ABC Radio National podcasts

[dreamer_easy]

It's International Blog Against Racism Week! For more info, visit ibarw.

I want to pimp to you a great resource chocka with info, both specifically about racism and colonialism, and generally about the cultures of the world: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National podcasts.

You don't need to be in Australia to download or subscribe to the podcasts. The audio is generally available for a few weeks after their original broadcast, plus transcripts of most shows are permanently available. There are a few in particular which I catch up with whenever I can (typically on the treadmill :-).

Lingua Franca is a short (15 min) show about language. It covers English, Australian Aboriginal languages, and languages around the world. If you're quick, you can still catch audio of remarkable Russian Jewish polyglot Alexandra Aikhenvald.

Trying to keep up with every edition of The Book Show is like drinking from a firehose - it airs daily and is 45 minutes long. I pick and choose from the huge selection of items. Earlier this year my brain was grabbed by a broadcast about Rotten English, a anthology of non-standard English from around the world - which tied in with an earlier Lingua Franca show on postcolonial and global English.

The Ark is a short (about 20 minutes) show on religious history, full of intriguing bits and pieces which can lend insight to current events. The show spent June exploring the ancient history of Israel. The longer (about an hour) religions magazine show, The Spirit of Things, is also well worth a listen.

Comments

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

Got any suggestions for a reply to "Japanese people should learn English so we don't have to bother learning Japanese" ?

[alawston.livejournal.com]

That's a lot more about laziness than it is about racism, I used to hear the same thing about the French on an almost daily basis during my short stint as a French teacher.

It's a position taken by the truly pig-shit ignorant, so a reasoned reply along the lines of 'gaining access to a whole new culture full of brilliant literary works and forging exciting friendships across the world' is pretty much pointless.

'Shut up and get on with your vocab' always did it for me.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's easy. "In fact, Japanese kids take six years of English in high school. Why? Because, when they leave school, they want to make money. By the time you get out of school, you'll also be looking for a job in a global economy, and the ability to speak the language of the world's second biggest economy is going to be a big advantage for you."

Alternatively: "Why the fuck did you choose this class if you don't want to learn Japanese, you wakawakashii hakuchi?!"