In this episode — stories of small towns, starting with a moral quandary for Stephen in the smallest town of all: the open ocean(?) What would he do if a rogue otter tried to steal his surfboard?
From there we get territorial on two country songs that are topping the charts of the culture war: Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town" and Oliver Anthony's "Rich Men North of Richmond." Both songs are big conservative talking points, but while Aldean's traffics in big-city stereotypes, Anthony's is a folky class commentary, even if its policy positions are a little wonky.
Which leads us down a two-lane road to a real exploration of power in small towns: the saga of the Marion County Record, a Kansas newspaper raided by local police for reasons that sound more personal than professional. While the cops had to return what they snatched, the tale shows how small-town stories can have international implications.
Stow your surfboard, pull up a stump, and let's jam a bit about class, press freedom, and greedy sea mammals.
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