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.
Moving beyond news deserts and misinformation
How national parties are breaking state politics
Can the courts save civics education?
When religion and democracy collide
Sore losers are bad for democracy
On democracy's doomsayers
What does it take to sustain democracy?
Fannie Lou Hamer's fight continues today
Andrew Yang and Charlie Dent on the future of America's political parties
The soul of democracy
Jonathan Haidt on democracy's moral foundations [rebroadcast]
Why social media is so polarizing — and what we can do about it
What makes a campaign deplorable?
Fighting for democracy in the GOP
Tom Nichols on democracy's worst enemy
Independent commissions alone can't create fair maps
Voter suppression doesn't repeat, but it rhymes
A love letter to democratic institutions
How Amazon is disrupting democracy
Abortion is not always a clash of absolutes
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