In this episode of The Fall of US, journalist Matt Pierce takes us back to his childhood to explore the life of a man named Junior—a small-time hustler, thief, and self-proclaimed professional cockfighter. Junior wasn’t well-respected, and he certainly wasn’t well-behaved, but he was part of the world nonetheless. He was the kind of character society used to tolerate, even if begrudgingly, before the world became too structured, too rigid, too unwilling to make space for people like him.

Through Junior’s story, we explore the concept of palilalia, a speech disorder that made him repeat his words in a whisper, perhaps contributing to his status as an outsider. We reflect on what it means to exist on the fringes of society, how we react to those who don’t fit in, and what we can learn from the ones we’re so quick to dismiss. In an era when America was truly great, we accepted the odd, the flawed, and the misunderstood. So what happens when we no longer do? Join us for a deep dive into the life of an outlaw we used to understand.

What keeps us from leaving the life we know? Why do so many dream of escape but never take the first step? In this episode of The Fall of Us, we follow the story of Chesrea—a woman born into a life that wasn’t hers, caught between family duty and the deep longing to see the world beyond her small Mississippi town. Through her story, we explore the quiet struggles of those who yearn for something more but feel the invisible chains of expectation holding them back. What does it really mean to leave? And more importantly—what does it cost?

🎧 Listen now to The Fall of Us—a podcast about modern American life, self-discovery, and the things that keep us tethered in place.