Summary
Overview
This episode of This American Life explores stories of ordinary people grappling with extraordinary power and the weighty responsibility that comes with it. From missionaries who feel accountable for every soul they could save, to a woman whose knowledge could free an innocent man from prison, to neighbors engaged in psychological warfare, each story examines the burden of having power over others' lives and the difficult choices that follow.
The Missionaries' Burden: Living Like Schindler's List
The episode opens with host Ira Glass recounting a conversation with two Chicago missionaries who saw themselves reflected in the final scene of Schindler's List. Just as Schindler agonized over every person he didn't save, these missionaries felt accountable for every moment not spent saving gang kids from destructive lives. Their work wasn't just a job but a calling that weighed on them constantly, turning every leisure activity into a moral calculation about whose life might be lost while they watched television or took a day off.
- Two missionaries worked with Chicago gang kids they met in prison, trying to bring them to God
- After seeing Schindler's List, the missionaries told Ira they finally understood him better and saw their own lives reflected in the film
- The missionaries felt they would be held accountable at the end of their lives for every kid they didn't save, every moment wasted
- With their power to save lives came crushing responsibility they tried hard to live up to
" That's us. That's our daily life, that scene. That's our life. "
" This Saturday, for example, Glenn says, he wanted to stay home and watch the ballgame on TV, but he thought to himself, no, no, I've got to go out there and I've got to save another kid. "
The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Carla's 26-Year Secret
In 1979, nineteen-year-old Carla Dimkoff saw her estranged father leave town in suspicious circumstances the same night a young woman was killed in a hit-and-run. She reported her suspicions to police immediately, but felt dismissed and intimidated by detectives who made her feel like a fool. For 26 years, Carla buried this knowledge, tormented by nightmares and guilt, never knowing that an innocent man had been convicted of the crime. When she finally learned about Larry Souter's wrongful imprisonment and came forward again, her testimony helped free him after 13 years behind bars.
- Carla's violent, abusive father showed up with a broken side-view mirror the morning after a woman was killed, allegedly by a vehicle's mirror
- She went to police the next day and left a note for the detective, giving them information about her father
- The detectives made her feel dismissed and like she had a grudge to grind, so she never followed up
- For 26 years, Carla had nightmares about the dead girl chasing her and sometimes felt suicidal from the guilt
- Larry Souter was convicted of the murder 12 years later and sentenced to 20-60 years despite being innocent
- When Carla read about Larry's case in 2004, she immediately called his lawyers and her testimony helped free him after 13 years in prison
" I had an overwhelming feeling that my father had killed someone. And I just needed to tell what I knew. "
" They made me feel like a fool, like I had a grudge to grind when I was trying to get my father in trouble or something. And just this poor trailer park person. "
" I didn't give Larry his freedom. What he didn't do gave him his freedom. If I was going to give him his freedom, I would have given it to him 13 years ago. And I didn't do that. And that's where I failed. "
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