Amber Pinter had just picked up two of her children from Fayetteville, Ark. schools when an NPR interview about erotic longings far outside normal acceptance came on the radio.
In the Feb. 17 interview on All Things Considered, host Melissa Block talked with author Daniel Bergner about what he calls “the far realms” of lust and longing. He told about a man with an extreme foot fetish.
Mr. BERGNER: For me, his story reflected on the way all of us — all of our erotic longings — come up against cultural norms and codes and constraints.
BLOCK: But in his case, this goes far beyond just giving his wife foot massage. I mean, for him, this desire is so overwhelming that the word feet — I mean, I could be talking to him about how many feet of snow we’re expected to get, or how many square feet my house is, and that would be torture for him.
Mr. BERGNER: Thrilling for him, on the one hand, because this is the language of his desire, torture because he feels himself to be so different that shame overtakes him. And so when he gets turned on, he’s also sort of being tormented in a way by his own difference.
And then Bergner described another man convicted of fondling his 12-year-old stepdaughter. “It wasn’t that his desire was aberrant,” said Bergner. “It was his loss of control. It was his stepping over the line and acting that made him criminal.”
Pinter quickly snapped off the radio. “The kids were actually listening and responded by looking up with this look that said, ‘What’s that?’” said Pinter, a mother of four and self-described devoted public radio listener.
The interview was an edgy exploration of unspoken sexual desires Bergner says are within us all. It both captivated some listeners and gave others the creeps.
“Mr. Bergner’s mature, positive approach of understanding and helping his subjects, could help all of us balance our strict Puritan ethics with tolerance,” wrote Daniel Graves of Los Angeles. “NPR’s coverage is a step toward reducing a major prejudice in our country, sexuality.”
But more common were e-mails like Kelly Parker’s: “This is NOT an ‘exploration’! It’s disgusting. Some things are, yes, wrong,” she wrote. “This sort of thing is simply too graphic for radio. I’m grateful I don’t have children to whom I have to explain what a ‘foot fetish’ is!”
Block was drawn to the story because she had interviewed Bergner in 2003 about his book on Sierra Leone. “I found him to be a gifted writer and reporter, willing to plumb depths and dark places both in his subjects and his own perceptions,” said Block in an e-mail. “There’s a lot of sameness in what we hear on our radio programs.”
She’s always looking for writers, artists and musicians who challenge current ways of thinking. “I don’t think we hear enough of them,” added Block. “And I thought Dan Bergner’s book fit the bill: not provocative for the sake of being provocative, but thought-provoking, well-researched, and well-written.”
After Block read the book, she suggested it as a story. There ensued a great deal of discussion about whether to do it, said Susan Feeney, a senior editor at ATC. Everyone involved was aware that the subject matter was weighty but also might offend listeners.
“This is a good example of us knowing this is a story some people are not going to be comfortable with and us thinking about it every step of the way,” said Feeney. “Here’s a book that’s interesting. What do you think? What’s the best way to do it? Here’s the interview, how is it going to be cut? What should we take out? Does the piece need a disclaimer? That’s the best we can do.”
As is customary with non-news topics, ATC edited Block’s long, off-air interview with Bergner down to the eight minutes listeners heard. “There were times that it [the original interview] went to places that we decided not to air,” said Feeney.
Feeney added she and Block both have small children and are sensitive to parental concerns like those mentioned by Pinter and others who complained.
Why wasn’t a warning given in advance that the upcoming story included material some may find offensive — especially since editors and producers recognized how the topic might be received?
Feeney said that adequate warning was given in Block’s introduction when she said: “His book, The Other Side of Desire, is about paraphilia: erotic drives that fall well outside normal zones.”
But Pinter said that wasn’t enough. “If the warning isn’t in words that interpret it as a warning, then it’s not a useful warning,” she said.
Pinter said she doesn’t advocate censorship. But she does question running the story in the middle of the afternoon while parents were picking up kids without offering an adequate warning.
NPR occasionally takes on topics that aren’t for the mainstream, and that’s fine. I agree with Block that it’s good to search for interviews that surprise and provoke thoughtful discussion. But ATC should have given a clearly worded warning on this piece for listeners who might have preferred to hit the off button.
