my friend Anne Kelly. by Us & Them
38 min listen
The Great Textbook War: In 1974, Kanawha County West Virginia was an early battleground in the American culture wars. The fight focused on what children should learn in school. by Us & Them
58 min listen
Shack!: In 1969, James “Shack” Harris became the first African American quarterback to break the color line in the NFL. by Us & Them
33 min listen
Islamophobia: With acts of terrorism in Paris and San Bernardino, some Americans are suspicious of Muslim neighbors and immigrants. Warranted fear or paranoia? by Us & Them
26 min listen
Taking an Ass Whoopin’: The 2016 presidential campaign was one of the most brutal in America’s history. Trey was stunned by the outcome and is trying understand what the whole thing means. Are truth and bitter reality the new Us? Have our news sources become Them? by Us & Them
17 min listen

More Episodes from Us & Them

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Our Foster Care Crisis: Across the nation, more than 390-thousand children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system. by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them: Locked Out Of Voting?: Millions of people in the U.S. cannot vote because they’ve been convicted of a felony. A majority of those are not currently in prison, but on probation or parole. In this episode, we look at the nation’s patchwork of voting rights laws and the confusion they can create. by Us & Them
40 min listen
Us & Them: Another Small Town Paper Down: Across the nation, there are a growing number of local news deserts. Communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. For generations, it’s been the local paper that kept track of things. When a small town paper, like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? by Us & Them
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Us & Them Encore: Dicamba Woes: In February 2024, a federal judge in Arizona halts the spraying of the herbicide dicamba, but EPA says farmers are allowed to use it for this coming growing season. In this installment of Us & Them, we harken back to a story from our archives, exploring the heated conflict unraveling in agricultural communities. by Us & Them
54 min listen
Us & Them: Navigating Post-Pandemic Medicaid: Medicaid is undergoing a major review to determine the eligibility of millions, but not everyone is getting the notice. For this Us & Them, we look at changes to a health care safety net program that serves more than 90 million low income Americans. by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them: The Geography of Abortion: State borders are now all important in determining access to abortion. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, West Virginia’s only abortion clinic has moved across the border to Maryland to continue providing abortions. by Us & Them
33 min listen
Us & Them: Expungement — Between Hope and Danger: For the hundreds of thousands of West Virginians with a criminal record, it’s tough to find a second chance. New state laws make some crimes eligible for expungement and can seal a person’s criminal record. But some say giving a clean slate to someone with a record is dangerous. by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them: Caught Between Two Worlds: Our nation’s capital can make and break careers. In a very short period, Cassidy Hutchinson went from a complete outsider to traveling on Air Force One with the President of the United States. She tells Trey Kay about life on either side of the political divide. by Us & Them
34 min listen
Us & Them: 2023 Had Some Serious Trust Issues: As we close out 2023, we look ahead to a new year with a landscape partially defined by fear and mistrust. Many Americans say their confidence is shaken. They feel like every institution — from the government, to the banking system, to corporations, to religion, to the news media — are corrupt. What to do when so many of us can’t trust the institutions that hold our society together? by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them: Bidding Farewell To My Unlikely Friend, Alice Moore: Sometimes friendships show up when we don’t expect them. That was true of Us & Them host Trey Kay’s friendship with Alice Moore — a conservative Christian county school board member, who sparked a turbulent textbook controversy in Kay’s home county back in the 1970s. Kay and Moore saw education, religion, homosexuality and Trump very differently, but were still dear friends. by Us & Them
34 min listen
Us & Them: Diminished Trust In Science: Science and research can lead to important breakthroughs. But in a divided America, not everyone trusts the results. On the next Us & Them, Trey Kay speaks with three expert guests before an audience full of curious people at Marshall University in Huntington, WV and asks: How shaken is our confidence in scientists and the scientific process? by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them: Potluck & Politics: For the past four years, Trey Kay has gathered a group of West Virginians — four from the political right and four from the left — for the “Us & Them Dinner Party.” The discussion at this year’s gathering focused on former President Trump’s indictments, abortion laws, diminishing public trust and more. by Us & Them
48 min listen
Us & Them: Diminished Trust In The News Media: We used to trust the news but now some polls and surveys show that our confidence has eroded. Recently, the Us & Them team partnered with West Virginia University’s Reed College of Media for a conversation on diminished trust in journalism. Host Trey Kay spoke with Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of PBS Frontline, and June Cross, director of the documentary journalism program at the Columbia Journalism School. by Us & Them
52 min listen
To Friend or Unfriend? That Is The Question: Over the past few years, some people have severed their digital lifeline with friends and family because of political differences. With the click of a single button the social media connection is gone. Click - buh-bye! The decision can mean you're out of touch and cut off from that person’s life. But two childhood friends from Gallipolis, OH — who vote very differently — have committed to doing just the opposite. by Us & Them
35 min listen
Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars In West Virginia: America stopped institutionalizing people with mental illness decades ago. But now, many are caught up in a system not meant for them. On this episode of Us & Them, we’ll hear what it’s like to live with mental illness behind bars in the Mountain State. by Us & Them
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Us & Them Encore: The Right To Compete: New laws in more than twenty states ban transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens teams. Transgender athletes say they want to play a sport they love. Those supporting the new bans, say the laws are not anti-trans. Instead, they say the goal is to protect girls and women from competing against the biological advantages they believe transgender girls and women have. by Us & Them
52 min listen
Us & Them Encore: Leaving The White Bubble: Travel is one way to learn —Us & Them host Trey Kay followed a tour group traveling through southern U.S. states to learn some very Black and white lessons. by Us & Them
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Us & Them Encore: Court of Second Chances?: In West Virginia and many other states, there’s a court of second chances. It’s a court-monitored drug treatment program designed to help people stay clean and out of jail. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay asks: How do these treatment courts work for adults and juveniles? by Us & Them
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46 min listen
Us & Them: Who Gets Stuck Behind Bars In West Virginia?: West VIrginia’s state prisons and jails are overcrowded and understaffed. About half of those incarcerated are there because they can’t make their bail. Many are poor and a disproportionate number are Black. by Us & Them
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The Great Textbook War

The Great Textbook War

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Us & Them

Related podcast episodes