This American Roach
Summary
Reporter Alex Neeson attempts to overcome her intense phobia of cockroaches by shadowing exterminators and attempting to eat them, only to find these methods fail. She then explores the cultural and historical baggage surrounding roaches, including their link to slavery and classism, with help from entomologist Sammy Ramsey. The episode reframes roaches not as pests, but as resilient survivors and essential decomposers in their native African forests.
Topics discussed
Intro: Live show at Tribeca Film Festival
Alex's traumatic encounter with a cockroach
Learning pest control from exterminators
Trying to eat cockroaches with Chef Joseph
Deconstructing the concept of 'pests'
The history and biology of the American cockroach
The social and racial stigma of roaches
Roaches as clean decomposers in nature
Credits and sponsor messages
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