Things Fell Apart

Strange stories from the history of the culture wars

De: Jon Ronson

Narrado por: Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson delves into the extraordinary history of our current cultural conflicts

'A thoroughly satisfying listen' Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian

From taking the knee to transgender rights, wedge issues are everywhere in modern life - dividing opinions, polarizing 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 daycare 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 Ltd

This is free on podcast apps

Love Jon Robson, love the series. I’m mad tho because this is free on my podcast app and i was charged one credit for this series >:((

I love Jon Ronson

I’ve heard someone say they’d listen to Jon Ronson read the dictionary, and I’m of the same opinion. My fondness for his soothing voice aside, I feel like his books always present an interesting topic, he does a great job interviewing subjects without bias, and really comes off as compassionate and caring. I appreciate this topic, with the frenzy of the past couple of years, it’s a very relevant topic, and despite what sort of unsettling ideas come up here, I seem to walk away not feeling complete despair, but uplifted. I think much of that is due to Ronsons personal journalism style, but again, I’m already a fan, so of course I loved it.

worthwhile

engrossing and thought provoking

makes me want to download and listen to more of his works

Great but should have been a free listen...

This is great and I don't regret spending a credit, but this should have been included in Audible's membership for free. It's far too short to be worth the cash price and not substantial enough to really be worth a credit.

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.

Robson amazes again

Love, love, love Ronson’s amazing storytelling and reporting. The only issue I have is the format. This one is a compilation of radio episodes, so it starts with a promo intro, then every episode has the same opening repeated. This would not be an issue if it were a brief intro, but each one describes the series premise and has the same audio clips. Could be slightly tighter with a little editing. (They DID remove the end credits from all the episodes and tack them on at the end of the book, so it’s possible.) Otherwise, if you are a Ronson fan, this is another great in depth foray into the back story of how we got to today.

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!