1 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson, 2 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: your host, narrator and author. We here at the ten 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: Minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or 4 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to 5 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human 6 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: condition as ten minutes will permit. Mini novels on steroids. 7 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: This week we meet Sam, a decent fellow without hard opinions. 8 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: Sam thinks he might just run for school board, you know, 9 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: help out do his civic duty. He meets with some 10 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:05,639 Speaker 1: concerned parents. He listens to their concerns about critical race theory, 11 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: sex education, books that need burning fear and loathing in America. 12 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: Word run around a couple weeks ago they wanted someone 13 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: to run for the open school board seat. At first, 14 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: it was unclear who exactly had put that word out, 15 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: you know, just some parents looking to get one of 16 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: their own on the board. A neighbor told Sam Sam, well, 17 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: he's definitely one of them. Three kids in the district 18 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: fourth grader at the grammar school, sixth grader at the 19 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: middle school, and a freshman at the high school. For 20 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: the most part, He and his wife loved the school system, 21 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: a pleasant, safe environment with first class teachers and a 22 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: reputation for academic excellence. He discussed the idea about running 23 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: for the board with his wife. She wasn't exactly thrilled 24 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: with the idea of him running or serving, but she said, 25 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: if you want to commit, I will support you. So 26 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: he told his neighbor, who made a couple of calls, 27 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: and within a day or two he was invited to 28 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: meet with a group of concerned parents. He assumed the 29 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: meeting would be a friendly exchange, lots of talk about 30 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: their kids, and of course questions and answers about serving 31 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: on the school board. But nope, these are some very 32 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: serious and distraught parents. They get down to business with 33 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: barely and hello, or how's the wife? Want to talk 34 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: straight away about critical race theory and sex education and 35 00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: filthy books that would be better banned from the curriculum. 36 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: They are passionate and yes, convincing in their views. Sam 37 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: listens and often feels himself nodding in agreement. Listen proclaims 38 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: the leader of the meeting, we don't need our kids 39 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: hearing about what awful monsters white people are. How we 40 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: enslaved the Blacks and annihilated the Aboriginals. Water over the dam. 41 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: Far better for our kids to hear about the declaration 42 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: of Independence in the Gettysburg address. Now, Sam's not entirely 43 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: sure about all this, but he nevertheless gives a brief nod. 44 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: And teaching sixth and seventh graders about sex, seriously, isn't 45 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: that our job, a parent's job? What's up with teachers 46 00:03:54,920 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: assuring our kids that perverse sexual behavior is perfectly acceptable? Well, huh, 47 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: are you kidding me? It's tough enough out there for 48 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: our kids without them being told it's okay to be 49 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: homosexual or lesbian, or queer or transgender. What the hell 50 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: is transgender? Anyway? Good God, just let them grow up 51 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: normal like we did. Now. Sam considers himself a fairly 52 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: open minded guy, but he has to admit he was 53 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 1: a bit startled when as eleven year old, came home 54 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: one day after school talking about a girl in his 55 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: class who wanted to be a boy, and and some 56 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: of these books they're subjecting our children to, The leader exclaims, 57 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: my god, it's disturbing. The Bluest Eye, for instance, by 58 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: Tony Morrison, being read as we speak at the high 59 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: school contains a detailed description of a young girl being 60 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: raped raped. Are childer need to read this garbage? Seriously? 61 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: Didn't didn't Tony Morrison? Sam wants to ask, but doesn't 62 00:05:10,839 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: when the Nobel Prize for literature and doesn't Amnon rape 63 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: his sister Tamar in the Book of Samuel right there 64 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: in the Bible? And didn't he read recently that a 65 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:30,359 Speaker 1: woman gets raped somewhere in America every two minutes. Every 66 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: two minutes. The same article claimed one quarter to one 67 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: third of all women in America will be sexually assaulted 68 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: in their lifetime, or continues the leader Out of Darkness 69 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:50,239 Speaker 1: depicts in detail a Mexican girl and a black boy 70 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: having sex. Disgusting ghostboy about a black kid murdered by police. 71 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,480 Speaker 1: Do we need our children subject to this nonsense? Do we? 72 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Ground zero gender queer. We are 73 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: the ants about a homo with explicit descriptions of masturbation 74 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: and genitalia, or or what girls are made of? Talks 75 00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: all about abortion for the love of God, abortion. I 76 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: could go on and on, but I believe you see 77 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: my point. Sam thinks his teenage daughter read that one 78 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: what girls are made of Yes, He's sure that was 79 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:37,840 Speaker 1: the title. His wife and daughter discussed the book at 80 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: great length, a good positive discussion about teen pregnancy, premarital sex, 81 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: and girls taking pride in their bodies. Still, most parents 82 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: present at the meeting cheer and applaud and assure the 83 00:06:55,640 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: leader they one hundred percent absolutely see his point. We 84 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: need The leader proclaims these books banned, We need another 85 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: gentleman in the audience shouts these books burned. Now. This 86 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: idea really fires up the meeting. They decide to stage 87 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: a book burning in the parking lot of the high 88 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: school and put it right out on Facebook live for 89 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: everyone to see. It's time. The leader declares to take 90 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: back our schools, protect our kids, and make America decent again. 91 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: These declarations receive enthusiastic approvals. Sam sits there and listens 92 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: and tries to control his rapidly beating heart and his 93 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: troubled thoughts. It's not easy. He feels anxious and confused. 94 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: The Leader looks at him and asks, are you with us? Sam? 95 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: Are you? Are you with us? Sam doesn't hear not 96 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:03,679 Speaker 1: at first, has drifted Sam Yo. Sam calls the leader, 97 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: are you with us in this fight? Are you willing 98 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: to run for this school board seat and fight for 99 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: what's right. Sam slips out of his reverie. He looks 100 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: at the leader, glances around the room, and wonders who 101 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: these people are. He knows some of them, or thought 102 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 1: he did. He assumes they mean well, but wants to ask, 103 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: why are you all so angry? So afraid of the truth? 104 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: But he doesn't have the guts, He doesn't have the gumption. 105 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: A few days later, he does not attend the book burning, 106 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: and when asked about running for that open school board seat, 107 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: Sam says, you know, I gotta tell you, With work 108 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: and all these other commitments I have, I'm afraid I 109 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: just won't have time. Now. More accurate might be I'm afraid. 110 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this original audio presentation of Fear 111 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: and Loathing in America, narrated by the author. If you 112 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: enjoy today's story, please take a few seconds to rate, review, 113 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: and subscribe to this podcast, and then go to Thomas 114 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,640 Speaker 1: William Simpson dot com for additional information about the author 115 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:41,040 Speaker 1: and to view his extensive canon. The Ten Minute Storyteller 116 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: is produced by Andrew Pleglsi and Josh Colotney and as 117 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: part of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network in partnership with Iheartproductions. 118 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 1: Until next time, this is Bill Simpson, your ten minute storyteller.