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Weekend America's "This Weekend in 1968" series is ingenious. So many fascinating things happened that year and what better way to understand them than to listen to the music, newscasts, and archival sound from the events themselves. The audio is so rich and well-researched, it's as if independent producers Ann Heppermann and Kara Oehler have freed hours of audio archives from dusty library shelves so that we can hear for ourselves what each weekend in 1968 sounded like.
I'm particularly enamored with this audio collage of political and cultural protests from 1968 to today. It's fascinating to hear how much has changed and how much has not. But I wish we could have heard more from conservative protesters. Pro-life and anti-gay marriage protesters have lined the streets of every city I've lived in. Their signs are often more graphic than their liberal counterparts. I've seen them standing their ground in rain, sleet, and snow. My curiosity is often piqued by their determination, but the few times I've asked conservative activists about their positions, they have simply repeated well-worn slogans. I would have liked to hear their fury side-by-side with AIDS rights and anti-capitalism protesters. Perhaps their message would make more sense in context.
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