DeepSummary
The episode revolves around the popular 1950s-1960s TV show 'Queen for a Day', where poor and working-class women would come on and share their hardships, with the audience voting on who had it worst to be crowned 'Queen for a Day' and have their wish granted. The host, Jonathan Menjivar, reveals his own grandmother was on the show, though the details of why she was there and what she asked for are murky and intertwined with a dark family history of abuse, poverty, and dislocation across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Menjivar struggles to find footage of his grandmother's appearance but ultimately speaks to her directly, uncovering disturbing stories of violence within their family. He also speaks to his cousin Angelina about how they grew up in vastly different class circumstances despite being from the same family tree, creating a rift and sense of privilege dynamics between them.
Ultimately, the episode uses the 'Queen for a Day' framing to explore how traumatic family histories cast long shadows, how poverty and privilege can divide even close relatives, and how the stories we tell about ourselves are often incomplete - with crucial missing pieces beyond the view of the cameras or societal narratives.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The mid-20th century TV show 'Queen for a Day' exploited the struggles of poor women for entertainment value.
- Family histories, especially those marked by trauma, violence, and socioeconomic disadvantage, are often incomplete and obscured.
- Intergenerational poverty and abuse can create rifts and feelings of privilege even among close relatives.
- The narratives we construct about overcoming hardship frequently omit crucial context and Humanity.
- Untangling one's ancestry can unearth profoundly unsettling revelations about the past.
- Socioeconomic mobility is an achingly slow process, with repercussions spanning generations.
- There are profound human costs to disadvantage that are often obscured from public view.
- Acknowledging one's privileges is crucial for developing empathy across class divides.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Why are we drawn to these kinds of stories? In the world we live in, where some people have and some people do not, there is something to a story about someone who is suffering and the fantasy that somebody could swoop in and dramatically change everything in an instant.“ by Jonathan Menjivar
- “Our mothers really lived harrowing lives. And then you and I went through the things that we went through, which were not easy at all.“ by Angelina
- “Yeah, I didn't even know I had a sister.“ by Jonathan's Mom
- “Whatever happened, it was clear my grandmother's appearance on Queen for a Day was gone.“ by Jonathan Menjivar
Entities
Company
Person
Product
Book
Service
Place
Episode Information
Classy with Jonathan Menjivar
Pineapple Street Studios
8/2/23
Why are we so attracted to stories of people suffering on television? And what happens after the cameras turn off? In our final episode, Jonathan explores the origins of reality TV and uncovers his family’s shocking connection to a very early reality TV game show.
Angelina is an educator and poet. You can find her books of poetry at https://angelinasaenz.com/
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices