I listened to three of the Salvage Expedition podcasts by The Center for Artistic Activism. They were entertaining, and I appreciated that they were all on very different topics. The first I listened to was about they small group or art activists going to a mega church. This one was initially interesting to me because I grew up going to a very small congregation of people who were all very liberal spiritual seekers. To me, the idea of going to a massive church and being preached to over a sound system makes squirm. For me, spirituality cannot and should not be mass produced, and the true spiritual leader is inside each of us. But, I also think it is so important to try and understand they people you really don’t. So, I listened to the podcast in hopes that it would soften the idea of mega churches in my mind.
The people in the podcast did a good job of expressing their doubts, but not throwing shame. It was obvious that them and I were of the same general opinion initially (that mega churches are kind of crazy and unappealing). What struck me was how much they noted a feeling of welcoming. To me, feeling too much eagerness in a welcome is a little scary, like its actually not your choice whether you want to join, it’s forceful. But what the Salvage Expedition explorers recounted was a feeling of comfort in the sincerity and joy in they welcome they received. I think a lot of young people move away from home and realize that they are afraid, alone, and kind of lost. I can think of a lot worse things than finding a big church where you know you are always welcome. I will always remain skeptical of the lessons people learn in churches like that, but for now, I feel like I can understand one reason why some people choose to attend mega churches.
The next podcast I listened to was about going to a salon to receive manicures and pedicures. Linda Sarsour was the guest on the show and she is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York, and she gets her nails done like every week! She’s so busy with all her duties as an activist, I was surprised to hear how much she goes to the salon, but her reasoning was sound. Relaxation. With such a busy and stressful job, she needs an escape. Having someone massage your hands or feet and then paint your nails does sound like a pretty nice way to get away from work.
What I really appreciated was they way she thought of they people who work in those salons. Some of the Salvage Expedition podcasters (yes, some men were also included in this expedition) raised the question of whether it was a bad thing to support an industry that pays they workers so poorly, and whether its an ethical thing to have someone else work on your feet. Well, she said, they are professionals. Respect their work. Pay them a fair price. Choose a salon that treats its employees well. Some of the responsibility does fall on the customer, but they are trained professionals and they deserve your respect. Be grateful for the services they have done you, and that’s that.
I also listened to the Billboard top 100 songs podcast, but I didn’t get as much out of that one as I did the others. I pretty much have too many issues with the pop music industry and it’s going to take more than a podcast for me to break that barrier. I did start listening to more podcasts though, after these initial Salvage Expeditions. I really enjoy the TED Talks radio hour, and everyone should give them a listen. Especially the one about creativity. The Salvage Expeditions podcasts did a good job of making a model for people to follow. Basically what they are trying to do is encourage people to get out of their comfort zone and try to understand each other. That’s all it really takes, I think, is being able to set aside your differences with someone and try to see the world trough their eyes. It may not work-probably won’t actually, because it’s physically impossible-but the most important part is that you try. 
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