cover of episode 826: Unprepared for What Has Already Happened

826: Unprepared for What Has Already Happened

2024/3/17
logo of podcast This American Life

This American Life

AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
E
Elena Kostyuchenko
J
Jackson Landers
T
Tig Notaro
T
Tobin Low
Z
Zoe Chace
Topics
Jackson Landers讲述了被黑寡妇蜘蛛咬伤后,由于难以接受现实的骤变,而延误就医的故事。他起初感觉只是像蜜蜂蛰了一下,并没有意识到危险的严重性,继续钓鱼,直到腹痛难忍才就医。这反映出人们在面对突发事件时,往往存在着对现实感知的滞后性,难以迅速适应新的情况。 Elena Kostyuchenko的叙述展现了在乌克兰战争期间,她如何经历了现实感知与实际情况脱节的痛苦。她起初不相信自己面临着生命危险,即使收到明确的死亡威胁,也一度选择性忽视。在经历了被下毒的事件后,她才逐渐意识到自己身处险境,并开始采取相应的保护措施。她的经历揭示了在高压环境下,人们的心理防御机制如何影响对现实的认知和反应。 Tig Notaro的经历则展现了在日常生活中,人们如何应对突发事件带来的心理冲击。她被困在酒店浴室30分钟,经历了恐慌和焦虑,即使脱困后,仍然难以从心理上完全恢复平静。这说明即使是看似微小的事件,也可能对人们的心理造成显著的影响,需要时间来消化和适应。 Zoe Chace讲述了北卡罗来纳州政治家Mark Harris的故事,他先是承认了竞选舞弊的指控,后来却翻供,声称自己是被冤枉的。这反映出政治家们如何利用对现实的歪曲来达到自身目的,以及公众在面对这种政治操弄时,如何难以分辨真伪。 Tobin Low则关注的是患有克莱因-莱文综合征的人群,他们由于长时间睡眠而错失现实的改变,醒来后需要重新适应新的现实。这些人的经历从另一个角度展现了人们对现实感知的局限性,以及在面对突变的现实时,如何努力去适应和重建生活。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Jackson Landers, an outdoorsy journalist, shares his experience of being bitten by a black widow spider. Initially dismissing the bite, he continued fishing before the pain intensified, leading to a hospital visit and an experimental antivenom treatment. His story highlights the human tendency to delay reacting to a changed reality.
  • Black widow spider bites are rarely fatal but incredibly painful.
  • Delayed medical attention can worsen the effects of a black widow bite.
  • It's often difficult to accept a sudden, drastic change in reality, even when faced with clear evidence.

Shownotes Transcript

People waking up to the fact that the world has suddenly changed.

  • Prologue: Jackson Landers tells the story of a very strange decision he made one summer day. (6 minutes)
  • Act One: Elena Kostyuchenko tells the story of how she was probably poisoned after reporting on Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, and how she kept not believing it was happening. Bela Shayevich translated this story from Russian and reads it for us. (21 minutes)
  • Act Two: A recording of comedian Tig Notaro in the process of trying to catch up to the present and absolutely not being able to. (8 minutes)
  • Act Three: Producer Zoe Chace with a political fable that she noticed playing out last week in North Carolina. (11 minutes)
  • Act Four: Producer Tobin Low finds a group of people with a special relationship with the idea of catching up. (10 minutes)

Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org)