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Fear has a way of revealing truths.
you could tell a lot about a person based on the things they are afraid of.
Some people, you could say, are defined by their fears; others are merely informed by them.
(And when I say surprising, I really mean surprising.)
The list includes the New Weirdauthor Jeff VanderMeer (No.
2: the old house), the chef and author Samin Nosrat (No.
2: divorce attorneys).
(In the official press release, WNYC calls the format an audio listicle.)
But such concerns should be quickly dismissed.
What starts out seeming like a bit ends up feeling quite necessary.
The bite-size nature of the episodes is a glorious revelation.
In any case, its shortness in length doesnt necessarily entail a shortness in experience.
Indeed, the episodes are intensely re-listenable, each new listen potentially revealing another detail.
There is distinct pleasure in surveying the wide variety of fears on display.
They are abstract and specific, big and small, societal and personal.
Better still, they are juxtaposed.
There is some comedic effect to that smashing together, but mostly, its a comfort.
Im not quite sure how far10 Things That Scare Mecan go.
(SoStoryCorps, essentially, but for existential dread.)
On the other hand, the podcasts strength of narrative economy could perhaps be extended to its very existence.
