
Things Fell Apart
Strange Stories from the History of the Culture Wars
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Narrated by:
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Jon Ronson
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By:
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Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson delves into the extraordinary history of our current cultural conflicts.
From taking the knee to transgender rights, wedge issues are everywhere in modern life - dividing opinions, polarising debate and tearing friendships and families apart. Even something as seemingly innocuous as wearing a facemask can provoke vicious disagreement. But how did we get here, and what does it mean for society going forward? In this gripping series, acclaimed writer and journalist Jon Ronson searches for the origin stories of the hostilities - the pebbles thrown in the pond, creating the ripples that led to where we are today.
His quest leads him from the Swiss Alps in the 1970s to contemporary Michigan, as he tracks down the cultural warriors involved in shaping some of the defining ideological battles of our era. Among them are filmmaker Frank Schaeffer, whose debut documentary triggered the explosive abortion rows that still rage over 40 years later; AIDs activist Steve Pieters, who prompted a crisis of conscience for televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker; Kelly Michaels, a day-care worker embroiled in America's 'Satanic panic'; and Brad Templeton, who shared a joke on a message board in the early days of the internet - and became the very first person to be publicly shamed for something they did online.
Surprising, nuanced and full of unexpected twists, these amazing human stories shed new light on our most ferocious cultural clashes, illuminating how we got caught up in them - and what we can learn from them.
NB: Contains language which some may find offensive and deals with adult themes.
Cast and credits:
Written and presented by Jon Ronson
Produced by Sarah Shebbeare
Assistant Producer: Sam Peach
Original music by Phil Channell
Mixed by Bob Nettles
Editor: Philip Sellars
With Frank Schaeffer, Amanda Robb, Rev Rusty Thomas, Alice Moore, Rev Jim Lewis, Roger McGough, Rev Ron English, Christian Gregory, Jay Bakker, Steve Pieters, Bob Larson, Jon Trott, Kelly Michaels, Brad Templeton, Luisa D'Amato, Brian Reid, Eric Charles, John Sack
With thanks to Trey Kay.
Archive from the PTL network's 'Tammy's House Party' and the 'PTL Club'
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 November - 28 December 2021
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution LtdListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"A thoroughly satisfying listen." (Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian)
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I love Jon Ronson
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makes me want to download and listen to more of his works
worthwhile
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That said, most of what's here just proves Christopher Hitchens correct: Religion poisons everything. We are largely a nation of idiots, the dumbest of whom are motivated authoritarians who make life more difficult for everybody--and the primary motivation is their imaginary friend.
Great but should have been a free listen...
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In this book, Jon takes us through the origins of the Culture Wars… how evangelicals embraced abortion, even though it was originally ignored as a Catholic cause, educational book bans, how Tammy Fae Bakker became a gay icon, fake news and child abuse, LGBTQA+ rights, etcetera… all leading up to the sparks igniting the events of Jan. 6, 2021 and it’s aftermath.
…and yes, it all ties together…
…and it doesn’t look like it’s going away soon.
Thanks, Jon, for providing the histories, the when, what and why. Looking forward to the next few project!
Robson amazes again
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What has been even more puzzling has been the speed and scope of their wildfire spread and the grip that they maintained over their Believers. Whether the influence of Religion, Media, or Politics was the root cause of each, they all seemed to arise out of thin air and grow in power and extremism with no sufficient opposition from more Rational Forces in the Society.
Unlike the Hula Hoop, Pet Rock, or Disco fads that blossomed and faded in weeks or months leaving almost no trace behind, these Manias metastasized into Political and/or Religious Movements lasting years and tearing apart People, Families, and Institutions. Another interesting and dangerous quality we’ve experienced is the way disparate Theories tend to find common cause with others and multiply their influence, e.g. Anti-Abortion, LGBTQ, and Book Banning. Their Followers find a common thread and identify with other Members of their Tribe.
It is this last quality that Ronson hasn’t satisfactorily addressed in Things Fell Apart, perhaps because he’s a journalist and not a Psychologist. But why do these Theories attract a certain sliver of the Populace. I’m pretty sure you could connect the dots of each Tribe from Pro-Life to Satanic Panic to QAnon to MAGA.
There has to be some element of Personality, Education, Economics, etc. that makes these Followers vulnerable to the appeal of various Conspiracies. That, to me, is the worrying issue, because Social Media has made it much too easy for these Tribes to grow and spread. I think this book is a good start, but more research needs to be done to understand where these Folks live in these Fantasy Worlds. Four Stars. ****
Fascinating Archaeology of The Origins of Conspiracy Theories.
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I like Jon Ronson
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distortions
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sloppy, shallow reporting disguised as journalism
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