Ethics and Integrity in podcasting

In my travels for my podcast, I’m often surprised when I explore neighborhoods. More specifically, I am often surprised when I explore neighborhoods where poverty “looks” to be higher than what was in my neighborhood when I grew up. In my visits to very rural places, it’s hard to hide my surprise. Likewise, when I visit urban areas that have experienced visible decline and blight, I’m surprised. I’m always trying not being offensive or disrespectful as I wonder, “how do people live like this? I’m not looking down on them.

Rather, I’m wondering about their mental health. I believe simply living in a distressed community can lead to depression. I wonder what happens to your mental health if you live in a community and aware of its numerous dangerous and vacant buildings, litter, reports of crime, unemployment, addiction, etc. How can incidences of depression and anxiety are high not be high?

Believe it or not, I got an MPA, Master of Public Administration degree, because I wanted to be the director of code enforcement for a large city. I believed then, as I do now: when people are subjected to such conditions, they are aware of it. They are also aware of how “outsiders” view them. Finally, they likely struggle with feeling trapped and powerless.

I don’t want the manner in which I characterize such communities to be one more thing that causes distress.