The niqab and citizenship; The bystander effect; Train love; In the Valley of the Kings
The Sunday Edition for February 22, 2015 with host Michael Enright.
Why Zunera Ishaq should be allowed to wear her niqab when becoming a Canadian - Michael's essay: (25 sec.) Here's an excerpt: "We seem to have a problem with headgear in this country. Every couple of decades or so some argument or other about above-the-collarbone apparel touches off some kind of squabble. In 2013, a soccer kid in Quebec was told by the Quebec Soccer Federation he couldn't play because he wears a small turban. The entire silliness machine kicked into high gear."
Understanding "The Bystander Effect" - Why do people in crowds just watch as someone suffers, or even dies, right in front of them? (5:54) In a Montreal Métro station, an inebriated man staggers into an oncoming train, smashes his head and falls onto the platform. No one calls 911 or comes to help him. Incidents like this shock Canadians. How can ordinary people exhibit such indifference? Michael talks to Montreal psychologist Theresa Bianco, Kristen Monroe, Director of the Ethics Center at the University of California, and Ervin Staub, author of The Roots of Goodness and Resistance to Evil.
Essay - Train Love: (34:10) Dan Turner's cross-Canada journey on the rails reveals his love for his wife, as well as for the beautiful Canadian landscape.
In the Valley of the Kings - an Ira Basen documentary: (41:50) Ira pulls back the curtain on Silicon Valley's latest gift to the world - the "sharing economy". If you just listen to the language of the sharing economy -- connection, community, do your own thing, make the world a better place -- you might think that the people who have brought us Airbnb and Uber are the heirs of the 60's counterculture. In some important ways they are. But when you look past those feel-good words, you'll get a glimpse of what is really in store -- a future where tech wizards, not governments, make the rules. Ira explores the connections between the old freaks, the new geeks and the modern tech titans of Silicon Valley. And, by the way, this may be our first documentary with a billionaire in it.
Also on the February 22 program: More listener reaction to Bob Dylan's rendition of Some Enchanted Evening: Some thought it was beyond awful; others were moved to tears. Michael reads notes ranging from the scathing to the heart-felt, and we bow to over-whelming demand for Ezio Pinza's version of the great classic from South Pacific. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to include this segment in the podcast. You can listen to it here.