Why the world feels like a shipwreck
5/4/202654 min
What does an IDEAS producer do when he notices that shipwreck stories keep appearing in his life? He embarks on a journey to try and figure out what’s going on, why shipwrecks resonate today. Matthew Lazin-Ryder explores the history of shipwreck tales and how shipwrecks have not only been a mainstay trope in literature but also a constant metaphor in our lives. *This episode originally aired on Sept. 24, 2025.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Matthew Lazin-Ryder0:28
[music plays] This is a CBC podcast.
Nahlah Ayed· Host0:32
[waves crash] Welcome to Ideas. I'm Nahlah Ayed.
Stephen Mentz· Guest0:41
Every ship is a potential shipwreck. Every voyage carries with it the possibility of shipwreck, whether you get there safely or not.
Nahlah Ayed· Host0:52
[somber music] Ever since humans took to the sea, we've been faced with the possibility of shipwreck, and we've been telling stories of shipwrecks for just as long.
Stephen Mentz· Guest1:04
We want the most intense story, right? The most intense story is the story in which the ship hits the iceberg. The most intense story is, is when the danger that shadows the voyage becomes realized.
Nahlah Ayed· Host1:17
From plays like The Tempest to movies like Titanic to the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, we are drawn to a good story, movie, or song about nautical disaster.