34 episodes
50 States of Mind Ryan Bernsten
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- Society & Culture
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4.6 • 70 Ratings
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State by state, host Ryan Bernsten and international guests explore perceptions of America via interviews with mayors, governors, and voters on both sides of the aisle from a 5-month journey through all 50 states. Take a trip through America to listen and to learn what's really happening in the USA.
www.50statesofmind.org
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Wyoming
Ryan and guest Luke discuss his move from Northern England to NYC and listen to interviews with Amber—owner of Backwards Distillery—as well as the Mayor of Casper, WY and former Gov. Mike Wallace.
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Kentucky
Ryan and guest Louise discuss Scottish versus American humor before listening to an interview with an interfaith pastor, two apprentices at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and three COMICON attendees.
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Georgia
Ryan and guest Ioan discuss why the directness democracy isn't keeping pace with technological advances, what redistributive policies look like in the UK and US, and discuss a trip to the ruins of the world's largest asylum in Milledgeville, Georgia.
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Hawaii
Ryan and guest Michelle talk about birds, Hawaiian language, ea, and the military presence on the island state.
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Louisiana
Ryan and guest Anne talk about the hometown theatre companies that changed us and the differences between major arts hubs, then listen to conversations with a conservative radio host in New Orleans and the owner of the Demo Divas demolition company.
Follow Anne at @mygirlanne for a good time.
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Tennessee
Ryan and native Virginian Brandon talk about Liberty University (one of the largest Christian universities in the USA), the marriage between religion and politics, then listen to interviews with a Tennessee state rep. and a tap dancer in Centennial Park.
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Customer Reviews
Umbridge would be proud
If you’re looking for a good deep dive into the insights of the many sides of the United States that takes an unbiased approach to seeing why things are the way they are this is the podcast for you. Ryan is very good at exploring all the crevices of the United States and really makes it enjoyable to explore with him. You’re really missing out if you’re not listening to this!
Disappointing
What a myopic slant on America and our politics. If you are trying to alienate listeners you’re doing a fab job. Getting an American history review from someone who lives in another country and clearly doesn’t understand our democracy is a waste of time. (Georgia episode). I won’t be recommending or listening further.
These are Important Conversations
I love this podcast. Ryan does a phenomenal job of interviewing people and asking thought-provoking questions. This podcast does two crucially important things:
1. It focuses on different people with a range of political ideologies.
It’s very easy to say that a person is bad because they have a certain political leaning. People have reasons for the things that they believe. When Ryan conducts these interviews, he allows us to listen to people who might believe different things than we do - and see how they got to that point. The experiences of people make them who they are, and these interviews allow us to see the people behind these ideologies.
2. It asks non-Americans their views about the USA and Americans
The idea of American exceptionalism puts the country on a pedestal. This results in Americans seeing themselves as superior to other nations. It also results in Americans developing a blind spot in regards to the country. The USA has done some spectacular things, but it isn’t perfect - far from it. It has failed spectacularly in many areas. It’s a good thing to hear the thoughts and experiences of non-Americans. Their insights might help us think differently about the way we perceive situations. A non-American viewpoint is just as valid as ours and is a much-needed one for us to be able to understand the viewpoints of others.
We shouldn’t exist in ideological vacuums - a well-informed person is someone who can listen to others and consider their views. This podcast is an excellent start towards achieving that.