NB | BBC Sounds
Parentland | BBC World Service
As an elite metropolitan liberal anti-Brexit white middle-class Walter-the-Softy type, I don’t often find myself learning from the BBC. Usually, when I’m shouting at the radio, it’s because I know more than the presenter. Imagine not knowing who Nan Goldin is! Imagine never going to the theatre when you’re an actual arts critic! Imagine allowing Nigel Farage airtime and then letting him off the hook!
All this harrumphing is, of course, highly satisfying. It supports the emotional and intellectual smugness than can settle on you (on me) in middle age. And that “See, I’m right again” feeling is a lovely warm jacket, keeping us all from letting in the cool breeze of new thinking.
Anyway. I’m pleased to report that the BBC has recently brought out two podcasts that I found tricky. I could tell that both were coming from a good place, and both gave me new understanding. But listening to them, I felt uncomfortable at certain points. First up: NB. NB, short for non-binary, is a new podcast presented by radio producer Caitlin Benedict and Amrou al-Kadhi, writer, film-maker and drag artist, which plans to take the listener through an exploration of gender identity, as Benedict and Kadhi discuss their own issues with the subject. Benedict is a twentysomething who grew up in Australia, while Kadhi is an Iraqi who moved to the UK at 11 years old. Both use the term “they” and “them” when referring to themselves, rather than the gendered “she” and “he”.
The uncomfortableness, for me, did not come from any of this, nor from Benedict’s and Kadhi’s presentation: both are excellent, thoughtful hosts. My lack of ease came from my lack of knowledge. “Oh God, what does non-binary actually mean?” I wondered, during the first episode, as they both went on a visit to the Museum of Transology in Brighton (which sounds fantastic, by the way).
Luckily for me, the curator of the museum, EJ Scott, a trans man, brought up the question. Non-binary is, essentially, what those of my generation would call “genderqueer” (people who do not identify as men or women). New terminology can make those who don’t know it feel clumsy. So I was happy to hear NB’s second episode, on Wednesday, when Benedict and Kadhi took on words and their power. Both were understanding of the mistakes that others can make, how there are stumbles as people try to use gender-neutral terminology, but they also emphasised how important this is for the non-binary person.
The talk about gender (and trans) issues can be poisonous and upsetting, especially online. NB is different: it’s joyful and kind, as well as informative. Benedict, Kadhi, all of their interviewees – perhaps all of us – are trying to make sense of their lives in what can seem like an oppressively gender-specific world. In the first episode, Scott says that they hope that, in the future, “gender will be like getting a haircut... You’ll say, ‘That’s the one I want today, thanks very much!’” You may not agree, but this is a lovely listen that will help many people.
Now the other tricky podcast: Parentland, a new show from the World Service that’s, yes, for parents. It’s a global podcast, as its presenters, Linda Geddes and Iko-Ojo Mercy Haruna, emphasised in its first episode, and thus its queries have an international feel. And its first question from listeners, on how to discipline young children, took on the issue of smacking. Corporal punishment was around a lot when I was young, but is much less common now in the UK (it’s completely banned in Scotland, and Wales is in the process of outlawing it, but is considered “reasonable punishment” in certain cases in England). Not so in places such as Nigeria, where one caller was from. Haruna, who is Nigerian and was smacked by her parents when she was young, phoned her mum to ask her why.
Deliberately hitting your child is something I find very hard to understand, so I felt relieved when a doctor produced scientific evidence that showed that positive parenting has far better results than corporal punishment. Still, smacking remains very popular throughout the world. Parentland proved to be an enlightening, occasionally uncomfortable listen for me, and is another podcast I look forward to hearing again.
Three shows about design
99% Invisible
The godfather of “overlooked and interesting things you should know about everyday life” shows, 99% Invisible is long established as a gold-standard podcast. Created by the chocolate-voiced Roman Mars, the weekly show focuses on design and architecture, but is so much more than that. Beautifully produced, consistently interesting and full of wonder, 99% Invisible is the reason I started listening to podcasts, and is the show I turn to more than almost any other. I first wrote about it in 2013. It has rarely disappointed me since.
Material Matters With Grant Gibson
Design writer and editor Gibson takes his first foray into audio, talking to six designers and makers about their relationship to a particular material. So handbag designer Bill Amberg talks about leather, textile artist Celia Pym discusses darning, potter and author Edmund de Waal explains his passion for porcelain: “If I’m going to go to the barricades for anything, it’s about giving kids the chance to make a mess with proper materials.” Gibson is quite a formal presenter but he really knows his stuff, and these are enlightening, informed interviews. Recommended.
The Honest Designers Show
“Your transparent look into life as a modern designer.” Presented by Tom Ross, founder of designcuts.com, an online resource for graphic designers, this show covers everything: from overcoming creative block, the best way to use social media, how to be a YouTube ninja, whether you should work for free when you’re starting out and what to do about copyright. Ross is endearingly clunky for a highly successful businessman and this is an open, friendly show that answers listeners’ questions honestly and with insight.
