I’ve been watching the show “Our America with Lisa Ling” for the past couple weeks, and I’ve been really impressed. It is really a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of other T.V. shows. Each week, host Lisa Ling goes in depth to help tell the stories of real groups of people in America. This show is Informative, interesting, and leaves you wanting to know more, and discuss what you’ve watched.
The show has featured topics such as “Modern polygamy”, “Transgender Lives”, “Heroin in the Heartland”, and “Invisible wounds of War,” just to name a few. This shows brings us into the lives of Americans who are living lifestyles, or dealing with issues that are often misunderstood by others.
Lisa Ling really does her job well, she is so down to earth, empathetic, and interested in getting to know and understand the people she interviews. And at the same time, she tells their stories so well in her narrarations without bias.
My favorite episode so far has been “Modern Polygamy”, since this is a topic I have heard about, and judged, but didn’t really know about. Watching the episode, there was a family that seemed very modern, very normal, happy, and their explaination of their lifestyle really seemed to make sense for them. I like many, had a dark view of polygamy, and my view didn’t necessicarily change, but it did show me, that perhaps it isn’t like that for all polygamists.
Another episode that really stood out for me was called “3 am Girls”, It shed light on an issue that many people really didn’t realize was a problem in America: sex trafficing of young girls. It showed young girls who were being sold for sex on the streets of Washington D.C. These girls are often abducted or lured into this lifestyle, and have a really hard time escaping the control of their pimps. Having this topic on the show brought awareness to this issue.
“Our America” is just the type of show that helps people better understand other people, and that is always a positive thing. The show featuring transgender men and women helped bring better understanding and acceptance for transgenders. And the show on PTSD brought awareness to the suffering veterans of war go through. Each show has a purpose while serving as entertainment at the same time.
Our America with Lisa Ling comes on Sundays at 10 pm on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.