S-Town Reflection

Listening to S-Town brought me to a world I often forget exists. The town described is like no place I’ve ever visited, or ever intend to visit. As I heard John’s story, I oscillated between feeling hopeful and feeling outraged. John’s concern for justice helped me believe that there must be many people living in small towns trying to speak out, take care of someone, and educate themselves. But, just as he described, everyone around John was apathetic and in my opinion pathetic. In terms of the storytelling in the podcast, hearing John and his tangents and accent was very powerful. He’s a real person who wants to be heard and understood. However, like Brian Reed hinted at, it is hard to take John seriously. When Brian asked himself whether John was messing with him, I had been wondering the same thing. Another aspect of the podcast that I enjoyed was the dynamic between Brian and the other “characters.” They come of as so different in the way they speak and what they speak about. I find it fascinating, more and more as the story progresses, that Brian got roped into this situation. I like listening to podcasts because, like books, they leave a lot to the imagination. I think it’s cool to imagine what these people, the town, and their tattoos look like.