Strange Fruit #244: Reading Books, Living With Your Parents, Doing Your Civic Duty

We've all been busy this week, doing our civic duty. Not only was Tuesday Election Day, but Doc has been on jury duty all week! Her stories about the people she's met there bring up some questions about whether serving on a jury is too much of a hardship for hourly workers and low-income folks. Event planner Darien Green has been busy too. He's planning the second annual installment of "A Gay-la Experience," which is scheduled for June 2. Darien joined us this week to tell us more about the party, which is geared toward the LBGTQ community. "I basically created this event because I have a lot of friends who are transgender and they didn't get to attend their high school prom as their true selves," Darien said. "They don't share their prom pictures, they don't even talk about their prom experience, because it wasn't a happy time for them. I thought about what I could do to help them have that experience." While Darien was here we also talked about the case of Michael Rotondo, a 30-year-old New Yorker who had to be ordered by a judge to move out of his parents' house. How long is too long for parents to financially support their kids? And would it have made a difference if he'd done the dishes once in a while? We also listen back to a recent Jimmy Kimmel bit where they asked people on the street to name a book. Not a book they've read, not a book on a certain topic -- just any book at all. Some people seemed almost proud to say they don't read books. What does that say about the skills our culture values? Did your family of origin celebrate your debate team victories as much as they did your cousin's football wins?