Turkey time and I just had to listen to this one. Produced in 1990 I would like to thing that it could give something of a historical perspective on the raising of turkeys for the Thanksgiving and Christmas table. Wrong, I am naive in that. A very good piece, sickeningly 'fun' to listen to. I would love to see it used in conjunction with a farming discussion.
Scott Carrier is great at getting down to the bare bones. He is so very unassuming that his interviewees seem to just speak to him in the plainest manner. It is this ability that opens to the listener the reality of whatever situation he is investigating. I guess this review is more about Scott then this particular piece.
As for this piece I think it would work well on any radio show trying to give a rounded view of the holiday and all of its aspects.
I lived 6 miles from Moroni, Utah, for almost ten years. Scott Carrier didn't mention directly how far removed these agri-business turkeys are from their wild cousins, genetically speaking. He does suggest one of the effects of genetic modification: an inverse relation between intelligence and rapid weight gain.
Mr. Carrier has a wonderful way of telling stories that seem to happen the way life happens. This one moves from the humor in the grower's observation about turkeys' suicidal nature to the robotic tone of the personnel director / tour guide. The sound of the turkeys' air cavities being sucked out hit a gut-level reflex of creature feeling, even though the birds are dead by then. And, my god, the machine that could be the name of a super-hero: The Eviscerator! And to finish with the lite-muzak at Dan's food store and Carrier's own fade-out left me pondering just what it is we Americans have to be thankful for--besides our own increasing capacities for rapid weight gain.
Scott Carrier's "Turkeys" is an entertaining, and frank look at the life cycle of the farm turkey, from trough to table. Though one should be warned that after you take this journey, you may take the next exit to Vegetarian County.
This is SlaughterHouse 5, Turkey Hell, Abu Ghraib for Galliforms, A Fryer Freakout....ok you get the idea.
A great piece with a dubious furture. Do you play this on or near Thanksgiving?; Listeners make get more than they bargain for with details on what happens to a turkey to after the lights go out. It ain't pretty.
You want the truth? Scott Carrier thinks you can handle it.
The moral of the story is: be nice to people.
If not, well, you might just come back as a turkey.
Comments for Turkeys
This piece belongs to the series "Scott Carrier stories"
Produced by Scott Carrier
Other pieces by Hearing Voices
Rating Summary
5 comments
Jay Collier
Posted on December 03, 2008 at 11:15 AM | Permalink
Story review
Thank you for this story. Grim, but authentic and meaningful.
Muriel Murch
Posted on November 07, 2008 at 01:18 PM | Permalink
Review of Turkeys
Turkey time and I just had to listen to this one. Produced in 1990 I would like to thing that it could give something of a historical perspective on the raising of turkeys for the Thanksgiving and Christmas table. Wrong, I am naive in that. A very good piece, sickeningly 'fun' to listen to. I would love to see it used in conjunction with a farming discussion.
lars patenaude
Posted on November 14, 2007 at 11:15 PM | Permalink
Review of Turkeys
Scott Carrier is great at getting down to the bare bones. He is so very unassuming that his interviewees seem to just speak to him in the plainest manner. It is this ability that opens to the listener the reality of whatever situation he is investigating. I guess this review is more about Scott then this particular piece.
As for this piece I think it would work well on any radio show trying to give a rounded view of the holiday and all of its aspects.
Creighton King
Posted on June 15, 2007 at 10:17 PM | Permalink
Review of Turkeys
I lived 6 miles from Moroni, Utah, for almost ten years. Scott Carrier didn't mention directly how far removed these agri-business turkeys are from their wild cousins, genetically speaking. He does suggest one of the effects of genetic modification: an inverse relation between intelligence and rapid weight gain.
Mr. Carrier has a wonderful way of telling stories that seem to happen the way life happens. This one moves from the humor in the grower's observation about turkeys' suicidal nature to the robotic tone of the personnel director / tour guide. The sound of the turkeys' air cavities being sucked out hit a gut-level reflex of creature feeling, even though the birds are dead by then. And, my god, the machine that could be the name of a super-hero: The Eviscerator! And to finish with the lite-muzak at Dan's food store and Carrier's own fade-out left me pondering just what it is we Americans have to be thankful for--besides our own increasing capacities for rapid weight gain.
Michael Johnson
Posted on November 18, 2005 at 12:18 AM | Permalink
Review of Turkeys [S.Carrier]
Scott Carrier's "Turkeys" is an entertaining, and frank look at the life cycle of the farm turkey, from trough to table. Though one should be warned that after you take this journey, you may take the next exit to Vegetarian County.
This is SlaughterHouse 5, Turkey Hell, Abu Ghraib for Galliforms, A Fryer Freakout....ok you get the idea.
A great piece with a dubious furture. Do you play this on or near Thanksgiving?; Listeners make get more than they bargain for with details on what happens to a turkey to after the lights go out. It ain't pretty.
You want the truth? Scott Carrier thinks you can handle it.
The moral of the story is: be nice to people.
If not, well, you might just come back as a turkey.