Patient Zero Response

Jad and Robert Krulwich essentially tell the story of where typhoid originated and how it began to spread. The theme of the Radiolab podcast, Patient Zero, is how diseases like typhoid and HIV and AIDS began. By investigating and speaking to experts, they were able to piece together a narrative that illustrates the origins of the mentioned diseases. 

At the beginning of the podcast, the two hosts actually visit the island where “Typhoid Mary” was contained because she was not allowed to cook for society any longer. She would make peach ice cream for families and this lead to the spread. They describe how creepy the place seemed and this added to the description. She would test positive some times and then negative for others. Since no one knew when she would be infectious, they kept her locked up in quarantine. You begin to wonder how many more people were infected and how so if she was locked up. It turns out she was cooking after being legally banned from doing so for other people. They were able to transition to the AIDS epidemic and how they found patient zero in this case. I particularly liked how they introduced scientists and other experts to add more input and credibility. A technique they used that I would steal would be how the experts would answer a question and then get introduced by the host instead of abruptly introducing the scientists.

In order to structure this podcast, I’m sure they asked where HIV originated and then what correlation do monkeys, chimps and gorillas have with it. They would also ask what was the moment of “spillover” and how did they only find out about this in the ‘80s if it’s been around for so long.  

I’m going to explore the topic of Student’s Rights to Their Own Language. I want to explore past news articles, TED Talks, interviews with educators, individuals who just became educators, and students themselves on the subject. I am studying this subject in my Writing Against Oppression class. I am inspired by this subject because this is an issue that affects a lot of students. I want to explore why and when such standards were put into place, if they’re fair, how the organization seeks to change them, and what this means for future students and educators.