Episode 2.21: To Live and Die in Pixie

My Racist Friend

Amy and Don talk about a neighborhood petition to rename "Dixie Street" in Bloomington, reflecting on both small meaningful actions and empty gestures. Their conversation covers the presence and suggestion of racism in the songs we sing and the media we watch.

NOTE: This is the first episode of the pandemic where these two friends were in the same physical space. As a result, there is a lot of background noise throughout their discussions.

Additional resources:

• "Bloomington, Indiana: Rename Dixie Street" (Change.org, by S. Sherry, August 14, 2020)
  https://www.change.org/p/city-of-bloomington-plan-commission-bloomington-indiana-rename-dixie-street
• "What 'Dixie' Really Means" (Atlantic, by Ben Zimmer, June 26, 2020)
  https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/06/what-dixie-really-means/613585/
• "12 Good Ol' Facts About the 'Dukes of Hazzard'" (Mental Floss, by Jake Rossen, January 26, 2019)
  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65519/12-good-ol-facts-about-dukes-hazzard
• "What Did the 'Dukes of Hazzard' Really Say About the South" (Time, by James Poniewozik, July 2, 2015)
  https://time.com/3944668/dukes-of-hazzard-tv-land-confederate-flag/
• "The changing profile of the U.S. military: Smaller in size, more diverse, more women in leadership" (Pew Research Center, by Amanda Barroso, September 10, 2019)
  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/09/10/the-changing-profile-of-the-u-s-military/
• "Even in her uniform, this happened ..." (Facebook post, by Ashley Bryant, August 1, 2020)
  https://www.facebook.com/immelaninaire/posts/3278691135547490
• Onion Laws
  https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/onions/onionlaws.html

Buy "Your Racist Friend" by They Might Be Giants on iTunes