Kindness of Strangers
2/8/20261 hr 1 min
An episode from our show's early days: Stories about what happens when strangers are kind — and when they're not.
Prologue: Brett Leveridge was standing on the subway platform when a man walked by, stopping in front of each passenger to deliver a quiet verdict: "You're in. You're out. You can stay. You—gotta go." Most people ignored him. But Brett found himself hoping for the thumbs up. (5 minutes)Act One: New York City locksmith Joel Kostman tells the story of an act of kindness he committed, hoping for a small reward. (13 minutes)Act Two: In 1940, Jack Geiger, at the...
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsIra Glass· Host0:01
Hey everybody, it's Ira Glass. Um, today's show is a rerun from the early years of our program. This is from back in the 1990s. Uh, it's on a subject that just felt like it might feel good to talk about today, which is kindness, specifically the kindness of strangers. Brett was standing on a subway platform, afternoon rush hour. It was crowded, and he noticed this guy, didn't seem homeless, decent clothes, stopping in front of each person, looking into his or her eyes, saying something, and moving on to the next person. Turns out the guy was telling people- They could stay or, or they had to go.
Brett Leveridge· Guest0:35
[laughs] They were in or they were out.
Ira Glass· Host0:37
Well, literally, what would he say?
Brett Leveridge· Guest0:38
Well, literally it would be, it would be, um, "You, you're out. You're gone. You're gone. You're okay, you can stay."
Ira Glass· Host0:46
And then do people leave?
Brett Leveridge· Guest0:48
No, not at all. I mean- [laughs] [laughs] ... and, and no one argued with him.
Ira Glass· Host0:51
[upbeat music] Brett wrote about the incident on his personal website, Brett News. I'm gonna ask you to read a little bit of, of your account of this from your website. Uh, you, you write about, uh, the, who he decided to keep and who he decided to, to go.
Brett Leveridge· Guest1:09
Right. These are the last few people before he reaches me. Uh, the 50-ish woman in the business suit and thick glasses is summarily dismissed. The homie in the baggy shorts and Chicago Bulls jersey makes the cut. The young immigrant mother who seems not to grasp the import of this moment is given the okay.
Ira Glass· Host1:28
Oh, versus you who's grasping just how important