This week, we bring you an episode from Feet in 2 Worlds and its series Immigrants in a Divided Country, which explores the current political landscape from the perspective of immigrants.
In this personal audio essay, writer and audio producer Boen Wang goes looking for answers. He always thought his mom—an immigrant from Mainland China —was brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. His mom, on the other hand, thinks he’s been brainwashed by the New York Times and CNN. To break the deadlock Boen interviews his mom about the evolution of her political beliefs—which are on the opposite end of the spectrum from his.
As he learns more about his family and himself, Boen discovers the surprising history and etymology of the term “brainwashing”—which goes back to the last Chinese empire and is deeply rooted in American Cold War-era anxieties about the rise of communism. In the end, he emerges with a new understanding of the use and misuse of “brainwashing” and shares his thoughts on how people with opposing views can live with their differences.
Inside the world’s largest democracy
Changing the climate conversation
From political crisis to profound change
Andrew Sullivan on democracy’s double-edged sword
The case for open primaries
Understanding impeachment — from the Federalist Papers to the whistleblower
Street-level bureaucrats at the border
Out of Order: A conversation with Mitch Landrieu and Margaret Carlson
China’s threat to democracies around the world
One state’s fight for fair maps
How music transcends political polarization
Doing the hard work of democracy in Baltimore
How conspiracies are damaging democracy
Defending the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate
Standing up for science and fighting the climate wars [rebroadcast]
Tracing the past, present, and future of protests
A conversation about conversation [rebroadcast]
Politics and Polls: Blue state federalism
The Pledge: Are you scared of the cafeteria lady?
How Democracies Die author Daniel Ziblatt on the “grinding work” of democracy [rebroadcast]
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