“The Out Crowd” — Podcast Review
“The Out Crowd” from This American Life, is a podcast that documents the lives of those affected by the Trump administration’s US asylum law, and remain stuck in between Mexico and Texas. The prologue, with hosts Ira Glass and Aviva Dekornfeld, begins by introducing nine-year-old Darwin. Immediately, I felt drawn to the story and I wanted to hear more. Glass’s voice is very clear and easy to understand as well as Dekornfeld, both of who began a conversation with Darwin and his mother, Elizabeth. This balance of back and forth, as well as the casual conversation, made this part of the story very engaging and easy to listen to. At the border, as the hosts make their way to a camp, some background noise of their environment can be heard. Children laugh and families talk, and I really like how they transition into another anecdote from a man at the camp named Elwin David Baquis, who is with his young daughter. The prologue does not have much music, most of the background noise, if any, is ambient noise. I believe that it helps the listeners focus on what the people are saying and really immerses them into the environment.
In Act One, “Goodbye Stranger”, Molly O’Toole speaks to asylum officers and how they feel regarding their jobs. The soft, ambient music playing as she goes into in-depth detail on US asylum law helps set the tone on the importance of this issue. This podcast had ambient music playing while the interviewee was speaking at some points as well. I do not believe it took anything away from the overall interview. I found it interesting how “Ursula”, the officer being interviewed, didn’t have an edited voice, but instead, her voice was re-enacted by another actress. I really liked that because it definitely makes the conversation more captivating.
In Act Two; “Take the Long Way Home” Glass sets the tone, once again with ambient noise and no music, really focusing on the subject at hand. Emily Green, in this segment, speaks to a young man, David who fled from Honduras and spoke about his fears of being kidnapped in Mexico. As he explains this to Green, he begins sobbing and it’s captured in the audio. This was especially hard to listen to, however, because it elicits that emotional response, I believe that it needs to be heard. The audio was cut short. This specific segment was heavy and very emotional. In the end, it was very well put together. This story grabbed my attention and carried it the entire time. Another family is interviewed, one man whose son got into the U.S. to live a better life, while he got stuck at the border alone. At the end of this podcast, the first family is interviewed again, and it all ties together. Elizabeth talks about sending nine-year-old Darwin to the U.S. alone as he sits and protests next to her. As unfortunate as it is to be left with unanswered questions, this podcast truly captures the realities that these families have to go through to this day.